12 Days of Christmas Day 9 Simple Front Door Wreath

I know, it has been a bit since I have posted...

 If you follow me on social media, you know that I held my first solo holiday open house. I busted to but to have plenty of items for customers and to fill the biggest space I have sold in. It was a lot of work, and was exciting, tiring, hard, and a great success. I held it in the MIL apartment we are just about finished with. Eventually I will move to our carriage house--just need some heat out there. Here are a few phone pics from the open house.

Friends and my family, especially hubby all encouraged and helped me--I could not have done it without them. It did mean my 12 Days of Christmas Ideas posts had to hit the backburner. So, I will be finishing up the easy, simple, Christmas ideas this week (as I finish decorating my own home.) Today, I made some simple wreaths with items I had on hand.

I started with some thrift store wreaths that I had purchased to use for the open house. They were in good condition, did not smell (yes, you need to smell them). I also gathered up some snowflakes I have had for years (these are the cheesy 12 for $2 flakes you can get anywhere) and some ribbon and jute I had. You could use old ornaments, garland you are not using elsewhere to make the wreath or use a grapevine wreath, fabric strips or extra ribbon. TRY to use what you have.

I love to make fresh wreaths and often do, but a trip to the woods to gather greens has not been on the schedule so I will use the faux pine ones this year. If you read my blog on a regular basis, you may know that I have really been trying to use what I have for decor and to use items that don't become something permanent that I have to store. The wreaths do break that rule, but they hang up out of the way on the wall in my storage room. My rule is NO MORE STORAGE BOXES! I did go through my Christmas boxes at the beginning of the season and threw some items out and donated some as well.

Anyway...I decided to use some big metal snowflakes I have had for at least 8 years in the middle of each wreath. You can get large wood snowflakes at the craft store for just a few dollars. I wired the snowflake to the metal wreath form.

I am not a poufy bow kind of a girl, so I made a messy, organic looking bow. I use an arm's length of rope, a couple pieces of an arm's lengths of jute, and about 20" of a green and a let it snow printed ribbon. I make bow loops with the ropes and jute and tie it all together in the middle with a shorter piece of jute. 

I wired the bows onto the wreath and tied three of the smaller plastic snowflakes on the jute strings. The wreaths add to my simple front porch decor--a garland, a chair I painted and shared a few years ago.

Inside the front doors, I kept the entryway decor simple too--using some of the items I have made this year.

The view through the wreaths out the front door is just as pretty as looking in. I like the simplicity and I love being able to create something new to me with items I have on hand.