Unique Christmas Decorations - How to Make a Poinsettia Christmas Wreath

One of the most popular Christmas craft activities is creating your own beautiful Poinsettia wreath. Whether you choose the traditional red and green combination, or any of the many, lovely colors available to suit your home's decor, your wreath is sure to have pride of place for years to come.

Perhaps the only thing more stunning than a beautiful wreath, is a classic swag draped across your mantle or over a doorway. Heavy with glowing, jeweledfruit, bright berries, and velvet bows, an evergreen swag creates a festive mood. The real focal point of your decor, though, will always be that fabulous poinsettia wreath given pride of place in any setting.

The first step in creating your wreath, is to select your wreath, and gather your tools. There are many choices and sizes available, from silver-tipped blue spruce to traditional green pine.

The two most popular sizes are 14 and 18 inch diameters.

I prefer the 18" diameter, as it allows lots of space for decor items, without being so big that it's too expensive to buy enough items to fill your wreath.

Next, choose your flowers and ribbon. These two items form the basis of your wreath. Everything else will co-ordinate with these two things.

Take care not to overpower the decor items with too many ribbons, or ribbons with too strong a pattern.

The choices for decor items are almost limitless, but you would do well to stick to two or three kinds of major items, or "pretties," that suit your theme.

Then fill in with berries, holly, and even some magnolia leaves, to give a full backdrop for your "pretties."

Your major items can be such things as Christmas balls, themed tree ornaments, and jeweled or plain faux fruit.

You will need a good quality glue gun, and an adequate supply of glue sticks.

I do cover my work surface with a layer of brown craft paper, but I also take a few other precautions.

I found an amazing silicone mat under all my projects as I work. The silicone keeps my work surface free of glue, and releases any stray, cooled drips for easy disposal.

I also have a large cork tile handy to hold the glue gun when I'm not using it. Even though many guns come with built-in stands, the guns can and do tip over, and can scorch your work surface.

First, set in the flowers.Follow the florists' rule of thumb, and use groups of three or five items, working in odd numbers. Select three large flowers, or one large and two medium, and then add several smaller flowers to fill in.

Sometimes, I like to mix roses and other flowers with the poinsettias. Using a variety of flowers adds different textures and color shadings to your finished wreath.

Using a clock as a guide, place the medium sized flowers at 9 and 12, and the large flower, at 5. Then place a small flower on each side of the medium and large flowers.

Once you have positioned your flowers, glue them in place by removing them one at a time, applying glue to the underside, and placing each flower back in position.

Continue around the wreath in this manner until all the flowers are securely attached.

With the flowers securely glued in, your wreath is ready for the addition of glass balls, jeweled or gilded fruit, Christmas ornaments, little figurines, and any other items you might wish to add.

Ropes of faux pearls and colored beads also add a touch of class to your wreath.

Drape the beads through the wreath to find the best positioning for each loop before attaching them with the glue gun.

The door wreath above features a plain evergreen base adorned with natural cones. Topped off with a bright red ribbon, this wreath is classic simplicity at its very best. The choice is yours, and the possibilities are almost endless.

The final step is to add your bow. Wreath bows can be simple or ornate, depending on your style, and your decor.

Sometimes I will use two ribbons together. For example, I might choose a sheer gold ribbon paired with a figured dark red or burgundy satin ribbon. This kind of pairing can add color and contrast to your wreath.

Some prefer to weave the ribbon tails through the wreath, which adds another element of texture and color. Some prefer to leave the tails dangling behind or down one side of the finished wreath.

Every wreath has a completely different character, though, Don't be afraid to try different styles and treatments, until you find one that suits your wreath.