The consumers at the Hylan residence wanted to decorate the front porch for the spring. We decided to make a spring wreath for the front door.

If you have been completing arts and crafts on a regular basis you probably have many items you need to complete the wreath. Always check your supplies before shopping.

Utilizing items you already have will keep the cost down. Remember to read through the entire lesson plan before beginning to make sure you have all the necessary materials and are familiar with the steps..

SUPPLIES/MATERIALS:
Large twig wreath
Assorted artificial spring flowers/leaves
Large spring ribbon
Wire cutters
Glue gun/glue sticks
Small ribbon or craft wire
Scissors
Hook for door

Step 1: Look around your house for the necessary materials. You will be surprised at how many items you can use to complete the wreath. You may have left over ribbon or flowers from previous projects.

If you need to purchase items have someone assist you in making a list and determining how much money to bring. All the items for this project can be purchased at your local crafts store. Local 99-cents stores are a great place to pick up odds and ends for craft projects.

When selecting a wreath for your project it is important to know the size of the area where you wish to hang the wreath. Ask someone to assist you in measuring correctly for the wreath. Most wreaths are round, however we have seen heart shapes and square wreaths at the crafts store.

It is also important to determine the type of hardware you need to hang your wreath. The crafts store sells special wreath hooks that you can hang over doors. These are useful since you use them over and over again.

Step 2: Gather all your materials at a large table. To protect the table you can cover it with old newspapers. Plug in the glue gun to begin heating. Ask for assistance with the glue gun if you feel uncomfortable using it alone. When purchasing a glue gun, it is best to buy the small low-heat glue gun. The larger high-heat glue guns become extremely hot and you may be burned easily. Take the large ribbon and wrap it ribbon around the wreath leaving spaces for the flowers. To keep the wreath looking neat, begin and end your ribbon on the back of the wreath. When you finish wrapping the wreath cut off any excess ribbon. Use the glue gun to secure the ribbon to the wreath.

We placed the ribbon on one-half of the wreath. This allowed us to leave the other half for the larger flowers.

After the ribbon is secure arrange the flowers on the wreath. DonÕt glue them to the wreath yet. You may want to rearrange them. When you are satisfied with the floral arrangements you can cut the flower stems.

We placed the longer flowers on the side of the wreath that did not have ribbon on it. We filled spaces between the ribbon with leaves and individual flowers.

Cut the flower stems with wire cutters. Leave about three inches of stem below the flower so you can tuck the stems into the wreath. Tuck the stems into the wreath and use the glue gun to help hold the flowers in place.

After attaching the long-stemmed flowers, we glued leaves to the wreath around the ribbon. We then removed flowers from stems and glued them to the leaves. We took other flowers glued them directly to the wreath.

Using another piece of ribbon, make a loop at the top of the wreath and secured it with glue. You can use this to hang the wreath from the hook. You also can make the loop using craft wire. This step is not necessary if you already have a wreath hook.

Step 3: Place the hanging hook over the front door or ask for assistance if you need to attach a hook to the door. Now hang and enjoy your wreath! It will brighten up your door for the spring season.

Door wreaths can be made for each season of the year. For the spring wreath we chose spring flowers and ribbon with a twig wreath. In the fall you may wish to make a wreath with fall leaves and acorns with a straw wreath. You can personalize the wreath to suit your personality or hobbies. You can also make a wreath for special occasions like a baby shower or graduation party. The possibilities are endless.