DesignsandEvents: Wreaths from Mitchell & Company Designs and Events

Happy Veterans Day! Thank You, Veterans!

I invited a few ladies to my house this weekend to make seeded eucalyptus wreaths. It's a little get-together to kick off the holiday season. I have been busy this week preparing for that. I hope to be sharing the festivities with you in a post next week. For this week I thought I could share some of the wreaths I have made in the past. Some were purely seasonal and some were used for home decoration. Wreaths are a fun way to dress up your home or business and they are also a great way to express your creativity!

The wreath below is the prototype wreath for my little workshop party this weekend, just to give you an idea of what we will be up to! Seeded eucalyptus is an interesting fresh green to include in your holiday décor. It can even be incorporated in a traditional evergreen wreath to give it a different look. More on this next week :).

*************************************************

I made the wreath below from fresh greens I had leftover from one of my weddings. I didn't want them to go to waste. This wreath actually was the inspiration and reason I am having a seeded eucalyptus wreath workshop this weekend. I posted the below picture on Instagram and got some good feedback. In fact, when I asked my friends coming to the workshop this weekend what they preferred to make, the desire to make a fresh greens wreath was suggested. So, I went with it!

I did find in using the greens below that they did not stay fresh very long. Of course, without a water source that would happen. The weather was much warmer than it is now and that was a factor, as well. I chose seeded eucalyptus this time around because in doing research I found that seeded eucalyptus is supposed to dry "beautifully". I guess we will find out. I do think the cooler temperatures will also help with the wreath's longevity.

Anyway, as mentioned, I will let you know how everything turns out next week. Now onto wreaths from the past~~>

This burlap wreath was one I made when I created a contest of sorts on Facebook in an effort to increase the amount of "Likes" on my business page. I can't remember if it worked or not but one of my followers (friends) received this wreath at the end of the contest. That was the prize, a custom made wreath! It was different from other wreaths I had made and had a bit of a country charm, considering the burlap and all!

The next wreath was a creation for my barn. I often try different designs in the fall for the barn to dress it up, although the colors used on the wreaths are often the same from year to year. After all it is fall and the barn is brown. Oranges, golds and browns work well.

Below is the wreath I made for the barn this year. Similar colors but I mixed in more burgundy this time. The fall ribbon was kind of fun too, imprinted with autumn leaves.

I even mixed in some artificial pumpkins.

The next wreath was for a friend of mine, Anne Marie. She wanted something new for her living room. It was one of the first things I did when I started my floral design/event planning business. Anne Marie was very specific about the colors and materials she wanted. At the time, it was hard to find so much dried flower material but, I managed to do it. Since that time, I have found more suppliers. I wish I had known about them back then. It would have made the job easier! It was still a fun project and Anne Marie seemed happy with it, which made me happy.

I have to admit the next arrangement is not exactly a wreath. It isn't perfectly round. It is more of an oblong shape and is covered in fresh flowers. It was hung in the front hall on a mirror for the open house I hosted to announce the opening of my business. The open house was called, "Springtime in Paris" and the colors were springtime pinks and creams. My flower supplier for that event was that of a local farm stand. I have since established a relationship with the flower market in Boston so, I have better access to a more varied and unique supply of fresh flowers. If I were to do this arrangement again today, I would probably use different flowers from the market but I still think it's pretty :).

************************************

This wreath is an artificial evergreen one decorated with celadon green, silver, gold and pink. Since it is artificial it can be saved from year to year, which is nice. I know the colors are unusual for Christmas but the year I made it I was into celadon. I still kind of like it and often find a place somewhere in my home for it at Christmas time. (Sorry about the photography. Hopefully I have improved that a bit over the past few years!)

I bet you can tell from this photo that the wreath below was positioned on my barn. I guess the barn has become a popular spot for my wreaths! The barn actually sits apart from my home and faces a fairly busy town road. It has better visibility than the front door of my house, which is quite private. As a rule, only my personal guests see my front door; unless, of course, the mailman needs to make a special delivery! So, I try my best to keep the barn decorated throughout the year.

In full disclosure, concerning this wreath, I must tell you that the green apples turned brown soon after I placed the wreath on the barn. I guess fresh fruit on wreaths is not a good idea in our New England climate. I never did that again even though it looked really great for a few days!

I think I made the next wreath the same year I created the one in the above photo. I was really into this plaid ribbon that year. (Do you sense a pattern here?) I like the blue juniper berries mixed in with the evergreen wreath. The berries give the wreath an added dimension. I liked the horse bells on the wreath too. I believe this ended up on the front door of my house.

Now I am coming back full circle to my eucalyptus wreath. I've been playing around with it a little bit trying to decide if it needs some extra embellishments or if a simple bow or ribbon tied above would do. I think I'll grab some extra supplies and let my guests decide for themselves!