JOAN ATWOOD -ARTIST| EDUCATOR | CRAFTER | PROJECT INSPIRATION

Have you ever wondered how we come up with a project? Well, in my case, it’s usually a brainstorm of Tristy’s. I do admit that I’ve gotten myself into plenty of projects in my time that I’ve asked myself, “what were you thinking”? Wreaths, however, is not one of those. They are really quite hard to mess up. Picking beautiful and different items to attach to them is critical. A color scheme, the texture of your items, and sometimes a small unexpected embellishment also contributes to success.  A red berry wreath was the inspiration for this DIY Valentine’s floral wreath.

Valentine’s Wreath Inspiration

Let’s explore this a little more. After Christmas, everything goes on sale. You can pick up items for 50 to 75 percent off. This is a great time to pick up items for color, not necessarily for the original intended. Tristy picked up a cute red berry wreath at Coming Home, along with a variety of many swags on their Christmas clearance. She brought it to Mesquite and said, “Don’t you think this cute wreath would be great for Valentine’s?” She’s right. It’s mostly about color with wreaths. Add some flowers and novelty items to suggest the season you’re going for, and hurrah, you’ve got a unique wreath.  

Valentine’s Embellishments

On a quick trip to St. George, we stopped by Michaels and picked up all of the additional items for the wreath. Two bunches of large pink and white flowers, two sets of medium flowers, a little baby breath type of flower, and some leafy greens would do the trick. You can’t go wrong with reds, pink and white for Valentine’s. Following that, Tristy found some felt hearts that she liked. That would be just the right touch to add for a seasonal flare.

Finding Time for projects

Now the only question was how we would get time to do the wreath with her having to work and me watching Lily (a three-year-old) and Aspen (a six-year-old). And let’s not kid ourselves about the energy it takes to entertain two youngsters. But, as part of our planning, we also picked up some kid’s painting projects. Put them to work on their own projects, which would free me up working on mine. I knew that Tristy would be tied up with work, so it would probably be my job if it was going to get done. (Retirement does have its privileges.) One tip would be to get all supplies out before you turn the kids loose. Otherwise, they will be finished before you even get your supplies. It also teaches them to be patient and plan while you set up, which is a good life skill.

Supplies needed for a wreath:

• Wreath base (red berry one was used)
• A variety of silk flowers (Large, medium, and small in pinks and white)
• Some green leafy silk plants
• Felt hearts (red, pink, and white)
• Wire cutters and scissors
• Floral wire
• Hot glue gun
• Dropcloth to cover your workspace

How to video DIY Valentine’s Floral Wreath:

How to assemble your wreath:

• Cover your workspace
• Set out your supplies and plug in your glue gun
• Cut and separate the flower stems into individual pieces
• Layout the outer edges with your greens to determine how much of the wreath you want to cover with flowers 
• Hot glue the greens down 
• Find the center of the section you will be covering and hot glue three of the large flowers in place
• Then add several large flowers on either side of the large center flowers, varying the colors
• Continue to add smaller flowers on each side of the greens until you achieve the fullness you desire
• Add the baby breath size flowers as a filler around the other flowers
• Finally, glue stems to the felt hearts and insert them randomly in between the flowers
• Hang the wreath up to determine any additional placement of flowers that may be needed and to make sure that all items are secured

Finished DIY Wreath:

Now that the wreath is complete, it just adds a special touch to your holiday home décor. And it really compliments your tablescape for a unique, one-of-a-kind look. As you plan for future wreaths for different holidays, think about individual items you could use like: shamrocks and gold coins for St. Patrick’s day or mini flags and stars for the 4th of July. These kinds of items will really set yours apart from the run of the mill purchased wreaths. Don’t hesitate to try new things with your wreath arrangements. What’s the worse that can happen? You can always pull items out and place them differently. Let the creative juices flow.

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