Let’s be real: For many of us, wreath-making doesn’t come naturally. The holiday season is already stressful, from figuring out your Christmas decor to the myriad of events filling up your calendar through the new year. But before you shake your head at this easy DIY project, just think: Wouldn’t a wreath covered in bows look wonderful? The answer is always yes, by the way.
Vogue spoke with DIY queen Emily Shaw, who goes by @emilyrayna on TikTok, about how to make your own wreath without too much stress in the process. The 24-year-old’s crafting career took off when she challenged herself to get out of a creative rut amid quarantine. Shaw asked her parents if she could renovate their home, and they agreed under one exception: she could only use money earned from selling their currently-owned furniture to fund thrifted purchases for the project.
After documenting and uploading her ventures on TikTok, her follower count boomed, and now has nearly six million followers. Now, her account is dedicated to long-term projects, like renovating her new home, as well as tutorials for viewers to follow along to, from home decor to holiday decorating ideas. And if we’re focusing on Christmas crafts, Shaw has no shortage of wreath ideas if you’re not feeling inspired by the bow-filled coquette aesthetic that has dominated holiday decor this year. The crafter also offered several alternatives, from a moss wreath and feather-covered wreath to a dried flower wreath (like baby’s breath), and even a wreath made entirely from puzzle pieces.
And if you’re a little nervous about stepping into DIY territory, take the pressure off by knowing that holiday decor is only displayed once a year. “You don’t have to worry that much about how perfect it looks, it’s all arts and crafts at the end of the day,” she says. “The most exciting part about making Christmas decor is the activity of making it with your friends and family. Then you have that really fun memory to hang on the wall.”
Here, Shaw gives us a step-by-step guide on how to make the perfect DIY Christmas wreath.