Rowan Berry Wreath
How about these antique candle holders? They are my newest find from our Italy trip to Puglia.
This beautiful Rowan Berry Wreath is a celebration of nature’s bounty, carefully foraged from the wild during the crisp days of November. The vibrant red berries, framed by their delicate autumn leaves, make for a stunning and natural decoration that brings warmth and color to the home as the seasons shift. Rowan berries, known for their striking appearance, have long been cherished for both their beauty and their practical uses. Beyond adorning wreaths, these berries can be transformed into delicious homemade goods like jam and tea, offering a delightful taste of the season. Whether displayed on your door or hung inside, this wreath serves as a reminder of nature’s generosity, adding both festive charm and a touch of rustic elegance to your November decor. I feel this wreath is a natural stepping stone to start thinking about the festive season.
I collected fallen twigs from trees to make the base of the wreath. The key is use bendable twigs that easily form a circle. I bend them around into a circle and tie them together with florist wire. You can make this as thick or thin as you wish.
Wreath base
You need bendable young branches or thick florist wire to create the base. If you can forage young branches that bend easily, collect a bunch and bend them into a circle. Secure the circle with florist wire that is twisted around the branches so it stays in place.
If you do not have branches- you can simple twist thick florist wire into a circle and repeat this process a few times so it create strength into the base.
Materials Needed:
Florist wire or a sturdy wire frame
Pruners or scissors
Foraged goods; rowan berries and green branches
Make the Wreath
Step 1: Gather Your Materials Collect a variety of foraged goods from your garden, local park, or nearby woods. Look for items like evergreen branches, twigs, pinecones, dried flowers, and berries. Ensure they are in good condition and free of pests. This wreath needs twigs for the base, rowan berries and green branches.
Step 2: Prepare the Base: If you're using a wire frame, shape it into a circle or any desired wreath shape. If you don't have a wire frame, you can create a base by bending a sturdy wire into a circular shape. Ensure the base is strong enough to hold the weight of the foraged materials. You can also make the base from bendable twigs, like I did.
Step 3: Create Small Bouquets- Take small bunches of foraged goods, in this case a rowan berry twig and some grenery. Arrange them in a way that looks pleasing to you. They can either be wild or more structured. Hold the bundle together that will then be attached the base.
Step 4: Secure with Florist Wire- Use florist wire to tightly bind the ends of the bouquet. Wrap the wire around the stems a few times and twist the ends together to secure the bundle.
Step 5: Attach to the Base- Place the secured bouquet on the wire frame and use additional florist wire to attach it securely. Wrap the wire around the stems and the base, ensuring it's tight and stable.
Step 6: Repeat the Process- Continue creating small bouquets and attaching them to the base. Overlap each bouquet with the previous one to ensure full coverage and a lush appearance. Vary the types of foraged goods to add texture and interest to your wreath. You can be creative here, by making the bouquet wild and effortless or create a more full and manicured look.
Step 7: Fill Gaps As you work- fill in any gaps or sparse areas by adding smaller pieces of greenery or other foraged items. This will give your wreath a more polished and cohesive look.
DIY Elegant birds nest for Easter
Add some decorative quail eggs along with natural looking chocolate eggs for a beautiful finish.
Creating a birds nest with a few simple woodland material - a touch of elegance to your Easter festivities
Welcome to the world of natural and elegant Easter decorations. Easter is only a week away and for the first time, I have been more inspired to decorate for this holiday. Easter is a time of renewal and celebration, and what better way to honour this season than by bringing the beauty of the outdoors into your home? I personally like to decorate with muted colours with timeless beauty. I try to explore how to create beautiful decorations using materials gathered from nature, such as willow branches, handmade bird's nests, naturally dyed eggs, and arrangements of seasonal flowers like snowdrops, meleagris and seasonal cut flowers.
With a few simple techniques and a touch of creativity, you can transform natural elements into stunning decorations that will add a touch of elegance to your Easter festivities. Whether you're looking to adorn your Easter table, create a festive centerpiece, or simply add a touch of seasonal charm to your home, these DIY decorations are sure to delight both you and your guests. I made a few of these birds nests as we created a little easter egg hunt for our son in the woods, where we hid little treats in the nests. I also think the nest looks beautiful in the house as decorations while also making a lovely gift to give someone. filled with chocolate eggs.
4 steps in the following pictures to get started:
Creating a decorative bird's nest for Easter using materials gathered from the woodland can be a fun and creative project. Here are step-by-step instructions to guide you through the process:
Materials Needed:
Young twigs (gathered from the woodland)
Hay or straw
Pampas grass (optional)
Floral wire (optional)
Easter eggs or chocolate eggs
Scissors
Step 1: Gather Materials
Collect young twigs, hay or straw, and pampas grass from the woodland. Ensure that the twigs are flexible enough to be shaped into a nest.
Step 2: Prepare Twigs
Inspect the twigs to remove any excess leaves or branches. Choose the most flexible and durable twigs, such as those from young birch trees, for easier manipulation.
Step 3: Create the Outer Ring
Start by forming the outer ring of the nest. Take a handful of twigs and intertwine them together, similar to how you would create a wreath. Shape them into a circle of the desired size for your nest.
Step 4: Secure with Wire (Optional)
If needed, use floral wire to secure the twigs in place. Wrap the wire around sections of the twigs to hold them together firmly. This step is optional but can provide added stability to the nest.
Step 5: Build the Base
Repeat the process to create a base for the nest. This base should be slightly smaller in diameter than the outer ring. Intertwine the twigs together, forming a circle.
Step 6: Add Hay or Straw
Place a ball of hay or straw in the center of the nest. This will serve as the nesting material for your decorative birds.
Step 7: Incorporate Pampas Grass (Optional)
For added decoration, tuck a few pieces of pampas grass into the center of the nest. This will give the nest a natural and rustic appearance.
Step 8: Decorate
Once the nest is complete, decorate it with Easter eggs or chocolate eggs. You can place the eggs inside the nest or scatter them around the outer edge for an Easter egg hunt.
Step 9: Display
Find a suitable location to display your decorative bird's nest. You can place it on a table as a centerpiece or let it sit back in a bookshelf. It will add a festive touch to your Easter celebrations. You can re-use it yearly in an easter egg hunt and create beautiful memories with loved ones.
2x Christmas Wreaths
Forage some greens - mainly spruce, pine and blueberry/lingonberry branches
Wreath base
You need bendable young branches or thick florist wire to create the base. If you can forage young branches that bend easily, collect a bunch and bend them into a circle. Secure the circle with florist wire that is twisted around the branches so it stays in place.
If you do not have branches- you can simple twist thick florist wire into a circle and repeat this process a few times so it create strength into the base.
Creating a wreath with foraged goods is a wonderful way to bring a touch of nature into your home. Here's a step-by-step tutorial to guide you through the process:
Materials Needed:
Florist wire or a sturdy wire frame
Pruners or scissors
Foraged goods such as evergreen branches, twigs, pinecones, dried flowers, and berries
Ribbon or twine for hanging
Make the Wreath
Step 1: Gather Your Materials Collect a variety of foraged goods from your garden, local park, or nearby woods. Look for items like evergreen branches, twigs, pinecones, dried flowers, and berries. Ensure they are in good condition and free of pests.
Step 2: Prepare the Base: If you're using a wire frame, shape it into a circle or any desired wreath shape. If you don't have a wire frame, you can create a base by bending a sturdy wire into a circular shape. Ensure the base is strong enough to hold the weight of the foraged materials. You can also make the base from bendable twigs.
Step 3: Create Small Bouquets Take small bunches of foraged goods, making sure they are of similar length. Arrange them in a way that looks pleasing to you. Hold the bundle together and trim the ends to a uniform length.
Step 4: Secure with Florist Wire Use florist wire to tightly bind the trimmed ends of the bouquet. Wrap the wire around the stems a few times and twist the ends together to secure the bundle.
Step 5: Attach to the Base Place the secured bouquet on the wire frame and use additional florist wire to attach it securely. Wrap the wire around the stems and the base, ensuring it's tight and stable.
Step 6: Repeat the Process Continue creating small bouquets and attaching them to the base. Overlap each bouquet with the previous one to ensure full coverage and a lush appearance. Vary the types of foraged goods to add texture and interest to your wreath.
Step 7: Fill Gaps As you work, fill in any gaps or sparse areas by adding smaller pieces of greenery or other foraged items. This will give your wreath a more polished and cohesive look.
Step 8: Add a Hanging Mechanism Once the wreath is complete, attach a ribbon or twine to the top for hanging. Ensure it's securely fastened, especially if your wreath is on the heavier side.
Step 9: Trim Excess Trim any excess stems or wire to give your wreath a neat and finished appearance or let it be wild and free, imperfectly perfect.
Step 10: Hang and Enjoy Find a suitable place to hang your foraged wreath, whether it's on your front door, above the fireplace, or as a beautiful centerpiece. Admire your creation and enjoy the natural beauty it brings to your space.
Minimalistic Spruce Wreath
I wish I could portray smell through writing at the moment… as it lingers of fresh pine and buttery sag in the kitchen. As I sat here making the wire base for the wreaths, I’m drinking warm glögi and indulging in figs, my favourite December fruit. These plump figs have been simply cooked in butter and fresh sage topped with toasted pine seeds with a touch of salt. Luxurious and elegant, just like these understated spruce wreaths. Even though the kitchen is an utter mess after making these wreaths, it really is worth it at the end of the day as they spread so much festive joy in the easiest way. Here is a simple tutorial for a minimalistic spruce wreath.
I wish I could portray smell through writing at the moment… as it lingers of fresh pine and buttery sag in the kitchen. As I sat here making the wire base for the wreaths, I’m drinking warm glögi and indulging in figs, my favourite December fruit. These plump figs have been simply cooked in butter and fresh sage topped with toasted pine seeds with a touch of salt. Luxurious and elegant, just like these understated spruce wreaths. Even though the kitchen is an utter mess after making these wreaths, it really is worth it at the end of the day as they spread so much festive joy in the easiest way. Here is a simple tutorial for a minimalistic spruce wreath.
Last week, I picked up lots of excess spruce branches when we were chopping down our Christmas tree and wanted to take advantage of the beautiful branches. As I do every year, I made wreaths this time purely from traditional and a mixture of silver pine. You can essentially make wreaths from any material, such as natural evergreens, straw, pinecones, and eucalyptus. Since our forests are filled with blueberry and lingonberry branches, they also make a durable material for wreaths.
Wreaths are made to celebrate the cycles of nature to showcase the beauty of the current season. I don’t know is it because of the tradition of making wreaths than comes from my mother, or is it so that I love being crafty with my hands and always find beauty in the simplest of floral arrangements. A minimal Nordic style wreath is an elegant addition to Christmas decorations; it looks stunning on the front door and windows or even incorporated into a table setting. There is so much more meaning when you creative something yourself as you have to put much more effort into it than simply just buying something readymade.
Creating a Minimalistic Spruce Wreath: Simple Steps
Materials Needed:
Thick florist wire (for the base)
Fresh spruce branches
Floral wire (thin and flexible)
Scissors or wire cutters
Steps:
Prepare the Base:
Cut a length of thick florist wire to your desired size for the wreath. This will be the foundation.
Secure the First Spruce Branch:
Take a long spruce branch and align it with the base wire.
Use floral wire to tightly secure one end of the spruce branch to the base wire. Ensure it's snug.
Wrap and Seal:
Begin wrapping the spruce branch around the base wire, forming a loop or coil.
As you reach the end of the branch, secure the other end to the base wire using floral wire. This seals the first loop.
Repeat the Process:
Continue adding spruce branches, wrapping and securing each one to the base wire with floral wire.
Overlap the branches to create a full and uniform wreath.
Optional: Create Spruce Bouquets:
Bundle a small bouquet of spruce branches together.
Secure the end of the bouquet with floral wire, creating a compact bunch.
Attach these bouquets to the base wire by wrapping the wire around both the bouquet and the base wire.
Continue Building:
Keep adding spruce branches or bouquets until the entire base wire is covered.
Adjust the branches to achieve a balanced and minimalistic look.
Finishing Touch:
Trim any excess wire with scissors or wire cutters to tidy up loose ends.
Hang and Enjoy:
Your minimalistic spruce wreath is ready to adorn your space. Hang it on your door or wall and embrace the simple, natural beauty it brings.
This straightforward DIY project allows you to create an elegant spruce wreath with ease. Enjoy your minimalist masterpiece!
Rosemary Wreath & Fall Golden Milk
As October gracefully bids adieu, a cascade of vibrant leaves flutters down from the trees, heralding the imminent arrival of winter. Today, a gentle Friday rain outside my window serves as a prelude to Sunday's official transition to winter time. In sync with the changing seasons, I've transformed my garden, swapping out summer blooms for the warm hues of autumn and winter. Alas, this shift required bidding farewell to my towering rosemary tree, yielding an abundance of fragrant branches. I wanted to share an easy rosemary wreath tutorial and a golden milk recipe.
As October gracefully bids adieu, a cascade of vibrant leaves flutters down from the trees, heralding the imminent arrival of winter. Today, a gentle Friday rain outside my window serves as a prelude to Sunday's official transition to winter time. In sync with the changing seasons, I've transformed my garden, swapping out summer blooms for the warm hues of autumn and winter. Alas, this shift required bidding farewell to my towering rosemary tree, yielding an abundance of fragrant branches. I wanted to share an easy rosemary wreath tutorial and a golden milk recipe.
With a surplus of rosemary, I embarked on a creative venture — freezing some, gifting others to my parents, and fashioning a collection of charming wreaths. These botanical creations, adorned with the essence of rosemary, hold the promise of infusing my kitchen with festive aromas when brought indoors during the Christmas season.
Anticipating November's arrival, I sought to complement my autumnal ambiance with a comforting cup of golden milk. While the concept isn't novel, my twist involves a hint of black pepper and the subtle inclusion of bay leaves, imparting a delightful punch to this sweet elixir. Meanwhile, for those inspired to craft a rosemary wreath, the process is elegantly simple – winding the flexible branches around a sturdy base with floral wire, a festive DIY project detailed in my blog.
As the stores gradually unveil their Christmas embellishments, the air is ripe with the promise of festive cheer. Soon, we'll be immersed in the magic of the season, guided by the fragrance of rosemary wreaths and the warm embrace of golden milk.
Autumnal Golden milk
1 cup oat milk
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch black pepper
1-2 bay leaves
A few slices of fresh ginger
1 pinch cardamom
1 pinch turmeric
1 teaspoon honey for sweetening (optional)
Mix all ingredients together in a small saucepan and gently heat over a stove for a good 15-20 minutes.
Creating a Rosemary Wreath: A Simple Guide
Materials Needed:
Thick florist wire (for the base)
Fresh rosemary branches
Floral wire (thin and flexible)
Scissors or wire cutters
Steps:
Prepare the Base:
Cut a length of thick florist wire to your desired size for the wreath. This will be the foundation.
Secure the First Rosemary Branch:
Take a long rosemary branch and align it with the base wire.
Use floral wire to tightly secure one end of the rosemary branch to the base wire. Make sure it's snug.
Wrap and Seal:
Start wrapping the rosemary branch around the base wire, creating a coil.
As you reach the end of the first branch, use floral wire to secure the other end to the base wire. This seals the first loop.
Repeat the Process:
Take another rosemary branch and repeat the wrapping process.
Secure both ends with floral wire to the base wire.
Continue Building:
Keep adding rosemary branches, wrapping and securing them with floral wire until the entire base wire is covered.
Ensure each new branch overlaps the previous one, creating a lush and full wreath.
Finishing Touch:
Once you've covered the entire base, use scissors or wire cutters to trim any excess wire and tidy up loose ends.
Secure the Last Branch:
Ensure the last rosemary branch is tightly secured to the base wire to complete the wreath.
Hang and Enjoy:
Your rosemary wreath is ready! Hang it on your door, wall, or anywhere you desire. The fragrance of rosemary will add a delightful touch to your space.
Remember, rosemary is flexible, so feel free to bend and adjust the branches as needed during the process. Enjoy your charming and aromatic DIY rosemary wreath!
