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I took a hike with my son a few days ago. Little did I know that within a few hours time (the bulk of the time was the actual hike), we would have a gorgeous, homemade harvest wreath that truly rivaled anything I have seen in the trendy stores and catalogs. The two best things about this unintentional project were the fun we had making the wreath, and the fact that it was absolutely free!

It was a sunny, crisp October afternoon. My family enjoys hiking, so my son and I decided to indulge in one of our favorite pastimes. Living in the northeast, the colors and sights of fall were pretty much at their peak. It was a feast for the senses as well as a nice way to spend some quality time together.

We were walking around a lake in a lightly wooded area. Vibrant red leaves on the vines entwined around mature trees were truly breathtaking. The twisting and braiding around the tree trunks in such intricate and fascinating ways had an almost surreal quality to them. If you've ever seen how those climbing vines, you know what I mean!

There were similar trees and vines scattered about that were obviously dead. My little guy asked if those vines were the same ones they sell at the craft stores (the ones arranged in circles, ovals, hearts, etc). I honestly didn't know and still don't, but they did look similar. Then my son asked, 'Can we make a wreath with a dead vine?'

Wow! Out of the mouths of babes, as the saying goes!! He gave me a fresh idea for an awesome home interior decorating idea for fall (thanks, Honey!): a harvest wreath. I couldn't wait to share this idea with you.

We carefully unwound one of the dead vines until we had about ten feet (this is just an estimate; we didn't have a tape measure or anything like that with us). After removing a few crunchy dead leaves, we wound the vine around itself to make a circle. It wasn't perfect by any means, and I think that added to its charm.

As we continued out hike, we collected wildflowers in bright purple, white, and yellow.

Once we were back at home, we plucked some orange mums from the back garden. Using the stems, we threaded the flowers and weeds onto our dark brown vine. We did this quite whimsically, not putting any though into color placement or anything too complicated; if it looked good and the stem held it on the vine, we added the flower or weed.

This project literally took less than an hour from start to finish and my son did the bulk of the creation. I hung our harvest wreath on the front door, and received many compliments from my neighbors. One even asked where we bought it because she wanted one for her door, too! I could not believe how simple it was to make and yet how beautiful it came out!

It's a few days later now and the flowers have faded, but the wreath is still lovely. I have since collected small bunches of flowers, weeds, and herbs and am drying them upside down. Once dry, I will attach them to the vine with floral wire. I also intend to add nuts and seed pods with my hot glue gun. A homemade bow from old ribbon will be the finishing touch.

I hope this inspires you to make your own harvest wreath. It is a simple, lovely, and easy way to add to your autumn d'cor.