Holiday Craft: How to Make a Handmade Wreath

For Arts & Crafts lovers, it’s the most wonderful time of the year!  With the holidays quickly approaching, it’s only fitting to start with one of the most basic decorations: a beautiful custom made wreath. Pre-made versions are available everywhere but this no-fuss, simple and inexpensive DIY craft will wow your holiday visitors as soon as it catches their eye – and you’ll truly have fun making it.

What you’ll need:

1 wooden wreath, store-bought or made from grapevine/twigs
8 feet of thick ribbon (wired is best)
hot glue gun (optional)
scissors
floral wire (any thickness will do)
a variety of fake sparkly branches, fruits, berries, peacock feathers, leaves, etc

*all items are readily available at your local craft store, Michael’s or Walmart


Mini lights, small ornaments, and pearl garlands are just a few of your many options

Step 1: Prepping the Wreath

Vine wreaths are available to purchase in many sizes for just a few dollars, but you can easily make them yourself.  Search for grapevine or flexible skinny branches in your backyard.  Coil/shape them into a circle and secure with floral wire.  This might take some time and patience.  Leave dried leaves on the branches for a natural touch.


If vines/twigs are very green, allow wreath to dry a little before decorating: the shape may shift slightly

Step 2: Adding Decorations

This is where you can have the most fun with your wreath, because anything goes. All we did was tuck the end wires of the fake items into the wooden frame, anchoring by bending the wire deep in the coil of branches. If you feel it is shaky and moving around too much, fasten the wire with a tiny bit of hot glue and let it set dry. Continue to add the pieces of your choice all the way around the wreath,or asymmetrically for a more stylized look.


Most wreath supplies come with a wired end to thread into your craft.


Our Tip: Plan the layout of your design before attaching it – it is a pain to remove pieces and start over!

Step 3: Ribbons and Bows

Take about 6-7 feet of ribbon, leaving 3-4 inches for a tail on each end. Fold the ribbon over and over until you are left with your 3-4 inch tail at the opposite end of where you began. Pinch the middle of the folds so that you are left with a perfect bow – secure the middle with some wire, or tie some left over ribbon around it and make a knot at the back.


Fasten the bow to the wreath, anchoring with floral wire and hot glue if needed. Take the extra foot of ribbon and wrap it around the empty side of the wreath. Fluff and arrange the layers of the bow until you have the look you want (wired ribbon works best here).

You can omit this step if you would rather have more berries or feathers in place of a bow, but for this type of wreath it just seemed to work.

Our Tip: work sparingly with the hot glue – use too much and it will be obvious unless you cover it with another decoration.


Show off your creation on your front door, or lean it up against the wall on your mantle – wherever you place it, welcome the compliments!

by Diana Petrina and Christina Galovic

Will you try a Holiday Wreath this year?

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