A few years ago when we first moved in I decided that we needed something beside our front door, on our little porch, to welcome visitors. At first I just hung up a little shabby chic type Welcome sign, but then one day at the thrift store I spotted a wreath, and decided to upgrade the decor. It only cost about $5.00, and it's been sitting there by the front door for a couple of years now. I hung it up immediately, despite being somewhat taken aback at the strange combination of plastic flowers and lovely dried branches with lichen.
Today I decided to upgrade yet again, by removing all the plastic and revamping it with dried flowers and twigs from both my own garden, and from the various dried flower arrangements I have all over the house.
 |
| Despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of plastic flowers, this wreath has been hanging untouched outside my front door for a few years now. |
 |
| I've always loved the dry lichenous twigs that some creative, ambitious soul already gathered and arranged for me. |
 |
| What can I cannibalize from this arrangement? |
 |
| Or this? |
 |
| Or this? |
 |
| Or even this? |
I took it down and brought it into the kitchen, and pulled out all the plastic, which left me with some dried sunflower heads and lots of gray and brown twigs. Back in the spring I had cut and dried some poppy seedpods. And a couple of months ago, I cut some drying flowers off my Invincibelle Spirit Hydrangea. Both had dried quite nicely. I was a little worried that there wouldn't be enough color, so I also went out and cut some branches with berries from my Red Twig Dogwood.
 |
| I was surprised to see some color still in the hydrangea flowers, when I looked closely. |
Then basically it was just a matter of pushing the twigs and branches and other embellishments into the wreath at more or less regular intervals. I pulled some red dried Eucalyptus branches (I know Eucalyptus isn't really red) from one of my arrangements and added them, and some big seedpods from the bowl on my coffee table. It still needed a little something more. I got out some craft supplies, a small cluster of red feathers on a stick, and put that at the top like a feather in a cap. Then, in the center I put a pressed metal wall plaque that fit the space perfectly, and onto one of the twigs I set a little bird. I considered adding beads, but that might have been too over the top.
 |
| Not quite as bright as before. |
I like the way it turned out. You have to look a little more closely now to see its beauty.
