Suzy aka Georgia Peachez
Last year I proclaimed my love and admiration for Georgia Peachez’ crafty Christmas wreaths made out of vintage tinsel-garland and ornaments. What a fantastic way to use ornaments hunted and scrounged at estate sales all year long — something to hunt for an actually use! Suzy, the genius Peach, is at it again this year — that’s her “That 70s Wreath,” above. Morevoer — we asked for her how-to instructions — and she graciously responded right away! Read on to learn how to make a Christmas wreath out of vintage ornaments of your very own. –>.
Suzy writes:
- Start with extruded foam wreath base and wrap in tinsel-tone garland securing with hot glue.
- Important to add a wire loop here before preceding.
- Glue larger ornaments around the outer rim of wreath form.
- Lay flat and then fill in with smaller ornies.
- I like to mix up ornies with kitschy little things.
- Important to use HIGH TEMP hot glue.
That’s it in a nutshell!
Suzy
Ooooh! “Kitschy little things.” I have plenty of those. Do spatulas get you in the holiday mood? I ask: Are the ornies attached to anything? or do you just glue them straight on … that is, no hooks? She responds:
- Just glue them right on. The tinsel gives a good surface to bond to.
One of the things that I think is particularly clever about Suzy’s method, is that by starting with the wrapped tinsel — the back side of the wreath is actually very pretty, too. Here is a photo from a wreath available in her etsy shop that shows what I mean:
If you don’t have time to get crafty, I think that Suzy’s wreaths are very well-priced at $50-$75. And, she says that she has never had an issue with shipping. Here are all the vital links:
- See Suzy’s Georgia Peachez etsy shop for wreaths and other holiday goodness.
- Do-it-yourselfers, be sure to see her Wreath Blog. And you know me, Precautionary Pam warns: Be careful with those glue guns and sharp edges, peoples.
- And, there’s even more creativity over on Suzy’s main Georgia Peachez blog.
Did I read something about “a little obsession” over in your headers, Suzy? I sure do emphathize. In a good way because, girl, you are good! xoxo
Love, love,love these! I bought a cheezy $5 wreath at a discount store. It already has the tinsel on it. Hope mom didnT throw away all of those yummy old ornaments.
Those are beautiful!!! My favorite things all together- I love the old ornaments w/ bits of paint chipping! You are very talented!!! Wish I had one for every door in my house!
Wow. I never enjoy holiday crafts; but I’m making one of these!
Oh, I recognize some of my childhood ornaments on those wreaths! This brings back happy memories. OK, now I have a project for next year. Thanks, Suzy for sharing your how-to tips.
PS – it would be fun to light up the wreaths, however, as I recall, those MCM bulbs get really hot.
So cool!
If you want a wreath that will last forever, and be just as easy to make, get a wire wreath form- any craft store has them too. Then use inexpensive (but eternal) florist’s wire to wrap the ornaments onto the wire form. It’s easy as could be, and you won’t have to worry about them coming loose.
Each ornament has a hanging point already; just use that as your wrap attachment point.
A side benefit of this is that if you ever get tired of the wreath, or want to take it apart and share, the ornaments are still useful.
i would be worried about the ornaments falling out of their wire holder thingies. that always happens when we’re decorating the tree…
Use a drop of hot glue on the end caps of the ornaments to keep them from falling off before stringing on thewire. It works quite well.
I have a wreath that is crammed with vintage Christmas stuff, including a few old ornaments. I attached them initially to the wreath using the hanger on the ornament. But then I also wrapped a little thin wire around a couple times to form like a cage that cradles the ornament. I’ve had this wreath for about 20 years – nothing’s fallen off except a couple of the items that are just glued on, and I just re-glue them. And the wire is really not very noticable.
Being born in 1951, I too, am “mid-century” retro. I remember my mom and aunts making Christmas decorations in the fifties and sixties. To be truly authentic, what you need is to make a wreath out of old IBM punched cards, and then spray it gold. Another great idea from that time was to take a Reader’s Digest, fold each page half down, going all the way through; then you spray paint that “tree” gold or red or green, and glue little tiny ornaments all over it.
My dad worked in one of the few manufacturing plants to use punch cards in the 60s. I remember him bringing them home and saying that people were making wreaths out of them and my mom and i trying to figure out what he meant! Then she saw a picture in a magazine and we went to work making a wreath, which she declared “the craziest thing she ever saw”, and resorted to making a giant pine wreath out of a hula hoop (another 60s holiday fad). So glad I got to experience that!
Back in the mid-1960s, when I was about 10 or 12, my grandmother and I made dry cleaner bag wreaths every Christmas. Everyone had stuff cleaned then, so we had plenty of bags and lots of wire hangers, too. It was made by forming a wire hanger into a circle, cutting the bags into strips, then tying strip after strip onto the hanger. They sound funny, but they were actually very pretty, and with hundreds of strips, they were sparkly in the light, too.
Hey Pam, I think great minds are thinking alike here…I just posted about Suzy’s wreaths on Thursday night! LOL
I love her wreaths!
Hey, Denise, I was just looking at your blog and saw! (Did you get the idea from the newsletter that I sent out Sunday?)
no, I’ll have to revisit the newsletter to see it! LOL
I’ve followed her for some time and loved them last year…then loved them again this year —so I thought I would spread the word on how wonderful they are, especially if one likes vintage ornaments…which, of course, I do. I’m glad Suzy can do it, but I don’t know if I’d be able to as I can be a little ‘don’t-do-anything-with-it-keep-it-the-same-cuz-it’s-vintage’ …a phobia I’m working on!
I love the look of these wreaths. I wanted to put something on my front door that looked nearly period, but at the same time a little whimsical. Here’s my twist:
At a local hardware store they were selling wreaths (fake and real) on the cheap. I bought a fake one to keep year after year, but you would be able to reuse the ornaments the way I created mine if you put it together on a real wreath.
I took white ribbon and laced roughly 30 ornaments onto the wreath in groups of threes. Instead of ruining vintage ornaments in the weather, I found great vintage-esque ornaments at Hobby Lobby. They are plastic so they wont break and will make them easier to store come spring. I did notice that any glitter that you have on the ornaments will be gone if you leave them in the rain/snow. Thankfully I found that out on a test ornament before ruining the whole wreath. Anyway, I think everyone should have one! It looks great against my giant, vintage garland on my front porch!
Merry Early Christmas ya’ll! … and to all a vintage “festivus”!
So GORGEOUS!! I think I could totally do that! Thank you for sharing your MAD SKILLS, Georgia P!
Beautiful!!!
Some of those ornaments remind me of ones my Granny owned…
Thanks! Since we have way more ornaments than we can ever use on our trees, this might work if I can find the time to do it.
Am I the only one that doesn’t have the heart to glue vintage ornaments, etc. to the wreath, and thus ruin them? I just can’t do it. I’d have to find some that were not really nice (I had some of them, but sold them at a garage sale a few years ago!). Here’s hoping I can find some less than perfect ornaments to make this!
As far as tieing them to the wire form, how about lightly glueing the hanger to the ornament, then you wouldn’t have to worry about them coming loose.
This is also a good way to use up some of the vintage ornaments that have the top part broken (the part the wire holder thingy goes into) I have several of them…but can’t bear to toss them.
Pat – I too, cannot glue the truly vintage ornaments from my family/childhood. However, I did somehow accumulate some along the way – that I had bought at a garage sale years ago. I actually tried to sell them at a garage sale this year but no one bought them. So I may just have to make a wreath out of them.
However, I have a comment – what she is using to wrap is GARLAND. Tinsel is the little silver icecly stuff. It very important to get that straight …Some of us are Tinsel people….others are Garland
haha, i’ll make the correction to “garland” — you are right!
I’ve been a follower of suzy’s blog for a few years – always fun and colorful. The only thing I don’t like is the hot glue-ing of vintage bulbs! If you bump this and one bulb breaks then the whole wreath is completely ruined (I’ve seen such one at the goodwill)…if I ever make one of these with my vintage bulbs I would take the time to wire them…I also like preserving as much as I can.
I was going to post about a DIY wreath that I think is the best ever for an ultra-mod house, but reading the comments, I think it also solves the problem of not wanting to destroy your vintage ornaments
I saw this made on the B.Original craft show that used to be on the DIY TV network and loved its mod look:
http://www.thenester.com/2010/12/bird-watching-wreaths.html/diy
And now I realize it could also be a showcase for vintage ornaments!
Here’s a link to a video about how to make the wreath from PVC pipe lengths:
http://www.diynetwork.com/videos/funky-holiday-wreath/3900.html
Beautiful! I love old ornaments used in creative ways.
I love your ornament wreaths. I have so many of these ornaments
Barbara
Suzy, you wreaths are beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I own a couple old ornament wreaths, but your wreath with the Xmas lights around the outside, sent me over the edge!
How do you make the one with the lights, I love it!!!!!!!!
I love your wreath! I actually made a couple a few years ago. My question is ..it is so hard to store these. I have actually left mine up all year because every time I go to move it I seem to break an ornament! The old ones are sooo fragile. I never see anyone comment on that but I can’t be the only one with this problem, Just curious how you store yours.
Thank you!
I live in Williamsburg Va. and went to the Craft Show, as I do every year. This year I was so moved and excited over Suzy’s booth, it was like re-living my childhood of memories of all the vintage balls and wreaths. My friend who I had brought to the show bought the last wreath at the show that day. Although I was sad not to get a wreath, I’m so happy for my friend to have it. I will be at the door next year when it opens and I hope I will get my wreath!
Mary Meinberg
Neat wreaths! Wish I had beaten you to the estate sale and snagged those 49 (?) Fuller Brush spatulas. I see potential for picture frames for kitchen/eating area pictures or photos. (A little too informal for my dining room, but great in the breakfast nook.)
LOVE that wreath and it really makes me appreciate moms and grandmas old ornaments. Here’s one of my quick decorating tips for you. I use those old hand held iron cheese graters at christmas in front of my house on the sidewalk for my luminaria and in the past few years neighbors on both sides of me have joined in. The last two years we alternated red, white and blue candles to show support for our troops and the result was magnificent. I’m addicted to your blog!
what a great idea — i see these cheese graters all the time at estate sales!
Love this wreath…hoping mine will look this good.
Want to try this but feel stupid – is an extruded wreath a flat one or round one? Guessing round but wouldn’t that be harder to use to glue the ornaments to? I would think the flat wreaths would have more stability and surface area for gluing. Does it matter? Just don’t want to mess this up with my vintage ornies.
Thanks so much.
Tee, see links to instructions….
Hi,
Love Suzy’s ornament wreaths. I’ve planned to make one but haven’t actually done so. Good luck to the lucky winner!
Terry
Hi,
Now I know what I will do today! (That is after I devour every page of this site!)
-Suzanne
I love vintage ornaments! So glad to see another use for them – the wreaths are so beautiful.
I just love Suzy’s wreaths and all of these tips. I have so many vintage balls and you all are giving me the confidence to get started on my wreath. And Suzy sent me information about Williamsburg- so I can’t wait until December!
I”m confused on the wreath prices. You mention them being good deals at $50 – $75, but whenever I look at her available wreaths they are $150 to $300. Am I looking in the wrong place or just at the wrong time? They are beautiful, but I can’t justify spending that much for a wreath.
I think that her prices have increased over time.
These wreaths are fantastic, but they are not selling on her website for $50-75. There are two – one is $150 and the other is $300. I’m sure they are very special, but way beyond my price range. I’m glad we have instructions for making our own. I am not “craftsy” so was hoping to possibly purchase.
Love the wraths and am goin to attempt to make one, one question can you give details regarding the wire loop. Is this for hanging? Thanks