DIY Autumn Fir Cone Door Wreath — MELANIE LISSACK INTERIORS

I am well aware that I may be becoming boring and predictable as this blog is full of door wreaths for all seasons, but designing and making a new door wreath for my front door is something I personally enjoy doing in my spare time, so apologies, they are just going to keep popping up round here!

The summer door wreath has been gone for a while, and now Autumn seems to have really kicked in, it was time to update the blue front door (and no, I couldn't have held out for Xmas, I'm not one for early Xmas decs).

This wreath is actually pretty simple to make, and basically involves gluing fir cones to a polystyrene base for about an hour with a glue gun! A visit to Center Parcs a few weeks prior provided an abundance of discarded fir cones for this autumnal door wreath, but if you cannot be bothered gathering them up locally then you can buy a carrier bag full of them for about £2 at flower markets.

To make this wreath I also used a metre of bright orange ribbon, 3 dark brown sheets of felt, a whole pack of glue sticks, scissors and some glitter spray, all of which I purchased from Hobbycraft.

First off I cut strips of felt and applied them over the base with hot glue. You can be as messy and as uneven as you like with this as the fir cones will cover the felt - the aim is simply to hide the white base so it cannot be seen through the cones. If there are any gaps between the fir cones it won't show up against the brown background.

Once the polystyrene base is completely covered, tie your orange ribbon around the top. This ribbon is how you will attach your wreath to your door:

It is then simply a case using your glue gun and attaching your fir cones! When I started my wreath I wasn't sure if the cones would all flow one way, or be glued at the top or the bottom. In the end, it was more a haphazard affair. I picked out fir cones and held them against the wreath and turned them around until I decided on what looked best. I then glued down the cone so the 'best side' was showing. What I would advise is grouping your fir cones clustered close together as much as possible. Really push them against each other so they join up as much as they can. Also, use larger fir cones in the centre, and small ones around the edges, otherwise your wreath can look a bit overloaded and heavy.

Don't worry too much about putting fir cones all around the side, just concentrate 'face on' for the wreath. Too many fir cones around the side will mean your wreath will not rest nicely against the door. Also, your brown base will not highlight any slightly missed bit around the edges.

Once completed, I sprayed my wreath with Rust-Oleum's glitter spray to give it a sheen. This glitter spray is quite delicate and reserved and not full on D.I.S.C.O. glitter, so it works nicely on the cones.

And ta-da! One autumnal wreath. OK, so it might look a little bit Xmassy, but the orange ribbon I think pulls it back into the autumn season. Tie it to your door and enjoy!