homemade christmas wreath - what do i need?

[wowwee123]

So, we lost my mil and pfb last year and on Christmas day took some lovely flowers up but this year i want something a little more personal so i am going to make a wreath each for them. They share a grave.

so far i have got solar fairy lights, a personalised bauble and some mini baubles. i am going to get some jute ribbon and fir cones but what do i use for the greenery and how long will it stay green?

ì've never done this before so any advice is helpful.

Ooo I made my own Christmas wreath a week or so ago!

I used this tutorial: smile.findmeagift.co.uk/how-to/how-to-make-an-outdoor-christmas-wreath/

The initial part about wrapping the twigs round each other and twisting it into a circle is a little tricky so I would recommend having a second person help hold the wreath in place.

Let me know how you get on! :)

oh lovely, thanks for that. going to have a quick look now.

that's brilliant. i was thinking i had to buy a base.

i was hoping to make a love heart for mil and star for pfb. thank you so much for sharing. excited to get started!

this is going to sound really silly but the foliage, does it keep?

The foliage should keep well for a few weeks, especially since it's outside. Will you be hanging it up or lying it flat, because the latter will ensure it stays intact longer.

I made a wreath for inside a couple of weeks ago for advent with four candles on it. It is outside in the shed until the start of advent and then it will keep fine in our hot living room until Christmas day. I used fir branches (it keeps it needles better than spruce), leylandi and box branches.

Good alternatives for the wreath would be to use moss (glued on to a straw wreath base) as this will look good even longer. Or tree bark sections. Can you tell I am a wreath expert (live abroad and it is a big thing here). Good luck - it sounds lovely.

i'm a complete novice and will have to do my research on where to find all the greenery

your advice has been very helpful though and sounds like you're a pro so thank you so much for your advice.

they will be laid down outside. as long as they last till Christmas i will be happy.

yours sounds lovely!

Yours will definitely keep nice and fresh until Christmas.

Here you can buy branches of the green stuff at the garden centre. You may well find leylandi or box or even sprigs of holly in your garden or someone's you know and be able to takes a few sprigs from there to add to your wreath.

the cemetery definitely has holly! thank you x

It's such a lovely idea- let us know when you've made yours, it would be great to see a picture :)

Mil's - my first ever wreath!

Trying to show the lights.

wowwee you have made a beautiful job - a real labour of love.

It's really professional looking.
Well done!

Ooo they are absolutely beautiful! I love the heart shape that's really clever well done :) so professional :)

wowwee at the risk of sounding very trite, I wanted to say that I am so very sorry you have lost your loved ones and are in the position of making something so beautiful for their grave. Thinking of you and yours.

Thank you all. Not got round to making one for pfb yet as ran out of greenery and its too dark when i get home from work so hopefully get it done saturday.

I do enjoy making things for them as it's all i can really do for them, especially pfb and sadly there really isn't much on the market to my tastes by way of grave ornaments etc.

I did get him a beautiful peter rabbit for his first birthday in the summer and so far it has coped against the weather.

Finally got round to my other one today. They look so pretty at the cemetery especially when the solar lights come on.

Those are really beautiful. I'm so sorry for your losses.

Thanks hv