News

Mar 15, 2023

DIY Décor: PVC isn’t just for plumbing anymore

For a while now, in our new community of Southern Shores on the Outer Banks, I

For a while now, in our new community of Southern Shores on the Outer Banks, I have been admiring a neighbor's square wreath on dog walks. Not a holiday decoration, it is more of a wreath for all seasons.

Initially I wanted to make myself one, but I ultimately decided it would make a better housewarming gift for a friend who recently divorced and moved into a new home she is making her own. With that settled, the real question became how to go about constructing a square wreath.

I’m not sure how or why, but PVC came to mind. So I jumped online to see what already exists. There are many PVC wreaths on Pinterest, but they are all made of numerous short lengths glued together — perpendicular to the door — into a round shape. All of that cutting and gluing is way too much work, in my opinion. But, I thought, why not use four elbow joints and four short lengths of pipe? Why not, indeed. It was so simple and inexpensive.

After I bought a pair of 24-inch lengths of 1.5-inch diameter PVC pipe, Bob sawed them in half. I inserted the ends firmly into the elbow joints, hung the wreath in a tree, and spray painted it with a product meant for surfaces including plastic. (You should first sand the pipe; if you don't, you’ll need several coats of paint to cover the bar codes, and the paint will scratch off more easily. Spray on a top coat of clear sealer, also for scratch resistance, and to make the wreath better able to withstand the elements.)

I love DIY projects but I am not terribly crafty; still, I was determined to do this myself, giving my floral designer friend, David Prescott, the evening off. Wanting a kind of industrial modern minimalist look — though you could certainly max it out with moss and a plethora of posies — I used white pipe cleaners and hot glue to wire and adhere in place the few flowers, leaves, pair of succulents, and white burlap bow I had chosen.

Not wanting to throw off my carefully conceived asymmetrical balance with an obtrusive hanger, I turned to David. He instantly produced the perfect solution: Drill a hole in the back of the upper bar to slip over a nail. One consideration to keep in mind: If you have created asymmetrical balance as I did, you should not drill the hole in the center, or the wreath will hang lopsidedly. One solution is to plan in advance to hang it by a corner, as a diamond shape, and design accordingly. But I really wanted it to be square, so I just balanced it on my finger until I found the center of gravity and drilled the hole there.

Though I am excited to bestow this handmade gift on my friend, I think I now want to make one for myself. For mine, I might simply tie a casual bouquet of rustic botanicals on one side, allowing the stems to show on the front. I’m not going to lie: Trying to prevent the back of the wreath from looking a mess required some effort, though worth it.

Betsy DiJulio, [email protected]

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Betsy's budget

Two 24-inch lengths of 1.5-inch PVC pipe: $15

Four PVC elbow joints: $3

Spray paint and sealer: free (had on hand; otherwise, about $8 each)

Floral embellishments: $24 (could have spent less)

Pipe cleaners and hot glue: free (had on hand)

TOTAL: $42 (sounds expensive unless you have priced wreaths lately)

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