LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN HOLIDAY WREATH – DIY TUTORIAL WITH COVERGIRL NANCY HUNTER CORBETT
LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN HOLIDAY WREATH – DIY TUTORIAL WITH COVERGIRL NANCY HUNTER CORBETT
In my last post I introduced you to my friend Nancy Hunter Corbett.
If you missed reading about Nancy’s life as an International Covergirl and former Rock & Roll wife, you can read all about it here. In addition to graciously sharing with me her fascinating life story, she also spent the day giving me a lesson in wreath making.
This is her lovely wreath that now adorns my front door. It was made entirely from materials we collected on the mountain.
Along with Nancy’s dog Macintosh…
we foraged my property for greenery. It had snowed the previous day, but it was now sunny and quite beautiful. It was a good day for a walk.
We trimmed pine trees…
and cut from small Cedar tree seedlings…
while gathering bundles of greenery along the way.
Eventually we had all we could carry…
so we returned to my house to begin our wreath-making project.
Nancy had brought along some California Bay branches that she had previously cut in Waterman Canyon, located about halfway up the hill. She also brought some eucalyptus cuttings, trimmed from trees at the base of the mountain. Nancy likes to say that her wreaths encompass our entire mountain. That’s a lovely thought, don’t you think?
We also cut tiny pinecones from the cyprus trees that grow on my property.
They are quite unusual, with an almost translucent quality. We thought they would make a nice addition to our wreaths.
Nancy grows grapes on her Lake Arrowhead Ranch. At the end of the harvest season, Nancy trims the grapevines and, while they are still soft and pliable, she shapes them into rings which become the base of her Christmas wreaths. She is quick to point out that not only are her wreaths a natural product of our mountains, they virtually cost pennies to make. The only expense is her time, effort and valuable expertise…
plus a few pennies for wire.
Our wreath-making process began by gathering a few stalks of the various materials we had collected. A sprig of Cedar, a clipping of Bay Leaf and a stalk of Eucalyptus.
Nancy trimmed the ends, making them even, and clipped off any dried or unattractive leaves.
She then wired the bunch together…
insuring that it was good and tight, because the greenery will shrink as it dries out. By the way, to avoid injury, it is a good idea to wear gloves for this project.
Depending on the size of your grapevine base, you will need approximately 6 to 7 bunches of greenery for your wreath.
Nancy used her green wire to fasten each bunch to the base.
Needle-nose plyers helped her tighten the wire securely on the back side of the ring.
Once Nancy had completely covered the base with 7 bunches of greenery, the final step was to weave additional wire loosely around the wreath. She carefully tucked the wire under leaves to camouflage it. She wanted the greenery to fall naturally, making the end result kind of wild and imperfect.
Pinecones of every size and description are readily available on our mountain.
Nancy used wire that is covered in brown craft paper to attach a couple of pinecones to the wreath.
At this point, Nancy held her wreath up for inspection. She spun it around to determine a natural top.
This way she could decide where best to place the pinecones. She then wired them in place, and recommends that 3 pine cones of varying sizes, clustered together, looks best.
Here is the fruit of her labors. Surprisingly, Nancy made this wreath in about 20 minutes, and she made it look very easy. If you decide to follow in Nancy’s lead and make your own Christmas wreath, you might also wish to add a bow for additional decoration. I decided mine looked best a’natural.
It now adorns my front door and will greet my visitors with Christmas cheer.
I am very grateful to Nancy for sharing her talents with us.
So there you have it: LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN HOLIDAY WREATH – DIY TUTORIAL WITH COVERGIRL NANCY HUNTER CORBETT
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Unless otherwise noted, all photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
