The Perfect Door Decorations: Homemade Wreaths

During the holidays, or anytime really, when you wish to decorate your door or a wall in your house, try making a wreath. Wreaths can be cheap and easy to make if you know how to bargain shop. It is even cheaper if you know how to make your own wreaths and bows.

If you want to, start with the wreath. You have to know what size you want or need for where you are going to put it. Guess if you are not sure and then go searching. Some of your local craft stores may have some ready-made wreaths. If you want, try yard sales or flea markets if you cannot find any in local stores. You just have to take the wreaths apart laving the base vines alone if you got it from yard sales or the flea market. However, if you are adventurous like me, try to make some wreaths of your own.

Go out into a wooded area that you know you are allowed to enter. Try early spring or nay time during the spring when you can tell which vines are alive and most flexible. Look around in the trees for easily accessible vines. Make sure you know the difference between grape vines and poison ivy. Poison ivy will give you an evil surprise with rashes and itching. So be careful.

When you find your vines for your wreath make sure they are small enough to flex easily but large enough to build a strong wreath. Try a width of a dime or penny if you are not sure. Hold the cut end of the vine to a section to make a loop. This is the form of your wreath. Usually the size of the loop is about the size of the wreath. Take the rest of the vine and weave it around your base loop. If you weave until the end of the vine you can add another if you wish the wreath to be thicker. If you weaved the vines just right, it should be enough to hold together on its own.

Another way to wrap the wreath is to make a frame for the size of the wreath you want. All you need is your yard, four sticks, the vines, and some wire that blends into the vine to do this. Tap the sticks into your yard at the size you want. Wrap the vines around the outside of the frame and use the wire to secure the vines together.

When you have your wreath or wreaths made then you have to figure out how you want to decorate it. I use silk ivy for a base for decorating. I then add paper roses of either one or two colors to the wreath in random places. I pick a ribbon that is proportional in width so when the bow is made it matches the size of the wreath. I try to pick the ribbon color that matches the flowers. To hold this all down by using hot glue except the ribbon. I use wire to fasten the ribbon.

You do not have to use what I use either. You can use dried flowers or other silk flowers of your liking. Anything you wish. Let your creativity get the better of you and use birdhouses if you want or just all bows. It does not matter. All that matters is that you create a wreath that means something to you.