Holiday Wreaths
Home Made and Hand Crafted Holiday Wreath Hanging on My Art Studio Door
Years ago, and we are probably talking more like a decade or more ago, I bought a Martha Stewart how to book on making wreaths. I made one with pinecones, very prickly. It was perfect for the humongous advent candles I made to go with it. That was the one and only time I used that Martha Stewart wreath making book.
Fast forward… decades later, I signed up for a wreath making workshop offered by So Mica Floral at The Ordinary Fellow winery in Palisade, Colorado. It was so much fun, I tapped into my creative spirit that I’ve been nurturing in my studio and went full guns for as much texture and energy in my greenery! It was amazing to see how I could transfer these skills from one medium to another. It got me even more excited about the cutting garden and all the possibilities it has to offer!
As I gathered the foliage to use in my wreath, I started wondering if I’d be able to grow any of it on the farm; and what flowers might be good to dry? I know plenty of farmers who grow grapes, perhaps when they prune, I could gather their vines to make the base for the wreathes. I wondered if willow could be used as a base.
The wreath I made that night included greenery like Holly, Eucalyptus, evergreens, Magnolia leaves, dried Lotus pods and dehydrated blood oranges! It had tons of texture with movement going in all different directions! The different hues of green combined with hints of red from the miniature holly berries and the blood center of the orange and the gold underside of the Magnolia leaves and yellow rind of the orange all came together beautifully. It will be interesting to see how it dries and if the colors, shape and texture hold their beauty.
I have other holiday wreaths hanging around the house, but they are all artificial, ones I take out every year to decorate for fall and Thanksgiving and then other ones for Christmas. This wreath made with real greenery outshines the artificial ones exponentially; so much so, that it makes me want to make more!
I could totally see this evolving or an extension of the cutting garden and the floral arranging workshops I plan to offer. I know I still have a lot to learn about flowers, creating arrangements and even wreaths, but what a fun subject. Like all things I’ve been doing in the garden and with Palisade Posh, whatever I learn I will share.
The So Mica Floral workshop was worth the money, and I look forward to taking more of their workshops. This is yet another creative outlet and let’s face it who doesn’t like creating with living materials, it is a perfect marriage of art and flora!
