Traditional Natural Christmas Wreath

What better way to kick off Christmas than by making your own Christmas wreath? It's a great project to make with your friends and family, to share the festive cheer!

Materials:

• Wreath base - pick a size suitable for your needs
• Wreath decorations (e.g. holly berries, leaves, branches, pine cones, candied citrus slices, cinnamon sticks, poinsettias, ribbons)
• Wrapping wire

Tools:

• Wire cutter
• Scissors
• Pliers (optional)

All materials and tools should be available online, or in local garden and craft stores.

And of course, don't forget a nice glass of mulled cider and all the festive joy! :)

There's really no right answer to decorating wreaths, but a good place to start is by bundling up a few varieties of decorations in little 'bouquets' to go on the wreath.

Here I have made several 'bouquets' using craft wire to hold everything together, but I've deliberately not attached them to the wreath properly yet as I wanted to be able to rearrange things before committing.

Also note the giant bow. You can make one yourself from ribbon, or get ready-made ones. There's plenty of guidance and inspiration on the internet - let your imagination run free!

When you're happy with where things go and how the wreath looks, it's time to attach all the individual 'bouquets' and bows to the wreath itself. I find it useful to take a picture of the arrangement before setting everything aside and using craft wire to tie the 'bouquets' down individually. It's also worth trying to keep the wires as hidden as possible, though if some show through that's perfectly alright.

When everything's attached, you can fill in any empty spaces by stabbing individual holly berries, pine cones, etc. into the gaps, to create a more well-rounded look.

Lastly, don't forget to find a way to hang your wreath! I did this simply by creating a ribbon loop through the wreath itself, though again there is no right answer and just do whatever works for you.

Hope you enjoyed this project!