This season promises to be a chilly one, but we’ll welcome it anyway with a modern Winter Solstice wreath that embraces the best of foraged winter goods. Thank you to the giant tree and multiple windy autumn nights for the fallen branches. Thank you to the dried fall arrangement I had sitting in my basement with leftover olive branches. And thank you neighborhood market for the berries and clementines!
I started by choosing three branches in similar sizes and shapes. I liked how these three formed a bow shape when laid together, so where they all crossed I secured them with gold wire. I love the glam but rustic pop of the gold metal, and knew that I’d want to add more in before I was finished to dress it up even more.
Leave a little room when wrapping the branches. Initially they’ll be loose and they may feel as if they’re slipping around, but this is leaving room to insert some of our other stems.
Next I chose some olive branches that were similar in length and mimicked the lines and shapes of the branches, and I inserted those into the wired center we created. Like we did with the branches, pull those olive branches through to create another X. If it’s helpful, at this point, you can lay out the rest of you ‘ingredients’ to see where exactly you want to place the remaining leaves, berries and fruit!
Add in some berried branches and a few magnolia leaves, again making sure to have the bases securely inserted into that wire and even skewered through the other branches. At this point, the wire should be getting rather tight since we’ve pretty much filled in any excess space that we initially left.
Using the stem and leafs on the clementine, cut additional wire and place the fruit, wrapping a few times until it is secure and until the wire is making enough of the impact you want.
Lastly, wrap the ends of the longest wood branches with more gold wire, creating a hanger effect. Run a few strands back and forth, not only creating a more sturdy anchor for hanging, but adding in just a little of that gold pop! We love the way it looks using the wire not only for utility but as a bit of a garnish to the wreath.
It pops so pretty on a dark background. Happy Winter Solstice!
