Monogrammed Snowflake Wreath

There were two things that I wanted to accomplish with my large wreath.  #1 was that any embellishment on the wreath must be able to be seen from the road.  Our house sits back from the road and any small doo dads like pine cones and bows cannot be seen.  #2 it couldn't be just a Christmas or holiday wreath.  The wreath had to work until the weather changed.  So it had to be a winter wreath.

So in a nut shell....I needed something big and wintery like a big snowflake. But I didn't know I wanted a snowflake until I saw this one.

What I knew I wanted was a monogram.  A big old "H".  So I went surfing the web for a large wood cut out of an H and landed at Unfinished Wood Co.  I found this snowflake H when I searched their selection of seasonal monograms.  I knew the moment I saw it that it would be perfect. For directions to making the evergreen wreath, go here.

The snowflake arrived within 3 weeks unpainted but ready to paint.  I used a emery board for acrylic nails to soften the sharp edges but that step is not needed. I then drilled a small hole at the top so I could thread a length of wire through it to attach the snowflake to the wreath.

I brushed on three coats of white craft paint using a flat artist brush. If I was to do this again I would spray paint this snowflake because of all the little tight spots and inside corners that were really difficult to paint.  I also painted both the front and back because this was hanging on the outside of my living room window and would be seen from inside of the house.

The snowflake is large enough to be seen from the road and then there is the added surprise of when you get close enough you can see the monogram.

I love this wreath because it will work well throughout the winter.  So often by the time Christmas arrives we are already burned out on the decorations.  So many stores and businesses decorate for the holidays sooooooo early that we are really ready for a decoration break by January.  This snowflake and wreath are simple yet bold without a lot of busy sparkly design that scream DECEMBER. Another plus is that it is reusable not only in this application but can be used alone on the front door or even indoors.  Maybe next year I will add a little glass glitter to make it sparkle like snow.