05 October 2016

How to Make a Dried Hydrangea Wreath that Looks Fresh

Welcome Friends... I'm finally, just now, getting to take care of some of my favorite things! Like Fall Decorating! This is, officially, the latest I have ever been at getting my Fall Wreath and Autumn Love  up around my house. But, this has been an especially busy year, with many trials but, thankfully, followed by many Blessings and triumphs.
 Putting together this Autumn Wreath was such a great joy and complete pleasure for me this year, and , I think, it just may be  favorite! This year's wreath was quite a departure, for me, from my
usual, and I have to say, just love it! If you aren't following me on Facebook or Instagram, you may not know how completely blessed I am to have a wonderful friend, who's a horticulturist!  Big pay off for me! Her gardens are like something that could stalk the San Francisco Flower Mart!

So, lucky me got to spend a Sunday afternoon helping her "thin" her garden!!  "Thinning" to 
her = Major Haul for me! The picture above shows my FULL passenger seat, after I left her house and quickly headed for home to Play! The real "trick" to getting hydrangeas to dry so perfectly, is simply by getting them from a garden, whether it's yours or a good friends. I have found that they dry so much better, and with very little difference from their fresh picked state, when they have been grown in a yard, as opposed to the ones that you can buy from a store.

Believe it or not, the image below is completely dry!
As usual, I gathered up my last Autumn Wreath and began from there, with just the bare grapevine wreath and a few little cream blossoms left over from years before.
Last Fall, I was lucky enough to hit our Michael's store just when they had their Burlap at half off, and I just so happened to have an additional 50% off of that! I believe my total cost for 6 yards
 of this lovely, floppy 6 inch burlap was around $1.99! I love the contrast between the fragility of the hydrangeas and the rustic look of the burlap.
Just for fun, and to add a little more dimension and elegance, I made a cute little burlap rosette and put a little pearl pin in the center! It's just that touch of fun, whimsy and elegance I like. Other people may not even notice it, but I sure do. :)
Did you notice it? 
All in all, I have to say that, surprisingly, this was also one of the easiest wreaths I've ever made. I simply let the hydrangeas dry in their various vases from around the house...You may remember seeing some of these blooms, recently,  in my Upcycled Cassette Case Centerpiece
When they were completely dry, I sprayed both the underneath and top of each stem with a finishing hairspray. I've found this to work wonderfully against any brittle blooms breaking off.
I simply stuck the hydrangeas into the grapevine wreath, until I achieved the look I was hoping for, attached my burlap bow and rosette and it was ready to hang! That's it! This is what I ended up with! What do you think?! 
 I hope you are taking time to welcome the new Fall/Autumn Season around your house too! So many things to be grateful for, I enjoy celebrating the beginning of each Season that the Lord has blessed me with!
Thanks for visiting! Wishing you all many blessings,
Theresa
** One extra tip I forgot to share, I did for these, and have always, trimmed the bottom of the stems and lightly hammered the bottom half inch of it. For whatever reason, this has always made my last an exceptionally long time! :)  **

Linking to: 
Savvy Southern StyleThe Dedicated House /A Stroll Thru Life /Made In a Day /Live Randomly Simple/My Sweet Things/God's Growing Garden/Dwellings~ The Heart of Your Home/The DIY Dreamer/Stone Gable/Ginger Snap Crafts/Katherine's Corner/White House Crafts/A Delightsome Life/Creative Ways Link Party/Classical Homemaking/Charm Bracelet Diva/Grace at Home/Shabbilicious Friday/French Country Cottage/Home Matters Party/The Charm of Home/Chic On a Shoestring Decorating/Waste Not Wednesday/DIY Vintage Chic/Oh MY Heartsie Girl/Olives & Okra/Nifty Thrifty Things/Pierced Pastimes/Rooted in Thyme/How Sweet the SoundLife on Lakeshore Drive/Create with Joy/Dear Creatives/My Soulful Home/DIY 180/CoastalCharmBetween Naps On the Porch/A Stroll Thru Life/Across the Boulevard/Flamingo Toes/I Should Be Mopping the Floor/My Pinterventures/Farmhouse 40/My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Creatively Living/Sadie Seaongoods/Poofing the Pillows/Creativity Unleashed/The Creative Circle/Tatertots and Jello/Ms. Toody Goo Shoes


67 comments:

  1. I LOVE this wreath to bits!! I can't wait to try and make one!! SO beautiful!!

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    1. Thanks so much, Sam! I really enjoyed this one too! You need to share yours with me when you do it!
      :)
      Theresa

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  2. This wreath is so beautiful. I have hydrangeas and I absolutely love them. I hope you'll consider sharing this project at The Crafty Corner link party with us this week.

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    1. Thank you so much, Antonella! popping over to your Crafty Corner!
      Theresa

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    2. Thank you for linking up Theresa. It's a beautiful wreath :) I hope to see you again tomorrow at the next party!

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  3. Hydrangea are so pretty and your wreath looks amazing!
    Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY!
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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    1. Thank you so much, Cindy. I'm in live with them too. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
      Blessings to you, sweet lady!

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  4. I know I have already commented Theresa but we are so glad you shared your BEAUTIFUL wreath with us over at Waste Not Wednesday! Extra bonus for me though!! I get some more eye lolly taking a peek at your gorgeous wreath again!!! ;-)

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    1. Awe, Thanks Sam! It was such a pleasure for me to get to pop over to your Party for a change! I'm so glad you like it. :)

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  5. What a beautiful wreath and yes, they look like fresh hydrangea blossoms!!! Thanks for showing how to do the same. Awesome.

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  6. It's beautiful! Thanks for the tips. I have some antique hydrangeas drying in place as I type. I will spray them before adding them to a basket.

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    1. Great, Sarah! I'm glad I could help. Thanks for the kind comment.

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  7. How beautiful! I love hydrangeas and had no idea that they could dry and look that pretty!

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    1. Isn't it awesome, how they do that?! Thanks for your kind words.

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  8. Gorgeous wreath Theresa! And you are so right. Hydrangeas do so much better if I pick them from my yard instead of the stores. Those never dry correctly so I stopped buying them an started planting the, instead. LOL

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  9. Your wreath is BEAUTIFUL! I can't believe that's a dried hydrangea. Mine never look that good. I'm going to have to try it again next year.

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    1. Thank you, Susan. I'm so pleased you like them! Yes, definitely give it a try! big pay-off for sure. :)

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  10. Ummm, I am in awe.. my favorite flower is a hydrangea and I have some in the house dried right now acting as nests under pumpkins, but these look way better than mine!! And I didn't know the trick about spraying with finishing spray, thanks for sharing this great post!

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    1. Oh, susan, Thank you so much for your kind words....they really do mean so much! Yes, finishing hairspray does the trick! Have fun with it!

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  11. Gorgeous wreath! Love the mix of burlap with the hydrangeas!

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    1. Thank you, Joy! It's my first time combining the two, but I really do like it. Who knew?!

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  12. I love this. I haven't been the usual orange fan for several years now, and this is perfect.

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    1. Thank so much, Rosemary! Yeah, Orange is definitely not my thing either. :)

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  13. It's a beautiful wreath. I haven't had good luck drying hydrangeas. Yours look amazing!

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  14. Wow, I never would've guessed those were dried hydrangeas. Beautiful!

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  15. So beautiful! These are great tips, thank you!

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  16. That is gorgeeous! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

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    1. Thank you, Sherry. Always a pleasure to share on your beautiful blog. 😊

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  17. This is so pretty! I can't believe how fresh they look!

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    1. Thank you, Aubrey. 2 weeks later and they look exactly the same!

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  18. Your super beautiful wreath has been making its rounds and with good reason. It's perfect!

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  19. That is such a beautiful wreath. I need to try making one.

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    1. Leanne, you definitely should! It's so easy and so pretty to have a round.

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  20. I can't believe you dry those hydrangeas. Gorgeous and the wreath is stunning. You have to share how you preserve the hydrangeas.

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    1. Thanks, Vanessa! The tips are all in the post! That's it! Fairly easy.

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  21. Such a pretty wreath Theresa and perfect for fall. I love the sweet burlap rosette too. Pinned and I'm featuring it at Shabbilicious Friday tomorrow. Hugs ~ Kerryanne

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    1. Thank you so much, Kerryanne! I'm so pleased you liked it. Thank you for the feature!
      Theresa.

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  22. I love this, hydrangeas are my favorite.

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  23. I will feature this today at Home Sweet Home Theresa, it is beautiful!

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  24. I will feature this today at Home Sweet Home Theresa, it is beautiful!

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  25. Love your dried hydrangea wreath. So pretty. I love the idea of spraying them. I'll have to try that. Glad to see you at the party again! Thanks for sharing at the #InspirationSpotlight Party

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    1. Thanks for having me! And, thank you for the kind comments. ❤️

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  26. I just love dried hydrangeas! This wreath is just lovely!

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  27. This is gorgeous!!

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  28. What a lovely fall wreath, Theresa! I love the combination of burlap and flowers. It's great to have you partying with us at Snickerdoodle! Pinned to my autumn board.

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    1. Thank you so much, Beverly! It's taken me awhile to get back to it, but I'm so happy to be creating and joining you at
      The party, too!
      Hugs and Blessings,
      Theresa.

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  29. It does look so fresh and the burlap goes really well with the look! Just lovely!

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  30. Girl, we are cut from the same fabric. I love this- it can be used year after year. Great post.

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    1. Thank you! I hope to enjoy it for a long time. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

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  31. Hydrangeas are probably my all-time favorite flower. Your wreath is beautiful. Thanks for joining Monday Social.

    Judith

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  32. I adore hydrangeas. Thanks for sharing your beautiful images. We love having you at Monday Social.

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  33. Theresa - it's absolutely gorgeous! My hydrangea never look this good, and I need to plant another variety since the soil here does not seem to like what I planted. :) And I always forget about that hairspray finish since the petals are so very brittle. Wonderful inspiration, crafting, and a spirit of fall in your lovely DIY. xox

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  34. Theresa, your wreath is so pretty! I'm currently drying the same color hydrangeas from my garden and I'm liking this idea for a wreath to hang on my china cabinet door. Pinned 😊

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