Deck the Windows with Homemade Wreaths

By Beth

I have always wanted to have wreaths on my windows for the holidays, but I've never gotten around to it. I could never figure out how people hung those things anyway, the pre-made ones seemed awfully expensive (especially considering that I have two kids who still need winter coats), and I am not crafty. But this year, my four-year-old is obsessed with Christmas decorations and was begging daily for wreaths on our windows.

So on Wednesday I braved the local craft store with visions of wire forms and armloads of garland and heaps of ribbon and abject failure. It turned out that their Christmas stuff was 50% off and I found pre-made wreaths for $1.99 each. Add in four spools of ribbon and I had what I needed to wreath my whole house for the bargain price of $35.

Here's how it looks:

 

And here's a close up:

If you are crafty, you are not at all impressed right now. But you should be. I made bows out of ribbon and florist wire!  I figured out how to attach the things to my house and none of them have blown off yet! It only took an hour and a half, and would have been faster if I hadn't had an assistant practicing her preschool cutting skills on my ribbons. And yes, in hindsight I would have positioned them a little differently, and maybe it looks like I made ten of those things for $35, but it made my four-year-old happy. And it made me happy too.

(If you decide to make your own, don't use glitter ribbon. My house looks like it has sparkly red dandruff.)

(And wow, somebody really needs to paint those shutters.)

Comments

[Chattycricket]

LOVE.

How would you have positioned them differently? I like them the way they are.

[Jennie]

This is amazing! I'm going to convince Mike we can do this, too, and then hope he does all the work.

[stephanie]

It looks fantastic! I'm trying to figure out how to decorate our apartment, without going overboard (in both budget and looking like the North Pole threw up in it) and without completely annoying my boyfriend who could care less about such things.

[lumpyheadsmom]

Gorgeous.

[Sam]

They look great! I am seriously impressed with the wreaths on the upper windows...my family never decorated the outside of our house for Christmas, and so I have no clue how to go about it. I guess it involves a ladder?

Recently I went to a Thing where this lady showed us how to make wreaths with greenery from your yard...she used a very basic wreath and just added stuff to it. It was crazy lush and looked like a million bucks. I'm trying to figure out whose yard I can steal greenery from...

[Michelle Pixie]

I love it! I need some of those for my house.

[Karen]

They look great! How did you hang them from the windows? Curious minds want to know!!

[JuJuBee]

Pretty!!

[Swistle]

I AM IMPRESSED.

[Piper]

They look great - very stylish (and if you can do that with Mia's "help", WOW YOU'RE GREAT!!)