The Redd Side of Life

Tips on Making a DIY Wreath

For the past few years I have really been into making wreaths for my front door. It is my specialty I would say. It all started when Pinterest first started getting big and so was Etsy. I wanted to make a fun Christmas wreath for my door so I went to Pinterest to get some ideas. I found a picture I liked and it linked me to Etsy. It was a beautiful peppermint wreath. I fell in love with it and just had to have it. Except I decided to tackle the project on my own and not buy one from Etsy. I looked at it and thought, how hard can it be? So I went to all different craft stores to search for my peppermints I so dearly wanted. This was way back before I knew a lot about crafting. At the time I went to the store, most of the stuff was really picked over because it was already December. Little did I know that all serious crafters go to the store a few months in advance to get their supplies. They make all of their stuff way in advance. I searched high and low but couldn't find anything. Finally I went to Joann's and in the corner they had all of their wreath stuff randomly shoved in boxes. I picked through all of them and finally found a few picks of peppermints. I was so excited! Now it was time to assemble my wreath. I found that it came naturally to me and quite easy. From that point on I fell in love with making wreaths. My favorite: Christmas wreaths. But over the past few years I have learned some things about all different types of wreaths. I know that for some people they are intimidating to make and to display on their front doors. It doesn't come naturally to everyone and it can be a challenge. Sure you can go out and buy one, but where is the fun in that? I have some tips and tricks for you if you are ready to tackle a wreath of your own.

Top Twelve Tips

The most important tip is stop while you are ahead. Don't make it too complicated and overdo it. I see so many wreaths that are just too much and end up looking tacky. Keep it simple and have a few interesting focal points.
Add different textures to make it more interesting. If you are putting flowers on, don't have them all look the same. Mix it up a little.
Where do you want the focus to be? Every piece of art has a central focus. Where do you want the eye to go?
Balance! Make sure everything is balanced out. This means that sometimes one side can look really heavy and the other side might not have anything. Add something to the other side to help even it out if it feels like it is leaning to one side.
This tip goes with balance. Make sure your shapes are filled out. They need to be balanced as well.
Odd numbers are always more pleasing to the eye. If you are going to put something on, never put just two. It will look funny. Always do groups like three and five. Or if that is too much just do one. It will look better than two. But I would say three is the safest number to stick with.
Always always always have a theme. If you don't, how do you know what direction you are going? You will just start to add random things and it will look tacky. Decide your theme and start from there.
As well as a theme, pick colors that go together. Always have a color scheme that goes with your theme. For example if my theme was Halloween, I would use orange, black, purple, and lime green. They are colors that work together.
It is not bad to use other people's ideas for inspiration. I am always looking at Pinterst and Etsy for ideas. I look at a lot of different ones and then decide what my favorite things are about them. Then I put all of those ideas together and create my own. Always try to make things your own.
It is ok to have a fun wreath once in a while that is kind of silly. It doesn't always have to be serious. For example I made a penguin wreath this winter that was more fun and simple.
Always lay things out first. Don't just start gluing because you might not like it, and hot glue is not always forgiving. You might decide after laying things out on your wreath you don't like how it looks. Keep arranging things until you do like it. I don't always get it on the first try and I often take everything off and rearrange it multiple times.
After you have everything arranged how you like it take a picture of it so you remember what it looks like. Try and put the things in order on the side that you had them in. But the picture is always a good helper to remember.

Wreaths are so fun to make and yes at times might be frustrating and difficult, but are rewarding in the end. I love coming home and seeing my wreath on the door knowing that I made it. It always makes me feel accomplished and happy. Don't be intimidated by your neighbor, because you never know how it is going to look unless you try. It might even look better than your neighbor's :)

Here are some of my wreaths I have made:

Halloween Wreath, probably one of my favorites