THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE A LIVE WREATH

THE EASIEST WAY TO MAKE A LIVE GREEN WREATH- You won't believe just how easy this is!!!!!
 I am going to show you the EASIEST most amazing way to make a live wreath. You will wonder, “why didn’t I think of that”? That’s what I thought when I learned this technique at a wreath decorating demo last year. You will be able to make gorgeous, lush, full, live wreaths… FABULOUS!!!! It will revolutionize your Christmas decor and gift giving… OR … at least make people ooooh and ahhhh!

 

 

 
I made this wreath in under 40 minutes for a gift exchange! 
 

Here’s how… 

Materials:
any old artificial green wreath (the more *snarly the better)
fresh greens~ short-needled evergreen and other greens for interest
hot glue gun or hot glue pot
old garden gloves
ornaments or other Christmas decorations
bow
wreath making stand, optional    You can find one HERE.
*snarly: adj… motley, beat up, worn out
This is how the wreath first starts out… pretty thin and quite snarly! Fluff it up the best you can.
 
 
Use old garden gloves when cutting the evergreen.
Cut fresh greens. Use lots of Christmas tree greens like Fraser, Douglas, balsam or other short- needled, hardy evergreen branches for the base of the wreath.
I buy a Christmas tree that is a “B” grade or “second”. It cost me about $20.00 for a 6-foot tree. My local greenhouse sells them. I cut it apart and keep the clippings in a trash can ready to use.
Cut the greens to match the size of wreath you are making. 
 
 
Liberally glue the end of the cutting and glue on to the wreath. If you have a fuller wreath, to begin with, stick the fresh cuttings deep into the wreath,
 Continue to glue evergreen cutting to the wreath. Work in one small section at a time. DON’T go in one direction. Glue in your cuttings in all directions. Remember to make some stick straight out too!
Wear old garden gloves when gluing.  If you don’t you WILL get burned! 
 
 
I put my wreath on a small wreath stand to see how it will look placed vertically. Don’t forget to glue cuttings in the inside of the wreath too!
We are just getting started… big difference already!
 
 
Work all the way around the wreath with the short-needled cuttings.
 
Now, it’s time to add some other greens to the wreath… just not hemlock. It will drop it’s needles very quickly.
I usually keep a basket of assorted greens…. I buy a few yards of ropings and cut it apart myself. A much better value!
 
 
For this wreath, I added white pine, regular cedar, incense cedar, and boxwood.
Starting with small clipping I glued them here and there, concentrating where they would be seen. Work all the way around the wreath.
 
 
Shake the wreath vigorously to make sure there are no loose branches.  Glue any loose ones back into the wreath.  It’s a good idea to do this outside, you will have some needle drop!
Ta-Da!
 
 
Make a bow out of ribbon and wire in place.
 
 
Add some ornaments or other Christmas decorations such as berries, holly, silk poinsettia, etc.
I wanted to keep this wreath very subdued so I chose green balls with just a little bit of glitter.
Hot glue them liberally and put them in place.
 
 
Clean up any glue spiders and hang! The best way to get rid of glue spiders is to use your blow dryer on the hottest setting and go over your wreath. The hot air will melt the glue spiders away.
 
 
Here’s a wreath I repurposed and made for my mantel…
Here is a big wreath I made for my front door using this method too…
You can read more about this wreath by clicking HERE
 
When Christmas is over DO NOT throw away your wreaths. Just put them in a garbage bag and hang them up in a garage, shed or basement.
In the fall, take the bags outside and open them up. All the live greens will now be dead. Wearing garden gloves, give the dead greens a good tug and they will pull right out from the wreath. Now you have a snarly wreath to use for more wreath making the next Christmas. You can also reuse any ornament or decor!
Do the same thing again next year… and the next…
I told you this was easy and FABULOUS!

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You might want to pin this to your Christmas Pinterest board. You can follow me on Pinterest HERE and see all the Christmas ideas I’m pinning! 

 

 

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27 Comments

  1. Janet -shabbyfufu says:

    I shared something similar a few years ago on my blog, but got the clippings from the tree lot at the grocery store. Free is always great….happy weekend my friend!

  2. Your wreath looks so easy to do when you use an old wreath for a base. That is a great idea. We are getting our first snow on the ground as I write this, so winter ideas are on my mind.

    1. Phyl, the wreath is easy to do! And I would love a bit of snow right now!

  3. Love the combo of fresh and faux because you still get the dreamy pine smell! Lovely idea, Yvonne!

  4. Candy Thomas says:

    I love you! That’s it… I just love you!! Also, I love your ideas!

    1. Well, Candy!!!! You know I love you too… and all of my readers!!!! We are like a family, don’t you think. That’s how I think of our StoneGable community! A big wonderful creative loving family!

  5. When using the live branches, do you have to mist them or wait until closer to Christmas to cut them from the branch? How do they stay nice and green for a month?

    1. The live green wreaths will stay nice from Thanksgiving until Christmas if they are outdoors in the cold and out of the sun. Sun and heat are cut green’s enemies! I don’t mist, but I guess it would not hurt.

  6. Your wreath tutorial and ideas are amazing! I love that you took a “snarly”, Charlie Brown type wreath that anyone else would discard and made something so beautiful! Then, you recycle them for the next year! Brilliant! Thanks for sharing.

  7. Norma Rolader says:

    Oh how beautiful!!!! Thank you for sharing and the inspiration

  8. Ginger Valdes says:

    Your wreaths are GORGEOUS! I’ve made a similar wreath before, but used glass ornaments. Shatterproof are a much better option. I had to sweep a whole lot of glass that year as the glue released a couple of ornaments! Thanks for the tips!

  9. JC at the uncommon pearl says:

    Beautiful! Thanks for sharing your inspiration! Do you find spritzing your wreath with some water helps extend its freshness? I’m wondering about how long these stay fresh looking? I’m sure it depends on how cold it is and where it is displayed. Brillant recycle idea!

  10. Living in the south,I sure do miss the fresh scent of a pine wreath, beautiful.

  11. MaryJo Materazo says:

    This is a fantastic idea!!! I love the idea of repurposing it every year. and like everything you do, it looks perfect! Thanks for sharing. xo- maryjo

  12. This is a beautiful wreath! I wish I could try to make one, but with the heat and humidity we have I don’t think it would last.

  13. Jenny Young says:

    Oh my what a great tutorial! I’m saving this & will be trying it myself. I love the fact that you can reuse the base every year as well.

  14. I really enjoy your blog and your wonderful ideas; your wreaths are beautiful and, love the bows, especially the plaid one! Do you have instructions for that bow on your site?

  15. I LOVE your Christmas wreath tutorial! It looks so professional! About how long did you cut the tree branch pieces for the short needled base, then how long were the next pieces used for the multi longer needled branches? Great idea! Thank you!!

  16. MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA!) says:

    Yvonne, I just love your wreaths! They are so beautiful! Have a wonderful week! Blessings!

  17. Thank you so much for the easy tutorial on remaking a wreath. I could not bear to throw them away, but they would not do in my house. Now I can freshen them for others. What a great thing to include in the Thanksgiving baskets we put together in church for needy families.

  18. Great idea. Never thought about using an old wreath. Thanks for sharing.

  19. Julie Briones says:

    Thanks for the tutorial! These are lovely wreaths, and a great idea to recycle each year!

  20. Mary Amoedo says:

    Where did you get the mixture of all the different greens?

    1. I collect lots of different greens and often cut faux evergreen garland into little clumps and use it. Hope this helps.