Today I'm sharing a festive holiday wreath project with you from Marcia of Misty Mountain Flora.
Beginning the wreath:
Before you create your wreath you'll want to make sure you have your wreath base first. To make a wreath base like the one in this wreath I used three grapevines and intertwined them together to the size that I wanted and then I binded it with paddle wire. Next you will want to get your pine cones and pre-wire them. Cut a piece of wire about 12 in Long and just wrap the bottom part of the wire through the pine cone layers where it's not very visible and twist. The point of this is so that you're creating basically a stem for the pine cone to work into your wreath.
-Garden shears
-Wire cutters
-Floral paddle wire
-Jute twine or raffia (compostable options)
-Wreath base- I used 3 grapevines and intertwined them together and binded them with paddle wire.
-You can also get a natural or metal premade wreath base at a craft store.
-Magnolia leaves (for the amber)
-Dusty miller (for the white foliage)
-Holly with red berries (any kind of berry can be used)
-Twigs with moss & dried fern
-Dried flowers (I used white gomphrena and some brown dried zinnias)
-Pine cones that are pre-wired. I used pine cones from my spruce tree.
Creating your Bundles:
Now that you have your wreath base and pine cones pre-wired you can start creating your bundles. I like to make my bundles ahead of time instead of making them as I go. Practice making your first one and play with the size. The bigger your bundles the bigger your wreath will be. To create my bundles I did layers of the greens on top of each other and then I added my magnolia, holly, dusty miller and I finished it off with my pine cones, dried florals, and twigs. Once I had all my materials I got my paddle wire and just budled it together. I cut my stems so they are not very long but long enough to attach them to my wreath. Once I have one bundle I can decide how many I will need. For my wreath I used five bundles. You can definitely make more if you want to cover more of your wreath base. While you make your bundles you can start to layer them on top of each other just to see how the wreath feels and decide if you need to go smaller. By doing this step it will help you get a feel for your end result.
Binding the Bundles:
Now that you have all your bundles pre-made you can begin to bind them to your wreath. My end bundles are different from the central ones because they have more accents on them so I take the first bundle and place it where I want. I get my bind wire and I wrap it around my bundle and the wreath and twist it and then loop it around the wreath nice and tight like in the photo. You will continue this step throughout the whole process as you layer your bundles. Grab your next bundle and layer it on top of your previous bundle and begin to wrap the wire around the base of your bundle. In the photo you will see the bundles being layered on top of each other. Make sure to not cover too much of your work but also make sure that you cover the wire on your previous bundle and stems. Try to wrap your wire discreetly through the center of the bundles so they are not hanging on your wreath. Continue adding your bundles until you have one final bundle left which is your end piece.
Finishing up:
Now take that final end piece bundle and flip it the opposite direction so that the stems are overlapping the stems of the previous bundle. Here you will bind that bundle on nice and tight over the stems like pictured. Once you have a tight fit and your bundles are nice and snug cut your wire and tuck it in. Grab your wreath and look over it and make sure everything is where you want it to be and nothing is loose. If you feel that you have some loose sections cut some more wire and discreetly tighten those sections.
Final touches:
At this stage I also went and added any extra greens or fillers where I felt they were needed. I simply just tucked them in. I also added extra pine cones by wrapping the wire discreetly into my wreath. I grabbed some raffia and wrapped it around the part of my wreath where the bundles change direction which is where my ribbon will go. Then I took my ribbon and simply tied it around this section. I used a beautiful silk ribbon that I felt accented the amber magnolias. I like to take one of those deep rich colors and bring all the focus there.
Your finished Woodland Christmas wreath is ready to adorn your front door or a special wall in your home. They will especially last longer if you place your wreath outside. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and feel free to DM me on Instagram if you have any questions! Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful and merry holiday season!
And the secret garden bloomed and bloomed and every morning revealed new miracles." Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden. Wouldn't it be such a dream to stumble upon a secret garden? My name is Marcia Davis and I am daring to dream this dream. I am the creator behind Misty Mountain Flora- Gardens & Design. I am a beginning floral designer and gardener living on what I like to call my own little mountain top; surrounded by the majestic and mist covered redwood forest in Humboldt county on the Northern California coast. When I began this adventure I always envisioned this lovely cutting garden that you would stumble upon as you walked out of the forest; as if you had walked into your very own secret garden. This dream has been in the works here on our little mountain and very soon our cutting garden will grow with the most magical views of the river and forest and it will be filled with the most loveliest flowers you can dream of. There are many things that I adore in this world and my family are the very first; however nature and creating beauty are a passion of mine.
A couple years ago when I realized what I wanted to fill my time with as my children grew older I couldn't believe that I had never thought of this before. Growing my own flowers and designing with them. It was one of those moments where it all made sense. Since I began this adventure I have learned from wonderful teachers both in flower farming and floral design and my confidence grows with my flowers every year. My hope is to offer my future brides a feeling of romance, whimsy and the softness of the garden into their wedding day that they have dreamt of for so long. I offer my future clients seasonal flowers that are sourced from my own cutting garden where I have grown all the flowers from their very beginning with love and patience. If I cannot provide what the heart desires then sourcing from other local farms that have done the very same is such a gift that I am grateful for. Every arrangement made is created from the heart and not one is the same. I offer a feeling of an old world charm through one of the most beloved works of art in nature. When I create with flowers my heart sings and my hope is that yours will too.
If you want to follow along on Marcia's flower journey give her a follow on Instagram @mistymountainflora