Make an entrance

Deck your front door with a festive wreath. Ruby Adds of Ruby & Co, the Lincoln based styling and events company, takes us through the steps to create a beautiful and fragrant seasonal welcome to your home.

Ruby uses her exceptional creative talents, including floristry, to style events such as weddings and celebratory occasions across Lincolnshire and beyond. To capture the step-by-step making of this wreath, Lincolnshire Life visited the showrooms of GMO Interiors, the luxury kitchen and bedroom designers and installers, also based in Lincoln. As well as this pictorial guide, we have added some useful videos to the Lincolnshire Life website to show you the steps. You can view these at www.lincolnshirelife.co.uk.

Ruby also makes wreaths to order.

1. Ring and tools
   Ruby used a wire ring which can be purchased from a craft shop or florist. They come in various sizes depending on how much of an impact you wish to make. Other equipment needed: a spool of floristry wire, some twine and a pair of secateurs.
2. Moss
   Firstly, the ring needs to be bound on the surface which will face outwards with clumps of moss. Moss can also be purchased from a local florist. Fasten the end of the floristry wire to the frame and bind clumps of moss tightly to the frame until the circle is complete. Keep the wire still attached.
3. Foliage
   Ruby chose a variety of foliage including holly, juniper, fir, olive, sea holly, eucalyptus, snow berries and silver sprayed grasses. The foliage was cut into approx. 4-inch lengths which were then gathered into small bunches of three or four differing varieties ready to bind onto the moss side of the frame. Ruby offset each bunch at a slight angle, binding the wire around the frame as she added successive bunches to achieve a dense coverage.
4. Decoration
   Once the basic foliage ring has been made it is time to add your own decoration, depending on your own taste and chosen seasonal colour scheme. Ruby chose dried limes, fir cones and tangerines, but other ideas include cinnamon sticks, feathers and lotus heads. Single lengths of floristry wire were wrapped round or pierced through the limes, cones and lotus heads, put through the moss and secured to the back of the wire frame. One of the joys of making your own sustainable wreath is to comb your garden and use foliage and dried flowers which are to hand.
5. Top Tips
   Ruby’s tips for creating a stunning decoration for your door include building up the frame foliage gradually and densely. Add the larger decorations in odd numbers, 3s or 5s. Keep standing back to look at your progress and the balance. If you want to add bright colour, search through and recycle decorations from previous years. They will be given a new lease of life on a wreath.
6. Finishing touches
   Once you are happy with your chosen decoration, it is time to add a bow. Ruby chose a green ribbon hanging from the top of the wreath but equally you could position a larger bow at the bottom, or even offset to the side if this balances well with your other decoration. Finally, twine was tied to the top of the wire frame to make a hanger. Step back and admire your wreath!

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