DIY A Basic Wreath Form Using A Kitchen Essential You Already Have On Hand

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For the inexperienced crafter, pulling together a wreath for the front door might be dependent upon what's available at arts and craft stores in your area. For the master crafter, the makings of a wreath are found at home with stuff that's already in the kitchen. A large cooking pot. A few zip ties. A pair of scissors. And for the most resourceful of these not-so-novice crafters, a trip outside provides the rest of the wreath — some long, green branches and twigs, clusters of leaves on a branch, and flowers from the garden.

If you're among the crafters who fall into the experienced category, start this crafting adventure by grabbing a fairly shallow yet wide cooking pot from the cupboard. The diameter of the pot determines the size of the wreath, so the bigger the pot, the bigger the wreath. Other materials you'll need to transform treasured finds into a wreath include a pair of scissors and some zip ties.

Skip the commercially-made wreath form from the craft store, and instead, construct one from the green twigs and branches from a tree — the greener, the better — and some zip ties. Starting with the branches of a tree, like a willow or a birch tree, gives you a leg-up when it's time to construct the wreath form because these trees are known for having flexible branches. If you have access to such a tree, take advantage of it when you're gathering up your supplies. Also, gather up the kind of flora that makes for a perfect door wreath, including pine branches and cones, acorns, clusters of leaves still on the branch, and flowers.

The pot in this equation functions as a mold for the wreath form. You'll twist the branches into a circle by rolling them up like you would a garden hose and placing the rolled branches inside the pot. The "muscle" memory of the branches will press up against the sides of the pot, causing them to mold into a circle. Press the branches into the bottom of the pot first and then work your way up to the lip of the pot.

Because you're using the pot as the mold for the wreath form, both of your hands will be free to work with the branches as the pot holds the branches in their wreath form while you work. If the branches aren't as bendable as you'd like, try soaking them in water for a couple of hours before bending them into shape. Bind the branches of this DIY door wreath with the zip ties, placing them at strategic spots on the wreath form to ensure that the circular form remains intact. Additionally, keep in mind that the top of this wreath form won't have flora on it, so if you can avoid putting zip ties on a large stretch of the form, that's ideal. 

Finally, snip off the zip ties' tails. The design of this wreath features flowers and leaves on the bottom with an open form on top. Work the floral elements into the wreath, securing them down with zip ties and cutting the tails off the ties once you have them placed where you want them. Hang the wreath on the front door once it's done.

If, despite your best efforts, you end up with a wreath form that has zip ties at the top, use crafting items and knick-knacks to hide the exposed zip ties. A swath of ribbon comes to mind here as a solution. Wrap it around the top of the wreath, taking care to cover up the zip ties. Because this wreath sports a rustic style by design, you may want to try using a natural-looking ribbon like Dirvcp Wired Edge Decorative Burlap Ribbon to keep it consistent with the theme.

You also have the option of pulling items from stock you already have in your crafting or decorating supplies. For example, if you're making the wreath for the fall and winter holidays, fasten items like Elcoho Rustic Christmas Ornaments on top of the offending zip ties. Use snippets of pine branches as a decorative bed for the ornaments to lie on before tying the ornaments to the wreath. 

Or if you have twine, wrap a bunch of it around the spot where the tie is. Loop the twine around the spot five or six times and then tie it off in the back. Once the twine is securely in place, cut the zip tie off. The twine should keep the branches in place if you've used enough of it, and it'll look like a natural part of the wreath's design. To make it look balanced, add several rounds of twine on the wreath form in various places, even in spots where you're not trying to cover the zip ties.