Sunday, December 6, 2015

Festival of Trees 2015, Pt 2: Wreaths!

You've seen my favorite trees from this year's Festival, so now it's time to check out the wreaths!

The first thing I noticed in the gallery this year: lots of wreaths hung on or in elaborate gold frames.


And I approve. 

Such a great way to jazz up an otherwise lackluster wreath, or to highlight a showstopper! 

Granted, ornate frames aren't cheap, but even a simple one like this can make a big impact:


There are little colorful butterflies on this one - if you can't see them, just click to embiggen.

Some warm floral numbers:

And sweet snowy owls:


This seashell wreath has a rustic mermaid silhouette in the middle:

And here's one made entirely of retro-kitsch ornaments:


So fun!



A copper-licious mini tree:

And a pretty as a peacock wreath:

Here's a great idea for a mini tree base:

A big gift box!

I was surprised I didn't see any box or basket stands on the larger trees this year, since that's a hot new trend right now. Boxes or baskets are much cleaner looking than tree skirts, they don't look empty without presents on them, AND they help keep pets away. Win-win-WIN.

In fact, John and I are busy making a steampunk-themed box for our back tree - so you'll see that later.

Moving on, here's a classical art themed wreath:

I like the miniature frames.


I'm a little torn on this next one, because I kind of love it:
... even though I'm not usually a fan of faux taxidermy (or real taxidermy, of course). This bear looks like he's poking his head through the wreath, though, as opposed to hung on the wall. So s'all good. :)

I also love that twiggy bow under his chin, and all the woodsy elements.


Another fairy tale mini-tree:

Neat idea using that bit of Deco Mesh for a tree skirt.

Oh! Now here's something you MUST do if you're into cycling:

It's a wreath made out of a bike wheel! And the retro vibe is PERFECT, with the aluminum tinsel and cute painted bike gears in the middle - not to mention the colorful beads on the spokes!

So clever. Srsly.


I always like it when a wreath frames something big in the middle, like this:


You could use everything from stuffed animals to lightweight statues in there, and make your own little vignette.

OR - you could stick a rustic advent calendar in it:

Cool, right? This could work in vintage industrial styles, shabby chic, country - you name it.

Always happy to see some geek style representing:

And that's another example of raiding the toy box for decorations. Wrapping the letters in comic book pages is clever! You could spell out JOY or your last name... lots of options, really.

A classic black-and-white masquerade design:


There was something white just behind the eye hole, so it looks like the wreath is staring at us. 0.O Other than that, though... pretty!

And speaking of pretty, LOOK AT THIS TUTU TREE SKIRT:

I... I love it.

It's so soft and sweet and forget everything I said about tree boxes go put tutus on all your trees immediately.

Unless you have cats, of course. Because we all know how THAT would go. Heh.

Now... hedgehog wreath!
See? Told ya you can stick stuffed animals in there. 

A beach-themed mini-tree:
Which I mostly photographed for this iridescent glass bubble garland:

Although I'm digging the faux coral stalks in there, too.

Here's a classic black-and-white checkerboard with lots of red and green:

I've always liked this style; very regal.

And finally, a few non-wreath ideas I spotted in the Festival's cafe:

Simple glittery wings inside a gold frame = PERFECTION. 

You could make your own wings from craft foam or card stock, so if you already have an empty frame, that's almost a no-cost craft!

I also thought this was a cool idea:
The bells are all hung with clear fishing line, which is attached on the back side of the frame's top edge. You could do the same thing with ornaments or letters - maybe hang mini ornaments in the shape of a Christmas tree?

And finally, if you're really ambitious:

I believe there's cork under the fabric, since all the ornaments and mirrors and such are hanging from nails or pins. (I've seen this done on a smaller scale with vintage jewelry, which is also fun.)

This is a cool alternative for small spaces where you can't fit a tree; just piece together cork tiles onto a big sheet of Masonite you can lean/hang on the wall, cover it all with fabric, and start pinning!

That concludes this year's batch of Festival goodies! Hope you guys enjoyed, and found a few new ideas to try!

27 comments:

  1. OMG THAT VINTAGE ORNAMENTS ONE!!

    i was at a craft show this weekend (Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh) and a lady had a whole booth of AWESOME vintage ornament wreaths. they were all $295/each!!! they were amazing but i was literally stunned at that price. though discussing it with mr Pooslie , i bet she spends 90% of her time finding the vintage ornaments.

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    1. If you can find ornaments, that kind of wreath is really easy to make. I made one this year using dollar store ornaments, a foam ring from a craft store and a glue gun. I just wish I had painted the ring and put some glitter on it first to cover the little gaps.

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  2. Unrelated to the content of the post (though that last one is rather interesting), but basically all the internal links, (The ones at the top, the "More Posts about [X]", basically everything but the "home" button) are redirecting to an error page.

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    1. I cleared my cache in case the error was on my end, and find myself mashing F5 repeatedly just to attempt to post this comment.

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    2. It's not just Jaime, I'm getting it too.

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  3. Thrift stores are actually a great place to find gaudy gold frames, or really, any kind of frame you're looking for. If they're not in great shape, all you need is a couple coats of spray paint. I love the tree on a wall idea, so cute! Have you seen this post with the Christmas hacks? So fun!

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  5. Oh hey, we sell those steel advent calendars at Michael's.

    We also sell a steel "tub"(it's not really a tub as it's open on both ends) tree skirt that made me think of you when I saw it.

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  6. I'm pretty sure those comic book letters were bought at Hobby Lobby. The one near me has them and I keep reminding myself that I don't actually need the whole alphabet. I think my favorite wreath was the bear. He just looks so friendly. I'd be tempted to buy it and hang it on the back door (it has a window) just to see who I could freak out.

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  7. So many neat ideas for wreaths and trees! My Nana had a small tree made from vintage jewelry that I loved. I may need to make one of my own in memory of her. Thanks for sharing and hope you are feeling better!

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  8. If only I had the time... I have so many ornaments that won't fit on the tree, so the frame idea is fantastic. Depending on how "Christmasy' they were, they could stay up long after the holidays.

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  9. Ooooh, I like the bells on the fishing wire. I'd hang it near the door so it would jingle whenever someone went in or out, but I'm sure I'd get tired of it and chuck it in a corner and forget about it until after January. Then, I'd be too lazy to put it away with all the Christmas decorations in the garage, so I'd stick it in my closet. Two years from now, when cleaning out my closet, I'll find it and think, "Hey, this would be great near the door...".

    -Just Andrea

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    1. Yup. That's what would happen to me, too. LOL!

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  10. Is it just me or is the art one hung sideways? o_O

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    1. Ermagosh, it totally is! Can't believe I didn't notice that before...

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  11. I love the bear! It's vintage-y and fun. You can make it less holiday and use it for a baby's room all year. Or use a stag instead of the bear and turn it into a Harry Potter-inspired wreath :)

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  12. To do a big corkboard that you're going to cover in fabric, instead of using cork tiles, get a sheet of insulation. A 4 foot by 8 foot sheet will only cost $15-20 and you don't have to put a backer board on it. I've used the stuff several times for pin boards. I use to have a giant one covering my bedroom door (the paint was peeling and I was too lazy to refinish it). I have found that Gorilla Tape works much better than duct tape for sticking the fabric down quickly. The last time I made one though, I smeared liquid nails along all the edges and that worked the best.

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    1. Aha, insulation board! Leslie, you're brilliant. Great idea.

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  13. The peanut above is correct, those are aluminum letters from hobby lobby with comics printed on them. I bought the ones that spell my nephews name to hang on his door.

    The bubble garland would work for your potter tree, Jen! One of the great halltrees was garlanded with wand bubbles!

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  14. The first year I moved into an apartment after my divorce, my girls, 12 & 14, were getting sad about not having room for a tree. I went to Kmart and bought some tinsel garland that was green and gold with little holly leaves and stapled it to the wall in a tree shape, hung some of our lighter ornaments on it, and taped our christmas card collection inside the outline. They loved it, everyone who saw it said it was great, and four years later I started seeing catalogs selling pre-made ones for $20 and up. Guess I was ahead of the trend. :)

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  15. My Mum's Christmas wreath is super old now and I've been thinking of replacing it soon, appreciate the inspiration

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  16. Bears or hedgehogs? No. Just no. [shudder]
    Fluffy owls? Yes, please!
    I loved the bike one, the geeky one, and the one with the retro-kitsch ornaments.
    Maureen S

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  17. So much inspiration! I can see doing a dance themed tree with that tutu for a little girl, and that bear! That last one though is just spectacular. I'm debating redoing my mantle frame (it's got wire for pictures and holiday cards right now) into a tree like that. Wow.

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  18. Looking at those prices... they're a joke, right?

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  19. The bike wreath is so awesome! I shared it with my cyclist friends.

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  20. I really want a pile of that glass bubble garland to make a mermaid parade skirt...

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