How to Make a Wreath

Make good use of all the lovely evergreens, colorful stems and plants with berries this winter and make a wreath to grace your front door. Wreaths make lovely gifts and holiday decorations and are easy to make at home.

Materials

• 1 wire coat hanger
• Florist or bendable wire
• Pair of pliers
• Pair of scissors
• Pair of handheld pruners
• Boughs from fallen evergreen trees (cedar, pine, fir, Douglas fir, etc)
• Other decorations: Bow or ribbon, colorful deciduous twigs, sprigs of berries (winterberry, holly), pine cones

Instructions

1. Use pliers and/or 5-gallon bucket (as a mold) to shape the open, triangular part of the coat hanger. Refrain from untwisting the hook, as you will use it to hang the finished wreath.
2. Collect your boughs and prune to approximately 12″ in length. Use handheld pruners or loppers to remove wood of branches wider than 1/2″ diameter.
3. Bundle some greens and wrap the ends thoroughly with floral wire.
4. Lay the wire-wrapped end along the wire rim of the coat hanger circle. Thoroughly bind the bough bundle to the hanger wire with floral wire.
5. Continue to wrap the floral wire around the bundle and coat hanger. As you wrap down the branch, add more boughs or berries.
6. Keep adding boughs and wrapping with wire until you fill the entire coat hanger wire circle.
7. When finished, add a bow or additional decorations as desired.
8. Hang from coat hanger hook on your door. Enjoy!