Today, I’m sharing an easy DIY Christmas wreath you can make for your home.
Every year I try to DIY at least one wreath for our home for Christmas. I started this a few years ago when I had a hard time finding a pre-made wreath that I loved AND didn’t cost an arm and a leg. It’s also become a fun project of mine that I look forward to each year. Experimenting and trying out new looks and ideas.
An easy DIY Christmas wreath for your home
I’m not a big DIYer and when I first got the idea to make my own wreath I was a little intimidated. The idea of making one from scratch was not my idea of fun and I was trying to figure out an easier way to go about it.
Every year on Black Friday, I scoop up fresh garland and greenery from our local Home Depot. One year, I noticed that they had simple pre-made fir wreaths for under $20 and got the idea to use them for my DIY.
Using their wreath as a starting point, I was able to skip the difficult and time-consuming project of building a wreath from scratch. I could use this as my base and add to it to create the custom look I was after.
Below I’m sharing the wreath I created, along with the items I used, and the shortcuts that made it easy.
Easy DIY Christmas wreath
Whenever I make a wreath I always start with Pinterest to look for ideas and get the creative juices flowing.
I have a Christmas Inspiration board on Pinterest and a section specifically for wreaths. I like to start here to see what I’m drawn to and what I may need to purchase to make my wreath.
I’m usually drawn to wreaths with a variety of greenery and foliage like this one. I love the texture and interest it brings to the wreath and the fullness it adds. I find simple wreaths with few embellishments to be timeless and classic. A wreath with vintage bells or one with a simple bow to match my color scheme is all I need.
Supplies
Once I’ve figured out a direction for my wreath I gather together all the supplies I’ll need. I like to find a spot where I can spread out and make a mess. This year, I worked from my dining room table. I had enough room to spread out and could stand at the table and work comfortably. I also put a table cloth down which made clean up a breeze.
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate the wreath I made this year:
- Basic Wreath for Base – Similar wreath with bow here but check your local Home Depot for better pricing. I picked up two for under $20 but it isn’t listed on their website for me to link here.
- Dried Hydrangeas – I pulled mine from our garden earlier this fall but if you don’t have any I found similar ones here. Pink and Soft Yellow Artificial Hydrangea Flower and Pink Fake Oakleaf Snow Queen Hydrangea Flower.
- Dried Flowers – I used Goldenrod Wildflowers from our garden. If you don’t have anything and want something similar and inexpensive, grab some baby’s breath from your local grocery store.
- Juniper Berry Branches – You can find this at your local Home Depot or garden store.
- Evergreen Cedar Branches – You can find this at your local Home Depot or garden store.
- Ribbon of Your Choice – I used this Black Swiss Velvet Ribbon I purchased last year.
- Sharp Scissors or Garden Shears
*Note – I don’t use floral wire or anything to attach the extra greenery and floral I add to my wreath. Typically, I display my wreath in an area where it doesn’t get handled, like over our kitchen sink. If you’re wanting to hang your wreath on your front door or another area that sees a lot of traffic, you may want to use additional items to secure the greenery in place. When I’ve hung my wreaths on my front door I’ve noticed they shed more and need more maintenance to keep them looking their best.
Step 1 | Building up the base
Starting with my basic wreath, I remove any tags and embellishments that I’m not using. The wreath I grabbed from Home Depot comes with a basic red ribbon bow. I always remove this and use my own.
Next, decide what part of the wreath you want to be your top and bottom. A lot of times, these wreaths have parts that may have gotten matted down or are a little sparse in areas. I like to give my wreath a quick once over to see which way I want it to hang. This isn’t critical though as we are going to fill in those bare spots next with our greenery and dried flowers.
Once you’ve determined your top and bottom, it’s time to start adding in the greenery. Take the evergreen cedar branches and cut them up into smaller pieces.
Working your way around the wreath, insert greens following the natural path of the wreath. For mine, everything is flowing right to left.
Tuck pieces in here and there to add fullness and create depth to your wreath. If you have any gaps, this is the time to fill those in. Don’t be afraid to lift up the top layer of the wreath and tuck your greenery underneath for more depth.
Tip: Use the reverse side of the evergreen for a lighter, brighter green. I tucked some of these lighter pieces down inside my wreath for extra dimension and depth.
Generally, I find that I don’t need floral wire or anything to hold the pieces in place. I can tuck and wedge them into the base, and they’ll stay on their own.
Periodically, I’ll pick up my wreath and give it a little shake to make sure the items are secure enough. This is also a good time to check how the wreath looks hanging vs laying flat on the table. Make adjustments where needed.
Once you’ve achieved the fullness you’re looking for, it’s time to add in the dried flowers.
Step 2 | Add interest with dried flowers
Before you start adding in the flowers, it’s a good idea to determine where you want to place your bow. Once you know that, then you can start identifying places along the wreath where you want your flowers.
I prefer something that’s pretty symmetric and try to create a design that’s balanced on each side.
For this wreath, I knew I wanted my bow centered at the top. So, to add some balance to that, I started adding flowers at the bottom. I then worked my way up the left side of the wreath. Tucking dried flowers in here and there until I got something I liked. Once done, I moved to the other side and tried to mirror what I had done on the left.
When adding the flowers, I started with the dried Goldenrod. My idea was to find spots that were perfect for the larger hydrangea and then nestle pieces of the wildflower around it. Using it as a frame to highlight the hydrangea.
Since I already had my bow at the top, I decided to skip the hydrangea and add Goldenrod on either side to frame it.
Once I had my Goldenrod in place, I went back through and tucked in my Hydrangeas. When cutting the flowers for the wreath, I made sure to leave myself plenty of stem. This helped give me some leverage when adding the bloom and helped to anchor it in place.
Since these flowers are from my garden they are a bit fragile. If you’re working with dried flowers, make sure to be gentle when handling them. I had to be extra careful when pushing them into place and tried not to handle them too much for fear of losing petals.
This is the process I used for placing my dried flowers around my wreath. There is no right or wrong way for adding them in. Usually, I play around with the spacing a bit until I get something that feels right and looks aesthetically pleasing to my eye. If it looks good, go with it!
Step 3 | Add the finishing details
Once all the dried flowers are in place, go back through once more and add in your juniper berries. These add an extra bit of interest and texture to the wreath and break up all the greenery.
Same as with the evergreen cedar, cut off smaller pieces that you can add to the wreath. Leave a bit of stem so you have something to use to anchor it into the base.
If you have any bare spots left that still need fixing, you can use these to cover them up. Since I didn’t add a hydrangea at the top, I needed a little something above my bow. I decided to add a little bunch above the ribbon to fill in some of the negative space without making it too top-heavy.
Step 4 | Hang that gorgeous wreath
If you made it this far, HOORAY! You now have a gorgeous and beautiful wreath to display in your home!
Add your bow if you haven’t already and cut some ribbon for hanging the wreath. While you still have it on the table, give your wreath a once over. Trim off any rouge pieces that may be out of place or laying funny. Usually, I have to trim off a few pieces from my base wreath that end up sticking out too far.
Hold your wreath up and give it one last little shake to make sure everything is secure. Then, find a spot for your new wreath and enjoy!
*Note – To keep the wreath from drying out too quickly, I like to fill a small spray bottle with water and spritz it a couple of times a day.
My easy DIY Christmas Wreath
There you have it! My easy DIY for a beautiful Christmas wreath for your home.
This really is one of my favorite things to do at Christmas time. I love that I can create a completely custom look and tailor the design. Crafting something different each year to match our holiday style.
This is a super easy and fun project to do around the holidays and I encourage you to give it a try!
If you do, would you share a picture with me? I would love to see the wreath you create and celebrate along with you!
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