Repurpose Reuse Refresh…a Boxwood Wreath
This post will show you how I turned a 16″ damaged boxwood wreath into TWO 18″ round boxwood wreaths! The size turned out to be perfect for my side doors. And to think, I almost tossed it in the trash!
Video
The Boxwood Wreath From the Beginning
I started with a 16″ boxwood wreath that had been on the door on my back porch. The wreath was several years old and had been refreshed way more than once or twice)))
Well, since it wasn’t securely fastened it fell off the door onto the brick floor. The wreath had been made on a Styrofoam base and it broke into a couple of pieces. My first thought was that I had gotten way more than my money’s worth out of it, and just toss it in the trash. It wasn’t garbage pickup day thank goodness, which in hindsight worked out well for me.
Over the next day or two, I was out on the back porch, and there lay the boxwood wreath. I got to looking at it and the plastic boxwood pieces looked like little boxwood picks, all the same size, etc. They were stuck in the Styrofoam and secured with hot glue. I tried pulling them out and sometimes they came out easily enough and sometimes I would pull on it and strip the leaves.
Now I have tried removing stems from grapevine wreaths that had been hot glued in, and they would not come out. I guess because these were in Styrofoam, it made them easy enough to pull out. My good luck!
So, I tried using needle-nose pliers to pull them out by the stems and also to remove the hot glue. At that point, I thought…I can use these! So my plan for repurposing and reusing the boxwood wreath began to form.
Supplies
12″ Grapevine Wreaths (from Walmart) – 2
Trendy Tree Supplies
13450GN 16″ Flocked Dusty Miller – 2
13293BU9 15″ Eucalyptus Bush – 2
RGA118827 2.5″ Red Apples on White Ribbon – 1
RGC118527 2.5″ White Gauze Ribbon –
RG01049L6 2.5″ Black White Gingham Ribbon -1
RGC118624 1.5″ Red Gauze Ribbon – 1
Make the Boxwood Wreaths
- Do the math. I counted the pieces of damaged boxwood wreath and had about 64, so 32 for each wreath.
- Use 1 dusty miller and one eucalyptus bush for each wreath.
- Divide the new grapevine wreaths into four sections.
- Use 7 pieces of boxwood, 1 piece of dusty miller, and two pieces of eucalyptus in each section.
- Insert the pieces with hot glue on the tips and place them all in the same direction.
- Check the back in case any pieces of the boxwood went through too far, and trim as necessary.
- The addition of the dusty miller and eucalyptus gave the boxwoods a whole new look and turned them into mixed boxwood wreaths. Great for year-round decorating!
Create a Bow
Make a simple loop bow and tie on to the wreath. Two of the ribbons I used were a new style of “gauze” ribbon and just look so light and airy. They are just right for spring.
Leave the tails of the box as long as you like and chevron the ends to finish them off neatly. I left the tails rather long for the boxwood wreaths because I wanted a really simple look and my doors are 8′ in ht. I chose the red apple ribbon because it will be fresh-looking for spring and summer. The black and white gingham…..well you just almost always need a little touch of black!
Next Time
So, the next time you’re thinking about trashing something, wait on it for a day or two. You might be able to do something like I did. Turn a damaged wreath into another wreath, a centerpiece, or something else altogether!
By the way, I saved the bow too))) It was a rather nice bow and will be perfect for this fall. All I have to do is add some pumpkin ribbon)))
