DIY Boxwood Wreath

I have been drooling over preserved boxwood wreaths, in any shape, size, or form, for a long time now. Every single time I have gone to get one of the lovely Smith and Hawken ones from Target, they have been sold out. This past weekend, I was looking at my very bland white mirror in my dining room and started daydreaming about a pretty boxwood wreath hanging on my mirror for spring and Easter.

So, I booted up my laptop and went to Target's website, determined to order one. I searched and had three results.....the beautiful Smith and Hawken wreaths in three sizes and......they were on SALE! Yay! Yippeee! I was just about to do a little Leprechaun jig when I clicked on the "add to cart" button and womp, womp, womp (Debbie Downer music almost audibly played in my ears.)

They were completely out of stock online. In all three sizes. Then, I saw the "pick up in store" option and thought that I would just drive to get one and would be happy as a little lark with my new boxwood wreath, no matter if I had to drive out of town to get it.

I proceeded to check availability at stores and NOT ONE IN STOCK WITHIN THREE HOURS DRIVING DISTANCE OF ME!! Eeeekkk!

So, naturally, determined as I was, I decided to search for other online sources. Yes, some showed up in the search, but for the same size as the largest one at Target, they were all at least double the cost plus shipping. Man, those things sure are expensive everywhere else but Target. No wonder they are perpetually sold out of them.

So, I decided to do the next best thing.....make one myself. I have a few boxwoods in my front landscape that need a spring trim. That's something that I already had on my to-do list. Instead of chunking the clippings out, I decided to make my very own wreath, even though I don't have to time to preserve it before Easter. I plan on trying to preserve some fresh boxwood cuttings soon, but for now, this will do. (And if Target EVER has one in stock, you better believe that I will be snatching that baby up sooooo fast!)

I did a little Pinterest research and found that an un-preserved boxwood wreath can still last from a couple weeks to a month before turning brown. I'll take my chances.

I started by gathering my cuttings, some floral wire, and a pair of sheers.

I used the wire to make "bundles" of the boxwood cuttings. This one is rather small, but I tried to vary the size of them as I made them. Once you have the bundles made, you can wire them to your wreath form.

I used an old wreath form I had on hand that was a little lackluster and I didn't mind throwing away after my boxwood turns. (I mean, it's not like I can find wreath forms in my small town. And the nearest Target, Hobby Lobby, or Micheal's is an hour away.) The flat wreath forms would probably work best for this if you are buying one, but as necessity dictates for me, I used what I had on hand.

Once I finished my wreath, leaving mine a little more haphazard looking than very smooth, I hung it on my mirror in my dining room with a chalkboard sign in the middle. I actually did go buy some black and white gingham and some turquoise ribbon for this, but I just couldn't get it to look right. I opted for classic black and white stripes I already had for a simple look.

 

 

This is about the extent of the "Easter" decorating that I have done this year, but I'm glad I can easily change out the ribbon or the message on the chalkboard when I feel like it. Currently, the majority of these cuttings have been cut for a few days and they are still as green as can be. I'll let you know how long this wreath, unpreserved as it is, lasts.