Utah’s wooded landscape is the perfect environment to forage for rustic, botanical-style holiday materials. But did you know, you don’t have to travel far to find natural materials for your holiday wreath? That’s right, no hiking gear required. Many materials can be foraged in your backyard, neighborhood park, or even on the side of the road!
With just a few materials and easy steps, you can make your own holiday wreaths.
Along with foraging for dormant plants to style your wreath, you'll also need to be sure you have other materials on hand...
Materials:
*Optional - Round nose pliers (for twisting wire)
The easiest way to build wreaths is on a hook against the back of a door, or against a flat surface. This way, you can stand back and take a look throughout the process.
You may have noticed in the video, Jenevieve mentioned “breaking the circle." This simply means, get creative! You can have twigs, or any other material, poking out in various directions. This serves to give your finished product a rustic, one-of-a-kind feel.
Step 1: Collect ten stems of greens. Select a variety of colors and textures for interest and as Jenevieve says, “Don't be afraid to get weird.” It doesn't have to be exactly 10, but somewhere around that number tends to work best.
Step 2: Select your base greenery. It's best to start with the largest branches and work down. Place the branch on one side of the wreath with one hand and wire it by looping the wire around several times with the other.
Step 3: Select your secondary greenery. Choose things with texture, like Arborvitae, Cedar, or Juniper with berries. Place it anywhere you can weave a branch through other branches, which helps to secure them before wiring.
Last but not least, following the placement of the secondary greenery is adding the final decorative items. This will be just a handful of things that will stand out such as Brunia, pine cones, bark, or any other odds and ends. You can wire or glue these to your wreath.
Pro Tip: Jenevieve says, “I like to focus my greenery on one section of the grapevine wreath and leave the rest mostly bare. This creates a nice, organic, minimal look.”
If you are interested in learning more about Jenevieve and her work visit her website or follow her on Instagram. To stay in the know for future events and happenings, including participating in workshops like this one, follow Thyme and Place on Instagram or visit their website.
Happy wreath making and Happy Holidays!
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