Christmas wreath making - Ightham Mote

Each December, my girlfriends and I have a tradition of wreath making and it is one of my most favourite days of the year.

We try and book a different venue each time and these photos were from 2018 which was our second year of making them. For some reason I dont have any photos from the year before.

Anyhoo, we booked in at Ightham mote and set ourselves up for a morning of giggles! 

The cost of the class usually includes mulled wine, tea/coffee and a mince pie. I don't care for mince pies and only just tolerate mulled wine as it is alcohol, but it doesn't matter as the morning is normally gold in entertainment as making a wreath is brilliant for innuendo bingo.

Yes, yes we are women in our 30's and should be more mature, but we aren't and we giggle like school girls anytime someone mentions a mossy ring. We went to school together so perhaps this is why we regress to silly teenagers when we meet up.

Making a wreath is actually very simple. I like to make a different style each year, I think my first every wreath was a very traditional holly and berry with a red ribbon affair. 2018's wreath was more 'edgy' with a three quarter foliage on twine. I really liked it, I'm not a fan of tacky glittery things. I am very much a Christmas snob, if you have tinsel, I am judging you.

Most venues will provide you with all the decorations, foliage and other bits (dried oranges/pine cones) but there is nothing to stop you from adding to it when you get home. You can go big at Christmas so add it all on! I bought some pheasant feathers from ebay and I like to add those in for a country bumpkin feel. 

There is so much you can forage for when you're outside. I have decided that next year I am not going to book a wreath course as I know how to make one and I can source everything in my garden! 

You need the following;

a ring/circle base which you can get from hobbycraft

wire

moss

fir 

foliage of your choice

decorations! The possibilities go as far as your imagination. I've seen some people use red roses which looks stunning but i am not sure how long they would survive. You do need to give your wreath a spritz every now and then to keep it from getting wilted and droopy (ooh matron).

The other reason I want to do this myself is that the courses are normally around £50 which is the cost of a shop bought wreath but I just feel like I don't need to spend that money on it anymore. 

Here were the final products! I love having a nose around after to see everyone's creations as there will be so many different varieties!

I will post more blogs on the other wreath making courses that we have done.