It's always nice to have one on the first day of Adventhomemade Advent wreathavailable with candles. However, tying a wreath is complicated and time-consuming. The Christmas arrangements are a nice alternative to the classic. In today's article we explain how you can make your own Christmas arrangements using floral foam and natural materials.
Make your own Christmas arrangements: the necessary materials
An Advent arrangement made from natural materials is something special. The materials for this - fir greens, dried flowers, fresh flowers, cones, etc. can not only be found in nature. Most flower shops, craft shops and even supermarkets offer a wide selection of natural materials for crafting. As for the rest of the decorations, such as Christmas balls, Advent candles and decorative rings or candle holders, you can order them online or use certain Christmas items from last year. The same applies to the base of the Advent arrangement: you can convert a bowl, a bowl or a tray. Special plastic bowls are also sold online. The floral foam is very important for the long shelf life of the Christmas arrangement. You can buy wet tiles and cut them to size. You can also find wet rings with a plastic base in craft shops. They are great for Christmas arrangements.
The necessary materials at a glance:
- Floral foam (wet ring or tile). If you only want to make your own Christmas arrangements with dried flowers, then you can opt for dry bricks.
- A vessel of your choice: a bowl, a bowl, a tray or special plastic bowls for Advent arrangements. You can also use saucers for flower pots.
- Natural materials: pine, cypress, fir branches, fresh flowers, dried flowers, eucalyptus, moss
- Christmas decorations: stars, Christmas balls, etc
- Simple stick candles, pillar candles or Advent candles
- Accessories: floral wire, scissors, cutter knife, glue
Make your own Advent arrangement: process the floral foam correctly
Before you can start crafting, you should water the cutting material. For this purpose, pour lukewarm water into a container. It should be large enough for the floral foam to float freely. Do not add additives (liquid fertilizers, aspirin tablets, etc.) to the water. Place the bricks on the water. Do not press the floral foam down or pour water over it. The upper side of the bricks should remain dry until the floral foam has soaked up water. Otherwise, dry spots will remain in the foam and the flowers will not receive enough water. You can take the soaked floral foam out of the water after about 10-15 minutes and cut it to size. The floral foam should not be pressed or squeezed.
If youfresh flowersor fir green, then you should cut the stems diagonally. If the stems are soft, you should only score them lightly. Cut flowers and grasses with medium-hard stems diagonally and slit them. You can also cut branches at an angle.
Make your own Christmas arrangements: ideas with fir greenery
After you have shortened and cut the stems of the flowers and natural materials, you can start decorating. Start at the outer edge of the floral foam. Fill the gaps with small decorative materials. You can put one or more candles in the middle of the Advent arrangement.
In addition to small decorative figures, Christmas balls and small stars are also suitable as gap fillers.Also succulents, moss and eucalyptus are the perfect gap fillers.
In puristic arrangements, the candle can stand out a little more. A beautiful Advent candle, a seasonal candle in the shape of a Christmas tree or a scented candle in an accent color: the possibilities are simply endless and there are no limits to your imagination.
Alternatively, you can “stamp” plain candles. For this purpose you will need the following materials:
- Simple white candles
- Stamps with Christmas motifs
- Stamp ink
- Tissue paper
- baking paper
- Hair dryer or hot air device
Simply stamp the tissue paper with the desired motif and let it dry. Then cut out the motifs with scissors and place them on the candles. Carefully wrap the candles in baking paper and heat their surface evenly using a hot air tool. After several minutes, remove the baking paper and let the candle cool down.
Ideas for Advent arrangements made from dried flowers
Dried flowers are not suitable for outdoor use. They cannot tolerate frost, wind and rain. An Advent arrangement made of dried flowers is therefore particularly suitable for the living room and kitchen.
When it comes to design, nothing stands in the way of your own creativity. You can color the dried flowers any color you like, spray them with frost spray or metallic spray or embellish them with glitter.
Advent arrangements made from other natural materials
It doesn't always have to be pine green. There are many modern alternatives to the classic Christmas arrangement with four candles and fir branches. Several examples:
- Combine ferns and palm leaves in an exotic-looking Advent arrangement.
- Christmas arrangements with succulents have become very popular in recent years.
- Wintergreen foliage plants and grasses are primarily used in purist Advent arrangements.
- The combination of exotic flowers in bright colors and fir green make the Advent arrangement a real eye-catcher.
- The following options are available for craft enthusiasts who like to experiment: Advent arrangements made from dried moss, pampas grass or Lagurus.
- The Advent wreath made of dried hydrangea flowers is romantic and playful at the same time. The blue hydrangeas can be combined with ornamental grasses and other dried flowers as desired.
Of course, combinations of fresh and dried flowers are also possible. In this case you should use wet floral foam.
Make your own Christmas arrangements for outside
If you want to make Christmas arrangements for outside yourself, then it's best to choose seasonal, natural materials. Of course, you can also opt for extravagant combinations of tillandsias, succulents and rose petals. However, to ensure that the festive wreath stays fresh longer, you can bring it into the house in the evening.
Make your own small Christmas arrangements
Small but nice: Even small Christmas arrangements can have a big impact. The trend is for small-format Advent wreaths and individually decorated pillar candles. The tall taper candles can also be easily displayed in glasses, wine bottles, cans or tea cups.
Make your own elongated Advent arrangements
The classic Advent arrangement is round, the modern variations are arranged elongated. A tray made of recycled wood fascinates with its rustic charm, metal baskets add a minimalist touch and wooden boards are ideal for anyone who wants to make a last-minute Christmas decoration.
The first Advent is coming soon. Now is the right time to make suitable Christmas decorations and decorate the house for the festival of all celebrations. The Advent wreath is an absolute classic and an important element of Christmas home decoration. An alternative to this is the Christmas arrangements, which can be designed according to your own wishes. From dried flowers to exotic flowers and ornamental grasses: there are no limits to your creativity. For a successful end result, you should adhere to the following rules:
- Only use dry floral foam for arrangements with dried flowers. Use wet bricks for Advent arrangements with fresh flowers.
- Allow the floral foam to soak up and only then cut it to size or use it.
- Always cut the stems of fresh flowers diagonally.
- Make Advent arrangements for outside from seasonal materials such as fir greens, cones, etc.
