This post is sponsored by Yealands Wine
There’s nothing like a beautiful fresh wreath alive with gorgeous pine needles and damp pinecones, that offers a wonderful holiday scent every time you walk through the door. I, for one, LOVE a fresh wreath for all those reasons I listed above… but I don’t really love the cost and I don’t really love the fallen pine needles all over my entryway by Christmas Day and I don’t really love having to toss it in the garbage at the end of the season either. It just seems wasteful. And most really pretty faux rustic wreath options are generally pretty expensive too and sometimes hard to find (especially up on the mountain), so I got a little crafty and came up with the perfect solution – for under $5!
I wanted to spruce up Dogwood Tavern a little for the holidays, so to save myself a trip down the mountain, I stopped by the local thrift shop first and was lucky enough to find an entire box of brand new faux wreaths and garland and I swooped it all up! I knew I had enough extra stuff at home in my holiday decor bins to turn my run of the mill wreaths into something a little more special. I cranked the volume on the music, grabbed a bottle of Yealands wine and poured a little glass of Sauvignon Blanc to make sure I was a little more mindful of the moment and having fun with my project instead of just crossing off another chore on my seemingly never-ending holiday to-do list.
Yealands is one of the world’s most sustainable wineries. From solar power to wind and vine energy, babydoll sheep and butterflies, wildflowers and even music vibrations, Yealands is doing the absolute most and the least at the same time while producing award-winning wines that taste great in complete and total partnership with nature.
I am completely astonished by their sustainability initiatives at both the Yealands Estate vineyard and at the winery as well and I’m completely on board with a brand that is working as hard on their product as they are on the way they produce their product while giving back to the natural habitat around them.
Their extensive range of energy efficient initiatives to reduce emissions include renewable energy, fuel reduction, using green SMART technology and environmentally friendly packaging. But they go the extra mile to ensure true quality as well.
During sunlight hours, they use solar power to play classical music to the vines. The music helps improve vine health but also keeps them happy when the team and animals are out and about on the vineyard. Studies have shown that the vines respond positively to the vibrations and sound waves, and their own studies have shown an unusual effect on their vineyard chickens, which act as a natural form of pest control and produce eggs for the team. The chickens closest to the music lay eggs that are around 16% larger than the chickens furthest from the music!
How beautiful is that!??!
If you have or haven’t tried Yealands wine yet, I encourage you to look through their beautiful site to see all of the amazing things they’re doing with their company to give back and include nature in every aspect of their wine producing. It’s truly inspiring me to think about how I can create more sustainable business practices, starting by carrying products that are working hard at being sustainable and giving back to nature… and of course, delicious!
I was thoroughly enjoying my Yealands Sauvignon Blanc while getting crafty with my holiday decor, wishing I was half as efficient at the brand, but happy enough with my second-hand purchase of holiday decor and my willingness to pull from nature to create something that feels a little more real and has a whole lot more texture and depth as well.
Obviously, there are pinecones galore up in the mountains where I live now, and each holiday season I collect a few more to use within my decor. I have a few very large ones, but this project calls for cute little pinecones, which are just as easy to find. Use them raw or paint the tips white for a snowcapped rustic look. For my rustic wreath project, I used both completely natural and painted pinecones as well.
You can also collect little twigs and branches, acorns if the wild animals haven’t gobbled them all up by now or fallen foliage as well.
It’s a simple DIY, using found objects or stuff you may already have in your holiday decorations boxes and really gives a boring and inexpensive wreath new life.
So let’s get to it!
Here’s What You Need…
* Simple wire wreath
* Found natural pinecones, bells, rope (or ribbon), real or faux twigs, branches or sprigs of greenery in various hues of green
* Pipe cleaners or jewelry making wire (and wire cutters or scissors)
You can really add anything to your wreath, so get creative! I was specifically looking for a rustic vibe, but glam ornaments and ribbons and glitters and sparkles or even pastels would all be fun. Anything’s acceptable as long as you love it!
Steps…
Center your pipe cleaners or jewelry-making wire at the base of each of your pinecones and wrap it around the bottom area until it’s secure.
Separate your sprigs or faux greenery and add rope ribbons for extra rustic-ness.
NOTE: My sprigs were from a previous DIY I created for my DIY Rustic Christmas Tree
Slide Christmas tree hooks through the tops of them. They can also be used as tree ornaments.
From the front side of your wreath, decide where you want to place your pinecones first. Spread them out evenly throughout the wreath for visual texture and use varying small sizes.
Find the wire circle backing your faux wreath is secured to and wrap your pipe cleaner wired pinecones to the backing.
Add the faux greenery (or real greenery) by twisting the metal hook around the backing as well OR secure it to random branches along the base… they’re so lightweight, they’ll stay secure.
Move your wired wreath branches around the pinecones and sprigs to help disguise any unwanted visuals and to help give the wreath more shape and dimension.
I added two large and one small bell to the bottom of the wreath with rustic brown rope instead of a bow and tied a few faux sprigs to it as well.
And… Voila!
It’s really so simple and only takes minutes to finish and it doesn’t take much to really spruce a plain green wreath up! You can add as much or as little as you like. I just wanted hints of rustic on mine, but you can go glam or colorful or merry and bright!
Again, if you have or haven’t tried Yealands wine yet, I REALLY encourage you to look through their incredibly beautiful site to see all of the amazing things they’re doing to include nature in every aspect of their wine producing. It’s truly inspiring me to think about how I can create more sustainable business practices, starting by carrying products that are working hard at being sustainable and giving back to nature… and of course, absolutely delicious!
Have Fun! Happy Holidays!
* Find all my Holiday DIYs here
This post is sponsored by Yealands Wine
