Did you pull your wreath out of storage this year and realize it looks sad, tired and pathetic? I did. With about 10 minutes, some florist wire, glass ornaments, and some ribbon, you can bring it back to life. (Did anyone get my ER reference in the title?)
Here’s how the wreath looked when I pulled it out of storage. Pine cones were missing, some berries had “burst”, and it was so dull you could hardly see it from the street.
The first sign of a tired wreath is when the coating on the faux berries chips off to expose the foam. There were only a few, so I cut the offending berries off with scissors.
I then needed to address the large holes that exposed old & crusty glue. I had some frosted white and glossy red glass ornaments handy, so I decided to use those. In addition to filling the gaps. they added some shine.
All you need is florist wire and a pair of cutters (or scissors.) Cut a length of wire long enough to cluster three ornaments together and wrap around the wreath.
Thread three ornaments on the wire, center them, and twist to cluster them together. Use the remaining wire to wrap around the wreath, twisting the ends together in the back to secure the cluster.
Select and cut a length of ribbon about 2 feet long. I used some ribbon that I bought a few years ago to make a bow for a tree topper. I’m going to make something new this year, so I didn’t need it for that.
I like to cut ribbon at an angle. It looks so much prettier than ribbon that is cut straight. (Ha! I cut this piece with my kitchen scissors and it is not a very clean cut. Oh well…)
Fold the ribbon back and forth, over on itself to make a “bow.” Twist a length of florist wire to secure it and then attach it to the wreath (just like the ornament clusters.)
I think the ribbon looks best when it’s tucked in behind the ornaments. Then shape the ribbon into nice loops. (It’s best to use a fat, wired ribbon, but use whatever you have.)
Here’s the finished wreath. I made 5 ornament clusters and 3 ribbons. For some reason, odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye when decorating.
I was able to bring this trash-worthy wreath to life with stuff I already had and a few minutes of my time.
The best thing is you can actually see it from the street. Before it blended in with my black door and now it pops.
If you want a different look, you could use silk flowers, artificial fruit, wooden ornaments, crocheted snowflakes, vintage Christmas cards, the possibilities are endless!
Make sure you come back for my Furniture Feature Friday link party. Remember you can share any post about furniture or home furnishings. This includes makeovers, favorite finds, room arrangements, or accessories. I hope to see you all there!
19 Responses
Ahhhh, much better !
Oh my goodness what a great end result, I love what you have done.
Have a great evening.
.•:*¨¨*:•.Blessings*¨2 U 4¨**¨¨*the holidays .•:*¨¨*:•.
-:¦:-H-:¦:-E-:¦:-I-:¦:-D-:¦:-I-:¦:-
Awesome outcome!
In all honesty, at first I thought you applied a clear coat to your wreath to revive it. duh…
I store my really puffy nice wreaths on a storage wall, covered with a black garbage bag upside down. My others stuffed in a box don't fare nearly as well and need to go to your wreath hospital, pronto! Do you do housecalls to Canada? (eh?) 🙂
Donna
Great redo! The ribbon is very pretty. It's true about odd numbers.
P.S. I did "get" your title!
Oh – you are good. I tried to revive a wreath and it didn't survive. Maybe it just needed your magic touch!
Danielle
love the ornament clusters!
That looks wonderful! I really love the additions to the wreath – great choices! Linda
it looks great with the addition of the ornaments
Well, it's a good thing there was no Do Not Resuscitate order on it! ; ) It looks great and very fresh!
I just bought some plain wreaths at Michael's {$1.99} and added some ribbon and ornaments. They were rather flat, having been compacted in one of their outside bins. I was thinking of doing the cluster of ornaments, but I only had one color left to work with. I may get another sleeve since I'm sure I'll be back at the dollar store by the weekend!
You did a great job sprucing that one up! I have all of my wreaths and boxes of florals out and scattered around the room ready to do the same thing. I like the idea of putting the three ornaments together on the wire.
Much nicer !
Kammy
You just saved that poor wreath's life! It looks as good as new. This will be a lesson to me to give things a second look, I may be able to save something I would have thrown away 🙂
Great job on the wreath…it looks much happier with it's face lift!!
Jane
It's beautiful now! Love what you did, and like the way you used the ornament clusters.
pk @ Room Remix
What a great refresh redo! Thanks for linking!
Becca
That's an awesome revival! Very festive love the color and ribbon choices too!
Dena
Your "CPR" seems to have done the trick, looks like the patient is back to work! Great job… Dee Dee
Oh man, my wreaths look a lot sadder than that! I need some serious care – STAT! I watched enough ER back in the day, so I totally got your "clear" reference 🙂
I'm a little late seeing this. It looks refreshed–do you have any secrets for me?? Ha ha, kidding.
@cheapchichome.blogspot.com