Berries & Birds Holiday Wreath

Just like that, October is over and giving way to cold and blustery November. I like to decorate my home for the holidays in fits and starts, so that my anticipation of the season has time to build. Christmas always seems to come and go so quickly (maybe because I don’t work in retail? 😉 ) so I like to take my time and enjoy the decorating. Today I’m teaming up with 19 other bloggers to bring you a little taste of holiday style in the form of some gorgeous wreaths. I worked my love of birds, berries, and touches of tartan into my wreath design. Here’s how…

By the way, I hope you had a wonderful (if chilly!) Halloween night. Our little pumpkin is a bit too young for trick or treating, but if you hit up my Instagram feed, you can see what we wore to hand out candy!

When our hostess, Ariel, of PMQ for Two, invited me to participate in this wreath hop, my wheels immediately started turning. I decorated a wreath for our door a few years ago but it was starting to look a little used, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to spruce it up! Or is it balsam? Regardless, I was definitely pine-ing for a new winter look.

Somebody stop me before I got too fir.

…

Anyway… Here’s how I gave my drab little faux-fir wreath a whole new Christmas look.

Materials

Wreath
White acrylic paint and brush
Faux berries
Wire cutters
Wooden birdhouse
Coffee (bear with me!)
Glue gun and glue
White glitter
Decorative birds (mine are vintage cardinals from my grandmother’s tree)
Ribbon
Needle, thread, scissors
Buttons

Directions

Flock your wreath (i.e. give it a snowy look) by painting (at random) the tips of the « needles » with the white acrylic paint. There are dozens of ways to flock faux greenery, but since this wreath may come into contact with less-than-wonderful weather (hello, Canadian winter!), I thought that this way would last longest.
Place your different elements (berries, birds, etc.) and come up with a basic design. Once you’re happy with your plan, begin to glue on the different decorations. I began by gluing on the berries. You can hide the stems of the berries in amongst the greenery. I cut my berry branches into smaller parts so that I could spread them out.

3. The little birdhouse was a fun element to work on! I began by « ageing » the wood with… yes! Here’s where the coffee comes into play! Using a paintbrush, I brushed on several layers of diluted coffee, waiting for the wood to dry between coats. It gave the wood a more weathered look.

Once the wood had achieved the proper degree of weathering ( 🙂 ), I added some 3D « snow » to it with glue from my glue gun. I waited for the glue to dry fully and then I painted it with the white acrylic paint. Finally, I added some white glitter to the snow… you know, to give it that glint-y, new-snow look.

5. Next up are those rosettes. Make your ribbon rosettes by gathering the ribbon in a spiral. Stitch the centre of the rosette securely and then add a button to the centre. Really simple!

6. Once you have all your elements made, get glueing! Layer on your different elements until you have a beautiful, wintery wreath.

The front door sets the mood for the whole house, I think! A beautiful wreath says « welcome », whether to yourself after a long day at work or to guests arriving for a Christmas party. How are you decorating your door for the season?

Still not sure? You’re in luck! We have 21 gorgeous and creative wreath designs for you. Take some time to visit my fellow bloggers and see the inspiration for yourself!

Up to Date Interiors // Cottage in the Oaks // Architecture of a Mom

Nourish & Nestle // KS Craft Shack // My Life From Home

Craft & Tell // The Uncommon Law // Monica Wants It

Twelve On Main // PMQ for two // Atta Girl Says

The DIY Mommy // Flourish and Knot // Maggie Overby Studios

Hey Fitzy // Domicile 37 // Our Crafty Mom

This Is Our Bliss // Timeless Creations // PMQ for two