Recently I had the opportunity to partner with Juniper Flowers, located in Seattle, to offer a Winter Wreath Workshop. I just love the smell of fresh greens this time of year and what better way to bring in the holiday season than to gather a group of friends together and learn how to make a festive holiday decoration.
Jean Louise, the owner of Juniper Flowers, opened up her studio and led us in a wreath making demonstration. Jean Louise is amazing. If you ever need flowers in the Seattle area, Juniper is your go-to shop. It is located underneath Fremont Coffee Company so next time you are in the neighborhood grab a cup of coffee and drop in to see her beautiful shop.
To make the wreaths, you only need a few items, which include a wreath frame of your choice (we had squares and two different sizes of circles); green paddle wire; pruning shears; and wire cutters. All of these items can easily be found at any craft store.
Jean Louise provided an assortment of fresh greens from juniper, cedar, pine and spruce. After watching Jean Louise’s demo we jumped right in.
It was so fun to put these together and super easy. If you missed the workshop and want to try it at home, here are the instructions:
- Cut your greens to about 8 inches or so
- Grab a bundle of different types of greens
- Hold the bundle on top of the wreath form and wrap the wire around your wreath form
- Twist the wire end around the form tightly
- Do not cut the wire, leave it hanging from your wreath form
- Continue stacking bundles and wrapping until the wreath is covered in greens
- Wrap wire around your last group of greens and cut the wire and wrap the end around the frame just as you did when you started
- At this point you can add any embellishments you want by twisting the wire around some holly berries, pinecones, cinnamon sticks and pods
- To be able to hang your wreath simply attach a pipe cleaner to the back of the form and twist securely
For our event, I provide some snacks and beverages to enjoy as we created our wreaths. I kept it simple so that we could snack through the workshop. A charcuterie platter with a variety of meats, nuts, fruit, cheeses and crackers is always a hit. For something sweet, I added a festive plate of Theo’s chocolate and shortbread cookies and completed the table with a tray of macarons from Lady Yum.
For a holiday beverage in addition to offering wine, I made a sparkling winter sangria with cranberries and green apples.
I added a little extra flair with a gold tassel stir stick with cranberries.
Here is the recipe:
Winter Sangria
Ingredients:
2 bottles Pinot Grigio
3/4 cup sparkling apple cider
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cranberries, halved
3/4 cup cranberries, whole
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
3 rosemary sprigs
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large pitcher and stir together with a large wooden spoon to help the sugar dissolve. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Serve chilled or over ice.
I always like to send my guests off with a little favor so I put together favor boxes which included a holiday candle and matches, a Kari Herer Journal, red Essie nail polish, Lollia Mini Hand Cream, some Sugarfina chocolates and a holiday ornament.
It was so much fun to start the holiday season off with a great group of ladies. Everyone’s wreaths turned out absolutely beautiful.
I hope you can join us next year! Happy Holidays!
Photography by: S.Wolfe Photography
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