The Teeny, Tiny DIY Botanical Wreath That Will Impress Your #Minfluencer Friends
So you’ve got a holiday wreath, but do you have a miniature holiday wreath? If not, you need to make this cute little hoop of holiday cheer, which can go, well, anywhere!
Deanna Kizis
To say that I’m obsessed with miniatures is an understatement. I always have been. I think it might be a psychological thing—when I was a kid, my dad bought me a dollhouse kit for Christmas and never finished it. Let’s face it: I’m scarred for life, people!
That’s why I have my own dollhouse even though I am a grown woman—but in fairness I let my daughter play with it whenever she wants. (She did put stickers all over the inside wallpaper when she was a toddler. That’s not cool, but I let it slide.)
Anyway, when my sister and I did this wreath tutorial, I was so excited, and yet I still felt like something was missing. Sure, I had an incredible wreath on my front door, but my dollhouse door? It was so sad, so empty. I realized the situation had to be rectified immediately and created this miniature wreath DIY.
But what if you don’t have a dollhouse? Well, so what if you don’t have a dollhouse?! This little wreath would be festive when tied to a little houseplant pot that needs some home decor love. It would look oh-so-holiday when tied with a ribbon around the neck of a gift bottle of wine (or, really, any gift). You could make a Christmas village out of birdhouses from Michael’s and slap this little baby on there to be delightfully extra. And that cute, new gingerbread house “barn” kit you just bought? I feel a miniature botanical wreath moment coming on!
Of course, the real point of a miniature wreath is the sheer pleasure of making it. There’s just something about teeny tiny things that makes one shiver with delight. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get this little show on the road!
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Step 1: What You Need
- Wire cutters
- Snub nose pliers
- 16-gauge copper wire in gold (A spare metal key ring would work, too.)
- 28-gauge copper wire (Not pictured, but may not be necessary, see Step 2.)
- Tacky glue or a glue gun
- Plants from the garden, including small flowers, something to use as a base, and succulent pups or succulent leaves (See below.)
Once you’ve got your crafting tools and glue, it’s time to forage for plant materials. Think of this as an opportunity to make your wreath completely personal, and a chance to explore the world outside your door and see what you can find when you get small.
In other words, to find the botanicals for this miniature wreath, I went into my garden and poked around until I found wee-little Lance-leaved American aster flowers and a sprig of fountain grass.
As for the baby succulents: These plants produce “pups” to reproduce, and some of them can be quite small, so look for those. If you don’t have succulents, you could also pick small succulent leaves to frame a small flower as the focal point of your wreath, or use something else entirely.
The point is, your garden (or your neighbor’s) will give you what you need—the tip of a lavender blossom would make a pretty focal point, as would tiny blossoms of Lantana. For your base, the silvery leaves of fresh rosemary would work, as would a small, bendy sprig of thyme. If scavenging is not an option, a search for dried miniature flowers from Etsy will reveal a lot of options. Just be creative and you’ll be surprised by what you find.
Step 2: Make Your Hoop
Cut approximately 2 inches of the 16-gauge wire. (Or steal a key ring from a set of spare keys.) Wind it around the neck of a water or wine bottle to get a round shape. Use your pliers to wiggle the ends shut. (Don’t pinch the ends together with the pliers; this will ruin your circle.) Secure your hoop with the 28-gauge wire, if you have it. If you don’t, it seemed like a step I could have skipped, in retrospect, as the ends should stay together just fine, and any gap could be closed by flowers anyway.
Step 3: Create Your Base
The base of your arrangement is whatever you’ll repeat—like the broken-down bits of feather grass I used, or the bendy little sprigs of thyme mentioned above—in a crescent-moon shape around your hoop. Whatever you’re using, dip it in Tacky Glue and attach it to your hoop until you have your crescent moon. Let dry for a few minutes before proceeding to the next step.
Tip: When working with these small botanicals, using pliers or some tweezers will make the job easier.
Step 4: Add a Focal Point
Add your focal point, again with Tacky Glue. The focal point of your miniature wreath could be a succulent pup, a flower blossom, or a dried flower. Frame your focal point with little succulent leaves, or any other small leaves you find and wish to use.
Step 5: Finishing Touches
Finish your wreath by peppering in a few tiny dried blossoms, a closed blossom, or other miniature flowers with glue. I added a snippet of a leaf from the feather grass to give this miniature wreath a little movement and dimension. Let dry.
Step 6: Hang It Up
You can hang your wreath anywhere you need a teeny, tiny bit of cheer with a map pin, clear museum gel, sticky putty, or thread. Then step forward and admire your work, and enjoy the happiest (and tiniest) of holidays.
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