HOME TOUR

Valentine’s Day is on the horizon. And although hubby and I haven’t really been the card giving, date-going kind for Valentine’s Day, I really I love this holiday for the kiddos.  It breaks up a boring New England winter and gives me an excuse to bring in some flowers. Today is the first day of a 4 part Valentine’s Day series on the blog with some friends. It’s the loooove holiday, so clearly that means a heart-shaped wreath is in order for this Valentine’s Day. I wanted a natural, free-formed heart shape so I made it myself, entirely from Forsyth branches in our yard. And weirdly enough, it wasn’t very hard to make this natural Valentine’s day wreath.

I loved the imperfect feel of it. Branches do not need to line up, they can be different sizes and thicknesses and it’s just perfect. One thing to note, you do want long enough branches that aren’t too thick to bend, roughtly 24-30″. I suppose you could probably soak some freshly cut branches in water to make them more inclined to bend without snapping. Other than the actual branches, you’ll need some brown wire, clippers, some ribbon and dried or faux flowers if you plan on decorating it. I made two, one for my door and the other I’m going to tie a pretty velvet ribbon and hang behind my range.

SUPPLIES

10-12 live branches, cut to about 24-30″

Brown Wire

Clippers

Faux or Dried Flowers (optional)

Velvet ribbon

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by grouping 5-6 branches together into a long rope of branches. I used two small 1.5″ long wire sections to wrap the ends of the stems together at both ends, the top of the rope and the bottom. Because my branches were varying lengths, I also used a small piece towards the middle to hold some shorter branches together. Using wire that is brown helps it blend nicely with the branches so you don’t see it.

Next bend this branch rope so one end is touching and overlapping almost at the bottom of the other. See the picture above. Use a 2″ long piece of wire to secure the pieces together. What you have now is one side of the heart. Repeat this process again to make the other side of the heart.

I laid both sections of heart down on the counter and lined them up so they made a heart shape. This allowed me to see where the sections overlap and where I needed to secure them with wire so they stay together in the shape of a heart.

It took a couple pieces of wire and I had my very own heart shape wreath! It looks so pretty completely bare that my plan is to tie an asymmetrically-placed velvet ribbon and put the “naked” one above my range. The other I decorated with faux florals and hung on our mudroom door. Both versions of this natural Valentine’s Day wreath are lovely and would make a great addition to your home this Valentine’s Day. These beautiful pictures were taken by Ruth Eileen Photography.

Now take a look at these amazing wreath projects by my friends!

Happy Happy Nester

Janine made this adorable heart-shape design that is an easy way to bring some Valentine’s Day into your home.

My 100 Year Old Home

This adorable cork wreath Leslie made with corks saved from a year of memories with her family! What a sweet way to honor the love of family.

Modern Glam

This adorable chunky knit heart wreath makes you want to cozy up with those you love. Perfect for Valentine’s Day decorating.