This year will not be a typical Christmas, and truth be told, that doesn’t have to be bad news. Sometimes, unusual circumstances bring out the creativity in people—like the folks dropping off care packages at their loved ones’ doors, or the Dads building backyard rinks to keep the kids active this winter. This season, let’s choose to get creative and stay occupied with festive fun. (After all, the sugarplums can only dance in your head if you invite them in!)
Here are some fun, simple, and beautiful evergreen decor pieces you can craft at home yourself using fresh, fragrant holiday greenery. If you’d like to try some more advanced pieces with step-by-step instructions, make sure to browse our workshop kits—each includes access to an instructional video you can watch at home!
Before You Begin
To keep your evergreen decor fresh for longer, snip off the ends of the boughs and soak the greenery in cool, clean water for up to 24 hours. Allow to dry on newspaper or paper towels, then spray with an anti-desiccant spray like Miracle Grow Christmas Tree Preservative. This will prevent your greens from drying out, letting you enjoy their beauty all through the holidays!
DIY Fresh Pine Wreath
If you’re just getting into Christmas crafts and just learning how to make an evergreen wreath, rest assured, it’s easier than it looks!
You’ll Need:
- Wreath Form: Traditional wreaths tend to use a wire wreath form, but you can also choose a straw or grapevine wreath base if preferred
- Your Choice of Greenery: I recommend choosing three different types of fresh holiday greens for your wreath, but it’s entirely up to you. Purchase more bundles than you expect to use; you often need more than you think, and you can always use leftovers to create matching centrepieces or other crafts.
- Floral Wire: Essential for securing everything in place!
- Decorations: Go wild! You can use holiday ornaments, pinecones, cinnamon sticks, bows, and even dried fruit slices to decorate your wreath; the options are limitless.
Assembly:
- The trickiest part of assembling your wreath is attaching the greens to the base. Clip your greenery into shorter sprigs, between 3-7 inches long, depending on the look you’re going for. Divide the greenery into small bundles, all approximately the same shape and length. Using the wire, tie all the individual bundles at the base, so you’re left with many small evergreen “bouquets.”
- Attach your first greenery bundle to the wreath base with floral wire. Wrap your wire around the base of the bundle, so all of the floral wire can be covered up easily.
- Once the first bundle is secured, position the next bundle in the same direction as the first one. Overlap the tips of the second bundle on top of the base of the first, so the floral wire is hidden. Secure the base of the second bundle to your wreath base with more floral wire.
- Continue on this way until the wreath base is completely covered in evergreen bundles. For your last bundle, tuck the base under the tips of your first bundle, so all the floral wire is completely hidden.
- Now it’s time to decorate! Use floral wire to secure the decorations of your choice. Feel free to add more greenery to fill in sparse spots as needed.
- You’re done! You can hang your wreath anywhere you want to enjoy some holiday cheer.
Door Swag
If you’re not quite ready for a DIY evergreen wreath, door swag has a lot of the same charm and is even easier to assemble.
You’ll Need:
- Your Choice of Greenery: One to three types of greenery is ideal for this craft.
- Floral Wire: For securing everything in place.
- Ribbon or Large Bow: Your ribbon is key to hiding the floral wire and tying the look together.
- Decorations: Some favourites include jingle bells, sprigs of artificial berries, and pinecones.
- Glue Gun: For securing your ribbon and/or bow.
Assembly:
- Start by clipping your evergreens into three bundles of varying lengths and widths. If you have three different types, cut the flattest greens (like cedars) into the longest bundles and the plumpest greens (like spruce or boxwood) into the shortest.
- Secure each bundle individually by wrapping them at their respective bases with floral wire.
- Layer the long, flat bundle on the bottom, the mid-sized bundle in the middle, then the shortest, plumpest bundle on top. Secure the “swag” with more floral wire, anchoring all the bundles well.
- Tuck decorations into the arrangement however you like and secure to the arrangement with floral wire, taking care to keep the wire hidden.
- Make a loop with floral wire and anchor the base of the loop into the rest of the wire that’s securing the arrangement. You can use hot glue on the wires for added security.
- This step is optional. Wrap ribbon around the arrangement base to hide the floral wire, ensuring the seam sits in the back, so it isn’t visible from the front. Use your glue gun to seal the seam and secure the ribbon to the wire, but avoid touching hot glue to your greenery as much as possible. If desired, hot glue a large bow to the ribbon.
- Hang your door swag from a nail, hook, or wreath hanger and enjoy all season!
Homemade Urns
One of my favourites to make! Holiday urns, or “porch pots,” are the perfect pop of colour in the winter landscape.
You’ll Need:
- Urn (1 or 2): While you can certainly choose to make just one holiday urn, they look even better in pairs!
- Your Choice of Greenery: Choose three to five types of greenery.
- Soil, Sand, Fine Gravel, Decorative Stone, or River Rock: Basically, you’ll need a relatively heavyweight medium to fill your urns that can hold your decorations in place.
- Decorations: For this craft, choose upright decorations like festive artificial sprays, berries, and natural materials like birch or dogwood branches. Try adding some luminosity with solar LED string lights!
Assembly:
- Fill the urn(s) with potting medium, nearly to the top. If you’re using soil, watering the soil will hold your decorations secure as you work, and the arrangement will freeze in place when placed outdoors.
- Arrange your urn(s) in a similar method to a typical container garden. Place flowing, cascading pieces (like pine and cedar) near the edges of the container, place the most upright, showy greens (like fir and spruce) in the centre and slightly to the back, and fill in the gaps with a midweight green like boxwood, juniper, or holly.
- Stick decorations into your arrangement(s) to customize to your liking.
- Display your creation on the porch! If you’ve made two arrangements, display them on either side of your door or front stairway for a warm and welcoming entryway.
Handmade Centrepiece
Centrepieces can come in virtually any shape, size, or style. The best holiday centrepieces are the ones customized to complement the look of your table, so here are a few starting points to use as inspiration.
- Light and Luminous: Lay down layers of feathery evergreens, like cedar or pine, across the midline of your table. Add a string of warm white battery-operated LED lights and hide the battery pack under the evergreens.
- Poinsettia Perfection: Tuck a potted poinsettia into a circle-shaped block of floral foam, like Oasis. Insert short sprigs of evergreens into the block until the foam is no longer visible and the pot is completely hidden.
- Basket of Joy: Tuck a block of floral foam into a small basket. Insert your choice of evergreens into the block until the foam is hidden. Add your choice of decorations.
For more inspiration, visit us in-store or browse our online Christmas Shop! You can complete all your holiday shopping online and arrange for safe, contact-free curbside pickup.
