Welcome to the 250th Metamorphosis Monday!
So, I was thinking this weekend, what can I share with you for Met Monday? I’m working on a few things around here, but nothing really Met Monday worthy. Ummmm, what to do?
I have this fat, bulging folder on my computer labeled “Post About.” It’s where pictures and ideas go to marinate, often forgotten but always patiently awaiting their day to shine. If you’re a Blogger, I bet you have a file like that on your computer, too.
After a bit of digging, I found something perfect for this time of year since I’m seeing lots of Christmas pics being pinned these days. Hard to believe Christmas is only 43 days away! Yikes!
Two years ago for Christmas 2011, I dressed my front door with triple wreaths.
I got the idea from this picture in a Grandinroad catalog. I loved how it looked in the ad! Even though I use faux garland on the columns each year, created using THIS Pottery Barn inspired Christmas garland tutorial, I usually prefer a live wreath for the door. I lucked out that year and found three live wreaths that were just the size I needed. They were inexpensive, costing less than a single wreath in many stores.
When I created my triple-wreath Christmas door, I took some pics in case you would like to make one for your front door. Not sure why I never got around to sharing it, but better late than never. Right?
I wish I had taken a few more pics than I did but this process was so simple, I think the ones I have will suffice. I measured the area on the door where I wanted the wreaths to hang so I knew just how much space I had. My door is average height; a taller door would be even prettier with triple wreaths.
I spread my wreaths out the distance I had measured and cut loops of ribbon long enough to connect the wreaths together. I used my hot glue gun to glue the ends of the loops of ribbon together where they met on the back side. I cut the length of each ribbon a little shorter than it appeared I needed, anticipating the wreaths stretching apart a bit from their weight.
I have a wood door so I could have put a nail in the door at the height I needed. Instead, to give the illusion all the wreaths were hanging from a ribbon, I used an inexpensive metal wreath hanger and taped ribbon over it.
You can see how the ribbon looks in this picture. It ended up being partially hidden later on when I added garland around the door.
One thing I did do differently from the Grandinroad ad was instead of having the ribbon running down behind all the wreaths, making the ribbon visible in the center of each wreath, I decided to just use big loops or ribbon to hook the wreaths together. I wanted the door knocker to show through the top wreath, as well as the red color of the door.
When I first hung the ribbon-connected wreaths on the hanger at the top of the door, I had a sagging issue. Wish I had thought to take a photo of that. The best way I can describe it is the weight of the second and third wreaths was pulling down so much on the top wreath, the top wreath was looking more like a vertical oval than a round wreath. If you decide to use faux wreaths, you probably won’t have this issue. But real wreaths are pretty weighty.
This is where having a wood door really came in handy. I just added another very skinny nail to the door, right there near the top of the second wreath. So the weight of the second and third wreath is really hanging from that nail and not from the top wreath. That took care of the sagging/oval issue with the top wreath. If you don’t have a wood door, I’m not sure how you would deal with, unless you have a metal door and can use those magnetic wreath hangers.
So here was the final porch. I loved this so much, I was thinking about doing it again the next year, but I ended up finding the cutest snowflake wreath in a local nursery and used it for Christmas 2012.
Not sure which way I’ll go for 2013, better start planning now because it will be here soon!
Additional pictures of this porch can be seen here: Decorate with Triple Wreaths: A Grandinroad Knock-Off
Christmas Garland Tutorial available here: Christmas Garland Tutorial: Pottery Barn Inspired
Looking forward to the Before and Afters linked for this Met Monday!
If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday, you will need to link up the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz.
In order to link up, you’ll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party so the other participants will have an opportunity to receive visits from your wonderful blog readers.
Please observe these few rules:
Only link up Before and After posts that are home, gardening, crafting, painting, sewing, cooking, DIY related.
Do not link up if you’re doing so to promote a website or product.
Do not link up a post that was just linked last week since a lot of readers will have already seen that post.
Do not type in ALL CAPS. It spreads the links waaaay out.
Welcome! Thanks for coming to the party!
Susan your front looks STUNNING!!! Love it all!
Thanks, Martina! XO
Bonjour,
Une très belle publication… Une très jolie atmosphère de noël… J’aime beaucoup.
Gros bisous
I love the triple wreaths Susan! They look wonderful on your front door. I have a mail slot on my front door, so I’ll tuck this idea away for a future home ;o) Thanks for hosting!
Oh, I love doors with a mail slot, Debbie. 🙂
I remember your stunning entrance with your garland and wreaths Susan! Your triple wreaths are beautiful and I love the loops of ribbon hanging them!
Your door of Christmases past have been beautiful! Can’t wait to see what you do this year. -Dawn @ We Call It Junkin.com
I like the triple wreath idea. It’s different from decorations I usually see. I may have to try this on a smaller scale. I’m trying to think about outdoor decor that will be high enough to stay dog safe. Our bloodhound likes to chew on everything. He makes it hard to decorate making pretty stuff. Sometimes I find it scattered about on the lawn. Thanks for hosting.
Shannon ~ bohemianjunktion.com
Too funny, Shannon! He must still have a lot of puppy in him. 🙂
Susan….this is a great tutorial!!! Thank you for sharing it. I love seeing the process and of course, the end result is stunning!!! It might be my favorite door of yours…and you have had some gorgeous ones!!!
May your day be Extraordinary!!
~Diane
Awww, thanks Diane! ♥
Susan,
Just gorgeous – plus your so cool. Thanks for the party
love from Umbria
Natalie
Happy Veteran’s Day Monday, Susan! I love Met Mondays with everyone’s projects – thanks for hosting. That triple wreath is gorgeous, but just like being hesitant with cleaning brick in my project post, I’d be a nervous Nelly to put nail holes in my wood door – you go, girl!
Your entrance decorations are always stunning, and I can’t wait to see what you do this year! Since we’re not hosting Thanksgiving this year, we put all of our fall decorations away yesterday. Let the fun begin!
What a wonderful tutorial Susan! I love the triple wreath look and how clever you are with the ribbon covering the wreath hanger. I really appreciate you pointing out the potential problems and how you solved them, your attention to detail is never ending! I have never used live greenery outside because we live in such a mild climate {AL}and I know you live in Georgia, how do you manage to keep wreaths fresh and green? Thanks for such a cool idea!
Susan,
Gorgeous Christmas entry! Thanks so much for hosting! Have a lovely fall week! ~Christy
Beautiful and festive….love the wreaths and garland decor! Thank you for hosting, Susan…..have a wonderful week!
Susan,
Your triple wreaths are so eye catching. Love them…I’ve got to try this! Thanks so much for hosting Metamorphosis Monday.
Gorgeous, Susan and inspiring, as always! Can’t wait to see what you do this year! Thanks for the party!
Beautiful Christmas door!! I love seeing something unique. If you love one why not three! Anxious to see what you do this year. I am getting very ready to start decorating for Christmas.
Susan, your porch always looks great! I like the three wreaths for Christmas. Thanks for hosting!
Love your front porch, Susan! I am so ready to start decorating for Christmas!…hugs…Debbie
I duplicated the hanging baskets shown on the same page in GrandinRoads. Anxious to display them again this year. I have double front doors so it is always difficult to find suitable decor for them so as not to
overpower.
The triple wreaths are gorgeous!!! I’m lucky to get just one wreath hung on my door. 🙂 Thanks so much for hosting, Susan!
~Susan~
So pretty and inviting , now all you needed was SnOw !! 🙂
Paula
In.
I love this idea and all of the rest of your decor on your front porch. I remember when you wrapped the columns. I too have a file with old ideas that I never got around to. I am glad you showed this, especially how you covered the wreath hanger and did the ribbon. I bet it was heavy! Really pretty!
Your front door looks beautiful! Thanks so much for hosting! Life to the full! Melissa
After I received your reply last week I turned on Accuradio Christmas music on my computer and did my work. My husband decided it was not too early to have the music. Then, late yesterday afternoon I went into Highland to take my granddaughter some brownies and as I was driving around town (it’s small country town) I saw several decorated Christmas trees in the windows. We are supposed to have snow showers tonight. The yard man finally is coming to work on the lawn. Better late than ever. So hard to find good help.Have a wonderful day
I didn’t go to Nell Hills Open House because we had 35 mile an hour winds on Friday and then no one wanted to fight the crowd on Saturday morning. Guess we will have to see it on the blog.
Carol-my neighbors put up their front window tree the day after Halloween. Neighbors all love it as the
colors and lights brighten up the cul-de-sac.
I’m not sure which look I like best! I love both the triple wreaths and also the snowflake. I copied your Pottery Barn garland the year you made them and have enjoyed them so much. The lights went out last year on one section, so we’ll have to get that fixed before putting the garland up this year. Thanks so much for hosting the party.
Thanks, Paula! I’m not sure if this will be helpful, but check out this old post I created last year about fixing lights: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/dont-throw-out-those-dead-christmas-tree-lights/ Hope it’s just a little fuse and is an easy fix. 🙂
Your triple wreath is gorgeous Susan. It makes me wonder how it woould work on my double doors. Probably a little overkill huh? I live your PB inspired garland also and may have to copy you this year. Your house always looks fabulous! Thanks for sharing and thank you so much for hosting this great party.
Big blessings to you,
Patti
Love your triple wreath front door! So pretty and inspiring to get ready for the upcoming season! Thanks so much for hosting.
KC
Susan, your triple wreath is stunning. Love this look! We have a glass door, so I think it would be difficult to copy this for our door. We don’t have luck with a wreath on it. I’m going to play around with another area of our porch to see how it might look there. Thanks for sharing all the tips.
Thanks for the super party, Susan. I love that triple wreath look…now I need to click on over and check out the snowflake wreath! Have a super week! 🙂
omg Susan, that is gorgeous…..what an amazing job!!! Christine from Little Brags
Thanks for hosting, Susan! Love your 3 wreaths! Have a great week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
I love the look of this, especially the ribbon over the wreath hangar. I will definitely try it. Maybe not 3 wreaths, but I like the way the ribbon covers the wreath hangar..Your door outside decorations are stunning!
Hi Susan!
Love the look of the triple wreaths & I have the PERFECT solution so you don’t have to put nails in your doors!
Go here to see the kind of 3M stick-on hooks that I use to hang my quilts with:
http://rettspace.blogspot.com/2013/03/happy-national-quilting-day.html
They hold wonderfully & I’ve never had anything fall off until I pull on that little tab that stretches the adhesive.
I’ve even used them outdoors on my siding, in cold & snowy Ohio!! (we’re supposed to get 3″ tonight) Brrrr!
Thanks for doing MM again this week.
Stay Warm Hugs,
Rett
Hi Susan,
I love your sense of style and creativity.
How would you hang Christmas wreaths on windows that swing out?
Hope to hear from you and/or others. Thanx!!!
John
Thanks, John! Ummm, are they like casement windows? Could you loop it over the top of one window near the edge so it will be in the center when closed, then knot the end of the ribbon so it will stay in place when the window is closed? If not, I wonder if you could use a Command Hook or 3M hook (or whatever they are called) that some other commenters have mentioned on today’s post. Apparently, they stick really well. Then you could just hang the wreath from that. I prefer to see them hanging from ribbon instead of just stuck in the center of a window, but that may work best for your style windows.
John, did you see this old post? (See link below) It’s a tutorial I had written for double sash windows but maybe it will spark an idea. Also, read some of the comments folks left on that post because I remember folks left their tips and ideas in the comments. Maybe something in that post or the comments will prove helpful. Here’s the post: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/hang-wreaths-on-your-exterior-windows-a-tutorial/
Susan, that is stunning! I like your version better than the Grandinroad photo. I love that ribbon you used, and in my humble opinion, the ribbon running behind the wreaths is a little distracting. OOOO, I don’t need to be reminded of how quickly Christmas is coming. Yikes! Thank you for hosting. laurie
I used the same catalog and Martha’s website to do my door. I used three artificial wreaths, ribbon, and COMMAND HOOKS. I hung each wreath from it’s own hook, ran ribbon down the door and slit it for the hooks to be through the ribbon. I will try to find my photos when I get home from Disney World. Yes, I still read this blog even when I am visiting Mickey! : ). Thanks for sending this!
lol Debra, you made me laugh! I’m glad you are still reading, even when visiting Mickey and Minnie! 🙂 Makes my day to hear that and I wish I was there! I am so overdue for a trip to Disney World, haven’t been in a gazillion years. I wonder if Command Hooks would have worked on my door. Rett suggested the 3M hooks in her comment. I tried one of those type hooks, I think it was the 3M when I was hooking the garland to the columns but it came loose and the garland fell when it rained. That might not happen on the door since the door doesn’t get wet. Looking forward to seeing your pics when you return! Have fun!
I love your wreaths–such a great idea! Thanks so much for hosting the party, and have a wonderful week! Dee 🙂
What a great idea! I love this look for the front door. Thanks for showing how you got the look. Thanks, too, for hosting another great party!!
Susan, the triple wreath is very impressive! So pretty and festive. Thank you for hosting!
And…when you enter your doorway doesn’t that “Christmas fragrance ” just make you smile. 🙂 franki
Love that…best part! 🙂
Very pretty, Susan. I think using the real wreaths made it even prettier and I’m sure it smelled wonderful. What a nice way to greet guests. I have to say, I love the sled and skates touch. 🙂 Gosh, when I think about sledding down hills with cars coming and going and driving on ice … oh … I feel for those drivers! They probably wanted to kill me and my friends (and not with their cars!) Luckily, they managed to get around us but oh, do I ever regret stressing them out. Kids, eh? Especially back then .. we were so fearless and totally naive about danger. Have you ever seen the Sinbad comedy show where he talks about the ‘deuce and a quarter?’ It was a heavy old car popular back then, and he jokes about how kids would play games, basically risking their lives and trying to get hit by the car. Crazy. He is so funny. That was one of his routines from the 90’s. I liked that he was clean and the whole family could watch. He was genuinely funny.
Now let me see … how did I go from complimenting your beautiful porch to recommending old Sinbad shows? Lol.
Anyway, it’s putting me in the mood, that’s for sure. And that snowflake wreath was so unique. I have never seen anything like that. Oh … Christmas. 🙂
Hi Susan, your triple wreath is so pretty- great tutorial! Thanks for hosting another great party this week as well.
Hi Susan. Love the wreaths on your red door. Great idea! Thanks once again for hosting.
K.
Susan, where did you find that lovely sled, hand muffs and ice skates. They really add to the door for your holiday decoration.
Awesome!!!
I can’t remember where I found the sled now, it’s been so many years. It may have been at A Classy Flea. The furry hand muff and ear muffs were from an antique store in Roswell, GA and the ice skates are definitely from A Classy Flea. You can usually find ice skates on eBay very cheaply…I almost bought them there before I found them at A Classy Flea. I’ve seen sleds on there too, but those can be a bit pricey on eBay.