enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

autumn wreath

It took me until mid-November to finally do any decorating around here. Which this year meant getting out my felt wreath, a few twig stars I bought last season, my quilted table runner and some candles. We will wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving to get our tree and pull out the rest of the Christmas decorations.

Floral

But on Saturday afternoon I was itching for something new and handmade and remembered the gorgeous wreaths from the Moon Canyon workshop that I had seen on Instagram. I decided to see if I could make something similar. At first I considered scavenging my neighborhood for live plants and then I decided to just scavenge my local craft store for dried and fake ones instead. (I’m glad I went this route, but it was more expensive that I thought it would be.)

Wreath1 Wreath2 Autumn wreath

I started with a grapevine wreath and then just tucked in various plant pieces. The “secret” I learned from lots of wreath studying is to keep everything going the same direction (in my case, counter-clockwise). It also seemed important to layer things. I went with my main color first (the orange stuff I had the most of) and then added in bits of green and red in clusters, not evenly spread around.

autumn wreath

For the most part, just tucking in the floral pieces into the wreath form was secure enough, but I did wrap a few with wire twine to keep them from splaying out too crazily. (That’s a technical term.)

autumn wreath

I think this will work well for Thanksgiving and carry on through Christmas too. I removed the art we usually have over the mantle and hung it right there. Perfectly festive and imperfectly made (which is my kind of holiday DIY, for sure).

’tis the season!

and ps… I cannot believe how much has changed since last Thanksgiving.

Posted in ,

13 responses to “’tis the season for wreath making.”

  1. Kelsey, Especially Avatar

    ELISE! THIS IS GORGEOUS! So simple but totally festive. And as always, inspiring.
    Were all those leaves/branches seriously from the craft store?! I wonder if Michaels would have dried leaves…I’ve never dropped by the floral section because I always end up bankrupt in the scrapbooking aisles almost immediately after walking through the doors…

    Like

  2. escort donna cerca uomo Avatar

    this is beutifull id really love to get my hands on one of them

    Like

  3. Heather Avatar

    yay! i make and sell similarly styled wreaths, all with all-natural found/foraged and preserved items. the shop cupboards are a little bare right now, but more to come soon! https://www.etsy.com/shop/twigstwineandthyme/sold

    Like

  4. Brianna Avatar
    Brianna

    This is pretty. I wish I were crafty enough to do this.

    Like

  5. elise blaha cripe Avatar

    most were from Joanns.. but Michael’s had some too. 🙂

    Like

  6. Nicole Avatar

    This is so pretty and so doable. Most wreaths scare me but I think I can do this one! Thanks for the inspiration and tips! 🙂

    Like

  7. Dad Avatar
    Dad

    Reminds me of the time we were living in Santa Rosa and I stopped at a vineyard and grabbed a bunch of cuttings so mom could make a wreath and some lady came out yelling. Tunes out they sell those cuttings to craft stores.

    Like

  8. Melissa Avatar

    Great job. Looks beautiful…I want to make my own now!

    Like

  9. Kate Avatar

    This is really beautiful! Thanks for the inspiration.
    xx Kate

    Like

  10. Meredith Wheeler Avatar

    Wow, this is a such a beautiful and natural holiday wreath! I sometimes get so sucked into the glitz and glam of holiday decor that’s it’s so refreshing to take a step back into nature with it all. Thank you for your inspiration!

    Like

  11. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    Beautiful work! I made a (less classy) wreath years ago by getting some of the fake plant garlands and wrapping them around the same wreath base you have here. Worked well and was super fast and fairly inexpensive.

    Like

Leave a comment