Now that November is upon us, I’ve noticed that my neighbors have been putting up fall wreaths on their front doors. Here in Southern California, where we don’t get a real sense of the seasons, these wreaths help get us in the mood for autumn, even if we’re still wearing shorts instead of sweaters.
For something super easy, I decided to repurpose an old frame and make that the foundation of the wreath. If you don’t have an extra frame lying around the house, you can purchase one at the dollar store. It doesn’t matter what condition it is in; most of it will be covered up by floral elements anyway.
What you’ll need:
Picture frame (about 11-by-14 inches)
Eucalyptus leaves
Artificial fall leaves
Artificial flowers
Plastic pumpkin
Hot glue
Floral paddle wire
1. Attach eucalyptus leaves to the frame with floral paddle wire, which is basically wire on a spool. Position the leaves all along the frame, but feel free to leave some empty spots to allow some of the frame to show through. Keep winding the wire around the leaves to secure them. Don’t cut off the wire when you’re through. The good thing about paddle wire is you can keep wrapping it around the floral elements to come.
2. Place some artificial fall leaves on top of the eucalyptus leaves, and attach them with the paddle wire. Rather than place these leaves all over the frame, I concentrated them in the lower left hand corner to give the wreath a focal point.
3. Next, attach a few artificial flowers with fall colors on top of the leaves with the paddle wire. As you can see, the key to making a wreath is layering. When you’ve wired all the floral elements, cut the wire and twist it around in the back of the frame to secure it.
4. The wreath needs one final decorative element to anchor it. This could be a pinecone or even a bow. I decided to use a plastic pumpkin, which I hot glued on top of the leaves.
Jonathan Fong is the author of “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects here.
