Decorating Your Front Door
Welcome Family and Friends with Wreaths and Cranberry Strands
Prepare for the holidays by decorating your front door with homemade evergreen wreaths and cranberry strands.
A large wreath, wrapped with cranberries, looks as charming on a window or wall as it does on your front door (see photograph below). The two small wreaths and strands of ribbon and cranberries framing it also can be used to decorate an interior wall or window. To make the entire arrangement you see here, you'll need a twenty-inch straw-wreath form; two eight-inch single-wire wreath forms; floral pins; twenty-four-gauge floral wire; sprigs of dark-green arborvitae; cranberries; and four-inch wide red ribbon. Arborvitae is a good choice for this wreath because the cranberries stand out against the dark green, but a light-colored cedar could also be used as well.
To make the large wreath for the door, place the straw-wreath form on a work surface, and, using floral pins, attach sprigs of the arborvitae all the way around the wreath.
For the cranberry strands, twist one end of a length of floral wire into a knot. String the cranberries onto the wire, one by one, piercing each berry from one end to the other. When you reach the desired length, finish the strand with a second knot to keep the cranberries secure on the wire.
Decorate the wreath by wrapping the strands loosely around the wreath. When you are pleased with how the strands are wrapped, secure the cranberry strands to the back of the wreath with floral pins. Draping the cranberry strands can be slightly difficult, so if possible, enlist a helper that can hold the wreath for you while you wrap the cranberries around the wreath.
To make the two smaller wreaths, secure an end of floral wire to one of the 6-inch wire forms. Attach sprigs of arborvitae to the form, and wrap them in place with floral wire. Work your way around the form, adding more arborvitae as you go; be sure to tuck the ends of new sprigs under the tips of previously attached ones as you continue around the wreath. Tie off with wire. Repeat with second wreath form. When you have finished, fluff the arborvitae with your fingers to conceal any wire that might be exposed.
When ready to hang the wreaths, either hammer nails unobtrusively above each side of the door (if the area around your door is made of wood) or insert screws into bricks. Place the smaller wreaths on the nails or screws. Thread two cranberry strands and a long length of ribbon through the wreaths. Arrange the ribbon and cranberry strands so they swag above the door. When the ribbon and cranberry strands are positioned, cut the ribbon ends on a diagonal. Hang the large wreath on the door.
