Create your own glittering Christmas wreath!

What do you think of when a homespun Christmas comes to mind? A crackling fire, the scent of baking cookies, a Christmas tree… a wreath?

Wreaths are a festive sign of welcome – whether on doors or walls. Decorative wreaths have been in existence for centuries, as Romans used the laurel wreath to crown their outstanding athletes. Christians in Germany began using wreaths during Advent – which is what probably sparked the modern Christmas wreath tradition.

Christmas wreaths purchased at stores can be inferior products, then squished in a box for many hours as they make their way to a local store. But, you can solve that problem by creating your own wreath. An added bonus is the freedom to choose a color scheme, materials and theme.

Wreaths can be as elaborate and fanciful as your own imagination. Consider a natural wreath with pine cones and branches cut from a Christmas tree, or a themed wreath such as bows, candy canes, or Christmas ornaments. I chose a gold and red glitter theme.

Any hobby store will have the basics needed to create a wreath. I happened to purchase the materials for this wreath at Hobby Lobby in Temecula. However, Michaels is another Temecula hobby store that has a wide selection of wreath materials.

Shopping for materials

Plan to spend a half-hour to an hour in the store. Start with a basic wreath as an anchor for your other chosen materials. Many types are available, including grapevine, straw, foam, and metal. I chose the metal because I assumed it would make a nicer line when wrapped with ribbon. (The metal wreath I chose had small gold tinsel sprigs attached, which I removed before the wreath was wrapped in ribbon.)

Once you have a wreath, choose a ribbon for wrapping. I chose a sturdy mesh wire-edged ribbon because the glue doesn’t show and the ribbon doesn’t bunch up when the hot glue touches it. (Thirty feet of ribbon was enough to wrap the wreath twice and have enough left over for 16-inch accent ribbon.)

The next step is deciding on a wreath focal piece. I wandered around the store trying various pieces, an angel, a star, and a large glass ornament. I finally settled on a glittery red poinsettia with gold trim. There are many different shades of red, so it was important to compare the poinsettia color to the ribbon to make sure it didn’t clash. Color coordination is essential, and fortunately, most of the hobby stores are well-lit, making color comparison easy.

Next I looked for secondary objects, and chose some small pine cones that had been painted gold.

I then discovered two items that would lend a gold glittery effect – curled gold wire and long thin gold leaves. They worked perfectly with the red ribbon, red poinsettia and gold pine cones. Once you have your bag full of materials you are ready to take the next step – creating a wreath.

Creating a Glittering Poinsettia Wreath

Cover your table with newspapers to catch glue drips. The only tools you will need are a hot glue gun and glue sticks, scissors, and a wire cutter.

Step 1:

Remove the excess tinsel sprigs from the base wreath. Cut a 16-inch piece of red mesh wire-edged ribbon and save for later. Then wrap the wreath with the remainder of the 30 feet of ribbon, making sure to glue the two ends down. (I wrapped it twice.)

Step 2:

Cut the curls of gold wire off the main branch, then glue them to the wreath under approximately every third wrap of ribbon. A small amount of glue on the base of the wire is enough to hold it in place.

Step 3:

Cut gold leaves off main branch and place hot glue on the stem end. Glue the leaves around the wreath in the spaces between the gold wire curls. Leave some leaves dangling from the top of the wreath circle to create a feathery effect. Glue more leaves toward the bottom so they will dangle below the wreath. (This is the area where the poinsettia will be glued.)

Step 4:

Take the 16-inch piece of ribbon and glue it to the bottom of the wreath. Twist the ends slightly. Cut off most of the poinsettia stem and glue the flower to the middle of the ribbon. Glue five of the gold pine cones to the top of the wreath. Fluff up the gold wire curls and your glittering Christmas wreath is ready for hanging!