A Sustainable DIY Christmas wreath made from tree offcuts and foraged foliage
The wreath I made without any prior knowledge on how to make a Christmas Wreath from scratch
How to make a Christmas wreath using tree offcuts and foraged greenery - a very quick and laid back tutorial
I hate recipes and tutorials that start with someone’s life journey, so I’ll keep this short and sweet: We got a tree. Not a potted, not a small table-top one, as in previous years, but a big, real tree with rich branches and an incredible smell. We had to cut off the bottom branches to fit it in its stand, so I had some to spare and a burning desire to make a wreath instead of buying one.
I thought it was a good photo opportunity, so I decided to make a photo shoot out of it, and why not record some videos while we’re at it? Only when I pressed ‘record’ for the 1st one did I realise that I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO ACTUALLY MAKE A WREATH!
A quick glance online, I got the broad idea and I set off to create my own version of it in 3 steps.
Before we get to them, a few quick safety tips and a list of tools and materials:
Tools I used to make the wreath
SUPPLIES
Secateurs or a solid pair of scissors
Thin, malleable wire
A hoop for wreath making (found this at Søstrene Grene but any would do.
Pliers
Fir tree branches and any other greenery you can get your hands on (Safely and legally). I used a few branches of tuja from the bottom of our garden and Eucalyptus from our own tree. The hawthorn branches were collected during a dog walk.
Gloves (I didn’t use ones and my fingers suffered!)
Finally, a table and optional, a corner of the room that you can turn into a creative mess
PROCESS
This might not be ‘the way’ to do it, it’s purely what I have done, without hurting myself (other than a few pokes with the end of the wire) and managed to create a large wreath whilst filming and taking photos simultaneously.
Get your wire/wood/any sort of hoop that can be used as a base for the wreath and wrap long and thin branches of fir/any other evergreen until you cover it all. Make sure you secure each twig with wire. IMPORTANT: Twist the wire ends so they don’t stick out and poke you later (based on experience haha!)
Make little bouquets of foliage - I made 14 for my wreath, but you might need fewer/more depending on the size of the wreath and how dense you want it. I made 7 initially, and then more
Secure the little bouquets with wire on the wreath, making sure they overlap and hide the wire. I tied mine from the half of the bouquet, and placed the next bouquet 3/4 above the tied one, so it would cover the wire and close any gaps in the wreath
Ta-daaaaaaaahhhhh!
It took a little while, but it was completed & now adorns a wall in our livingroom.
If you’re making one, and this ‘tutorial’ served to inspire, I’d love to see your photos! E-mail me at hello@carminaandra.com or tag/dm me on instagram!
One more, because I LOVE how it turned out and all the photo opportunities this fun project provided!
