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Dried Flower Wreath

Wreaths are a great way to bring the outdoors in.
They also make make treasured gifts, especially when the flowers are from your own garden.
There's a variety of ways to make a wreath, partly because of the many choices or wreath bases. You can start with a plain wire frame, wire frame with straw, styrofoam ring or make your own wreath form like on this pussywillow wreath tutorial or buy a wire frame at the craft store for this pinecone wreaths. Make your frame by using a metal coat hanger.

To make a simple wreath:

Start with a frame and cover it with small bunches of baby's breath, statice and artemisia for filler. Wrap floral wire around the stems of the small bunches and wire them to the frame. Continue adding and wrapping bunches until the entire frame is covered. Overlap bunches, covering the stems of the pervious bunch. Fill the inside of the wreath first and then the outside. Add accents materials as you fill the middle.

Add small bouquets of colourful dried flowers wired together with dried herbs for fragrance and just poke them in place where you think it needs something. To make sure some of the bunches of flowers stay put, I dip the bottom of some of my stems in glue first and poke them in. Pinecones sometimes they like to move around.

You can also make a wreath base from trailing vines, such as trumpet vine and grapevines. I made one from grapevines and I left it plain. I love the colour as is.
Grapevines wreath bases are the easiest for me to use. I just dip my little wired bunches in glue and poke it through the base, but sometimes you need a change and that's when other forms come handy.
Harvest the flowers, fillers etc. as you have them. Tie in bunches and air dry them out of the sunlight until you are ready to use them. Sun will fade the flowers.

Harvest the vines in summer or fall when they are pliable and use them immediately before they become dry and brittle. Begin the wreath by looping a circle with wire in the desired size for your wreath. I have used flower pots and garbage cans. Turned them upside down and they happen to be the size I wanted.

Once you have woven one vine in place, you continue adding more vines until the form is the thickness that you want. Tuck the ends in when you are finished. Save the grapevines with the long tendrils for the end. I like the tendrils. Sometimes I tuck extra ones in.
Then you are ready to add accents to your wreath.
I think the best part about making your own wreath is when the starts to look a little sad, you just make another one. :)

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