Hydrangea Wreath

$10 - $15 (based on 2017 prices)
Makes one wreath

 

The Dia de Los Muertos portion of 2017’s haunted house required dozens of wreaths and flowers for an intricate funeral scene. To prevent myself from using the same design for each prop, I did variations on the sugar skull motif. For this version, I chose to use the bright blues and pinks present in other pieces to mimic the design for the hummingbird wreath that never made it into the haunt because my mother pilfered it for her own decorations. As with many of these wreath, they can be easily modified to fit your own needs by altering the color schemes and types of flowers.

• One three-foot garland of leaves (roughly seventeen leaves per garland)
• Five clusters of artificial hydrangeas in multiple colors
• One twelve-inch grapevine wreath
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• One foot of steel wire
• One decorative bird

1. Separate the leaves from their garland and cover roughly sixty percent of the wreath with the greenery, leaving about thirty to forty percent open for the bird. You want to place them along the outer edge of the wreath to make them visible once the flowers are added in step two. It might be best to buy large leaves (mine were almost three inches in length). Likewise, depending on how lush a coverage you want, you may need to purchase additional garlands for a larger assortment of leaves. 

2. Glue the clusters of hydrangeas to the wreath, creating contrast by placing differing hues next to each other. Although I went with a random pattern, you could arrange them with more precision to achieve a distinct design, such as an ombré effect.

3. Glue the bird to the open portion of the wreath. I used hot glue, but you can utilize superglue for a sturdier hold, especially if you plan to display this item in windy outdoor conditions for an extended period of time. 

4. If the wreath did not come with a hanging loop, you can fashion one with steel wire, folding it in half and wrapping both strands around each other. I kept the wreath relatively simple; however, you can add embellishments like butterflies or strands of ribbon.