Create Fabulous Fall Wreaths
Fall color wreath [1]
Create this beautiful fall wreath with a variety of materials that reflect autumn's hues: gold, red, orange and brown.
Both your yard and a crafts store should provide a bounty of choices. A mix of fresh and dried materials looks lovely, but a wreath of all dried materials lasts longer.
Lightly soak a 10- or 12-inch ring of Oasis floral foam in water. Group your materials by color to plan each section of the wreath, then insert materials by the stems. We used tree leaves and fresh mums for red and orange bands of color, tree leaves and dried yarrow for gold, and dried oak leaves and pinecones for brown. Hot glue or T-pins help hold materials in place.
Farm-stand fresh wreath [4]
Surround a head of kale with faux apples, seedpods and leaves on a foam base. Use glue, pins or floral wire to secure decorations to the base.
Mixed-nut wreath [7]
Turn a crafts-store wood frame into a harvest wreath. Hot-glue Brazil nuts, hazelnuts and acorns to the frame. Hang with a chocolate-hued ribbon.
Bittersweet wreath [10]
A cluster of six gourds stars in this festive autumn wreath. Wrap extra raffia (the fiber from palm leaf stalks) around the top of each gourd and tie them together in a cluster. Attach gourds to a circle of bittersweet. Top it all off with a raffia bow.
U-shape wreath [13]
The unusual shape of this harvest-themed wreath makes it a standout door decoration.
Cut away about one-fifth of a plastic foam wreath to create the shape. Wrap yellow seam-binding ribbon around the wreath. Hot-glue fresh or preserved green salal leaves (commonly called lemon leaf) to the wreath, covering it completely. Glue a cluster of nuts to the bottom center, then add dried wheat, preserved fern fronds, and fresh or silk berries.
Sunburst wreath [16]
Mimic a blazing sunburst with this fall wreath. Fold out the husks on ears of Indian corn so they point straight out from the tops. Hot-glue the ears to a straw wreath, and "fluff" the husks to complete the look.
Nature's artistry wreath [19]
Embellish a square, store-bought magnolia wreath with color-coordinated real and faux materials, including twigs, seedpods and nuts.
Wheat wreath [22]
A wheat wreath reflects your Midwest heritage. Insert dried sheaves into a foam wreath form, then dress up your wreath by slipping the stems of golden maple leaves into the spaces between wheat heads. Use leaves sparingly for the best effect.
Flower and berry wreath [25]
Add hydrangeas, bittersweet and rose hips to a grapevine wreath. Try using freshly cut bittersweet from floral suppliers; once the vine dries, the berries become brittle and easy to knock off.
Acorn ring wreath [28]
Combine moss and acorns to create a simple but lovely fall wreath. Hot-glue moss to a small wire or cardboard ring, then glue acorns to the ring. If needed, secure the acorns to their caps with glue. Hang with a satin ribbon.
Fragrant wreath [31]
Combines dried sweet Annie, dried lavender, purple statice, globe amaranth, and large green kale leaves for a wreath that smells as good as it looks. Experiment with different plants to find the colors and aromas you love most.
Wheat and flowers decor [34]
Bundle wheat with sunflowers and a ribbon bow for a quick-and-easy fall door decoration.
Nuts and leaf wreath [37]
Use a variety of inexpensive fall materials to create this autumn wreath. Just hot-glue artificial leaves, walnuts and hazelnuts (or other hard-shell nuts) in a ring around the front of a grapevine wreath.
Bright leaf wreath [40]
The shape of this wreath makes it distinctive. Use U-shaped pins to attach moss onto a foam wreath form, then hot-glue preserved or artificial leaves. Hang a small pumpkin ornament in the center.
Birchbark Bounty [43]
A hanging birch basket (you can buy one at florists shops or crafts stores) cradles a bounty of fall fruits and foliage. Fill with two or three small gourds, five ears of ornamental corn and 10 wheat stems. Then, add small amounts of rosehips, maple and oak leaves, as well as sorghum and acacia foliage.
Fall plate wreath [46]
For a quick-and-easy wreath, hot-glue pressed leaves (or leaves from a crafts store) around the edge of a platter and hang with a plate hook. The glue peels right off when you want the platter back.
Ornamental corn braid [49]
A harvest of multi-colored ornamental corn highlights this simple wall hanging. Wrap thick strands of rust- and natural-colored raffia around the husks of 10 to 12 ears of corn, leaving approximately 1 foot of excess raffia at the end. Braid the ends together. Finish with a raffia bow and bittersweet branches.
Maidenhair fern swag [52]
A fistful of dried maidenhair ferns (about 2 feet long) and a couple of branches of acacia foliage form the base of this delicate autumn swag. Using plenty of raffia, attach four small ornamental ears of corn and nine stems of wheat to the swag. If you like, you can substitute sweet Annie branches for the acacia foliage.