Family At The Foot Of The Cross: Liturgical Wreaths

Here are some wreath ideas to decorate your home all through the liturgical year!

January~Holy Name of Jesus

I found these supplies at the Dollar Tree!

These plaques were so cute and they came with the bow already connected.

I had spray painted them gold for a "past project".

Having just learned a new crafting word recently:

"Repurpose"...Love that word...

I found a "new purpose" for my plaques.

Coupled with these little wooden letters, which are perfect for all kinds of crafts,

I came up with a way to honor the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

I guess the photo (above) kind of gives away what I ended up with!?

Just a little Modge Podge, paint, and glitter...

Not very fancy but super easy!

Voila, we have a plaque that completes our

January Liturgical Wreath!

~January is dedicated to the Most Holy Name of Jesus~

We just hung our regular wreath over the plaque that reads

"Jesus Loves"

~With these sentiments, the wreath also makes a nice St. Valentine's decoration~

I just love this wreath of red roses that I found at Target (last year) since

Red Roses also represent Our Lady!

February~Month of the Holy Family

(The Holy Family was incorporated into this St. Valentine wreath)

Spreading the Love of God is the spirit of St. Valentine's Day!

Here is a Christian craft to decorate your home, classroom or home altar.

I originally got the idea for this wreath from Kaboose. They called theirs a Paper Conversation Heart Wreath. For the most part, I followed their instructions at this link, with the exception of the scripture verses. My tutorial is listed below.

St. Valentine Scripture Heart Wreath:

I began with a sturdy paper plate...

And cut out the middle

These were my other materials...

I looked up scripture on LOVE, using my New American version of the Holy Bible.

I ended up with 8 verses on love.

Did you know that the word love is mentioned approximately 180 times in the New Testament alone?

These were the verses I chose:

"Let Us Love One Another"~1 John 4:7 Full Verse reads: "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
"Love Never Ends."~ 1 Corinthians 13 Full Verse reads: "Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing."
"We Love Because He First Loved Us." ~1 John 4:19 Full Verse reads: "We love because he first loved us." (Oops, accidentally wrote 1 John 4:7 on the wreath)
"Love The Lord Your God."~Mark 12:30 Full Verse reads: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."
"Find Your Delight In The Lord."~Psalm 37:4 Full Verse reads: "Find your delight in the LORD who will give you your heart's desire."
"I Have Hidden Your Word In My Heart."~Psalm 119:11 Full Verse reads:"In my heart I treasure your promise, that I may not sin against you."
"Love Your Neighbor As Yourself."~Leviticus 19:18 Full Verse reads:"Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."
"Let Love Be Genuine."~Romans 12:9 Full Verse reads:"Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good."

Once I wrote scripture verses on paper hearts, I glued them on paper doilies to make a pretty background. I used hot glue to connect the finished heart to the paper plate.

All hearts are now connected! The final touch was a heart in the middle containing an image of the Holy Family since February is dedicated to the Holy Family. After all, they are the ultimate expression of LOVE!

~The finished product hanging over our Home Altar/Prayer Table~

I just used heart ribbon that I found at the Dollar Tree to hang the wreath!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

"At the end of our life, we shall be judged by love."

~St. John of the Cross~

March/April
(I made Lenten wreaths)

For this Lenten wreath, I spray painted a Dollar Tree wreath (purple) and wrapped it in sheer purple ribbon, representing the colors of Lent...

These materials were all found at the Dollar Tree, including the faux barbed wire. (Bought at Halloween) I thought this was a good representation of the crown of thorns.

I used hot glue to attach the faux crown of thorns and also to attach Christ crucified to the top.

Finally, I added white lilies, representing St. Joseph~The Month Of March is dedicated to St. Joseph. I also liked the Easter eggs attached, representing new life after the resurrection...This seemed to tie it all together. The silk lilies and eggs come in a bunch at the Dollar Tree too! Since I had the crucifix and spray paint on hand, this wreath's cost was a mere $3.00.

We use this wreath indoors!

Moving outdoors, our front door dons a Dogwood Lenten wreath. Have you heard about the Legend of the Dogwood? It's a beautiful Lent/Easter story to know and share.

I added a purple ribbon (Hobby Lobby has the perfect purple colored ribbon on their wedding aisle) and this little crown of thorns door hanger that I found at Autom last year for $4.99.

How about a St Patrick's Day wreath?

This one is simple as I converted a secular St. Patrick's Day wreath into a liturgical wreath, with a few easy steps...And a little Mod Podge with an image of St. Patrick!

I started with this grapevine wreath and added some foam glitter shamrocks with hot glue, representing the way that St. Patrick taught us about the trinity. I think I bought these and the large bow from the Dollar Tree at one time.?

Then I added this image to the center, found at this link. I reduced it to 30% and glued it on with a little Mod Podge. Voila...A St. Patrick liturgical wreath!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May ~Month of Our Lady~

You can use this wreath for Mary's month of May and then again in August!

Since the month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart, I originally made this liturgical wreath in honor of Our Lady! The first liturgical wreath I tried was in June for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I had fun making them both...

Here are a few photos and easy steps for the Immaculate Heart Wreath.

~O Mary Immaculate, inflame our hearts with one ray of burning love of thy pure heart~

~I started with a foam heart base and used tacky glue to secure some green moss~

The styro wreath was only $3.99 @ our local craft store(Beverly's Fabric)

Then I added some silk flowers...but switched to using hot glue.

What a blessing that all floral stems are 50% off right now!

Be sure to hot glue a piece of greenery across the middle (see photo above) to serve as a base for the roses!

The entire project cost $19.00

~I thought this was a pretty good deal~

You may even be able to find supplies at a dollar store and cut the cost a bit more...

~This is a close up photo, prior to hanging~

I thought about hanging it indoors!

But then I decided to add a ribbon hangar and display it on our front door for the month...

I can always move it inside later on!

~The Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a beautiful prayer for the month~

**We just might have to revisit a previous post and make another Immaculate Heart Cake**

June~Sacred Heart of Jesus~

~Sacred Heart of Jesus Wreath~

June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart...

~This was a really easy craft to adorn your front door or home altar!~

*My daughter Princess (age 7) was a good helper*

We started with a foam heart and silk red roses, found at Michael's...

~Most of the roses were stuck right into the foam...Sometimes with a little help from my (hot glue) friend~

~We added some dried birch tree branches for the woven thorns through the middle...Think we'll add a bit more to make it a thicker weave~

~The cross(on top)with flames was "originally" made from painted craft sticks and silk red petals, once again with a little help from the hot glue gun~ (I think I would use natural objects for the cross next time..In fact, I may end up with a re-do very soon. The craft sticks look a bit out of place!) I ended up re-doing the cross with natural sticks. I think it looks much better this way. (Photo at top and bottom)

Here are some ways to display the finished wreath....

~We took a photo with our wreath hung inside our entry way~

~Then we hung it on our front door~

~It seemed a little bare so we attached it to a plain white wreath we had on hand~

**Everyone agreed "Much better" for the front door**

I'm just loving the idea of a liturgical wreath!

We can detach the Sacred Heart wreath and use it for our home altar when we are through the month of June!

Here are a few photos of the "re-do", using natural branches from the backyard and more twigs for the center thorn weave...

Much better, don't you think?

October~Month of the Holy Rosary~

It's October, the month of the Holy Rosary!

I've done a couple of posts on liturgical wreaths in the past. I didn't make this particular autumn wreath but I thought that draping a wooden rosary in the middle of the wreath would help tie in the month of October to our faith. I've heard, countless times, that the rosary is the best spiritual weapon. Help stomp out Satan...What better place for one to hang than on front door!

“The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you’ll be amazed at the results.”

- St. Josemaria Escriva-

Pray, Pray, Pray!

"The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin…If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without praying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors." Pope Pius XI

November

~A Circle of Souls for November~

Well, here we go...Another Liturgical Wreath Idea!

Since November is dedicated to All Souls, I hung a cross ornament in the middle of my Autumn wreath to recall all of the souls that we are praying for this month in particular.

Kicking off the month of November with All Saint's Day, I picked out a few of our laminated holy cards, (since the wreath is outdoors) representing these early Christian witnesses who have died in the Lord. The ones we picked are special to our family. We named these saints our "circle of souls" that we call on for intercessory prayer and protection. How fitting that they guard the entry of our home!

~A few variations of the November wreath~

You could keep it simple with just a cross and no holy cards...

Or you could use a "natural" cross if you don't have a cross ornament on hand. We made this one and used it for our wreath after Princess carried it with her St. Kateri Tekakwitha Costume!