With December fast approaching this weekend I thought it would be a good idea to start my monthly DIY craft project with Let’s make a… Christmas wreath. It is a beautiful and personal way to welcome family and friends into your home. It also gets you into the Christmas spirit and ready for celebrating.

Traditionally, Christmas wreaths are made from natural materials like holly and twigs. Whilst beautiful and eternally ‘Christmassy’, these materials can send a ‘wintry’ message and, being in the Southern hemisphere, it’s nice to create a wreath that references our barbecue-in-the-sunshine take on Christmas.

Below, I’ve put my own spin on the wonderful guides Burlap and Blue put together for their Ombre and Lace and Leaves wreaths, both made from felt. Burlap and Blue create wonderful examples in their guides of taking a traditional idea and making a personal, innovative version — something you can really call your own.

Hopefully the guide helps you to put a unique, hand made touch on your Christmas decorations that serves as a message to all your guests about what the holidays mean to you.

What You’ll Need

Straw wreath

Hot glue gun (and lots of glue refills!)

Felt in your chosen colour or colours  (8 pieces of 20 x 30 cm felt should be enough to make all your leaves with some left over)

Any additional sparkly or festive bits you would like to stick on once your wreath is completed. This could be lace, beads or even some christmas lights!!

Making Your Christmas Wreath

Cut your leaf shapes out. It is faster and uses the felt most effectively if you do this freehand.

Once you have all your leaves ready, simply glue them to the wreath in an overlapping ‘feathers’ pattern, like the picture below from Burlap and Blue

You can make colour patterns either in a gradient, like on the ombre wreath, or make stripes, use one block colour, whatever you like! Remember, this is your wreath so have fun and do it your way!

Once all the ‘leaves’ are stuck on and the hot glue has dried, ‘curl’ the ends to add texture to your wreath.

Now, add your lace, ribbon or fabric to hang the wreath. Simply fold your lace (or equivalent) in half, wrap both halves around your wreath and then poke the ends through the loop and pull through.

Once you’ve secured your ‘hanging device’, you can add your additional decorations. It’s best to do this last as the ribbon, lace or fabric will serve as part of the decoration, so you need to incorporate your additional decorations around it.

Voila! You have your very own, hand made, personalised wreath that will last for years and won’t shed twigs on your porch.

As an extra little teaser for those ambitious crafters out there, I have added a few other felt wreath ideas to get you inspired. I would love to see anyones finished wreaths if you attempt this great DIY Christmas project.

Bright red folded felt leaves make such a statement.

White felted snowball ball wreath would look great against a red or black door!

Pretty felt striped wreath with felt flower