Outdoor Wreaths - How to Select the Perfect Outdoor Wreath Part 1

In this article series, we'll discuss the elements of shopping to select the perfect outdoor wreath to compliment the area you have in mind. Outdoor wreaths are a very effective way to bring color and texture to a front door, a back patio, a porch, or just about any area. We'll also discuss how to be sure that your online transaction is safe and secure when purchasing over the internet.

To start, determine the area which you are seeking to add enhancement. Ask some basic questions - What size wreath am I looking for? What sort of durability will I need to handle the outdoor elements? Is there a theme or particular color in the rest of my outdoor decor that my wreath will need to flow with? Will a live wreath, a dried wreath, or a silk outdoor wreath suit my purposes best?

Now that you've determined answers to your first question, next, let's talk a bit about lighting. What is the temperature of your room? Because your wreath is outdoors, it is true that the lighting will technically be "natural" but does it have direct sunlight or does it bear the blue tones of sun shadow because direct natural light never shines in that room? Keep in mind that natural light will greatly enhance the beauty and vibrancy of your wreath. Is your current lighting adequate? Will the lighting of the space determine the hues of greenery or flowers in your outdoor wreath?

Also be sure that your outdoor wreath is appropriately sized for the space you would like to hang it. Oversized wreaths look very nice as house ornaments while small dainty wreaths look very inviting on individual doors.

Next determine the season that your wreath will express. Use warm and bright colors of flowers, bright fresh greenery, and seasonal berries for spring and summer. Use rust colors, deep browns, grasses, or earthen accessorized wreaths for fall. Individual holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and July Fourth can be accentuated by a simple red bow, set of Easter bulbs, or decorative flag added to your current in-season outdoor wreath. You will want the blossoms and blooms of your outdoor wreaths to correspond with the blossoms and blooms of nature for that season. For example, in early summer, flower blooms will be bursting with vibrant color, but by early autumn, those blooms will have withered up and fallen off. Don't display a wreath overflowing with spring bulb plants as fall is setting in.

Having determined the season, context, and lighting, you can now shop for the perfect outdoor wreath to compliment your area of need.

In our next installment, we'll look closely at how to find the widest selection of wreaths with the least amount of effort and how to ensure a safe and secure online transaction when purchasing over the internet. Stay tuned!

Create Your Own Christmas Wreath

Did you know you could make your own Christmas wreath? Christmas wreaths add so much pleasure and whimsical interest to any home or office. Wreaths are easy to make because all you need are the supplies, the effort and your imagination. They are displayable inside or outdoors, depending on their construction materials. You can even make Christmas wreaths for gift giving since nearly everyone has a soft place for such charming sentiments during the holidays.

Traditionally, wreaths were made of evergreen. However, there are several different types of wreaths of decorating, such as Styrofoam, grapevine, straw and wire base. Each of these wreath types has its own special features for wreath making.

You can get craft supplies for Christmas wreath making by shopping online specialty websites as well as hobby and department stores or you can even make your own.

Basic craft supplies will include:

- Wire cutters

- Hot glue and hot glue gun

- Floral picks

- Ribbon cutting scissors

- Florist tape

- Craft wire of either 22 or 24 gauge

Christmas wreaths can be classically simple or they can be outrageously contemporary. The way you make your Christmas wreath look original is to follow your instincts and let you imagination run free to choose a theme, while staying within your budget. You see, the wreath symbolizes the circle of life and immortality. What better why to celebrate life at Yuletide than to make your own original festive Christmas wreath?

Always buy or make your wreath before you consider the decorations to go on it. This will help you determine just how much of what types of decorations you may want to make or purchase to display on your Christmas wreath. You will save money by acquiring the wreath before you begin to decorate.

Stay flexible and creative while making your own Christmas wreath. You can use or make all sorts of items to decorate your homemade Christmas wreath. For instance, you can use cookies, dried or silk flowers and berries, different types of ribbons or bows, tinsel, greenery and other ornaments. You can use just about anything that catches your fancy when making your own Christmas wreath, since you will determine a theme before you begin to make your own wreath. For instance, Christmas specialty socks for babies are just the right size for decorating a wreath. Even large unworn earrings with a lot of glitter and sparkle make a great accent on a wreath. You are only limited by your imagination.

You can even use several small wreaths and create candle holders, just be sure to follow fire safety rules. Alternatively, you can make several Christmas wreaths and hang them as a Christmas wreath collection. On the other hand, you may want to make a large wreath as a center wall piece, or hang it outside or inside the entrance door to your home.

Everyone is sure to enjoy the pleasure of gathering to make his or her own Christmas wreaths. So you may want to make a day of it by making Christmas wreaths a family or group activity. If you decide to have wreath making as a group activity, everyone could bring a few different items and then everyone shares their goods. That way everyone has a surprising original Christmas wreath that is akin to others in the group. Christmas wreath making is fun and provides you with a nice looking decoration and the pride of knowing you can make your own Christmas wreath. Remember with the proper care and storage your Christmas wreath can last for many years.

Christmas Wreath Appetizer

This Christmas Wreath Appetizer is easy to make and looks like you spent hours making it. Your friends and guests will love it and it's soooooo pretty!

The holidays mean lots of parties and this easy appetizer recipe will be perfect if you are responsible for bringing an appetizer. You can make it ahead of time and when you serve it, watch it disappear!

What you'll need:

- 2 8-ounce tubes of crescent rolls*

- 1 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese

- 1/2 cup of sour cream

- 1 teaspoon of dill weed

- 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder

- 1 1/2 cups of broccoli florets (freshly chopped)

- 1 cup of celery (finely chopped)

- 1/2 cup of sweet red pepper (finely chopped)

- Celery leaves

* found in refrigerator section of grocery store

What to do

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Next, remove the crescent roll dough from its packaging (make sure you don't unroll it). Cut each tube into eight slices and then arrange the slices in a circle (about 11 inches in diameter.) I've found it very handy to make your circle on an pizza pan (ungreased - 14-inch size works well.)

Then, bake it for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the dough turns a lovely golden color. Cool for 5 minutes or so before gently removing your crescent dough wreath to a serving platter. Then, cool it completely.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the sour cream, cream cheese, garlic powder and dill until nice and smooth. Then, spread the mixture over the wreath and top with the chopped celery, broccoli, and red pepper. You can complete this pretty picture by making a bow with the leftover celery leaves.

This recipe for Christmas Wreath Appetizer serves 16.

Enjoy!

Outdoor Wreaths - How to Select the Perfect Outdoor Wreath Part 2

The previous installment of this article dealt with the keys to successfully using outdoor wreaths and what questions you need to ask yourself about things like lighting, colors, and season before making your purchase. In part two we will focus on hanging your outdoor wreath, wreath storage, and accessorizing your outdoor wreath for holidays or special occasions. We will also cover credit card fraud and how to ensure that your online transactions are safe and secure.

Now that you've purchased your outdoor wreath, you're left to simply hang it in the desired location. Wreath hangers are available at most craft stores and where wreaths are sold for under $15. The most common wreath hanger is an over the door holder. One part of the wreath hanger fits snugly over the top of the door while the hook part hangs down for the wreath to be hung from. Another popular display method is a wreath stand. While obviously not a good choice for a front door, it can work nicely in a corner of the porch arranged next to a wicker rocker. There are also various weighted ledge hangers that work by placing the weighted base on a ledge and fixing the wreath into place on the hanger that comes down from the base.

Wreath storage boxes are available in cardboard and in durable, air-tight plastic. Their circular-shape will help maintain your outdoor wreath's shape while stored, far better than plastic wrap and tape. Stacking wreath-storage boxes helps when organizing your home. They make for quick access and great space utilization. Just pull out the storage box, open them to see 'like- new' sets of wreaths.

Accessorizing your outdoor wreath for different holidays is a great way to get maximum enjoyment out of your investment. Carefully wrap your outdoor wreath in a red velvet ribbon and add a sprig of holly berries and perhaps a string of white Christmas lights to bring an evergreen wreath to life for the Christmas holiday. Attach a tied cluster of variegated grass and straw stalks with a rust colored bow for autumn flair. In spring and summer, add in-season silk flowers to a simple grapevine wreath. If this method isn't preferred, many people have several different outdoor wreaths that they rotate each season.

Finally, be kind to yourself and be spared some time, aggravation, and gasoline by facilitating the use of the internet to shop for those perfect outdoor wreaths. Cyberspace offers a huge selection to choose from, but exercise some caution before entering your personal information and be sure that the site offers excellent guarantees and security policies.

The sites you will most want to shop from will offer money-back guarantees, satisfaction guarantees, excellent return and exchange policies, and free shipping. Be sure to shop on sites that use secure encryption for every credit card transaction and display one or more of the major trust icons like Hacker Safe, Geo Trust, Authorize.net or others. These services ensure that the websites they protect are 100% safe and secure and that there are no loopholes by which fraud can occur and credit card information can be stolen. It is truly shocking how many retail sites offer no such protection at all to their consumers.

Wreath Storage Solution For Modern Homes

A wreath storage solution is important after every Christmas holiday. As it is, every Christmas decoration, such as a wreath, is supposed to have a storage place assigned to it so it can be re-used for the next holiday season. A Christmas tree usually has its own box that homeowners can use for storage, but wreaths do not usually have one. To make storing and using Christmas decor trouble-free, people must ready storage solutions at hand.

The wreath is rather common these days, as opposed to the view of most people that it is almost extinct now that it is in competition with other Christmas decor, such as dancing lights and other movable and automatic decorations popular these days. Most people today do not know the history of the common wreath, but for people who are well-versed in the history of the Romans or the Greeks, a wreath holds a message that resounds in history. They are an important icon of history; a wreath is a symbol of victory. That is why during the early Olympics, the wreath was placed atop the head of the victor.

That is why knowledgeable people will proudly decorate their houses with a wreath because of their meaning in history. These people use a wreath storage solution to protect the wreath from accumulating dust or mites through the months of storage. The proper storage solution for wreaths is non-restrictive because the leaves of a wreath may broke or sag from the pressing material of the storage bag.

The wreaths of today are sturdier because they are commonly made-up of plastic leaves. Rotting or pests are now out of the question. Still, homeowners must be careful not to press the leaves too hard because Wreaths can easily be disfigured from pressure. Dust accumulation is also very hard to clean-up because of the deep recesses in the wreath. Because of this, the wreath storage solution must be of the sealed-type.