DIY Floral Wreath

Did you know Americans throw away an average of 25 percent more waste during the holiday season? Most of this waste is generated from excess food, wrappings, and décor. To reduce your footprint on landfills with holiday décor, we invite you to create your own festive decorations with natural or reused materials. Making your own décor can be a fun activity and will help keep trash out of our storm drains and waterways.

Spring into the season with a homemade DIY hoop wreath. These floral decorations provide a lovely modern look to the standard seasonal wreath. These wall hangs can be made with real plants, or faux flowers. Reuse old tinsel, ornaments, or faux holiday plants to form your own unique look!

To form your bouquet arrangement, we recommend gathering a variety of florals:

  • 1 large main flower type
  • 3 small ‘filler’ flower types
  • 2 long main green sprig stems

Photo By: Melissa Epifano

Materials:

  • Floral wire
  • Faux flowers
  • Metal or embroidery hoop (12 inch recommended)
  • Ribbon
  • Wire cutters
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun
  • Spray Adhesive (or hair spray)
  • Hammer or mallet (optional)
  • Custom Touches – glitter, seeds, paint (optional)

Step-By-Step:

  1. Paint your hoop (Optional) – Paint the wreath hoop if you’d like to give it a custom look. Allow 1-2 hours to dry.
  2. Cut and Clean Florals – Remove excess or wilted leaves and cut stems to be about 3-4 inches long. (It is okay if the stems are shorter).

Photo By: Melissa Epifano

3. Arrange the Bouquet – Layout the florals in a desired pattern, arranging how you want it to look on the wreath.

4. Attach the Greenery – Use the floral wire to connect one of the green stems to the hoop, wrapping the wire along the length of the stem. Repeat along the opposite side with the second stem piece. Be sure to lift leaves throughout the wrapping, so that the leaves aren’t tied down with the wire. Tip: If the wire isn’t holding the stems to your liking, use the hot glue gun to adjust as needed.

Photo By: Melissa Epifano

5. Place the Filler Flowers – Wire the smaller filler florals to the sparse areas of the hoop. Use the same method as with the green stems and be sure to only wrap the stem portion of the flower. Use a hot glue gun as needed to secure the flowers.

Photo By: Melissa Epifano

6. Add the Main Flowers – Wire the final larger florals to the hoop, and secure with the hot glue gun. We recommend trying different designs before fully securing the floral.

Photo By: Melissa Epifano

7. Attach the Ribbon – Allow the hoop to set with the glue and wire for half an hour, then tie the ribbon to the top of the hoop for hanging.

Photo By: Melissa Epifano

8. Final Spray and Finishing Touches – Add any personalized finishing touches, such as glitter, seeds, faux water droplets, etc… Spray the final product with an adhesive spray glue, holding the hoop an arm’s length away from the spray bottle. Tip: If you don’t have spray glue, use a strong hold hairspray.

Photo By: Melissa Epifano

9. To add another special touch to your wreath, attach a few DIY Holiday Bells

This wreath can be reused every year and updated with fresh plants or new items. When making crafts, always try to repurpose materials from around your home or office, and limit the amount of plastic products that you buy. This will save you money, and will help reduce the chance that the litter will end up in our storm drains and waterways.

Sources:

Stanford, The Spruce, Trash Free Hawaii