Project

Dried Floral Valentine's Day Wreath

For the holiday of love, arrange this asymmetrical wreath with romantic flair. Opt for pretty pink hues like warm-toned pampas grass, stardust gypsophila, and bunny tails.

Valentines Day wreath with dried flowers

Photography: Ashley Poskin

Source: Martha Stewart

Introduction

This idea comes from our friend Ashley Poskin. "If you're looking to tone down your Valentine's Day décor from the usual bright pinks and reds to something a bit more subtle and natural, dried flowers and ornamental grasses are a beautiful and sustainable option," she says. "When creating your dried floral wreath, it's helpful to have three different types of flowers or grasses: Something long and springy (like long-stem bunny tails), something with great texture (like preserved ferns), and something that easily creates depth (like stardust gypsophila)." Her tip: Work on a cleaned surface, and use vases or jars to bundle your floral varieties by type.

materials

Craft ring (Ashland Floral Wreath Ring, 12", $8, amazon.com.)

Floral wire (FloralCraft 26 Gauge Floral Wire, $7, amazon.com.)

Dried flowers (Afloral Pink Stardust Gypsophila, $16 for 4 oz., afloral.com. Afloral Pink Bunny Tails, $13 for 2 oz., afloral.com. Afloral Dried Pampas Grass, $38, afloral.com.)

Wire cutters

Gold metallic paint (Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Metallic Acrylic Craft Paint, $3.19 for 2 oz., michaels.com.)

Paintbrush

Hot glue gun and glue sticks

steps

Cover the ring in a few coats of gold metallic craft paint; let dry completely. Position a small bundle of dried florals or grasses onto the craft ring, and attach by wrapping floral wire around the bundle's base. (Tip: Start with the longest varieties first—the bunny tails pictured here were cut with long stems, ideal for helping to find an organic shape of the wreath.)
Begin to layer in the pampas grass and smaller dried flowers. The good thing about using dried flowers is that they stick to each other really well, so it makes arranging easy because everything stays nicely wherever it's placed. Once you've found the right spot for a bunch, attach it to the hoop with a dab of hot glue. (Note: If attaching larger bunches, you can continue to use wire as long as it's eventually covered over by flowers.)
Continue placing bunches around the ring, repeating this technique until you've shaped the wreath. Dried floral wreaths look their best when they're nice and full, so don't be timid—fill your wreath with layers and layers of those beautiful dried flowers and grasses. If areas start to look too bulky it's simple to go back and trim and thin it out. If you end up trimming too much, just fill it back in with smaller pieces and glue them in place. When working with wispy grasses and flowers, see how they will sway and fall when displayed on the wall by using a nail (or Command hook) and placing the wreath at eye level as you add the finishing touches.
If the grasses on your wreath flow out in opposite directions like ours, you'll want to add something to the area where they meet like a small grouping of dried flowers, or a ribbon. We chose a natural colored textured ribbon, but a white or soft pink velvet ribbon would be beautiful as well. If needed, attach a small piece of ribbon at the top of the hoop to use for hanging the wreath.