How to Make a Culinary Wreath

Looking for the perfect gift for the cook in your life? Culinary wreaths make wonderful gifts, they are relatively easy to make and they smell magnificent!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• A wire wreath form (about the size of a pie)
• Pine cones - I find it easiest to work with White pine cones.
• Acorn tops
• A variety of spices (you are looking for both pleasing scents and colors)
• Cinnamon sticks
• Wire
• Hot glue gun
• Crafting glue
• A pop tab
• Decorative crafting ribbon
• Sweet gum balls (optional)

1. Bake Natural Ingredients at 300' F Unitl Dry To begin, you will want to gather white pine cones, acorn tops and sweet gum balls (optional). Then you will need to wash them and bake them on cookie sheets at 300 degrees until dry. (This step is necessary to kill any bugs or larvae that may be nesting in your treasures from the great outdoors). The recipient of your culinary wreath will probably appreciate this.
2. You will also want to gather spices with pleasant scents and colors; cinnamon sticks; crafting ribbon; a wire wreath mold about the size of a pie to hold your culinary wreath; your glue gun with plenty of glue sticks; crafting glue; wire; a pop tab; and your natural items.
3. A Variety of Herbs and Spices Works Well With THis Project! I begin by placing craft glue in the acorn caps and sprinkling them with various spices (I like to use spices that are a variety of colors and textures including red (crushed red pepper, cinnamon and paprika, for instance; green (basil leaves, thyme leaves, chives and ground cumin) yellow (curry powder and ground ginger); brown (nutmeg). I also wrap wire around at least one group of cinnamon sticks. I fill the acorn caps first because this allows them to dry while I am working on the rest of the wreath.
4. I then take my white pine cones and hot glue them evenly around the wreath form.
5. After the pine cones and acorn caps dry, I hot glue the acorn caps around the wreath. I sometimes make a symmetrical arrangement, other times I scatter them around. I sometimes randomly place sweet gum balls around the culinary wreath as well.
6. I then wrap the wreath with ribbon (usually about 3 in wide with wire so that it forms to the wreath and stays in place). I end it by making a large bow off to the side on either the top or bottom. I then place my groupings of cinnamon sticks randomly around the wreath.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow glue to dry thoroughly between steps.
• You may wish to have a damp towel handy to wipe excess glue from your fingers so they do not stick to anything like the herbs (this gets very messy).
• never leave the oven unattended while drying your pine cones, acorns and sweet gum balls