It’s Time to Go Green
We have now entered that awkward little stage when the Christmas decor is safely tucked away in the red & green plastic tubs and yet we’re too far away from Valentine’s Day to break out the cupids & hearts. Personally, I can live with my plain holiday-less decor for a few weeks inside my house, but my issue is with the front door. You see, my philosophy on a front door is quite different from my philosophy on furniture & curtains. Let the rooms be empty for months & let the world see what they will through the naked windows, but I cannot tolerate a wreath-less front door. That is where I draw the line. I think, in my mind, a front door with no wreath is like going out in public with no lipstick. It’s just one of those things that you should never be caught without.
A wreath is a little sign of hospitality on a front door. It says “welcome” without having to spell it right out. It gives a little hint of the personality of the people who live there. Does it mean that because I have a wreath on my door that I’ll buy whatever you’re selling? No, but it says I’ll smile as I say, “No, thank you.”
So, with that being established, the question is what kind of wreath to hang at this time of year. This is the time of year you need a “Go-To Wreath”–one that doesn’t announce the next holiday or tell everyone that you can’t get past the last one. My favorite Go-To Wreath is green. I made one of these a few years ago for my previous house, & always loved it, so I decided to do it again for my new house. It’s one of the simplest wreaths you can make & with the money you’ll save from making one yourself, you can take a friend to Starbucks.
Here are the simple steps:
1. Start with a large grapevine wreath (these are around $5 at Hobby Lobby) & 3 or 4 “bushes” of greenery (these are on sale this week at Hobby Lobby for 50% off!). And yes, I wish I had a dollar for every time I mention Hobby Lobby.
I chose this little blueberry bush greenery because it just spoke to me, but you choose whatever speaks to you.
2. Take some handy wire cutters & cut each stem at the base of the bush to give you several long pieces of greenery.
3. Next, just start sticking the stems in your wreath in a counter-clockwise direction, overlapping the stems to cover the wreath. Make sure the stems go in far enough so that they won’t fall out, but not so far that they stick out the back.
4. When you’ve stuck them all in, stand back & see if you need to rearrange any of the stems to make the wreath fairly uniform all the way around.
That’s it, y’all. The beauty of this is that you can remove all your stems & re-decorate your grapevine wreath a thousand other ways later!
This project won’t take you long to finish & before you know it, you’ll have a new wreath on the door & enough girl scout cookies to feed an army if you’re not careful. Now go out there & get your wreaths!
Denise
January 11, 2010 @ 9:11 pm
Just one question! Since you saved so much money on the wreaths when are we going to starbucks? Love the wreaths! Great idea!
Jennie Bender
January 11, 2010 @ 9:25 pm
You were serious about stocking up at Hobby Lobby weren't you?;) So pretty!
Alissa
January 11, 2010 @ 11:50 pm
So funny, Julie…I was just thinking that it was too early to put up my Valentine's wreath…but I needed something on the door. I just wish there was a Hobby Lobby in Northern California. How I miss that store. I was also thinking I could hang my white ice skates–wintery but not Christmasy…but they are in Massachusetts!
Robyn
January 17, 2010 @ 3:21 am
great wreath project!!! I will have to try it.
mysoutherncottage.com
Vanessa
March 4, 2010 @ 11:46 pm
These are so simple, yet elegant! Love them!
Jennifer
March 12, 2010 @ 2:33 pm
Beautiful wreaths! One question – how do you hang them over the door? I can't quite tell in the picture, and I'm always having trouble figuring that out with my own front door. Thanks for sharing!
Julie @ Sweet Chaos
March 12, 2010 @ 2:38 pm
Love your wreaths and your doors. Thanks for sharing. I'm a wreath on the door person too.
Trish @TheOldPostRoad
March 12, 2010 @ 2:56 pm
Beautiful entry! Thanks for the tutorial.
-Trish
Emily@remodelingthislife
March 12, 2010 @ 3:03 pm
Love the wreaths on those gorgeous doors!
Jill
March 12, 2010 @ 3:41 pm
Found you through Chatting at the Sky. LOVE your front doors! They're gorgeous! Love your wreaths too. I may have to try that!
Between You and Me
March 13, 2010 @ 2:16 am
gonna copy this idea…love it.. I've seen these beauties for sale and they are expensive…so glad to be able to see them done for less money…they look just as nice!
Hollie
March 13, 2010 @ 3:15 am
how clever! love them and the doors! WOW
Alely L.
March 13, 2010 @ 4:46 am
love the wreaths! found you through link @ chatting with the sky. funny, i feel the same way. my front door is a big part of home to me as well and love your analogy about the door without a wreath is like going out in public with no lipstick! lol! now following you. come by and visit me when you can.
Cyndi
March 13, 2010 @ 3:17 pm
love the wreaths and the door. Very nice.
Wendy
March 13, 2010 @ 3:36 pm
I love your front doors! So well written…I agree a door looks naked without a welcoming wreath! They look amazing decorated with the wreaths 🙂
Wendy
Sharyn
March 13, 2010 @ 7:41 pm
Beautiful = got to have a wonderful wreath anywhere!! Yours is lovely and even more so because you made it!
Amy
March 13, 2010 @ 11:50 pm
So pretty! I too would love to know how you hang these. We have a new front door and I've yet to hang anything on it because I too worried about messing it up! So boring!
Becolorful
March 14, 2010 @ 2:33 pm
Your doors look beautiful and I couldn't agree with you more on the philosophy that something has to be on the front door. I have been thinking about a post (maybe around the end of the year) where I show all of the different door decors throughout the year. That time between Christmas and Valentines IS hard but living in the midwest THIS is a tricky time too. Just this week did we finally see the grass again. Spring flowers look silly when there is snow blanketing your front yard and greens just look like I was too lazy or uninspired to take down the rest of Christmas. Oh dilemmas. Thanks for posting I am now following. Pam
tiny twig
March 14, 2010 @ 11:12 pm
yes. i think we can all concur that your doors are absolutely to die for. 🙂 beautiful wreaths, too!
love.love.love.
handbags*n*pigtails
June 21, 2010 @ 1:18 pm
I HAVE to link this up to my blog. I hope you dont mind! Love your blog. Im hoping to create my own wreath now, thanks to your inspiration!
Have a great day,
Sarah
Erin A
June 21, 2010 @ 5:50 pm
I just made a grapevine wreath this weekend as well! Check it out if you'd like, yours is gorgeous, mine is just a mini-version!
http://lemontreecreations.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-and-easy-displays-for-old-trays.html
Beth
January 15, 2011 @ 5:26 am
Love this!!! How do you hang them over your door??? I like the idea of something different than just hte ordinary hangers.