Your front door is begging for this pretty wreath. Seriously, it told us. And the best part of this seasonal revamp is it’s 100% DIY. Bare Root Flora is breaking down the basics for a lovely way to Fall-ify your home and it all starts with this feather-infused grand entrance. Get the how-to shot by Tamara Gruner Photography below. Psst… more ways to celebrate Fall right this way.
Like so many others, I find myself irresistibly drawn to the autumn. I’m not sure if it’s the light, or the smells, or the colors and textures, or maybe it’s just the apple cider donuts. But whatever it is, and it’s probably all those things, this bittersweet season—full of endings in so many ways—is the time of year I most look forward to. To celebrate the gorgeous, textural botanical elements fall gives us, I decided to create a number of beautiful fall wreaths and capture the process through the eye of my dear friend and amazing photographer Tamara Gruner.
I created my wreaths using a mix of beautiful dried (and even a few silk flowers), artichokes, pomegranates, tapioca wood flowers, bittersweet vine, nigella and lotus pods, dried grasses, fall leaves and pheasant feathers, but the beauty of this kind of wreath is that there are so many ways to make it your own. My own front door is sheltered but if you want something that will stand up to more direct exposure to the elements, I’d recommend using silks—there are some incredibly beautiful and realistic ones out there.
A wreath form — I used Victorian birch, but grapevine is a wonderful option as well
Dried pods, berries, grasses, flowers, feathers—anything with beautiful, varying textures
Hot glue pan and glue
Small zip ties
Ribbon or wreath hanger
To begin, lay out your wreath form. Choose how you want to position your wreath—there may be a side or orientation you like best and want to incorporate into your design. Here, I wanted a little extra color and movement in the wreath form so I added some bittersweet vine, one of my fall favorites, into the wreath using tiny zip ties. (Choose a color of zip tie like brown or dark green and once you trim the ends, they’ll blend right into your wreath form.)
If this is your first wreath, I’d recommend planning out your design by laying out all the elements first, before committing to the permanence of hot glue! After zip tying on my vines, I started by placing my larger, more focal items on my wreath, here, my artichokes, lotus pods and pomegranates.
Because I like asymmetry, I like to cover only a segment of my wreath, leaving some negative space for the eye to rest. After I placed my larger items, I laid out the flowers I used to create my base layer. I happened to find some gorgeous silk hydrangea that I loved but I also used some dried hydrangea florets as well.
Then, because depth is such an important part of a beautiful wreath, you’ll want to begin to layer in some of your smaller textural items. Here I used nigella pods, wheat and dried grasses. To accentuate the line of the birch branches, I also tucked in some gorgeous pheasant feathers, which feel quintessentially autumnal to me. Remember to create depth by layering items, and by varying the placement of your botanicals.
You’ll want your wreath to be beautiful from every angle that it’s viewed, so place some items deep inside the frame of the wreath, some on top, and some on the outside frame of the wreath form.
Once you’ve laid out all your elements, take a photo so you can recreate your design as you begin to glue all these elements. You can certainly glue as you go, but I find I like to have a visual plan in place, at least in the beginning!
After securing all your botanical elements with hot glue, hang your wreath with a gorgeous ribbon. Then, I find it helpful to sit down with a plate of apple cider donuts to really enjoy the fruits of my labor!
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The Ultimate Fall Bucket ListView Slideshow 
The Ultimate Fall Bucket ListView Slideshow 
Photography: Tamara Gruner Photography | Florals: Bare Root Flora | Scans: Richard Photo Lab
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