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Every Christmas, the exterior and interior of the house is adorned with the famous Christmas wreath. Traditional or original, it does not only restrict the front door. It now invites itself on the table, the walls, the fireplace mantel and the windows to put all the space in festive mode. And if the traditional Christmas wreath made of fir branches remains a safe bet for a successful festive decoration, the many tutorials and DIY ideas available on the Web show us that it is modernizing without losing its decorative function. Holly branches are slowly but surely being replaced by more trendy and contemporary materials. The result ? An original Advent wreath that changes! Demo with our 6 revisited versions of the famous classic decoration!
Original and homemade Advent wreath: 6 DIY ideas that change
Like the Christmas tree decoration, the Advent wreath is a must for the end of the year celebrations. Still called a Christmas wreath, it originally played the role of the current Advent calendar, used to count the days remaining until December 25. Initially used to embellish the facade of the house, today the Advent wreath sublimates several corners of the house. Usually made of branches, leaves, red berries and fruits, it changes its look and adorns itself with whatever we want to satisfy all our decorative desires! Christmas shortbread cookies, meringues, fabric scraps, cinnamon sticks, wool pom poms… the imagination is the only limit!
120 cinnamon sticks for an original and scented DIY Advent wreath
Take advantage of our next tutorial to embellish and perfume your interior as the holidays approach. Here are the materials you need to get:
- 120 cinnamon sticks, about 6.5 to 7.5 cm
- golden thread
Manufacturing:
Start by cutting a long piece of golden thread (about 60 cm). Take 3 cinnamon sticks and arrange them in the shape of a triangle, then pass the golden thread inside each stick and tighten. Once the triangle has taken shape, tie off the yarn and proceed to forming a new triangle out of sticks. When you have used all your end of the wire, cut a new length and knot the ends to be able to continue making your crown.
Use 4 sticks to obtain the shape indicated on our tutorial and pass the thread inside each to join all the sides. Tighten the threads to get the desired shape and add two more sticks. Attach them to the ones that are already in place (see the tutorial in pictures), then add a last stick to connect the two lower corners and lift the pentagon to give it a 3D look. So far, your poles should be well connected and secured together.
Then line up 5 star shaped sticks. Cut a new piece of wire and tie each of these 5 sticks at a corner to create a three-dimensional structure. Once all the poles are attached, the most difficult part of the exercise is over. Now all you have to do is repeat the process until you get 8 identical structures that you must then connect to form a crown. For this purpose, it is necessary to cut a length of wire of 60 cm. Tie the ends of the threads and cut off the excess. Use the latter to tie all the ends of the threads to solidify your crown. Hang your wreath on the door or on one of the walls.
Original, funny and 100% recycled Advent wreath
Want to combine festivity and ecology? Roll up your sleeves and try our next idea of an original Advent wreath, unique and entirely inspired by the recycled decoration!
Materials needed:
- 1 flexible iron hanger (for the crown base)
- fabric scraps (colors, prints and various materials)
- 1 decorative ribbon
- scissors
- 1 nail
- 1 hammer (optional)
Manufacturing:
Take the hanger and twist it to create a circle. With the scissors, cut the fabric into small coupons. To save a little time, you can make a cut in the fabric and then tear off. Then start covering the hanger by wrapping a piece of fabric in it. Stop the latter by tying a knot with another cut piece. For more volume, you can opt for a double knot. Then alternate the rolled up pieces of fabric and tie knots along the hanger. For impressive results, count around 100 knots. Tie the ribbon at the top of your crown and voila! All you have to do is hang it on the front door or somewhere in the living room.
Tip: you can warm your hanger slightly with the straightening iron to make it more manageable.
Shortcrust pastry for a chewable Christmas wreath
Ingredients for the dough:
- 350 g flour
- 100 g butter
- 130 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 70 g of sugar decoration
- decorative ribbon to hang it as a wreath
Ingredients for the royal icing:
- ⅓ cup of egg whites
- 2 cups of icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- a little water to dilute the icing
- food coloring (optional)
Preparation and manufacture:
In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and butter, then add the first egg. As for the second egg, separate the white from the yolk and add the latter to the preparation, stirring constantly until you obtain a paste. Reserve the white for later. Knead the dough well to form a ball. Put the latter in a floured container, cover it and let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
Remove from the fridge and leave it at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes. Divide the dough in half and flatten it with a rolling pin on a sheet of baking paper. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 millimeters. Cut out a large circle 30 centimeters in diameter, then a second circle in the center. Then flatten the second ball of dough to the same thickness (5 millimeters). Cut out several stars in different sizes. Brush the base of the crown with egg white and arrange the stars all around the circle. The egg white will act as a natural glue.
Bake the crown for 30-40 minutes at 170 ° C or until golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let it cool. Meanwhile, prepare the royal icing by beating the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Increase the speed and add the icing sugar. Mix until a light mixture is obtained. If necessary add a little water. Put the preparation in a pastry bag and decorate the stars with shortcrust pastry. Sprinkle with vermicelli, balls or food sprinkles. Remember to tie the ribbon around your crown so you can hang it. Otherwise, it will make a superb decoration for the festive table.
Another idea for a gourmet crown to make with meringues
Materials and ingredients:
- 4 egg whites
- 220 g caster sugar
- 4-5 drops of green food gel (optional)
- 1 C. vanilla
- silver ball
- 100 g of melted white chocolate
- red vermicelli for decoration
Manufacturing:
Start by preheating your oven to 100 ° C. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Slowly add the sugar, whisking constantly. Add green food coloring (optional) and vanilla. Once the color is uniform, stop the mixer and scrape the bowl. Then line a baking sheet with baking paper and form a crown of small meringues using a pastry bag. With the rest of the mixture, make individual meringues. Bake them for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 90 ° C and cook for another 40 minutes or until they easily come off the baking paper. To prevent them from cracking, let them cool in the oven, then at room temperature. Decorate as you wish! Candies,vermicelli, small shortbread, fresh or dried fruit, you are spoiled for choice.
Original Christmas wreath - an easy DIY to recycle old Christmas balls
After the DIY Christmas bauble centerpiece, here is another smart way to recycle your old festive suspensions.
Materials needed:
- 50 Christmas balls (different colors and sizes)
- 1 iron coat rack
- 1 decorative ribbon to hang the crown
- 1 jewelry clip
Instructions and manufacturing steps to see in the video above.
Natural Advent wreath made of logs and fir branches
Materials to obtain:
- 1 metal circle
- 12-13 wooden logs
- fir branches (false or natural)
- 1 artificial snow bomb
- a burlap ribbon
- pine cones (colored or natural)
- decorative patterned ribbon (for hanging the crown)
