Christmas isn’t the only time for wreaths. Festive fall grapevine wreaths are a great way to help bring in this great season. And it’s not as expensive or as hard as you may think.
Grapevines are used to create the core of the wreath while fall leaves and ferns decorate the outside edges of the wreath. A few holly berry clusters and acorns add the final touch to this classic fall decorative wreath.
Most or all of these items are free. You can find all off the above mentioned materials in any wooded area. Depending upon your area, you may or may not have to buy any of these materials, and will therefore determine the price of your fall grapevine wreath.
The only items you will need that you can’t get from Mother Nature are a good pair of vine cutters, glue gun and sticks, wire cutters and floral wire. You can pick these up at any craft or hardware store. Dollar stores sometimes have good deals on these items too.
Collecting wild grapevines can be a pretty strenuous task if you’re not up for some heavy pulling. The trick is to get as long as a piece as possible. This way, you can build a good strong wreath base.
You don’t necessarily need to use grapevine. Other similar vines may work; just make sure you don’t use some poison ivy!
Another good trick is to add multiple vines into the wreath. By using an inner core of grapevine and the wrapping it with kiwi vine, you add a layer and give the fall wreath some dimension. Kiwi vine can be found at craft stores around the world.
Once you have some suitable vine wrap it into a circle. You can make wreaths as small as 6″ and as large as you want if you’re using a green vine. These newer shoots tend to bend.
Collect some fresh fall leaves as they change color. Always collect as many as you can. Dry them out on a large screen for a few days and store them in a cool, dry place. Now you have plenty of leaf material for any craft projects for the rest of the year. Don’t forget a few ferns!
Collecting acorns is exactly the same process as collecting fall leaves. It’s just a matter of drying out the acorns for a few days on a screen and storing them away, just like a squirrel.
Berries, on the other hand, are a different sort. Wild holly clusters are hard to come by. Worse yet, they are a menace to dry and difficult to obtain. If you insist on finding wild holly and you do succeed, remove the stalk, leaves and berries in one piece. Dry the entire piece for a few days before removing the dried berries.
With that said, I would still recommend not collecting wild berries. I would buy faux plastic holly leaves and berries. They stay forever green and red, don’t shrivel, are recycled each year, and a most importantly, cheap!
Once you collect all of your acorns, berries leaves and extras, get out the glue gun and randomly attach a few leaves into clusters. Attach these clusters onto the floral wire along with some ferns, acorns, berries and any other fall items for your wreath. Attach some ferns along the inner circle and under an edge of a leaf cluster or two. Lastly, glue several acorns and berries onto the inner circle. This will give it a cornucopia look and feel.
Once you have your leave clusters attached to the floral wire, push them into the wreath. Use a few extra leaves or ferns to help disguise any floral wire within the wreath.
Finish the grapevine wreath by attaching some floral wire to the back for a hanger. You might need to add some stronger wire if the wreath is too heavy. You now have a great looking festive fall grapevine wreath!
