Ostara: Flower Wreaths for Ostara

When it comes to making flower wreaths the only real limit is your imagination.  They can be big,small, sparse, or bountiful.  You can make ones as door or wall decorations, to put around the base of a large candle or bowl, you can even make hair or head wreaths, also called hair garlands.  Because of the abundance of possibilities we will only go over 4 here, two decorative wreaths and two hair wreaths.

Decorative Wreaths

The supplies needed really depend on the type of flowers you plan on using, bunched or singular.

The Basic Wreath for Bunch Type Flowers

• Green floral wire or craft wire
• Wire snips
• Flowers that are very leafy and bunchy such as Marguerites (see photo), do not trim greenery.
• Optional: Wire wreath form (this will make your wreath more of a firm circle)

Lay a handful of your flowers with the greenery down on top of the form (if used or on uncut wire if not) and wrap the wire around the stems and the wreath form several times.  Do not cut the wire. Add a second bunch,overlapping the stems of the first bunch, and secure the new bunch with the floral wire. If you are not using a form you will have to secure it to the first bunch by a portion of the first bunch’s stems in the what will be the back part of your wreath. Continue adding bunches until the wreath form is filled.  Tuck the last bunch’s stems under the first bunch. Cut the floral wire, and wrap it around the form to secure.  If you did not use a form then your wreath will end up more oblong if you made it big and you will need to make a loop with the wire when you finish for hanging.
*picture from marthastewart.com

The Basic Wreath for Singular Flowers

• Foam wreath form
• Singular flowers such as Easter Lilies cut at the base of the flower
• Sewing pins or toothpicks
• Optional: Ribbon, decorations such as paper mache’ eggs, glue gun

First decide how you would like your flowers to go, facing up towards you or laying on their side.  Place the flower on the foam wreath form and secure it through the inside of the inside of the flower using either your pins or toothpicks.  You can bunch the flowers together to cover the entire wreath or going more sparingly with the flowers, you can add some of your optional decorative choices such as the eggs using a glue gun as you see fit.

Basic Hair Wreath for Bunch Flowers

• Plastic craft wire (if you can’t find plastic you can use thread in a pinch)
• Bunch flowers such as Hyacinth, flowers only taken off the stem as close to the flower as possible, greenery removed.
• Threading needle
• Beads
• Ribbon

Thread the plastic craft wire or thread onto your needle.  You should pull the wire or thread through the needle and let it fall, when you go to cut your wire, your needle should be in the middle of the wire and the length of the wire or thread measuring from the needle to the two ends of the wire pinched together should be about three inches longer than you want your hair wreath to be.  Tie a knot in the pinched ends. Beginning with the beads thread some onto your wire, after about 5 to10 whatever you feel is appropriate, thread a single flower head onto the wire going through the center, then start again with the beads,continue in this pattern.  You will have to use more beads coming out of the inside of the flower than going towards the base to make it look even.  When you have come to the end, pull the needle with the wire through your knot and then re-knot with the excess of both ends.  Tie on a ribbon bow to hide your knot.

Basic Hair Wreath for Singular Flowers

• Long stemmed singular flowers such as Daffodils or Buck Eye
• Daisies, cut with as long a stem as possible, remove leaves.
• Optional but highly recommended: Green floral tape (plain scotch tape in a pinch), ribbon

Take three of your flowers and place them together at the blooms.  Next you begin to braid the stems together very gently, when you have about 3/4of the stems braided add another bunch of three and braid around the blooms, for a short while you will have six stems you are braiding until the stems from the previous bunch end.  Repeat until you are done, Then tuck the last stems into the previous bunch.  (see photo). To make your hair wreath more clean and secure, use your tape to wrap around where the first bunch and the last stems are intertwined and any place stems end throughout the wreath.  To make the hair wreath more attractive, wrap with your ribbon and tie a bow with long streamers at the back.

Here is to the hope that your own wreath creations make your Ostara and summer celebrations all the more beautiful.

Jennifer AOR