by Krystie Bohmer

Created on: October 09, 2010

Let your guests experience the warmth of your home on a fall day, before they even enter your house! Regardless of the type of home you have, you’re home can say “welcome” all on its own. Well, not exactly. By adding special accents to the entrance of your home, such as a wreath on the door, you can create a warm welcoming feeling for anyone who visits.

If you are thinking of constructing a wreath on your own for the fall you may want to investigate some of your options.  The base of your wreath can be determined by the items you chose for decoration. Wreath forms are available in Styrofoam, grapevine, straw, Oasis wet foam, and wire.

Styrofoam wreaths can be decorated in several ways. Using strips of frayed fabric in coordinating colors would make a nice full colorful wreath. To do this, simply tear fabric into strips. Cut the fabric into 4 inch segments and tie a knot in the center. Push “T” pins into the knot then down into the Styrofoam base.  “T” Pins would also work well should you want to make a candy wreath. Cover the base of the Styrofoam with miniature candies by securing the packages of the candy with the pins.

Grapevine wreaths are simple to decorate. One way to embellish this type of wreath for the fall would be to wrap a berry garland onto the wreath. Add some fall picks such as a scarecrow and pumpkins resting on the bottom. Floral garlands can also be used alone on the grapevine wreath form while still making for a stunning door ornament!

Straw wreaths look adorable when there is a cluster of floral picks towards the bottom of the wreath accented by a matching bow on the top of the wreath.  Covering a straw wreath completely with brown acorns may take up more time to complete but the results are truly worth it! If desired, either wrap an elegant ribbon around the whole wreath or just make a bow on the top.

Oasis wet foam is meant to be used with live foliage and flowers. Be sure the foam is damp before inserting any greens into the foam.  Cover entire foam with short stemmed foliage for better coverage. Next insert the flowers as desired. To complete your wreath add ribbon and possibly even a little plastic pumpkins.

Wire bases are fun to make using wire coat hangers. If you have never tried making a plastic bag wreath, now might be the perfect time! Most plastic bag wreaths are white in color. Using a non-traditional colored bag such as orange or black would make for a great Halloween wreath. Instructions for this type of wreath can be easily found on the internet.

A wreath can be made without a base at all! This black paper wreath would be best hung either from the inside of you glass front door or between your front door and a storm door. This is due to the fact that the wreath is constructed of paper only which will probably be sensitive to certain weather conditions. The reason a storm door is mentioned here is due to the fact the paper would ruin should it get wet from nasty weather. Little miniature ghosts or pumpkins would look great attached to this wreath finished off with decorative ribbon.

Fall wreath ideas are around you in many places. Stop by a local florist to build up incentive and ideas on what type of wreath you want. Great ideas can also be found in your newspaper ads, magazines, books at the library, and of course on the internet. Yes there is always the option of purchasing a wreath if time doesn’t allow for making one yourself. Unfortunately in this scenario, you certainly will not feel the same satisfaction that comes from successfully creating a beautiful wreath on your own!

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