Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year. The fall colors fill the landscape. Aromas of cinnamon, pine, and pumpkin fill the air. The urge to turn our homes into the great outdoors comes upon us. One of the greatest ways is to create a Thanksgiving wreath.

courtesy of Dawn Endico

Most fall decorators like to bring those beautiful colors that Nature created into the home. They grace the table, the mantle, and the walls. When you put all those colors in a wreath, you can brighten up your door, your fireplace, and any wall in your house. Some people even dress up their garage doors and cars.

There are many Thanksgiving wreaths that you can purchase at the stores. Yet, they just do not have the same feeling as making one yourself. It is not hard. It is fun and sitting back to view your handiwork is satisfying.

The core of your wreath, the actual wreath can be purchased or you can make it. Many craft stores have vine wreathes or straw ones. They come in a variety of sizes and styles that can meet your knees. To make your own, take a walk in the woods and find some branches and vines that are flexible enough to mold into a wreath shape. Secure it with string or the vines itself.

Once you have your wreath ready to go, you can begin the fun decorating. The most fun is to gather or make your own instead of buying them all. When you take your walk in the woods, gather leaves, acorns, and other items that you can use in your wreath. It is not wise to pick berries as adornment. These should be purchased at the store or paint some acorns. Wild berries can be dangerous.

What do you put on your wreath? Anything you want. Colorful leaves, twigs, berries (fake ones), acorns,  pine needles, various craft items such as miniature pumpkins, gourds, and even real or fake corn corncobs. Think of any fall item and use it to create your wreath.

Other items can be used. Add a small straw scarecrow. Browse the craft store aisles and see what fall adornments you can find that would look good on your wreath. This is the fun of doing it yourself. There are limitless possibilities.

You have all the items gathered that you want to make your wreath with. The time has come to actually make your wreath. A hot glue gun works great, but before you start using the gun you need to lay out what you want the wreath to look like. This is very important. Once you have got it laid out, turn the pieces over and place glue on it. Press them onto the wreath. Let the glue dry.

Step back and look at your masterpiece. If you see a hole somewhere, fill it with some of your decoration pieces. When all is done, you are ready to place your wreath on the door or the wall and begin enjoying the colors of fall.

Have fun making your Thanksgiving wreath.