When it comes to Advent wreaths, I lean toward simple and natural ones. Just like every year, we made our own this year, too, because I’m team-DIY. Last year we had a Scandinavian-inspired one on the table, while this year’s Advent wreath is a vivid green one, full of life – and most importantly, it was very easy to make.
It is a universally acknowledged truth that buying something ready for use is always easier than doing it yourself – that’s true for Advent wreaths as well. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not fun, plus the final result will be much more heartwarming, even if it’s not the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. And you can let your imagination run wild, traditions are nice, but you don’t necessarily have to stick to them. I, for example, really like those Advent candles that have 24 markings on them, and you can burn one each day until Christmas arrives.
However, our wreath this year is more traditional than not. My mother and I made it together (meaning she did it with my emotional and mental support), like we have been doing for many years now; and now, let’s see how to make a simple Advent wreath – you won’t even need a glue gun (good-bye annoying glue-burns!).
What you might need…
Depends on what you have in mind for your wreath. For this one, you’ll need:
- Raffia – is our best friend, by the way, so always have some around.
- Scissors
- Pine branches, maybe some other greens (we used ivy and mahonia)
- Candles and candle spikes
- A wreath base
- Dried cones and pods
How:
- Cover the wreath with the pine branches – use the raffia to keep them in place, just wrap it around the branches. When you have finished the circle, tie the raffia at the bottom of the wreath.
- Stick those spikes into the wreath!
- Use the raffia to decorate the candles. Tip: keep a careful eye on the candles when burning to avoid accidents!
- Take some leaves and small branches of ivy and mahonia, and stick them between the pine branches – if you placed those thickly enough, they will hold the ivy and mahonia without glue.
- Finally, add some cones and pods for decoration.
Now you just need to find a place for your wreath. Here’s a tip: put it on a cake stand or a large plate so that you can easily move it around. The best part of this wreath is that you can customize it as much as you want: use color, decorations, and whatnots – it’s all up to you!
