Easy Christmas Wreath Makeover

Welcoming people to our homes is important every day - especially during the Holiday season.

A wreath for the door or front porch is something that we almost all include in our decor... 

Like you, I gaze longingly at the beautiful wreaths and garlands 

displayed at elegant home decor shops and garden centers

And THEN I look at the price tags... not happenin', folks!!

Fortunately, those inspiring creations can lead the way to making what we already have BETTER!
I'm always up for taking something old and making it look new
(okay, well, not always - sometimes I take new things and make them look old!)
...and the wreath that my Mom has been using for about 20 years now was due for an update.

continue reading for my secrets...

Here's how easy it was:

before                                          during                                      after 

Because we've moved to a new home, the color scheme has changed - both inside and out.

Fortunately, I had some elegant faux florals on hand 

that I had bought at the Disney Cast Member outlet store two years ago, 

and they worked PERFECTLY for our Holiday decor this year!

I bough a few new floral picks at Walmart, and ribbon at Big Lots that coordinated,

and quite simply shoved them all into the greens. (That's my technical process, gang - 'shoving')

There were three groups of pinecones already on the wreath, 

so I placed the dark bronze sparkly poinsettias in between them for balance,

then added the gold poinsettias next to the pinecones.
The new picks with glittered burlap leaves and pinecones went in at 3 evenly-spaced spots
(though once I hung it up, I added 3 more!) then I put the ribbon on.

Just before hanging it up, I added white mini lights on the back - 

I just flipped the wreath over and attached them to the wire frame, 

pushing the lights into the greenery.

You can see how the colors in the wreath coordinate with the exterior color scheme...

our house is Craftsman style, very much like the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland ;) 

Once it was hanging on the wall of our porch,
I added a pick of long copper threads to help disguise the light cord.

It's not perfect, but it works!

The entry porch is funky.... it's not across the front of the house,

it runs BACK to the door from the front - a 'portico' if you will - 

and it's dark and hard to decorate. 

We chose to put a long bench on one side (chairs won't fit )

and then decorate the wall above the bench each season.

With the wreath, a new 'old' sign I just painted, and a few wrapped boxes,
it's looking like a joyful welcome for our guests this season:

 With a glimpse through the door of the tree in the entry, it's a warm 'hello'...

The packages are just empty boxes -

and they remind me a LOT of my vintage style gift wrapping in this post.
The flowers made from vintage papers and costume jewelry
are a big part of this year's theme, too... more to come on that!

The sign is just a piece of plywood I had that I handpainted at the last minute,

then added a bit of glitter to for good measure:

Ready to refresh YOUR Christmas wreath?
Head to the Dollar Tree, Big Lots, Walmart, 

and your local thrift stores to find CHEAP greens and florals!

(non-compensated links)