Christmas comes and goes so quickly, that by January 1st you’re often sat wondering, why did I bother spending time and money on all of these decorations in the first place?
Statistically, Christmas is one of the most wasteful times of the year, and unfortunately, all of this waste contributes massively to landfill and plastic pollution all over the world. But it’s July, why are we talking about that right now? Well, did you know that some of your Christmas decorations that are probably gathering dust right now, could be recycled into something that can be used all year round?
So many artificial Christmas wreaths are thrown away every single year because people want new decorations once the next year comes around. But, did you know you can easily recycle your artificial Christmas wreaths into beautiful summery flower decorations? If not, here’s how:
Step One: Assess What You Have
The first step in upcycling any wreath is to look at what you have to work with. If you’re the traditional type, chances are your Christmas wreath will be rich in leaves, pinecones, red currants and potentially bows. The color scheme is also bound to be reds and golds, with of course deep green for the leaves.
As wonderful as this looks throughout the festive period, chances are it’s just not going to cut it for summer. Red currants and pinecones may be perfect for the 25th December, but you’ll probably want to replace these with brighter, more summery and accessible year-round accessories.
Make a decision whether you can repurpose the traditional festive items, or whether it’s worth cutting them away and replacing them with something else. A lot of the time this is easily done, but remember you’ll probably want to make space for new and improved accessories, so be mindful of this if you’re frugal with the scissors.
Step Two: Consider Painting
As previously mentioned, the Christmas wreath is oh so traditional, but who said that your wreath has to be? You can have your wreath looking as natural or as superficial as you possibly like, dependent on your personal taste. Whether you just want to lighten the leaves to a still natural but paler shade of green, or you want to paint your red currants bright pink – let your imagination run wild! Sometimes the brighter, the better!
A top tip for if you’re keeping the pinecones is not to paint them in their entirety. No matter how bright you want your wreath to be, in this instance, less can be more. Opt for a shimmery or pastel shade, like creamy white or sparkly silver, and simply dab the edges of the pinecone to give it a beautiful effect.
Step Three: Recycle Some Flowers
Whether you’re a road trip junkie or a countryside walker, when you’re out in nature to keep your eyes peeled for flowers you can recycle and add to your wreath. Obviously, you’ll want to go for flowers that will still look good when they’re dried out, so select these carefully when you’re out and about. Alternatively, you could go and purchase some, but this is a cost-effective way of doing it, and it fits right into the recycling trend too!
However, chances are you will want some brightly colored flowers that bloom is in full bloom all year round too, so look into purchasing some artificial flowers. Sunflowers are a personal favorite for the summer because they’ll brighten up your entire wreath, and give it a hint of sunshine. Beautiful!
Step Four: Put it All Together
Finally, it’s time for the exciting bit – putting it all together! Once you’ve painted, cut out what you don’t want, and chosen additions for the wreath, it’s time to fashion it into however you see fit! It can be very tempting to get excited with the hot glue gun and start sticking everything into place immediately, but do not, under any circumstances, make this mistake – if you don’t like it and it’s already stuck down, there’s no going back! Make sure you strategically place everything where you think it should go first, then stick it down once you’ve made your decision
Then, of course, there’s choosing where to put it. A front door is always a good option because it gives you the opportunity to show off your handiwork to as many people as possible – and you never know who might be passing. If in the future, you look to sell your home, a feature such as this could attract potential buyers passing by, such as we buy any house service.
After all, selling or not, you want to set your house apart from the rest, don’t you?
