Natural Christmas Wreath

I recently had the absolute pleasure of attending a wreath-making workshop run by Bicycle Blooms, a cosy little florists in Oxford. I had never made a wreath before, so I thought it would be a good way of supporting a local business, meet people and learn a new skill! Upon arrival we were welcomed with mulled wine and nibbles; after a swift look around, I decided I would make a natural Christmas wreath – Hygge style.

Pine and fir make up the backdrop of the wreath, which we attached after securing the moss in place – this will retain moisture and help the wreath last longer, similar to what we do with a Christmas tree. In my opinion, the fir gives structure, whereas the floppiness of the pine softens the look and helps the look flow all around.

Fir and pine

Once the base was done, we walked around the shop to gather inspiration and choose the decorations for our wreath. I had fallen for the lotus seed heads upon arrival, so I knew I would pick those up first as they were the biggest elements. Had I not used for them, I would have probably added some pine cones, but the colours were similar. I also liked the idea of adding oranges; but again, I think it would have made the wreath look too bulky and would have added weight. Instead, I picked up some orange slices.

Odd numbers

The way I went about decorating the wreath was to pick what I liked and thought I might use. I ensured I chose different colours that would coordinate or bring out hues in other elements. I placed the bigger items around the wreath and then interspersed the smaller items. At this stage they weren’t attached, I was playing with the aesthetic of it. It is said the key is to have odd numbers, so I had 3 lotus seed heads and 3 orange slices. Note that they do not make perfect triangles, that was on purpose.

Final touches

With the bigger decorations done, I concentrated on filling the space in between. I wanted some sparkle, but not too much, so I used some Craspedia seed heads that had been sprayed gold. I love cinnamon, it is a smell I associate with Christmas, of course I had to add some sticks! To tie it all together, I managed to find some berries. I believe the red ones were a type of rose hip, and the black ones are ivy berries.

Hanging the wreath

I decided against a bow, as I thought that would make it look too busy. Instead, I went for a gold ribbon, to match the Craspedia, which I used to attach the wreath the, uhm, porch. The house we live in does not have a door knock, and as we are renting I don’t really want to do anything that will damage the door. Instead, I used the wooden beams from the porch to display the wreath. The bow has some very fine wire on the edges, I think that will help keep the wreath in place and not slide down.

 

Have you made a natural Christmas wreath this year?

Go and follow Bicycle Blooms on Instagram, some great bouquets, wreaths and inspiration over there. If you are just starting to get into the Hygge spirit, Here is a blog post I wrote a couple of years ago exploring different ways of bringing nature indoors.