Until just a few years ago, I  purchased all of my Christmas wreaths or I used artificial ones.  I didn’t realize that it is easy to make a fresh wreath.  It doesn’t take a great deal of greenery and  friends are more than willing to share boxwood clippings, magnolia leaves, pine branches, and so forth.  Cedar is another good option if you live in a rural environment.  It’s plentiful and except for being a little prickly, it’s easy to work with (sort of like me!)

Step 1 –  You’ll need a wreath frame… pictured in the lower left hand corner of the picture below.  Some folks use coat hangers but I like the frames made specifically for wreaths.  They may be purchased at Walmart, Michael’s or Hob Lob…any of those types of stores.  They are about $3.00 so you’ll want to look for a 40% coupon.    They sell out early in the season.

You’ll also want some florist wire and any ribbons and embellishments you want to add to your wreath.  We had a whole table of this stuff since everyone shared.

Wreathmaking supplies

Step 2 – Gather your greenery — in this small bunch there is holly and pine clippings.   If you live in the suburbs, my True Love (Lowe’s) will sometimes give away their tree trimmings.   Here in the country, we’ve got lots to choose from.   While not shown on this post, we had sheets lying on the grown outside the shop with clipped greenery.

Step 3 – Start your wreath with one small “bunch” of greenery. Wire your bundle of greenery tightly together and then wire it securely to the wreath.

Step 4 – Gather the next bundle, pinch tightly together and wire to the first bundle. Continue doing this all the way around the wreath.   Soon you’ll have this…

Or this one pictured below…which is less symmetrical but still very pretty…

Notice all the variety in Mary’s wreath (below)…

And were you wondering what my wreath looked like?