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Discover how to decorate wreaths with our basic guide. These simple tips can help you transform and personalize your decorations.
Buying a ready made wreath is easy, but it’s not always ideal. In many cases, these decorations come with plain, or simple bases. They may not speak to you, or have any of the personal flair that you want in a large décor item.
Thankfully, there’s an easy fix for that. If you have a wreath base that you want to dress up, consider decorating it yourself.
Here are our tips on how to decorate your artificial wreath by hand:
You can also check out our guide on different decorations and embellishments.
Creating the Base of Your Wreath
In order to decorate your wreath, you’ll have to start with a plain base. Plain wreaths are easy to purchase online, and they’re also easy to make.
Here’s a great tutorial that shows you just how easy it is to make a wreath:
When you’v mastered the easy basics from the tutorial, you can make just about any type of wreath you want.
Don’t forget that you can also experiment with the type of base you want. You can use twigs, mesh and other fabrics, or even just flowers.
There are plenty of things that work, so don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun.
Choosing a Theme
After picking or making your base, the next step is to pick decorations. One way to make decorating your wreath easier, is to choose a theme.
For holiday wreaths, the theme is pretty obvious. You want to go with whatever is usually associated with that holiday.
Holidays are also easier to shop for. In the month leading up to the holiday, you can find tons of appropriate decorations in stores. And if you want to save money, you can buy decorations right after the holiday, and keep them for the following year.
If you’re doing a seasonal wreath rather than a holiday one, you can still choose a theme. In this case, start with whatever colors or flowers you want to feature most. Try to choose ones that are appropriate for the season you have in mind.
Spring, summer, winter, and fall, all have different plants that are associated with them. As such, it’s easy to create a fitting design.
From there, build the rest of the wreath by choosing complementary additions.
How to Attach Decorations
Once you’ve got everything you need planned out, the next task is to add decorations. Luckily, learning how to decorate a wreath by hand is easy.
There are lots of different methods you can use to add decorations and embellishments. Here’s a breakdown about all of the major ones:
Floral Wire
Floral wire is one of the best ways to attach decorations, since it’s sturdy and easy to use. It’s also the industry standard in most cases. Plus, you can also use it on both fresh and artificial wreaths.
When purchasing it, you’ll want to get wire with a larger gauge, as this will be thinner. The thinner the wire the better, since it will be easier to cut and manipulate. This type of wire either comes in long strands, or on a spool.
To attach decorations, first cut down your length of wire to size. (For this you will need wire cutters.) From there, attach it to the decoration.
Most decorations will come with hooks, or spots at the top that you can wrap the wire around. If not, you can also stab floral wire through most soft materials, like foam. Of course, you can also wrap it around any area where it won’t be too visible.
The amount you need depends on how large your decoration is, as well as where you’re attaching it on the wreath. Too much wire is easier to work with than too little, so be generous.
How much wire you use also depends on the size of the decoration. In most cases, you’ll just need one wire, attached at the top or the center. For much larger items, you may need to attach several wires at different places, just to make sure that it’s secure.
Once you have the wires attached to the decoration, you need to attach them to the wreath.
To do this, take the ends of the wires and twist them around whatever you’re attaching the decoration to. In most cases, you’ll be attaching it to stems or branches. When doing this, try to attach it at the base of a fork in the stem. This will make it harder for decorations to fall off.
Depending on the type of base you’re using, you can also attach them directly to the wreath frame.
For more tips on how to use wire to attach decorations, check out the video bellow:
As you can see, it’s easy to use hot glue to attach decorations. As long as you’re careful, it’s a discreet, secure option.
Hot Glue
Hot glue is probably the most straightforward of the methods you can use.
For this method, it’s just about being careful. You want to avoid using hot glue on fresh flowers or foliage, since it can cause damage. It does, however, work well on dried florals. Just avoid any petals or leaves.
For artificial plants, the same applies.
Typically, you’ll want to push aside any flowers or foliage, and place the glue directly where you want the decoration. From there, make sure the decoration is secure, and then let it dry.
However, this is difficult to do with fuller wreaths. If you wreath base is pretty packed with flowers, put the glue on the decoration first. From there, it will be easier to push aside any flowers on the base, and attach the decoration. Just make sure you move quickly since hot glue dries fast.
After you’re done gluing, you may have to trim up any left-over strands of glue. For these, just cut them away with scissors.
If the glue is too visible, you can also color it to help disguise it. Just get a marker that’s the same color as your base, and then color the glue.
String or Ribbon
If you want to go for something a little more rustic looking, you can use string or ribbon.
String is fairly self-explanatory. Just make sure you’re attaching it on a spot where it won’t slip off, such as a fork in a stem. Again, you can also attach it directly to the frame.
You can also use fishing line as your string if you want it to be less noticeable. Just keep in mind that fishing line is notoriously difficult to tie, as it tends to slide around easily. As such, you may not want to use it if you’re not already familiar with it.
For ribbon, keep in mind that it’s thicker and more noticeable. You’ll want to plan on tying it in a cute way, such as in a bow. You’ll also need to make sure that the color matches your overall design.
Furthermore, some ribbon comes with wire running along both sides, to give it structure. This ribbon may not be the best to use for decorations, since it’s stiff. However, it is the idea ribbon to use if you want to make decorative bows.
How to get Wreath Decorations for Cheap
If you’re on a budget, spending a ton on decorations may not be appealing. Luckily, there are plenty of really cheap ways to add some flair to any wreath.
One method is to go the dollar store. Most stores have a surprising amount of baubles and craft supplies that you can use. This is especially true around the holidays.
Online, certain chains such as Dollar Tree even allow you to buy decorations and embellishments in bulk. This is ideal if you’re working with a larger wreath, or if you’re doing multiples.
Keep in mind that you can also get plenty of items for free. Pine cones and other natural additions, such as stones, twigs, and plants, can all be collected outdoors.
For this method, just make sure you aren’t damaging any important or endangered plants. Lots of wild flowers are protected, so try to avoid these. Stick to things like pine-cones, acorns, or flowers that you know are fine.
Making a Wreath Your Own
Personalizing a wreath couldn’t be simpler. All you have to do is purchase the decorations and embellishments, and then attach them to the wreath.
That easy process means you can do whatever you want. Traditional, modern, country, unique—the choice is yours, so get creative and have fun!
With so many methods for how to attach wreath decorations by hand, you’re sure to make your ideal wreath.
