HOME & GARDEN CONSUMER GUIDE
Harvest Abundance Wreath
Supplies:
- vine wreath foundation (16 to 18 inches in diameter)
- 40 artificial maple and oak leaves in various fall colors
- twenty four chestnuts
- 18 cinnamon sticks (four inches in length)
- four dried orange slices
- four dried apple slices
- six 3-inch artificial mums in various fall colors, stems removed
- one bunch of dried or artificial wheat
- three 4-inch diameter artificial pomegranate picks (You can also use dried ones.)
- three 4-inch diameter baby pumpkin picks
- raffia
- one 8-inch bow with wire sides in an autumn print.
- heavy gauge florist’s wire
- craft lacquer spray
- aerosol hair spray
- glue gun and glue stick
You should be able to find all of these supplies at your local craft store.
Instructions:
Begin by grouping your cinnamon sticks in piles of six sticks. Bundle the sticks together with raffia ending in a bow at the top, secure with glue if needed. Make three bundles. Set them aside.
Cluster three chestnuts side by side in a circle, gluing them together with your glue gun. Glue another chestnut on the top of the cluster. Make six sets of chestnut clusters. Set them aside.
Spray the apple and orange slices with lacquer spray and allow them to dry thoroughly. Glue the apple and orange slices in a fan-like shape alternating every other one for a total of four slices. Make two sets. Set them aside.
Snip the wheat stems to about three inches. If using real wheat, spray each piece with hair spray to keep them from falling apart. Let them dry before using.
Now you are ready to assemble your wreath. Make sure you have a large surface to work on. Place your wreath foundation on your work surface. Start gluing your pumpkin and pomegranate picks together at the twelve o’clock, four o’clock and eight o’clock positions. Leave a space at six o’clock position for your bow.
Next glue in your cinnamon bundles directly under the pomegranate and pumpkin picks, creating a three-some cluster.
Proceed by gluing in the mums throughout the rest of the wreath in a random pattern.
Then glue the fall leaves to the wreath, making sure that the leaf tips are pointing slightly upward to give a sense of lift to the arrangement. Save a few leaves for filing in gaps at the end.
Glue the apple and orange slice fans to the eleven o’clock and two o’clock positions.
Glue the chestnuts on in a random manner.
Next place pieces of wheat sticking outward at random intervals through out the arrangement.
Finish the wreath off with your bow by tying it to the wreath with floral wire. Glue leaves around the bow to fill in any gaps.
To hang your wreath, make sure you use a heavy gauge of floral wire and secure it firmly onto the top of the wreath. Hang and enjoy.
Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-Homemaking.com, a web site with resources dedicated to Christian homemaking. In addition to her web site, she also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter. To subscribe send a blank email to wivesofexcellence-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Or visit our web site at http://www.christian-homemaking.com/newsletter.html
