DIY Cascading Holiday Wreath
Nothing really says “holiday season” better than a festive wreath, so we’re delighted to have Twin Lens Weddings by Georgia and Sarah with us to share how they made their own take on the Christmas wreath by giving it a cascading effect. Read on to get the tips for making your very own!
What better way to welcome in the holidays than a festive wreath hanging on your door? We wanted to take the traditional Christmas wreath and give it a twist with a cascading effect.
For this project, you will need:
-Wire wreath frame
-Floral cutters
-Floral wire
-Wreath hanger
To create this wreath, we chose to harvest from our backyard forest, but any of our chosen stems can be replaced depending on what you have available.
What we used:
Loblolly Pine
Yaupon Holly
-One bough for medium and long stems, cut as needed
-A selection of shorter stems
-Stems without berries
Juniper
Instructions:
1. Starting the wreath is easy – just lay your chosen stem on the wreath frame and begin binding the greens to the frame by wrapping wire around tightly. Cutting the wire while wrapping shouldn’t be necessary with this method, but it isn’t against the rules either. To ensure the wire is wound tightly, it may be easier to cut and tie off small portions of wire as you go along.
2. To create a subtly layered effect, we began by laying down small cuts (approximately 4”-7” long) of each material in a general pattern of two to three pine stems, one holly (with berries,) juniper, and holly (with no berries.) Feel free to mix up the pattern as you see fit.
3. We began the cascading portion of the wreath by adding medium length stems (7”-10”.) The stems were laid down and bound as before, but depending on the shape you are trying to make you may want to wrap wire individually around certain stems and then attach them to the frame. This allows for more control in positioning the cascading section. We then added long stems (10”-16”) and tapered out the cascade by returning to medium stems, then short stems. Take care with this portion – it will take the longest, but make sure to double check how the shape is coming out. You will want the long cascading stems to flow with the direction of the shorter stems.
4. The rest of the wreath can be completed by continuing to lay short stems and wrapping wire tightly around the frame near the bottom of the stems. Lay the stems down closely on top of one another, so the free portion of the greens will cover up where you wrapped wire previously.
5. When you come to the end of the circle, lift up any greens in your way and fill in the remaining area with short stems.
6. Now you are ready to hang your wreath! If using evergreen plants, this live wreath should last without water for several days. We’ve had ours up for a week with little change. Happy wreath-making!
