How to Learn to Make Swags and Wreaths

Swags

• 1

  Gather long-stemmed greenery and flowers and arrange into a bouquet.

• 2

  Secure the stems by tightly twisting wire around them several times. Leave enough wire to use as a hanger for your swag. Twist the extra wire to form a loop.

• 3

  Tie a bow on the stems, covering the wire underneath.

• 4

  Hang the swag from a nail on the wall or on a door. Or tie it around a lamppost or a porch light by your front or back door.

Wreaths

• 5

  Make a hanger for your wreath if it does not have one already. Cut a piece of wire and slightly fold it in half. Make a loop in the middle by twisting the wire several times. Attach the hanger by winding the two halves of wire around the top of the wreath, keeping the loop portion pointing toward the top.

• 6

  Gather artificial or dried flowers, intermixing greens and flowers. Create small bouquets of flowers and secure them with floral tape by winding it around the stems. Or you may pull the flowers apart by pulling the flowers from the stems and cutting off the leaves in preparation of hot gluing them to a wreath.

• 7

  Attach the bouquets to your wreath. Tightly wind them around the wreath with wire and twist the ends of the wire after you secure the flowers. Trim off excess wire with wire cutters. Point the floral bouquets in the same direction as you secure them so that they seem to move clockwise or counterclockwise on your wreath. Continue to wire each bouquet and cover the stems of the previous bouquet with each addition. If you did not make small bouquets, use a glue gun to affix greens to your wreath first and then flowers on top.

• 8

  Glue or tie a ribbon bow at the bottom or top of your wreath as a final touch, if desired.

• 9

  Hang your wreath on your door or wall.