DIY Christmas wreaths. Part 2

Our favorite holiday – New Year – is just around the corner. We often hear complaints that the holiday is approaching, but there is no corresponding mood. However, if you sit and wait for someone to come and create it for us, you can sit there all your life, but still not wait - you have to do miracles yourself.

Where to begin? Perhaps from creating New Year's and Christmas interior decorations, especially since you can't get similar things in stores now - truly beautiful ones are prohibitively expensive. With your own hands you can create a real work of art that no one else will have, because you will do it only in accordance with your own taste and imagination. First, let's make a New Year's wreath from willow twigs.

Where to find willow twigs

The first thing to do is to collect branches for our wreath. It’s good if there is a willow tree growing near your house, from which you can cut a few branches, but if it’s not nearby, it doesn’t matter, there will be a reason to take a walk to the nearest park or forest, and at the same time get some fresh air. It is the willow that we need because the branches of this tree, as folklore testifies, “bend but do not break,” which is very important for a wreath.

However, if for some reason you do not find willow twigs, any other twigs will do, just keep in mind that it will be more hassle with it - due to their fragility, you will have to fasten them together more often.

How to prepare buds

Having made sure that the “blank” is held firmly, you can begin decorating, which, as we have already said, depends only on your imagination. The task is to attach all the details that you have prepared for it to the wreath in any order. But first, they need to be processed appropriately.

The cones can be left in their, so to speak, original form, but if you don’t want to get your hands dirty with resin at the most inopportune moment, you can first boil them in an old saucepan or basin. They will darken after cooking, but don't let that scare you. Place the wet cones on paper; when they dry, they will take on a presentable appearance - they will become light and straighten out. Paint them with spray paint and dry them - together with Christmas tree decorations, you can attach them to the wreath.

How to prepare lace

The lace we prepared for decoration must be treated with paste in advance, boiling it at the rate of two tablespoons of starch per glass of sugar. After soaking the lace in the paste, give it the desired shape - for example, a flower - and leave until completely dry.

Of course, lace blanks can be treated with PVA glue - it will also allow them to keep their shape well, but thanks to starch they will shine, which is the first thing for New Year's decorations. We attach lace, ribbons tied in a bow and twigs with rose hips or rowan berries, tinsel or rain using a glue gun.

Materials for a New Year's wreath

Rods - their number depends on how voluminous your wreath will be
Wire - small skein
Glue or glue gun
Cones
Small Christmas tree toys
Lace
Christmas tinsel or rain
Artificial snow or foam chips
Spray paint - silver or gold
Rose hips or rowan berries
Two tablespoons of starch

"Snow" on a New Year's wreath

The last stage of the work - let's call it putting the cherry on the cake: we spray the wreath, and in the absence of it we glue foam crumbs to it. Although if you simply paint the branches in the wreath with white paint, it will also turn out original.

That's it, our wreath is ready - you can hang it on the door so that happiness, goodness and prosperity know which house to look into first.

Traditionally, Advent wreaths appear in homes in the run-up to Christmas.

Most often they decorate doors and fireplaces, and any interior is filled with anticipation of the holiday.

You can also decorate a large mirror in a wide frame with a wreath on a satin ribbon, attach it to a cornice and decorate curtains, or even use it to decorate a Christmas table by placing candles inside the wreath.

I have already talked many times about how you can do it yourself, because for me this topic is relevant - there are no Christmas trees here. And therefore, the wreath is a real lifesaver.

So today I will tell you how to make from twigs. Making such a wreath is very simple. It does not require any special decorations. All the necessary elements can be found in the park during a walk. The basis of the Christmas wreath is flexible birch branches, and the decoration is various cones, nuts, and twigs. These branches are thin, flexible, roll well into a circle and do not break. Additionally, you can decorate with small Christmas balls for contrast.

So, let's go to the park (or forest) and collect branches. You can collect everything “that is in bad shape”: birch, willow, any shrubs and trees even unknown to you: o). Of course, you don’t need to pluck a bush clean, a couple of branches from one tree to the next. We love nature! Take branches that are not thick, but not too thin.

Before you start creating, you need to keep in mind that cut rods dry out quite quickly and become unplastic, so if you decide to make a wreath with your own hands, you should not put it off for long. At home, we collect all the branches into one neat bundle and tie them up. We place our creation in the bathtub or wherever you don’t mind (suddenly you have a gold-plated bathtub: o), fill it with hot water. And let's go have tea... For about an hour.

After this you need to twist the wreath. There are several options here:

Method 1.

Make a wire frame and wrap it with rods. However, we still need to find the wire :o)

Method 2.

If you did not pre-soak the branches, then before forming a circle from the twigs, each branch must be bent over every 5 cm, otherwise it may break during work.

We form a circle from one long branch.

Then, holding the woven ends of the first branch and the beginning of the second in one hand, we braid the first circle with the other. And so on, branch by branch. Gradually the branches begin to hold on to each other.

After the branches are all twisted, we take water-based paint (for example, matte for interior work, there is almost no smell and dries quickly) or acrylic paint. When painting the wreath, use a dry brush with a small amount of paint on the tip.

We cover our wreath with paint. Let it dry. Then, for added beauty, we spray it with gold paint from a can (sold at a hardware store or at a car dealer).

That's it - the hardest part is over! You can decorate the finished wreath with satin ribbons, beads, Christmas tree decorations, bells, felt figures, birds, decorative flowers and even ginger cookies.

You can hang it from ribbons from the ceiling (if you have something to tie it to), on a nail to the wall or on the door.

The wreath, of course, doesn’t have to be painted.

Method 3.

And if you also managed to collect pine cones in the forest, then you can decorate the wreath in this interesting way.

For this we need:

birch branches; various cones: pine cones, larch cones (you can also use medium-sized spruce cones, acorns), walnuts, dried cracker branches; glue gun or some silicone glue in a tube; silver paint in a can; small Christmas balls; satin ribbon; two bells. The cones must be dried on a radiator so that they open.

Take several branches, form a circle and tie their ends. We fold the birch branches into a bundle of such thickness that the bundle is completely covered by the palm. We fasten the bundle in the middle with a strong thread. Then we fasten again after 10-15 cm - and so on in a circle. At the end, we overlap the branches over each other and fasten them with thread. Wind the remaining branches from above. Those. wrap around an already made frame of branches in a circle. We tuck the ends into the branches themselves (like the end of a thread in a ball). It turns out like this rim from birch branches.

We distribute the decorative elements along the base and create a composition. You don't need to glue it yet, as you may want to rearrange the order of the decorations.

Once you are finally sure that the composition is finished, you can start gluing.

After the glue has completely dried and the entire decor is firmly in place, we begin to paint our Christmas wreath silver. I think you know that we do this in a well-ventilated area or outside - using a can of silver paint.

Today, many families have adopted the Western tradition of decorating their apartment for the New Year holiday. Such decor always looks great and lifts the mood. There are many options for creating wreaths. A similar decoration can be made from living branches: juniper, ordinary twigs, pine, cypress, oak, spruce. But sometimes it is created from quite unexpected materials. Of course, such decor can be easily purchased in a store. But it’s much more interesting to create a wreath of branches with your own hands. In this case, you can create truly unique and festive decor.

DIY Christmas wreaths. Part 2 - rods

We continue the theme of Christmas wreaths, and this time we’ll take a closer look at Christmas wreaths twisted from branches and twigs. First, I will tell you how to make the basis for such a Christmas wreath, and then we will decorate it with bows, pine cones, toys, flowers, berries, notes and other elegant things.

Material for the base of a Christmas wreath.

You will need tree branches or shrub twigs that are highly flexible, that is, they bend but do not break. If you live within the city, then in your case the willow is the very tree that has the branches we need, bent so close to the ground that we don’t have to jump. Willows are found everywhere in the city, but most often they are planted along the riverbed. Therefore, you go to the city embankment and stock up on a small bunch of branches there.

You need to prune a tree not in one place, but selectively, as if thinning out the crown. Then no one will tell you that you are damaging state property. Honestly, it’s better to do this in the evening, when it gets dark, unless of course you have a jacket with the emblem of a housing and communal services worker.

In addition to willow, hazel twigs bend well and... I don’t know what they are called, but every city is full of them... such shrubs with bright red long straight twigs - usually planted along the paths of preschool and school institutions - they also bend well.

Do not rush to tear off the side branches from the twigs, let them remain - they will give the wreath additional lush volume (the wreaths in the pictures above are twisted not from bare twigs, but from branches with all the side shoots).

If we want to make a twisted wreath (as in the picture below), the rods need to be soaked in hot water for an hour. Then they will be completely soft and easily curl into a wreath.

How to twist a Christmas wreath from twigs.

Take a small bundle of twigs and carefully tie this “broom” with twine at the base, without cutting the twine from the overall skein. Now this “initial broom” can be twisted slightly in a spiral shape as in the picture above (you don’t have to twist it, as in the picture below).

Now we will add new rods , now I will explain how. We take a new bunch of branches and insert it into the middle of our first broom. That is, we moved the branches of the first broom tied with twine apart and between them in the center we sunk our new bunch as deeply as possible, and moved the branches of the first broom back together, and they just covered the trunk of our newly created bunch. And so on down the chain. And all this is fixed with a twine, which stretches from the beginning of the first broom and spirals around all subsequent “broom-bundles”. We select the twine to match the color of the rods.

Our chain of brooms closes into a ring We move the branches of the last broom apart and hide the trunk of our first bundle in the center between them and wrap it with twine. It's simple as you can see.

Honestly, this system allows you to make a Christmas wreath with your own hands and from old birch brooms. And it doesn’t have to be super flexible rods. In short, choose for yourself. Well, now let's start decorating the Christmas wreaths.

DIY Christmas wreaths - ELEGANT BOWS.

A beautifully tied ribbon, some large beads or small Christmas balls - and voila! Starfish, shells brought from the sea - a nautical-style wreath - this is also original and beautiful.

DIY Christmas wreaths - NOBLE FLOWERS.

Such flowers can be twisted from thick white felt, corduroy, flannel, ribbons (and even from toilet paper, if folded in half lengthwise).

DIY Christmas wreaths - BERRIES.

The role of berries will be played by rowan tassels, beads or large polystyrene balls stuck on protruding branches or glued to them. These foam balls are sold in florist shops, as well as in stores selling all kinds of craft materials; you can also make balls from foam packaging yourself.

DIY Christmas wreaths - CONES.

We had a whole bag of these pine cones lying around our house; my daughter picked them up in the forest. And I took it and threw it out into the street recently. I got excited. We need to be more far-sighted. I advise you to do the same – because what beauty can be made from them. Place on glue or tie with strings to a wreath, and you're done.

Well, that’s all, in the next part of our series of articles we’ll talk about Christmas wreaths made of fabric.

I will be glad to see your questions, wishes and photographs of your DIY Christmas wreaths in the comments to this article.

Olga Klishevskaya, especially for the site “Women’s Conversations”.

History of tradition

Before we consider how to make a wreath of branches with our own hands, let's find out who came up with the idea of creating such a decor.

Hamburg resident Johann Hinrich Wichern was the first to decorate his home with such an element. He took in children from impoverished families. During Lent, the children constantly pestered their mentor with the question: when will the long-awaited Christmas come?

To make it easier for children to count down the days until the holiday, Johann made a wreath. This item was made from a wooden wheel. It was decorated with 19 small red candles and 4 large white ones. Every day one candle was lit on the wreath: if it was weekdays, then a red one, and if it was a Sunday, then a large white one.

The locals really liked this wreath, and they quickly adopted the tradition. This is how this amazing Christmas attribute has survived to this day.

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Quote from Irzeis' message

Read in full In your quotation book or community!
How to make a Christmas wreath - 6: A wreath from branches of deciduous trees.

Who's talking about anything, but I'm talking about Christmas wreaths.
I found some really interesting ideas for making them online.

I would like to leave a reminder for myself, and share it with others - in case it comes in handy :o)

After all, decorating a house for the New Year holidays is a great tradition. And making Christmas wreaths is quick and easy! And it turns out beautiful, and that’s all!

Typically, such wreaths are woven from pine needles: Classic pine wreath and Rowan berry wreath.

However, almost any material can be used to make a Christmas wreath. From ordinary things that you have on hand, you can make a real New Year's miracle: you can easily make a Mediterranean wreath , and you can create a Fragrant Wreath from fresh flowers. This time we will make a Christmas wreath from tree branches and shrubs.

To make a Christmas wreath from snow-covered branches,

we will need:

branches of trees and shrubs
a spray can of artificial snow (or white spray paint, or white acrylic paint and a toothbrush)
three cones
three Christmas tree toys
hairspray (or PVA glue)
glitter (spangles for decoration)
silver (or white) thread
wire cutters (or garden shears) for trimming branches
wire

First, we will make a wreath from bush twigs (of course, you can also take thin tree branches).

We twist the branches of trees or shrubs into a round wreath, securing the ends with wire.

We paint the branches with a spray can of artificial snow.

This “snow” can be replaced with a can of white paint. Or, just like we did in childhood: dip a toothbrush in white acrylic paint and spray it on the branches (in this case, it’s better to work with gloves :o)

“Bite off” the extra branches.

We paint the cones with glitter:

Spray hairspray and then sprinkle with glitter
Or we coat the cones with PVA glue and sprinkle with glitter.

Using thread

attaching pine cones and toys to the Christmas wreath

That's all! The New Year's snow-covered wreath is ready! Can be hung on a wall or door :o)

Now we are making a Christmas wreath from flexible tree branches.

We make a frame for a wreath from branches of deciduous trees. We fasten everything with decorative wire

We weave smaller branches to the large branches and fasten them together again.

To decorate the wreath we use pine cones, various New Year's toys - balls, icicles, angels, candles, etc. - whatever you want!

We attach cones between the branches,

secured with silver threads.

We attach balloons and other decorations individually and in groups

Sprinkle with artificial snow (or paint using the methods indicated above)

We admire our handiwork!

And we hang it on the wall, to the delight of our family and friends!

By the way, it’s quite easy to make a Christmas wreath from tinsel

Traditional wreath decorations

If you decide to make a New Year's wreath from branches with your own hands, then feel free to use all your imagination. You can create a unique decoration from any available materials. There are many amazing ideas for making this decor.

However, if you want to follow traditions, then you need to familiarize yourself with some recommendations. First, let's look at the color scheme.

The traditional palette of a Christmas wreath is the following shades:

green;
white;
red;
gold.

Base for a Christmas wreath

Making any Christmas wreath begins with preparing the base. Some people use cardboard, others wire. We invite you to learn how to make a simple base for a Christmas wreath from birch branches with your own hands.

To make it you will need:

You need to make a Christmas wreath from branches on the same day you collected them. Otherwise, they will begin to dry out and break during operation.

What is used for decoration?

When planning to make your own twig wreath, consider what decorations you will use.

Most often used for Christmas attribute:

Cones (pine, spruce).
Natural decor looks impressive. Sometimes the cones are sprayed with a golden or silver spray.
Berries.
The most popular are viburnum, rowan, and rose hips. The wreath can be decorated with fresh or dry twigs with berries.
Nuts, fruits.
Dried pieces of lemons, oranges, and tangerines look original. Any variety of nuts can be used for the wreath. Twisted (dry) orange peel can be a wonderful decoration.
Spices
. An incredible aroma will be provided by dried cloves and cinnamon sticks.
Sweets
. You can even decorate the wreath with cookies and candies.
Bows, ribbons.
Traditionally, Christmas attributes were decorated with plain red bows. Today, striped and checkered ribbons are used for decoration.
Small Christmas tree toys.
Small bells, birds, stars, snowmen, angels, and balls will add a special charm to your wreath. In addition, decorate it with Christmas tree tinsel and beads.
Candles
. This decor is suitable only for those wreaths that are placed on a horizontal hard surface.

There are a few more little secrets that you can take into account when making a New Year's wreath from branches with your own hands:

If you want the next year to bring you prosperity, attach a coin to your wreath.
A small horseshoe will bring prosperity.
And to catch your luck, decorate the wreath with the symbol of the coming year.

Frame making

Having prepared all the necessary elements, we will begin to create a wreath of branches with our own hands. The master class will help with this.

The New Year's wreath must be very durable. That is why you should carefully approach the manufacture of the frame.

Such an element can be created in several ways:

twist the vine and secure it carefully;
crumple newspapers, give them the shape of a ring, and tie them on top with threads;
use an old watering hose;
tie bird cherry, buckthorn;
cut a circle out of cardboard (make a smaller hole inside);
use a hose from under an old vacuum cleaner;
use a disposable plate and cut a round hole in the middle of it;
purchase a ready-made foam ring;
Apply dry grass, shape it into a ring and tie it tightly with thread.
make a circle out of wire (you can use an old wire hanger).

Decorating the frame

We continue to consider how to make a wreath from branches with your own hands.

So, you have a finished frame. The next stage is decorating it with branches. You can use live pine needles. Pine branches are perfect; spruce branches look more elegant.

If you want your creation to last a long time, then make an artificial wreath from branches with your own hands. You can use this decor next year, slightly diluting the composition with new elements. You can find an old artificial Christmas tree in almost every home. Don't rush to throw it away. After all, you can make an excellent New Year's wreath with your own hands from fir branches. It is in no way inferior in beauty to its counterpart created from living elements.

To decorate the frame, you need to cut the branches. It is very convenient to perform this action using pruning shears.

The branches are attached with an overlap. The lush part should cover the wood of the previous one. Also, arrange the branches so that the frame is not visible. Strong threads can be used for fastening. An excellent solution is to use wire. This will allow all elements to be firmly secured.

As you can see, making a New Year's wreath with your own hands from fir branches (both live and artificial) is a simple task.

Making a wreath from branches

On the eve of Easter, I decided to publish a master class on creating a wreath from branches. If you add a little imagination and creativity in decor, you can make an original decoration for your home or present a souvenir that you make yourself.

We choose the material. I usually like to work with weeping birch branches as they are thin and long. Making a wreath out of them, in my opinion, is easier. But you can also use any variety of willow.
Preparing the branches for making a wreath. If you collected the branches recently and they are still fresh, then they bend into a wreath easily. What to do when the branches have already dried out and become brittle? Then you need to put them in boiling water and keep them for more than 30 minutes. If the branches are thick, it will take a little more time. Then we take the branches out of the water and wipe them.

3. Now you need to properly distribute the material so that the wreath is uniform. We take 2 branches and arrange them so that the thick ends of one are connected to the thin ends of the other.

4. Then twist the thin ends of both branches. It turns out that we have one branch wrapping around another. At this stage, you need to determine for yourself what diameter of the wreath you want to make. My wreath turned out to be 25 cm.

To make it clearer, I am posting sequential photos of the process. Using the next branch as an example.

In the first photo I attach a branch, in the second I twist it down and into the center of the wreath, braiding the previous branches, in the third I bend the branch up from the circle to the outside. And so on until it ends.

5. Next, take the next branch and repeat the procedure, achieving the required thickness of the wreath. You can twist it both clockwise and counterclockwise, trying to tuck the small branches that come out inside so that they don’t stick out too much. In this case, the wreath will look neater.

6. Approach the process creatively! After all, each branch is different. There are thicker and shorter ones, there are longer and thinner ones. Therefore, try to wrap each subsequent branch so that the wreath looks evenly, without strong gaps. It is not necessary to follow any scheme or strict sequence. I used 12 branches for the wreath. The length of each was approximately 80 cm. This is what happened.

7. And I also wanted to tell you from experience - the smaller in diameter you want to make a wreath, the thinner you choose the branches. Otherwise, your composition will turn out to be rough and it will be difficult to weave.

8. Now that our wreath is ready, we need it to be strong and not unravel. You can secure it with string, but I like to use thin metal wire as it is almost invisible in the composition.

There are two mounting options.

1) Wrap the wire in a circle, just like we did with the branches. In the photo I showed the principle so that the winding process can be seen. Of course, you need to do this tighter around the entire circumference of the wreath.

2) Choose where the front side will be, which you will decorate in the future. You need to take several small pieces and secure the wire in various places across the wreath (especially where the thickest branches are located), twisting it tightly at the base from the back.

We cut off the excess wire and hide the ends of the knots under the branches, as if drowning them a little into the wreath. This is necessary so that you don’t get hurt from them in the future when our wreath is decorated.

9. The wreath is ready! Now you can decorate it to your taste. There are a lot of options. These can be fresh or artificial flowers, branches, greenery, ribbons, as well as any Easter symbols.

Since I do sweet floristry, my decor is based on flowers made of corrugated paper with candies inside, as well as Easter symbols (willow and nest). Creative inspiration to everyone!

Fastening decorative elements

So, now you know how to make a regular wreath from spruce branches with your own hands. But it needs to be decorated. Here you can fully express your imagination. Any decor can be used.

However, the next question that you will encounter when making your own Christmas wreath from branches is how to attach the elements.

Any branches are always secured with an overlap. They should be tightly wrapped with threads or wire.
You can easily glue chestnuts, acorns, cones, nuts, bows to the surface with superglue.
Christmas balls can be attached with wire, passing it through the pendant hat. Secure it around the base of the wreath. In addition, Christmas tree decorations can also be glued to the base of the wreath with superglue.
You can wrap the wreath with ribbons and tie them into bows. If it is necessary to secure the strip firmly, then it is glued to the base wreath.

Attaching decor to the door

So you have made a wonderful DIY Christmas wreath from branches! But now a new question has arisen: how to attach this masterpiece to the door?

There are several ways:

Make two wreaths of exactly the same weight. Take a long ribbon. Tie one end to the wrong side of the first wreath, and attach the other to another Christmas attribute. Throw the ribbon over the door. The first wreath will be on the outside of the door, and the other will be on the inside. Secure the tape at the top with masking tape. Nobody will see him anyway.
If your door has a peephole, you can secure your masterpiece as follows. Take a strong fishing line and tie or glue it to the wrong side of the wreath. Throw this structure over the door, approximately as described above. But the second end of the fishing line should be secured around
A fairly simple method of fastening is to use suction cup hangers. They can be purchased at a hardware store. With these hangers you can easily attach the wreath to the door. If your decor is light, then you can get by with two pieces. It is recommended to hang the wreath by the top and bottom.
You can use double-sided tape. This is the easiest and best option. One side of the tape is glued to the back of the wreath. Then you need to remove the protective film and secure the product to the door.

Christmas wreath made from wicker from scratch

Today we will make a Christmas wreath “from scratch”, that is, from the very, very beginning.

Vine. We take the most common decorative grapes that wrap around fences and balconies of houses in any city. The thickness of the vines we need is approximately 0.5 cm, and the length of each is about 2 m. In total you need, well, about 10 of them, probably. The quantity depends on the desired thickness of the wreath.
Natural materials: any cones, artificial berries, acorns, chestnuts, spruce branches.
Decorative elements: balls, bows, boxes.
Glue gun.

Step 1. We begin to weave a wreath. We roll the first vine into a ring, as in the photo. If the circle turns out not to be perfect, don’t worry, the first ring will still be deep inside.

One note! To prevent the vine from breaking, it must be woven freshly cut. During my work it dried out because I was making several wreaths at once. Then I just sprayed it in the bathroom from the shower, and it regained its elasticity.

Step 2. Weave the next vine. We fix the end between the rods of our first ring.

We wrap the second vine around the ring and secure it by again inserting the end between the rods. We try to keep the tip facing the wrong side all the time.

During operation, the vine will definitely break. At least one, but there will be one for sure. In this case, we carefully cut it and tuck the tip, as usual, between the rods. We continue to weave the rest of the vine as usual.

Step 3. We wrap the wreath in new layers to the desired thickness.

Attention! We weave strictly in one direction, then the wreath will be neat and beautiful.

Incorrect (this is my first, taken on my phone, sorry):

Step 4. Admiring the finished wreath. In principle, you can hang the ball and leave it like that. It's already beautiful! But we'll move on