How to Decorate Outdoor Wreaths

Select your wreath base. This can be a polystyrene ring or a basic twig wreath from the craft store. You'll fasten all the other decorations to this basic wreath using florist's picks and wire. The twig wreath can be a stand alone, meaning that you can let the bare twigs show through, or you can add some pine boughs or flowers to it. The polystyrene you'll need to add items to. The advantage of the polystyrene is that it comes in a variety of shapes like hearts, so you don't necessarily have to go with a round wreath.

Attach some evergreen branches, faux fall leaves or poinsettias to the wreath. This forms the base wreath onto which you'll attach all the other decorative items. For fall wreaths, use faux maple leaves in fall colors. Christmas wreaths work well if you use poinsettias or pine boughs. Year-round wreaths give the most flexibility, because you can use fresh flowers.

Buy some thin wood crafts like little heart-shaped pieces of wood. You'll also find these at the craft store. Many come plain and are thin enough to put a hole punch through. Paint them holiday colors and let them dry. Attach them to the wreath with the florist's wire and picks.

Collect colorful berries and attach them to your arrangement. Fresh berries work well enough if you intend to throw the wreath out, but if you'd like to keep it, plan on faux berries.

Attach pine cones to the wreath with the florist's picks.

Bring a little slice of nature to the mix by adding sliced dried fruit or mini pumpkins. If you have a food dryer, you can dry these yourself. Add these to the wreath using the florist's picks.

Introduce a burst of color to the decoration by choosing some small Christmas bulbs for the arrangement. Buy them in holiday colors and coordinate your decorating efforts around them. Use florist's wire to attach them.

Add a delicious element to your wreath by inserting sweet items like wrapped candy canes, chocolate orange slices or candy money bags.

Tie the whole arrangement together with ribbons that match the color motif you have selected for your wreath.