Since moving to the San Francisco Bay area, I’ve been hiking the hills of the area. The vegetation is all new to me since we lived in the pacific northwest for the last 17 years. So one day, I asked my hiking friends the name of a tree that was surrounding us on our hike. They said it was the bay laurel tree, and the leaves were used for cooking. From that point on, I wanted to make my bay leaf wreath! So, the other day, with clippers and tote bag in hand, I grabbed a few branches along my hike. I’m so excited to share this fun little craft. The great thing about this project is that the directions apply to most wreath making. So whether you want to make an evergreen wreath or bay leaf wreath, you can use these same directions for both. Also, the bay leaves can be plucked off the wreath and used for cooking! Anyway, once you have all your supplies on hand the project only takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
A Note About The Nester
When I finally planned to pick some bay leafs on my hike,
I totally came ill prepared. I had to borrow a cutting tool from one friend,
and I bag from another. :o)
Supplies
A grocery bag full of bay laurel branches.
1 foam green styrofoam wreath
Instructions
1. Create Bunches.
Put your branches into bunches.
You’ll want to trim off the stems so that you can tie the wire around them.
2. Arrange your first bunch on your styrofoam wreath.
When placing the branches on the wreath make sure the bulk of the branches conform to the shape of the wreath, you don’t want the ends of the leaves to point out and away from the circle. So, I point the branches down and to the side (I tried to show this in the above photo).
3. Continue to wrap.
You’ll want to place the branches on top of the earlier branches and work your way around the wreath. In a nutshell, just layer with branches every 3-4 inches and work your way around the styrofoam form.
4. Here is the fun part.
Once you’ve filled the branches all around the wreath, you can now add some decor. To hold them in place just wrap in wire around them and then wrap the whole bunch around the wreath. I added dried hydrangeas for some accents.
I found this Martha Stewart’s wreath book at our local library sale. This book has 50 wreaths that represent each state. Here is the link on Amazon: wreath book . It is a wonderful book and is sure to inspire you to make one. Is there a wreath that you make, or want to learn how to make. Let me know by commenting at the end of this blog post. I would love to hear from you. But if you don’t have a wreath question, just say, “hi” if you want!
Cheers,
PS: If you like this project make sure to check out my Burlap Wreath project.
I named my blog Happy Happy Nester because I love everything related to the home. I’ve always enjoyed decorating my surroundings. Get cozy and stay for a bit, thanks for visiting!
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COCO intheKitchen says
Love this idea, bet it smells heavenly. We have a laurel plant in the backyard. I should raid it and make a li'l one. The leaves can just dry on the wreath and be used later in cooking. Love your step-by-step pics. xo
Janine Waite says
Hi Coco ~ Thanks so much for commenting!!! You're so sweet!!! Sorry it took me a while to get back to you, I was off to Napa! Yes, the Bay Leaves smelled heavenly, but now that they are dried…they are just beautiful! It is such a fun and easy project, ya gotta make one!! Have a great week!! ~ J
Lisa @ Texas Decor says
I bet that smells SO good in your house! You did a great tutorial! I also like the green on green look with the addition of they hydrangeas. So pretty, friend!
Janine Waite says
Hi Lisa ~ Thanks so much for your kind comments!!! Wow! Yes, the green on green is quite pretty! I love hydrangeas. These blossoms were blue and turned green. I need to add the stuff to the soil to keep them blue. Also, I need to move the bushes since I think they get way too much sun. Boy, between the hot weather and the deer they don't have a chance of surviving. Speaking of heat, I hope you are staying cool at your house! Have a great week! ~ J
Marci says
So beautiful and seems like it's easy enough that I could do it. Thank you for the step by step instructions. Happy Holidays!
yuni says
well, that’s just gorgeous! i looooove it but i’m partially a wreath-aholic 😀
happyhappynester says
Thank you, Yuni! This post is one of my most popular posts on the blog! I probably should make more wreaths!