Dried flower wreaths can be especially beautiful and add that
little bit of elegance to the interior of your home, or can be
used as a door wreath, as you prefer. Personally I like to make
them and hang them on a mirror of a buffet cabinet in the dining
room or on a round wall mirror in the living room. I call these
“grandmother’s” wreaths, because I choose to make them in the
old fashioned way in which my grandmother made them.

You will want to gather a bag full of “trimming” material,
vines etc with leaves on them as well as fall flowers and lay
them out to dry in a cool yet dry area, such as a garage. When
your wreath making materials are completely dry, then you will
be ready for the next step, the actual making of the wreath.
You will want to cover your work area with newspapers to avoid
messy cleanups as much as possible.

I like to use a wire coat hanger as a base for this kind of
wreath rather than buying a wreath base, simply because my
grandmother did it this way and she taught me. You may prefer
to buy a wreath base or perhaps to try it both ways to see
which way you like best. You will need your wire snips and you
also might want to wear gloves for this, sometimes the vines
will have unsuspected “prickers” on them and getting one of
those in a finger doesn’t exactly add to the pleasure of wreath
making.

Cut your foliage pieces, vines etc, into six inch lengths, take
several of them and put them together, what ever amount looks
right to you, I like to use three, then add some dried flowers
to this mixture, this is called making a bundle. Wire your
bundle to the top part of the hanger, next to the hook. Make
another bundle and do the same thing, overlapping the first
bundle so that the stems are covered. Do this around the circle
of your wreath base until it is covered. The stems on the last
bundle should be tucked up under the first bundle and wired in
place. If you used a store bought wreath base, make a circle
with the wire to hang the wreath by, then wrap and cut the
wire, tucking the end in securely to avoid later injuries. If
you used a coat hanger, the hook part is already there to use
as a hanger so you just need to cut the wire and secure it. You
may want to take this outside and lightly spray it with some
sort of preservative, to hold it all in place. Some folks use
extra firm hair spray for this purpose. Now give yourself a pat
on the back, you have worked hard and you have made a beautiful
decoration for your home.

About The Author: Dawn Keadic enjoys decorating with wreaths,
both indoors and outdoors. For more information on wreaths,
including wreaths you can make at home, visit
http://www.unique-christmas-wreaths.com