Wreaths


The significance of the wreath goes back at least as far as the Greco-Roman world, where they were used for a variety of purposes. In Greece, a wreath served as adornment for "occupation, rank, achievements and status," (Wreath, 2010). The modern day Olympics still uses the wreath to symbolize victory (picture the olive brach headdress). In Roman culture, the wreath symbolized the arts, literature, education and the government. Christians have been using the wreath as early as the 16th century, where the wreath can represent everlasting life and the coming of Christ.


With so many electric lights in the neighbourhood, wreaths are a welcomed and refreshing sight. I decided to try my hand at a few wreaths which are shown below. I did some web searches to find our how to make a wreath and combined various tips from different sites and a few of my craft books.

I gathered my materials; metal wire wreath frames, sparkly faux berries, silver bells, ribbon and green gardener's wire for fastening (I used wire cutters to size the pieces).
Then I went on the hunt for the perfect greenery sprig trimmings.
To create the wreath I used sprigs about 9 in long, and arranged them around the metal frame. I fastened them to the frame using my gardener's wire, and trimmed any stray bits. I experimented with the accent berries and ribbon..

I really enjoyed creating this ancient craft. The creative possibilities are endless: wreaths with clothespins holding pictures, wreaths made with peppermints, with fruit (dried or not), with flowers, wreaths made entirely of bows, or bundles of roots, branches or sticks. Remember that the green will fade, but you can add fresh sprigs every year to the frame, which makes this craft recyclable too!

Happy decorating!

Wreath. (2010, November 23). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:38, November 24, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wreath&oldid=398405201

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