You know we like to save money wherever we can. We also enjoy crafting and being creative (which does make being frugal a little more easy. A couple of years ago I learned how to make a Christmas wreath using materials that are found in the area. I enjoyed it so much that it also led to me making this.
You could spend a small fortune in a store for a “handmade wreath”, but there’s no reason to give up your hard-earned cash to someone else if you don’t need to! This year we’ll be making our own unique wreath and have fun doing it.
Christmas Wreath Supplies:
- Dogwood or willow stems (or any other plyable wood). Try to get straight sticks if you can. The number you’ll need will depend on the size and style of your wreath. I only used about five for our smaller wreath.
- Holly, ivy, or any leafy greens. If you cut them in larger bunches, you can later cut them down to smaller bunches as you put your wreath together.
- Berries are optional. If you do use berries, keep in mind that some are poisonous and could harm children and pets if they’re ingested.
- Ribbon to use for hanging, as well as a pretty bow.
- Scissors, snips or pruning shears.
- Wire to hold the pieces together if needed. I used some I had in my craft supply box, but stripped down twist-ties would do the trick.
- Gloves are optional, but recommended if you’re using holly as those pointed leaves are very prickly!
- Decorations to personalise your wreath. Balls, bells, pine cones, dried sliced oranges, etc.
Note: If you don’t have access to the materials on your own property, be sure go get permission from the landowner, and don’t forage in places where it isn’t allowed.
How to make your Christmas wreath:
Take your first branch and curve it into a circle. Continue to curve the wood around and around until you get to the end of the branch.
Add another branch and do the same thing, starting where you left off with just a small overlap. Twist/weave the ends of the branches into each other so that they become self-secured.
Keep adding branches until you’re happy with the result. You can make a big, thick wreath form, or just a small, skinny one. I made a smaller one, but it became more full when I added the greenery.
When you’re satisfied with the result of your wreath form, start adding your leafy greens. Add one group of leaves at a time and work your way around the wreath. Just tuck in the ends of the leaf bundles through the branches and weave them into the form. They should hold themselves in, but if you need to use a little wire to hold things in place, that’s okay.
When your wreath is full of luscious greenery, it’s time to add berries, balls, bows, candy canes, or any other decorations. The children decorated ours with some shiny balls that we found in the attic when we moved in – another frugal find. There’s no sense spending money when you don’t have to!
We kept our wreath simple as we didn’t want it to be too heavy. We hung it on our front door window using a plastic suction cup hook.
Each wreath will be unique, depending on what you can forage in your area, and how you choose to embellish it. That’s the beauty of making your own Christmas decorations! It’s a fun process, and these wreaths would make gorgeous Christmas gifts for friends, family, and neighbours. And they don’t need to know that they cost you only pennies to make!
When your wreath dries out, you can either replace the greenery, or simply remove the decorations and wire and either toss the wood and leaves into your fireplace or compost. We’ve been able to keep our original wreath form and reuse it from year to year, which saves time for more Christmas activities!
