Elegant Handcrafted Wreaths: Make Faux Flowers Come Alive With Breathtaking, Natural Designs

by Stephanie Petrak

Overview

Create Gorgeous Wreaths at Home Using Artificial Botanicals

Make your floral dreams come true with this stunning collection of handmade wreath projects. Lorraine’s Cottage founder Stephanie Petrak will help you build each striking, florist-quality wreath stem by stem. Between springtime buds, summer blooms, fall foliage and winter berries, there’s a whimsical wreath for every occasion.

With Stephanie’s shopping tips, it’s easy to find high-quality flowers at any craft store. She shares designer secrets for blending eye-catching blooms with greenery and branches, so your handiwork will look truly natural. Beautiful step-by-step photos accompany each project, bringing professional-looking wreaths within reach of beginners. Experienced crafters will find fresh inspiration and pick up new tips in Stephanie’s advanced designs featuring organic shapes that look unbelievably realistic. Adorn a doorway, liven up an interior or give a one-of-a-kind gift—the possibilities are endless with this creative guide to unique, free-flowing wreaths.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781645674207
Publisher:	Page Street Publishing
Publication date:	10/05/2021
Pages:	168
Sales rank:	688,895
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Stephanie Petrak is the founder and owner of Lorraine’s Cottage, where she sells her handcrafted faux-floral wreaths and arrangements. Her work has been featured in numerous Etsy Editor’s Pick guides, and she was a juried vendor at The Renegade Craft Fair in New York. She lives with her husband in Cleveland, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

1 Getting Ready to Create a Wreath 13

The Right Wreath Base 14

Selecting the Best Faux Florals 16

Tools Needed 17

Hanging Your Completed Design 17

2 Wreath Design Foundational Techniques 19

Trimming Materials 21

Design Techniques 22

3 From the Garden 29

The Wedgemere 31

A whimsical take on a classic herb wreath

The Piper 35

Striking anemones with soft dusty miller

The Adelaide 41

Shabby chic pink florals

The Eccleston 47

Extra-large floral statement wreath for large spaces

The Florio 53

Ombré pink color story florals

The Avondale 61

A bumper crop of dahlia blooms

The Aria 67

Neutral fall florals

The Blomfield 73

Sunflowers highlighted by purple greenery

4 From the Woods 79

The Kinley 81

A mixture of ferns focused on shape and movement

The Penley 85

Soft, mossy greenery with purple florals

The Cecily 91

Free-flowing spring blooming branches and buds

The Sulina 95

Leafy fall foliage

The Hollycroft 99

Classic winter pine and berries

The Biscay 103

Nordic-inspired evergreen branches

5 From the Field 107

The Ashby 109

A lovely mixture of lush greenery

The Hillside 115

Summer wildflowers

The Cottesworth 121

Fall berries and pods

The Havenridge 127

Everything twiggy, dried and dead for Halloween

The Gloucester 133

Colonial Williamsburg-inspired apple branches among magnolia leaves and berries

The Bramley 137

Abundant pumpkins and squash

Acknowledgments 143

About the Author 145

Index 147

Editorial Reviews

07/19/2021

Petrak, founder of floral arrangement site Lorrain’s Cottage, turns wreaths into year-round projects in her lovely debut. The wreaths showcase long-lasting artificial flowers, as they’re “more forgiving when it comes to designing... all without water and the threat of them withering and shrinking,” and Petrak includes advice for making them look as real as possible. First comes a list of necessary supplies (which includes wire cutters, a hot glue gun, and a base made of “intertwined grapevine branches”), followed by a chapter that covers techniques, including trimming and various methods of arranging. Those techniques are then put to use in instructions for making 20 different wreaths, which are broken up into three nature-inspired sections: “From the Garden,” “From the Woods,” and “From the Fields.” Highlights include a sweet summery beginner’s project, “The Florio,” with its “hints of pink peonies”; the intermediate-level, Halloween-inspired “Havenridge”; and a more advanced entry, “The Kinley,” a fern-bedecked wreath that works year-round. Each design is labeled by season and skill level, and step-by-step photos will help crafters along. Full of tips and tricks, this has everything budding flower arrangers need to get started. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Elegant Handcrafted Wreaths is a must-have guide for creatives who love working with flowers! Stephanie is a talented designer and her wreath-making techniques will help floral DIY-ers everywhere.”
—Stephanie LeBlanc, floral designer, blogger and creator of Celebrated Nest

“I can say, without a doubt, that Stephanie has changed the way I think about the art of wreath-making. With simple breakdowns and step-by-step guidance, Stephanie’s approach marries whimsy with tradition for designs that are accessible and enjoyable—which is a feat in and of itself!”
—Ashley Brooke Chambers, lifestyle and home décor blogger at Ashley Brooke Designs

From the Publisher