Simple & Sentimental Wreaths
These sweet, sweet wreaths are near & dear to my heart. They were a random creation a few years back for a market I signed up for. I knew I wanted to make wreaths, but I didn’t know exactly how I would. As I was prepping the greenery for the hoops, I set one down for the glue to dry. Well, I had some torn out pages from a hymnal on the ground & was not paying attention as I set the decorated hoop right on top of it. It was meant to be! I have been making these now for loved ones to hold memories, favorite songs, family recipes, anything that can be printed on paper, basically. Now I share with you exactly how I make them so that you can make them too!
Disclosure : This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I make a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links at no cost to you. This is made for full transparency.
In this blog post you will happily find…
+ ideas of what you can put inside your wreath
+ shopping list & instructions on how to make these wreaths
+ decorating with these sweet wreaths
Plan what sentiment these wreaths will hold before starting.
The purpose behind these wreaths is to hold memory. To hold something special & meaningful. Preparing what will go inside this wreath is the most important step. If this wreath is for you or for a loved ones as a gift, here are some ideas of what to think of. When the beauty of technology & printers, you can truly make it anything you want! If it is a handwritten letter or hymnal, that will be so special too, just make sure you can get your hands on it! I think I like the idea of having something printed or copied better because the potential for mistakes & reprinting is a possibility. Verse creating another handwritten letter just wouldn’t hold the same sentimental value if the original is somehow ruined in the process. Paper rips. So here are just some ideas for you to use!
Google any song you would like in sheet music. You can usually find these free through images. Save the image or take a screenshot to print.
Grab a quote or the full page of a book that holds that quote & put it in Google Docs to print off & edit the layout.
Using a program like Canva, you can be creating & use fun fonts to show off a favorite Bible verse.
One year for Christmas I made wreathes with my Grandmas Banket recipe.
Photo copy a love letter to frame in this special way.
Have a collection of movie tickets, planet tickets or other adventure memorabilia? Attach them together & place on a piece of paper as backing.
If there is any art work or picture of a beloved house, cottage, family member, then have it printed on a letter size piece of paper.
How to make these simple wreaths & everything you need to start.
Now that you know what sentiment your wreath or wreaths will hold. Here is the rest of the “to get” list & instructions on making these! Just like everything I do, I am sure there are many other ways the job can get done. This is just how I personally make them. I even scoured the internet for some links where you can purchase the materials needed for this project!
shopping list
12” metal hoop — this is the one that I get from Joann’s! But I saved some from Amazon below. I would say that as long as the hoop is metal & 12” you can do this project. The size is important so that the paper you attach fits in each corner.
Greenery, garland, stems, whatever you would like to add! For this I like to go to hobby lobby or Joanns. I couldn’t seem to find much I liked on Amazon for this project, so you may have to hunt that down yourself. My favorite? Cedar or fern! You can make anything work here, I prefer something more simple & bendy. Not super stiff stems I would say are easier to attach. You also do NOT want a lot of weight. You do not need much when it comes to the greenery, in my option, because the simple touch of it is all it takes! One regular garland of greenery is usually enough for me to get 3 wreaths worth out of it, just to note!
Green Plant Wire
Super Glue — I have tried hot glue & it just peels right off. the E6000 glue is the best, but for this I am using some Gorilla Super Glue.
For your filler/paper/sentiment — if you have a letter or a page of a book you want displayed, as long as it is as close to a full letter page 8.5x11 then you are good. You can really use any paper, but note that the thinner it is, the more careful you need to be. If it is something you need printed, then I saved some thick cardstock below from Amazon. I like using cardstock so that it is more stable. Now, if you do not own or have access to a printer, then I suggest getting the document printed from Walgreens. They offer Document Printing & you can chose the 40 lb paper option. Each sheet is less than $1 to print.
instructions
Prep your materials. Gather your hoop(s), cut garland to size. I usually just gut a garland in thirds, but if you are using an array of stems, mess with the look you would like on your hoop. I usually cover about half or so of the ring, but when making multiple it is fun to have different amounts of greenery per hoop. Get your hands on your paper too! Whether it is a keepsake letter or something you need printed, get your hands on it now.
I first attach the greenery to the hoop. This allows me to get it secured as best as possible without worrying about tearing the paper. To attach the greenery, I cut sections of the wire & look it through out the greenery & hoop. Since these stay indoors, I never worry about it being too loose. They don’t get messed with when hung on the wall so as long as it is attached I am happy. I use the glue too for extra security, but just as long as it doesn’t show too much.
Let that sit if you did use glue & prep your page. With pages that are at least 8.5x11 or a full letter sheet, I like to tear the border around the edges. You can’t do too much or you won’t have much room to secure the corners of the paper to the hoop, but adding the tears creates an old vibe for the final look. I like the character it creates.
Lay your wreath face down. Because of the greenery, it will not lay flat on either end depending on what kind of greenery you used. Make sure the greenery is laying how you want it to when you attach the paper before moving forward. I personally do it this way because I like the paper to lay behind the wreath & greenery. If you would like to have the paper in front of the hoop & behind the greenery, then lay it the other way & mess with it to lay the way you want!
Glue the top corners of your paper & set them on the hoop where you would like it. Keep in mind that once this dries it is done! You cannot move it. Once the top dries, flip it over & glue the bottom corners, holding pressure again until dry.
I suggest leaving your wreath for a few hours to really set before moving it. Especially if you use E6000 glue. That holds best, but takes about 24 hours or sitting over night atleast to really stabilize from what I have learned.
You can now add string or ribbon to the top to hang your wreath, or just place the hoop on a hook or nail if it stays straight. When you use a heavier greenery it could be harder to have your wreath lay the correct way. So keep that in mind!
Here are some links that you may find helpful for this DIY...
Filling your space with these sentimental & simple wreaths.
I have loved using multiples of these wreaths in a gallery. Some with fillers, some without. Switch up the look with doing greenery in different corners & some that have paper inside & some that don’t. Place these in a gallery wall or create your own gallery with just these. Have an empty space in the kitchen & a family recipe that needs to be displayed? This would be perfect.
There are so many ways you can make someone feel special on their birthday or Christmas, making one of these wreaths with something meaningful to them would mean so much. One year I made one for our families with songs that they danced to at their wedding!
Although these were created almost by accident, I have loved them dearly. I think they are such a simple way to add thought & sentiment through out your home or even in a gift. They add so much to a gallery wall or to welcome guests in an entry way. You can really make someone feel so special by using a song, bible verse or book you know they love. If you create any of these wreaths, I would love to see them! Please share them with me by email or tag my on instagram @abigailsikma.
