How To Make Dried Wreaths Out of Wild Grape Vines
If you have access to wild grapevines which grow prolifically on the edges of woods, you can harvest them to make beautiful dried wreaths. With the vines as the background and the frame, you can then decorate the wreath with small pine cones, seed pods, dried flowers and herbs, as well as glass, paper or plastic ornaments. Cloth ribbon woven through the vines adds color, so you can create a grapevine wreath that will coordinate with anyone's home.
Things You'll Need
- Garden gloves Clippers Assorted dried pods, flowers, herbs Assorted ornaments Thin, flexible wire Wire cutters Ribbon Scissors ood glue or hot glue gun and glue sticks
Instructions
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Gather wild grapevines from the woods on a dry sunny day in the fall after the leaves have dropped. Wear gardening gloves and clip the vines at lengths of around 3 feet. The vine will be flexible and covered with bark.
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Wind the wild grapevines into individual wreaths that are shaped like round doughnuts with a hole in the center. There is no right or wrong size for a wild grape vine wreath, as long as it is round. Large wreaths usually have a 24-inch diameter. The smallest wreaths are 3- or 4-inches in diameter, and can be used as Christmas tree ornaments. Sometimes the vines will resist being bent into a circular shape. If you try to force them, they will break. So, clip the vine before it breaks and take another piece to add to the wreath. Insert it on the back side and wind it through the vines.
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Add as many strands of wild grape vine as you like to build up the density of the wreath. Some people like a very dense wreath while others like a more open weave. If necessary, use a dab of glue or a small piece of wire to strengthen the connection between layers of vine.
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Add the cloth ribbon. Weave it in and out of the grape vine or wrap it around the outside of the vine by looping it from the center and around the edge. Use a dab of glue to stick down the ends of each piece of ribbon.
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Glue on the dried flowers, herbs and pods. Use wire to hold on ornaments, photographs or wooden decorations. Coordinate the colors in these items with the ribbon.
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Form a handle out of wire. Weave it into the top of the grapevine wreath at the center. It should be strong enough to hold the weight of the finished wreath. Tie a ribbon bow around the wire.
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Tips & Warnings
If you will be gift-wrapping the grapevine wreath to give away or to mail, use a box that is several inches larger than the wreath on all sides. Wrap the wreath in a few layers of white tissue paper. Then lay the wrapped wreath on a bed of Styrofoam peanuts. Place more peanuts on top of the wrapped wreath as well.
