July 15, 2020
“May this house shelter your life.
When you come in home here,
May all the weight of the world
Fall from your shoulders.May your heart be tranquil here,
Blessed by the peace the world cannot give.May this home be a lucky place,
Where the graces your life desires
Always find a pathway to your door.”excerpt from For a New Home, by John O’Donohue
Making a house blessing wreath is a wonderful way to welcome a new neighbor, give as a gift to celebrate the move to a new home or reaffirm the joy you have in your own home.
I have made and given many of these small wreaths to friends over the years and make one for my own home every summer. These are meant to be small, no larger than 8 inches in diameter, and made from things found on walks, in your garden or from farmers market bouquets! Grasses that grow wild along paths, wheat or oats that have meandered away from fields, unripe blackberries, tiny roses, yarrow, statice, dried hydrangea and baby’s breath all work really well. Every wreath will be different and unique. Add herbs like rosemary and lavender and they will scent the space where you hang them.
You will need:
a thin pliable branch or cane that’s used in basket making,
floral tape and scissors or garden clippers,
lots of grasses and flowers, berries and even feathers are fine
Begin by bending your thin branch or cane into a circle, whatever size you wish…keep it on the small side…6 or 7 inches in diameter is fine.
Wrap the entire circle with floral tape evenly layering is all the way around so y
our circle is completely covered. This gives a good base to attache all your flowers to!
Begin making lots of small bundles..put three of your flowers or grasses together, these should be no more than 3 to 4 inches long…each bundle can be different or alike…it’s up to you!
Take one bundle at a time and attach it to the circle, be sure you have about a 1 foot long piece of floral tape ready to use…wrap, wrap, wrap it to the circle, make it tight!!
Layer the bundles so they are really close together so that the flowers/grasses cover every bit of the circle…
Keep adding bundles and tape…attach it well, if the floral tape breaks, just get another piece and keep going all the way around.
Hang your wreath up and it will dry naturally. Mine lasts about a year and then can be composted…and then it’s time to make a new one!
Enjoy making and sharing!!
Blessings,
Marianne