Try this alternative arrangement to the traditional Advent wreath
The period of Advent encompasses the four Sundays and four weeks running up to Christmas when the lighting of the candles commence. There are two types of candles; one which is marked off with the days running up to Christmas and where a section is burned down each day. The second type has four candles, usually incorporated into a wreath, where one is lit on the first Sunday, two on the second, three on the third and four on the last Sunday. Instead of a wreath we have kept with a gardening theme and used a decorative mesh basket with four small terracotta plant pots, but you could use decorative teacups, Christmas mugs or just decorate some candleholders.
You will need:
- 4 candle holders (plant pots in this case)
- potting grit
- 4 dinner candles
- 12 dried orange slices
- 4 conifer sprigs
- small cones
- glue gun and glue sticks
Hold the candle in place in the pot and fill around it with potting grit to hold it steady. Top off the pots with small cones to hide the grit. Glue together three pieces of dried orange to form a strip and insert it into one side of the pot together with a small sprig of conifer. If you are doing this project with children remember to use cold glue as both the hot glue and the gun can cause serious burns. That’s all there is to making a simple contemporary Scandi-style Advent arrangement.
Instead of the conifer you could always use a few twigs sprayed with a metallic florists paint. If you are using brightly coloured candle holders try substituting the small cones for multi-coloured mini baubles or the coloured glass pebbles used as a decorative pot dressing.
We also have a video showing you how easy it is to transform an ordinary wreath into an Advent wreath by just moving some of the decorations around.
