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Your own backyard can be a treasure-trove for natural holiday decoration. Here's advice from Jessie Mack Burns on how to create a holiday wreath and a festive greenery-swag from foliage that you may be able to find in your own yard.
A simple holiday swag is a nice touch for your front door or as a table centerpiece.
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A holiday wreath made from grapevine, evergreen branches and ribbon.
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For either of these projects, begin by using pruning shears to cut some long branches from your evergreen trees and bushes. Also look for green bushes with colorful berries such as holly or nandina.Holiday Swag - To create a simple swag for your door, mailbox or table, use florist-wire or paddle-wire and some wire cutters (figure A).
- Take several long stems of greenery and bunch them together at their base. Wrap paddle wire around the base of the bunch two or three times (figure B).
Add in some shorter stems, and continue wrapping with wire. For color, add some stems with berries on top of the arrangement (figure C). Tuck them between the other greenery, or use more paddle-wire.As a finishing touch, conceal the paddle wire with ribbon wrapped two or three times and tied in a bow (figure D).
Holiday Wreath- To create a simple evergreen wreath (figure E), start with a grapevine wreath as a base.
- Grapevine wreaths (figure F) are available at most craft-supply stores, and typically cost less than $5.
- Select a variety of your cut evergreen branches, and tuck the stems between the branches of the grapevine (figure G).
You can use paddle wire to help secure the evergreen branches to the wreath. Continue working your way around the wreath until you've added evergreen all the way around.Use pruning shears to clip away any branches that stick out too far.Add branches with berries for color, and wrap ribbon around the sides of the wreath. This will add a decorative touch as well as help hold the greenery in place.Holiday Greenery Recap - Use a variety of evergreens.
- Secure the branches with wire.
- For an evergreen wreath, use grapevine wreath as a base.
- Accent your wreath or swag with ribbon.
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