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Generally, when I think of rainbows, I think of spring colors and pastels. But I am no fair-weather rainbow lover. I love rainbows YEAR ROUND. So when fall rolled around, and my pastel-y bright Rainbow Hydrangea Wreath just didn’t quite scream “FALL!” I decided to make something that does!
Rainbow *and* Fall colors! Eeeee!
This wreath is not terribly complicated, the hardest part is probably picking out the right shades and types of flowers. Its kinda tricky to look for the right variation of colors and flowers, so that it all blends nicely.
It’s important that the shades are a muted, dusty version of the rainbow colors. For example, instead of purple, look for plum and wine shades. Instead of green, look for olivey avocado colors. For the orange, look for rust/copper shades.
With the flower shapes, you’ll also want to look for a variety of types of flowers. Hydrangeas, roses, mums, sunflowers, dahlias, etc. And the you’ll want to make sure that the neighboring colors are not the same type of flower (don’t look too closely at mine, I have green and teal hydrangeas next to each other, and they’re driving me crazy!).
You’ll also want a variety of sizes of flowers, within each color group. Try to find a couple medium flowers, or a large bloom and a few small flowers.
As for how many flowers you need, it’s fairly flexible. If you love the full look, you can definitely squish them in tightly. If you want to save a little money, the can be spaced out and filled in with greenery.
Oh, and you can find the flowers in the craft/floral section of a lot of stores. I like to look at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. You may have some success at Walmart or Dollar Tree, but I wouldn’t try to do my whole wreath from there. The quality/size of flowers just isn’t great.
For this wreath project, you’ll need:
Faux flowers in dusty fall rainbow colors
18″ grapevine wreath
Floral wire and/or hot glue gun
Filler or greenery
How to make the wreath
Once you have the flowers, start by cutting each bloom off of the long stem, leaving about 3-4 inches (to shove into the grapevine wreath). You can use wire cutters or floral cutters. You’ll also want to pull off or cut off the leaves, especially the pretty hydrangea leaves (my fav!).
Next without glue start shoving the stems into the wreath to try and get a feel for the spacing and overall look. For the most part, opposite colors on the color wheel will be opposite of each other, if that helps you with spacing. You could start by putting the red flowers into the wreath, and then do the green directly across from the red, then fill in the other colors. It can help you pace yourself, so you don’t run out of room.
You’ll definitely have to fiddle with things, adding flowers and taking some flowers out. When I first made this wreath, I thought I wanted cream and mauve in my rainbow, but ultimately decided I liked how it looked darker and moodier (is that a word?) without them. I also had to run to the store a second time to get more purple, orange and blue flowers.
I also found that a couple of the hydrangea blooms I bought were way too big, so I ended up cutting them down a bit so they didn’t overpower the surrounding flowers and stick out too much.
Once you like the flowers, try adding in some of the greenery. I like to keep the greenery towards the back of the wreath, so that the flowers get all the attention. I like to do them around the outside edge, and then a few along the inside edge as well.
Ok, when you like the look, then you’re ready to secure the flowers. The trick is to leave them in their spots until you’re ready to glue them.
With the big hydrangeas, you can easily use floral wire to attach them to the wreath. You can just weave the wire into the base of the stem and then wrap the wire completely around the wreath. Make sure you pull it tight!
I wired the hydrangeas on first, and then went around and glued the other flowers into place. I’d put glue on the stem and also on the base of the flower. And don’t forget to glue the leaves on too.
Finishing Touches
I decided to add in some small pumpkins that I used in my fall boxwood wreath. I painted them with coordinating colors and kept them on their skewers, so I can take them out if I want to hang this wreath up during other times of the year. I might do a little gold leaf on them too, to help them stand out a little more and give them some glitz.
You can also add in some other “spray” type of flowers or greenery. Maybe even some twigs, to amp up the fall feeling.
And there you go! A beautiful and custom fall rainbow wreath!
I love to see the wreaths YOU make! Tag me @thehowtomom on IG or FB so I can see! I promise to shower you with praise and compliments!
Recommended Reading:
Make A Fall Wreath With An Old Frame!
Make Your Own Beautiful Living Succulent Wreath Centerpiece! Complete video course by Jeannine Romero now available through Skillshare.