Christmas in July Affordable Imitation Wreath with Oranges and Artichokes

It is not my nature to think of Christmas this early in the year. However, I am so happy to be part of a group of bloggers who are sharing their Christmas in July ideas today. Even though I am not a fan of seeing Christmas items this early in the stores, the reality is now is the time to get the best selection of goods.

Many thanks to Rachel from the Ponds Farmhouse for coordinating this talented group of bloggers participating in this Christmas in July blog hop. If you are coming here from Debra at Common Ground, welcome! I know Debra is experiencing a hot summer just like me, so how fun to be thinking about something cooler like Christmas!

Just a quick note about me. I am Mary and I started Life at Bella Terra to share the comings and goings of life on our historic property in Phoenix, Arizona. If you love home decor, entertaining, recipes, gardening, home restoration, chickens and an occasional successful DIY, then I would love for you to join me.

For the last few years, my front door Christmas wreath has been the same~assorted winter greens with a red plaid ribbon and faux red berries. This ribbon theme extends into the front hall staircase and the living room garlands. But again inspired by my sweet friend, Chloe (Celebrate and Decorate), I am changing it up with a new holiday look this year.

Here is my inspiration. I love the combination of blue and orange (complementary colors). This combo will definitely work with our blue front door, blue in the entry hall rug and the blue accents in the living room. This Valencia wreath is from the Dunbar Road Holiday Collection and sells for $790 (with plug-in lights) or $915 (with cordless battery lights).

I don’t know about you but I don’t believe I would EVER spend that amount of money on a wreath. It is certainly beautiful and here is the link if you want to purchase it.

The Wreath Size

One of the challenges for hanging a wreath on the front door to our historical home is the door is 4 feet wide, not your typical front door size. An average wreath looks puny on it so I must have a minimum wreath size of 30 inches. Most wreaths are 24″ but you can certainly find larger ones with a bit of hunting.

The reason I use the same wreath year after year is that it is the perfect size and is made with faux greens. Wreaths can be pricey so getting the right size one that you can adapt to your holiday theme is a great way to maximize your dollars.

I do not recall where I purchased this wreath, but it has a nice variety of greens, pinecones, and eucalyptus. The photo above should have been against a lighter background, but you get the sense of what the wreath looks like. If you do not have a wreath, you can find several good ones online, or you can buy your own greens and make it yourself.

There are several plain evergreen wreaths available at an affordable price. You can easily jazz it up by adding different textures and elements. Also determine whether or not you want lights in your wreath. I do not because there is plenty of light at our front entry.

Materials

Since I already have a wreath base, adapting it to look like my inspiration will be fun. Here are the items I need for my knock-off inspiration wreath:

• Base wreath
• Faux Oranges
• Faux Artichokes
• Blue Velvet Ribbon
• Glue Gun
• Floral Wire
• Scissors

A pack of 24 faux oranges arrive from Amazon for less than $1 a piece. These oranges are on the large size at 3.1 inches x 3 inches each.

The faux artichokes are a bit more pricey. For 8 large artichokes they run about $5.50 each. Honestly, these artichokes are very attractive and life-like.

It is so difficult to buy ribbon online, especially blue. There are thousands of shades of blue, but I am looking for a 2″ dusty French blue velvet ribbon. I failed to look for a wired ribbon which would be preferable. However, I find this Williamsburg blue shade and order it. 11 yards at $36.00

Placement

I play with the placement of the oranges and artichokes. On the Inspiration wreath, which is the same size as mine, they have 14 oranges, but I find I only need 10. I am assuming my oranges are bigger than theirs. Yet I need one more artichoke on mine.

Once I am happy with the rough placement of the oranges and artichokes, it feels like the wreath needs just something a bit more.

For both texture and scent, I use large cinnamon sticks and place them at angles in between the oranges and artichokes.

Affixing the Items to the Wreath

There are several ways to affix your items to the wreath. You can use floral wire or a glue gun. I choose the glue gun and the wreath comes together quickly. We use alot of floral wire in decorating around the holidays so I always have extra on hand.

The Ribbon

The small sections around the wreath are very simple to make. I measure each one between 10 and 11 inches and notch the end.

Crimp the center of the ribbon and tie it tightly with the floral wire. Affix the floral wire to the right spot on the wreath.

Once all the smaller ribbons are on the wreath, I tackle the big bow. When I was in high school I got a part-time job at Johnson’s Florist in Norwich, Connecticut. All throughout the holiday, I made bows, literally hundreds of them. My friend, Kippi from Kippi at Home has a YouTube video showing how to make bows. You can see it here

It’s Finished!

Depending on the time of day, the door color changes. To see more about the paint colors of the front door, click here.

The inspiration wreath has a price range of $790-915 (illuminated). Mine does not have lights but the total cost for me is less than $50.00. Having the base wreath is helpful, but there are plain, affordable evergreen wreaths where you can add other greens for texture and interest, like this one here.

The total cost of this wreath is:

10 oranges @ approximately $1.00 each = $10.00

6 artichokes @ $5.50 each = $33.00

Velvet ribbon, used approx. 2 yards = $6.62

Base wreath and cinnamon- no cost

My total investment in making this wreath is less than $50.00. Since the artichokes are the most expensive item, you could eliminate those and just use more oranges. I might just add a few more pinecones too.

I am excited about continuing this theme on the front staircase mantel and the living room fireplace garlands. Look how nice this blue ribbon will look in my living room!

Though inspired by the very expensive wreath, I love how this one looks similar but has a personality all its own. Now seeing them side by side, it is obvious the inspiration wreath has a much wider ribbon and many more oranges. I like both but I am very happy with my imitation version.

Now it’s time to continue the Christmas in July journey. Next up is Kelly from The Tattered Pew. If you haven’t visited Kelly before, you are in for a treat!

Thanks again for stopping by and stay cool out there!

Christmas In July Blog Hop

Welcome to our Christmas In July Blog Hop. Be sure to click each link below to follow along on the hop.

The Ponds Farmhouse / Cottage on Bunker Hill / Midwest Life & Style / Cottage in the Mitten / Down Shiloh Road / Bricks N Blooms

Simply 2 Moms / Shiplap & Shells / Peacock Ridge Farm / WM Design House / Thistle Key Lane / White Arrows Home

Pasha is Home / Tater Tots and Jello / Robyn’s French Nest / Chas Crazy Creations / DIY Beautify / Cloches & Lavender

The Crowned Goat / Common Ground / Life At Bella Terra / The Tattered Pew / Design Morsels / Follow the Yellow Brick Home

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