Rustic Wreath

As Christmas draws ever closer it becomes time to deck the halls and put up the tree ready for the holiday celebrations. Having learnt from my attempt last year, I once again created my own Christmas wreath entirely from scratch and natural materials. As this is such a busy time of year for so many, Christmas can seem to fly by, but creating your own wreath is a surefire way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Step 1: Forage.

Jeordy and I headed to our local nature reserves and parks to forage for materials. We made sure to only take a little from different areas and trees rather than just stripping a certain tree for what we needed. We searched first for bendable branches that we could bend into a circle for the the base. We tried to get a variety of greenery but focused mainly on holly and pine branches. In addition to the staples, we foraged for some more interesting colourful additions such as baby's breath, berries, pine needles, pine cones and other curiosities.

Step 2: Consolidate.

Once we had all our materials we sorted them into piles to make it a little easier. We had friends over to make multiple wreaths which is why we collected so much material. We also used leftover material to decorate our home.

Step 3: The frame.

I bent one bendy stick around into a circular shape (don't worry if it isn't perfectly circular at this point or if your branches crack or brake a little). I tied the ends with jute twine and then twisted a second stick around to add strength and tied them together.

Step 4: Add greenery

Using pine branches I wrapped and intertwined them to the frame without using anymore string. I tucked the end of the branches between the two frame branches to hold it in place.

Step 5: Take a break.

Always take the time to have a break. We made pine needle tea with cinnamon and brown sugar biscuits for the perfect winter combination.

Step 6: Bushiness.

I kept adding the pine branches, tucking any rogue branches into the frame or cutting them off to make it neater. After adding layers of pine branches it is easier to get a more circular shape.

Step 7: Personalise.

At this point I added all the interesting and colourful scavenged items by simply poking them into the weave of the wreath.

Step 8: The finale

For the last step I asked Jeordy to dive into her box of ribbons and tie a bow on the wreath before hanging it on our door.

Making my own wreath from scratch for the second year is really rewarding and has certainly put me in the festive spirit. I hope this has kick started your Christmas season and provided some rustic and environmental holiday inspiration.

Tag us and let us know on Instagram if you create your own wreath, we would love to see all your creations!