Bring the holiday spirit to your home andsee how to make a white Christmas wreath! This all-white wreath features the muted shades of winter with sparkly baubles, frosted ornaments, silk flowers, and touches of silvery sprigs. The homemade holiday wreath is perfect for adorning doors, walls and hung over the mantle.
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DIY white Christmas wreath
Wreath making is one of my favorite crafts and no holiday season passes without me making at least 1 wreath. This year, I decided to create an all-white Christmas wreath with lots of sparkly ornaments and gorgeous mini baubles.
Who doesn’t dream of a white Christmas? There’s something so magical and ethereal about the color white. It’s festive and goes with almost any interior style. I’ll be sharing lots of tips and tricks to help you create a beautiful white holiday wreath!
When it’s the holiday season, we say bring on the wreaths! For more holiday wreath ideas, check out Irena’s pinecone wreaths, red berry wreath, a cute Christmas felt wreath, and this winter grapevine wreath from Soap Deli News.
Why you will love this project
- Beautiful home decor: White decor looks beautiful all winter long, and you can enjoy your wreath all through January and February.
- Pairs well with any color: No matter your home’s palette, white looks great with any color.
- Customize to your taste: Creating your own wreath allows you to infuse your personality.
- Fun to craft: Homemade holiday wreaths are so much fun to craft. You can make it social too by inviting friends over and crafting together.
- More affordable than buying: Christmas decorations can be quite costly, and holiday wreaths can come with a hefty price tag. DIYing will save you a few bucks – which you can invest in even more holiday decor! I’m kidding. Maybe.
Materials
Holiday wreaths bring your home to life and are the perfect way to add festive flair to any space. Let’s talk about the materials you’ll need to create a stunning white Christmas wreath with ornaments!
- Green wreath base: I used a 24 in / 60 cm artificial Christmas wreath as the base for my arrangement. My wreath was unlit, but you can certainly buy a pre-lit version if you prefer a white Christmas wreath with lights.
- White ornaments make up the bulk of the decorations. Get a good mix of different sizes and textures. You need approximately 6 to 10 large baubles and 35 to 50 small embellishments. I’ll talk more about decorations in a second.
- Ornament picks are clusters of small, wired Christmas balls. I bought mine at a garden center. You can make your own by hot gluing a piece of wire into the opening of a small 0.8 in / 2 cm mini ornament. Then twist 7 to 10 ornaments into a bunch. You’ll need 3 ornamnet picks for a small wreath and 5 for a large one.
- Foliage and silk flowers add interesting texture and visual appeal. I used small, frosted silk magnolias, glittery leaves, and small silver branches.
This holiday wreath is a gift to my aunt Mary-Louise, who lives in a huge country home. Because she has such ample space, the wreath is on the larger side. However, you can easily recreate a smaller version.
Tools
Before you set out to create your white Christmas wreath, gather the following tools and supplies:
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks to adhere decorations to the wreath base.
- Wire cutter to cut and shorten wired foliage.
- Drop sheet or old newspaper tocover and protect your work surface.
- Ribbon, wreath hanger, or self-adhesive hook to present the finished wreath.
The secret to a beautiful all-white Christmas wreath
Think white-on-white is dull and boring? Think again! The secret to a beautiful all-white Christmas wreath is texture. White lets textures shine and speak for themselves.
You want to incorporate a variety of different textures to create visual interest. Use a mix of shiny, matt, glittery, silky, and frosted decorations.
As you can see in the photo, I opted for a bunch of different ornaments. We have different shapes, like classic baubles, cones, and stars, in various finishes such as glitter, polished glass, frosted glass, matt, and soft silk flowers.
How to make a white Christmas wreath
This large white Christmas wreath is the perfect craft project for a rainy November afternoon and will get you in the holiday spirit! Here are the step-by-step instructions with photos:
Step 1: Prep the wreath
- Lay the wreath base flat down and fluff out the branches.
- Gather your decorations and heat up your glue gun.
- Please handle hot glue carefully because it’s scalding and can lead to burns.
Step 2: Divide wreath into segments
- Apply a generous amount of hot glue to the wired stems of the ornament picks.
- Distribute them evenly throughout the wreath dividing it into 5 segments.
- If using a smaller wreath, create 3 segments.
Step 3: Add largest elements
- Next, select the largest ornaments.
- Add hot glue around the metal cap and nestle them between the branches.
- Let the hot glue cool for a few moments, then gently wiggle each ornament to see if it adheres to the wreath. Reglue if necessary.
- You need 10 ornaments for a large wreath and 6 for a small wreath.
Step 4: Insert foliage
• Cut large branches of foliage into smaller pieces.
• Apply hot glue liberally along the stems of the foliage and insert them between the wreath branches. The foliage should like it’s growing from within the wreath rather than sitting on top.
Step 5: Add silk flowers
- Pluck the silk flowers off the stems, leaving the plastic back attached.
- Add hot glue on the back of each flower and scatter them throughout the wreath.
Step 6: Arrange small elements
• To evenly distribute small ornaments, sort similar ornaments into groups and place them around the wreath.
• Going group by group, hot glue all ornaments to the wreath base. Go around the face of the wreath and then cover the edges to create more fullness.
• Adhere the smallest embellishments to the tip of the branches.
Step 7: Clean up
- Finally, remove the dried hot glue strings from your white Christmas wreath and rearrange the branches if necessary.
Tips for success
Creating a gorgeous and lush holiday wreath is easy if you heed the following tips:
- Prearrange decorations before gluing them in place. This is my favorite trick in wreath making! Place your items across the wreath. Then take a step back and look at the whole arrangement. Does it look even, or do you need to reposition decorations? Asses, and once you are satisfied, glue everything in place.
- Segment your wreath in odd numbers. Uneven numbers are more appealing to the eye. Divide smaller wreaths into 3 segments, larger ones into 5 to 7 parts. Segmenting makes it easier to decorate the wreath evenly.
- Follow the curve and direction of the branches when adding foliage and ornaments to keep the flow of the wreath intact.
- Thrown in an accent color. White as the main color pairs beautifully with accent colors like silver, gold, soft pink, fresh green, and shades of blue. I used a few silver elements to create more depth.
How to present a white wreath
This gorgeous white holiday wreath is perfect for hanging over your mantel and adorning walls. Hang the wreath before a mirror or window for an interesting visual effect.
The wreath will also make a statement on your front door and is a lovely way to welcome guests into your home. Colored doors and painted walls are the perfect backdrops to showcase a white wreath.
This wreath is pretty lightweight because we chose an artificial wreath base, and baubles are also light. You have several options to hang the wreath without drills and nails:
- Self-adhesive hooks like Command metal hooks are a great gadget to install wreaths on doors and walls. Give the surface a wipe down before attaching the self-adhesive hook, so it adheres properly.
- Ribbon: Cut a wide ribbon long enough to hang the wreath at the desired height. Loop around your white Christmas wreath and join the ends. Then secure it to the top of the doorframe with thumbtacks.
- Wreath hangers are a great solution to position wreaths on doors. I recommend an adjustable wreath hanger that allows you to find the perfect placement for your creation.
- Magnetic hooks are helpful to mount wreaths on metal doors.
- Clear hooks like these suction cup wreath hooks are an excellent choice for glass doors and windows.
Wreath storage instructions
Unlike live wreaths, this artificial holiday wreath can be stored and used again. Follow these steps to preserve your white Christmas wreath for future holidays:
- Carefully wrap the wreath in bubble wrap or large sheets of tissue paper until well cushioned.
- Place the item at the bottom of a large box and ensure the wreath fits comfortably.
- If there’s enough room, you may stack multiple wreaths in the same box.
- Close and label the box to remember what’s inside. Now your wreath is ready to be stowed away.
FAQ
Should I use a real or fake wreath?
Although I love live wreaths, I chose an artificial one for this project. Artificial wreaths are more lightweight than their live counterparts, an important consideration when creating a large white wreath.
They also last longer, and you can enjoy them for years to come, not just one season.
Should I use a flocked or unflocked wreath?
I recommend using the unflocked variety for a white Christmas wreath. You want to see a contrast between the branches and the white decorations. The pops of green look refreshing and beautiful between the white ornaments.
Still, if you prefer a snow effect, spray a very light dusting of snow spray on some of the branches.
Should I use glass or plastic ornaments?
That depends on where you want to showcase your wreath. Glass ornaments are elegant and perfect for indoor wreaths.
Use shatter-proof plastic ornaments when your creation is intended as an outdoor wreath. Plastic ornaments are sturdier than glass baubles and will hold up better in wind and weather.
White Christmas Wreath Instructions
Bring the holiday spirit to your home and see how to make a white Christmas wreath. This all-white wreath features the muted shades of winter with sparkly baubles, frosted ornaments, silk flowers, and touches of silvery sprigs. The homemade holiday wreath is perfect for adorning doors, walls and hung over the mantle.
Materials
- 24 in / 60 cm artificial Christmas wreath (smaller version: 18 in / 45 cm)
- 5 ornament picks (smaller version 3)
- 10 large Christmas ornaments (smaller version: 6)
- 50 assorted mini ornaments (smaller version: 35)
- 8-10 silver and white picks with leaves
- 8-10 silver twigs
- silk flowers (optional, I used approx. 8 frosted magnolias)
Tools
- hot glue gun and glue sticks
- wire cutter
- ribbon (optional)
- adjustable wreath hanger (optional)
- self-adhesive hooks (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the wreath. Lay the wreath base flat down and fluff out the branches. Gather your decorations and heat up your glue gun. Please handle hot glue carefully because it's scalding and can lead to burns.
- Divide wreath into segments. Apply a generous amount of hot glue to the wired stems of the ornament picks. Distribute them evenly throughout the wreath dividing it into 5 segments. If using a smaller wreath, create 3 segments.
- Add largest elements. Next, select the largest ornaments. Add hot glue around the metal cap and nestle them between the branches. Let the hot glue cool for a few moments, then gently wiggle each ornament to see if it adheres to the wreath. Re-glue if necessary. You need 10 ornaments for a large wreath and 6 for a small wreath.
- Insert foliage. Cut large branches of foliage into smaller pieces. Apply hot glue liberally along the stems of the foliage and insert them between the wreath branches. The foliage should like it's growing from within the wreath rather than sitting on top.
- Add silk flowers. Pluck the silk flowers off the stems, leaving the plastic back attached. Add hot glue on the back of each flower and scatter them throughout the wreath.
- Arrange small elements. To evenly distribute small ornaments, sort similar ornaments into groups and place them around the wreath. Going group by group, hot glue all ornaments to the wreath base. Go around the face of the wreath and then cover the edges to create more fullness. Adhere the smallest embellishments to the tip of the branches.
- Clean up. Finally, remove the dried hot glue strings and rearrange the branches if necessary.