Crafts | Make a Cranberry Wreath

The bright colors of cranberries, harvested here in New England, make them the perfect choice when decorating for the holidays. Follow our easy instructions on how to make a cranberry wreath, and hang this festive decor on your front door.

Materials to Make a Cranberry Wreath

• 6 to 8 (12-ounce) bags of fresh cranberries
• Heavy-duty wire for a hanging loop
• 14-inch Styrofoam wreath form
• 4 boxes round toothpicks
• Needle-nose pliers
• 2 yards of all-weather ribbon, any color
• White-pine boughs (optional)
• Clear lacquer spray (optional)

Directions to Make a Cranberry Wreath

1. Sort and select cranberries for firmness.
2. Wrap wire around the top of the wreath form to create a small hanging loop.
3. Break several toothpicks in half, sticking the broken ends into the cranberries.
4. Using needle-nose pliers, attach the cranberries on the inside edge of the wreath first, in even rows. Place the cranberries very close together so that the foam form does not show through.
5. Repeat the procedure on the wreath’s outer edge.
6. To create a graduated, mounded effect on the face of the wreath: Attach a row of cranberries on whole toothpicks around the center. Reduce the height of the toothpicks as rows progress toward the outer and inner edges of the wreath.
7. Continue to attach the cranberries around the face, rather than edge to edge.
8. Fashion all-weather ribbon into a bow and wire onto wreath on the center bottom.
9. Optional: Across the bottom portion of the wreath, replace the cranberries with soft branches of white pine. Attach the pine with U-shaped hairpins. For easier handling, you may want to hang the wreath and then affix the pine boughs.

This cranberry wreath should last for several weeks in consistently cold weather, but if you would like it to last longer, or are planning on giving it as a gift, simply spray it with clear lacquer. We recommend checking the wreath regularly and removing any berries that show signs of spoilage. Note that warmer temperatures and direct sunlight can shorten its life no matter how it’s cared for.

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