Homemade Wreaths

Fall is in the process of passing and winter is quickly coming upon us. I know what is to be expected in the next couple of months; bare trees, cold winds, frosty mornings, snow, and possibly dangerous road conditions. With the exception of dangerous road conditions -although I have to admit that if the roads are too bad, then my husband can't go to work, and that means we get to stay home together and be cozy all day!- I like all those attributes of winter where I live.  There is something about the transition period from fall to winter and something about the concept of ending a year with bareness, coldness, and seemingly emptiness that just makes me a little sad. However, one of my favorite parts of winter is to try and counter that: the effort to cozy-up a home with Christmas decor. I love the decorated trees, the music, and the food (of course!) I think this was probably the whole point of decorating for Christmas to begin with! The glitz and glamour of sparkling mesh and glittery balls is pretty, but the simple, old-timey decorations are just as stunning! If you have any cedars or juniper trees in your backyard or on your property, you can make these wreaths and garlands in just a few minutes. It also smells wonderful! You can also sometimes find pretty red berries from a tree of which I have no idea the name. Be careful.

The first thing you need are gloves. These things are prickly and if you are picking any berries, they could irritate your skin or even be poisonous, so be careful! You will also want some twine or jute or string of some sort to tie your wreaths with.

You will need to cut about 12 pieces of greenery for each small wreath, each piece about 1'-1 1/2' in length. The larger wreaths will take about 17 or 18 pieces. It helps not to cut pieces that are so big they have large side shoots, but choose the thinner ones for easier braiding.

When you have all your pieces cut and gathered, start with three pieces about the same height and thickness. Lay the pieces out to be braided, as shown in the picture below.

Braid the pieces, adding new pieces to the braid as you go. Don't be afraid to braid tightly; these should be the more tender branches and should bend easily. Keep braiding until you have used about 10-12 pieces and then form into a circle to see if the size suits you. If you want the circle to be bigger, keep adding pieces. If you are satisfied, go to the next step.

Bring the ends around so they overlap each other slightly and wrap your jute around several times to secure the branches, and tie securely. See picture below.

Now you should have a pretty little wreath shape! Take some smaller pieces if you want stick in the wreath to fill in any gaps you might have.

{yes, I have a blue picnic table and I LOVE it!}

To make a garland, do the same thing as above, but do not tie into a wreath shape. If you want to add berries, tuck them gently into the wreath or garland. I would advise not putting any wreath or garland in the house that you have put berries on, as they could fall off and children or pets might find them and try to eat them, and many berries found in the wild are very poisonous.

Happy Decorating!