Holiday Horse Wreath How-To
Photo by Melissa Caughey
For hundreds of years, wreaths have been an integral part of cultures around the world. They are used to symbolize events and share messages to those around us during ceremonies, seasons and holidays. Traditionally, holiday wreaths are made from evergreen branches and holly. Red and green are the traditional colors. However this year, I thought that it would be fun to put a unique twist on the front door wreath.
In the pre-automobile days, sleigh rides were synonymous with winter. In fact, there are traditional Christmas songs from Jingle Bells to Walking in a Winter Wonderland that reference winter adventures in a horse drawn sleigh.
Those jingle-belled horses served as my inspiration for this wreath. Complete with jingle bells of its own, this horse wreath took about a little over an hour to complete. The wreath is constructed on a chicken wire base to allow it to be hung outdoors. For the evergreens, a walk in the woods or around the yard can help you scavenge up some lovely branches. Local nurseries are also brimming with unique evergreens and seasonal accent pieces to help you create your own custom wreath. In fact, once you know how to make this wreath, let you imagination run. By simply cutting the basic shape out of the chicken wire, you can make a wreath in the shape of almost any animal, as I did with this chicken wreath I created. Here's what you will need to get started.
Supply List:
- Assorted evergreen clippings
- Natural findings for eyes and nose
- Ribbon
- Bells
- Floral wire
- Wire cutter
- Scissors
- Garden pruners
- Chicken wire
Now take a peek at the gallery below and the accompanying captions for all the step-by-step directions.
