DIY Christmas Wreath

Christmas is hands down, my favourite holiday. I love the closeness it brings with family and the prospects of sitting in front of the fire, sipping on an assortment of hot, spiced beverages, cozy in an oversized sweater, leggings and big, fuzzy socks. I love the soft, warm glow of the lights adorning a tall, fragrant tree, covered in decorations that bring back a flood of memories. Small dishes are in every nook, cranny and on every flat surface, filled with nuts, fruit, chocolate and treats of every kind. Pleasant music plays softly in the background as the sounds of conversation and laughter fill the house, all the while, outside, large, fluffy snow flakes float down silently from the heavens. Reflection, thankfulness, contentment, hope, and excitement for a new year, looms in the forefront of the mind. This is bliss.

I still remember our first Christmas after Hayden and I were married. I, of course, was so excited to put up a tree and decorate our home and make it all "Christmasy", but Hayden wasn't keen on getting a tree, because we wouldn't be here. What was the point? Neither of us are from Medicine Hat, and thus we are always away at one of our family's homes for the holiday's. We wouldn't be here over Christmas, so why spend the money. That first year I had a hard time with this idea, feeling like something was missing, but the idea has gotten easier and now, as we near our 4th Christmas together, I'm totally in agreement, as far as the tree goes (once our wee family is a bit older, however, that will change :)) Other holiday decorating, however, is fair game :)

I just love the cozy, warm feelings that go along with the decor and the time leading up to Christmas is the best time to enjoy it. I'm not going to go over the top, mind you, but I started this season off with making our very first wreath for our front door that we can now use every year. I was so excited and found many different styles of wreaths I could attempt. With limited time and funds, however, I opted for an easier style which would be very cost effective. I believe that the more we can make and do ourselves and the less we buy from the stores, the "greener" we can be! Why pay $50 for a wreath when you can make one for $7.

Thus I'm sharing with you my wreath and how I made it, incase you too would like to endeavour in creating your own, personalized wreath. It honestly took very little time and energy and it was a proud moment when I hung it on our door.

The supplies you'll need to make this wreath are:

- Hot glue gun

- Hot glue sticks

- Wooden letter of choice (I chose "W" for our last name) (If you're feeling extra artsy, you could make your own letter out of reclaimed wood for an even "greener" wreath :) )

- Grapevine wreath (Michael's Store. $2.50 with a 50% off coupon)

- Flowers of choice (if you want to use flowers) 

- Paint color of choice

- Sandpaper

- Any other adornments you may like. The sky is the limit!

We love earth colours, thus I found some fake green and orange flowers for our wreath. I also got some fake pearls to place in the centre of the flowers.

First I painted my W in white. I aimed for a "distressed" look, so I only did one coat as I wanted the wood to show through. 

I then used the hot glue gun to glue pearls into the centre of the flowers

I then placed the flowers where I wanted them on the wreath, planning it out and re-arranging till I got the look I wanted, and then hot glued the flowers into place. I then added some of the leaves to fill in the gaps and make it full.

 I then used 120 grit sandpaper and sanded down the edges of the letter, to distress it some more.

I then placed the letter where I wanted it and hot glued it to the wreath.

My completed wreath hanging on our door! I'm quite pleased with how it turned out and look forward to using it every year :) It's not too Christmasy that I could actually put this out once fall is upon us each year and leave it up for a few months. I like that idea.

What's your favourite Christmas decoration that you've made?

Till next time.