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Do you need a little sunshine in your life?  I do.  That was the inspiration for this sunflower wreath.  I decided to update my front porch for Spring with some happy.  If you remember we couldn’t get a lot of supplies when the quarantine began.  I had to order everything online.  You may be able to get these supplies for less now.  Here is how to DIY a cheap and easy sunflower wreath.

**Below the wreath instructions are a few brief thoughts about the sunflowers in my garden.**

Supplies for how to DIY a cheap and easy Sunflower Wreath:

• 10” wire wreath form with 6″ center – available HERE

• 10″ x 10 yds of yellow poly deco mesh – order it HERE

• 10” x 30 ft. roll of Green poly deco mesh – I got mine HERE

• 16 Yellow Chenille stems cut in 1/2 – you can order them HERE

• Black and White checked ribbon  – HERE

• Burlap ribbon ½ inch – HERE

• Rotary cutter (optional but it is awesome!) – HERE

• Cutting board

• Scissors

• Plastic form for center (I used a disposable salad container)

• Thick jute or rope – You can get it from $Tree or HERE

• Burnt Umber Brown acrylic paint I had some on hand but it’s like $.97 at Walmart

• Foam brush (Dollar Tree)

Directions:

1. Cut the yellow mesh strips 10 inches wide and the green mesh 12 inch strips. I just cut the whole roll of yellow to 10” strips.  You can make it as full as you want.  I ended up removing some after I hung it up because I thought it was too “fluffy”.  However, you can do you.  You only need (7) 12” strips of the green.

2. Cut 14 Chenille stems in ½ and attach to the wreath with a single twist as seen here. Attach 7 chenille stems on outer wire, 9 on the next to outside wire, 7 on the next to center wire, and 5 on the center wire.

3. Take each 12″ strip of green mesh and bend the corner to the center.  Bend the opposite corner to the center to make sort of a bow tie. Next, swinch (is that a word?) the center to gather it and wire it with a single twist to the outside wire of the wreath form.  I put the folded part to the back.  It doesn’t really matter.  These will be your leaves.

4. Shape the ends of two of the yellow 10” in. strips to the center as above to make two bow ties and attach them on top of the leaves.  So, you will have two yellows on top of the green on the outside wire.  You will have 7 green “bow ties” and 14 yellow “bow ties” on the outside wire.

5. Now continue to attach the yellow “bow ties” to all of the chenille stems you’ve already put on your wire wreath form.  Attach 14 on the outer wire on the green, 18 on the next wire, 14 on the next to center wire, and 10 on the inner wire.  Lay the wreath aside and prepare your flower center.

6. For the Center: You could use a 6 in natural rattan coaster for the middle.  Unfortunately, because of the quarantine, I couldn’t get any or they were expensive to order.  So, here is my “make do” version and it was free.

7. Find a thick piece of plastic. I used an empty salad container from my recycle bin.  Cut a 6” circle from the lid.  Pretend the plastic circle is a clock and punch 4 holes at 12, 3, 6 and 9:00 o’clock out on the circle.

8. Wire (4) ½ chenille stems to the plastic circle with the wires pointing to the back.

9. Glue the rope or jute in a circle, starting at the center working your way to the outer edge. Cover the top of the chenille stems that are attached to the plastic circle with jute.

10. Paint the jute dark brown with a sponge brush. It will soak up a lot of paint.

11. After the paint dries, attach the chenille stems to the center wire on the wreath.

12. Fluff your deco mesh around the center to cover wires.  Add bow if desired.  I made mine from black buffalo checked wired ribbon and some thin burlap ribbon and attached to the wreath form.

13. Use a command hook to hang it from the door. Enjoy!

The sunflower is such a happy flower.  We planted sunflowers and zinnias this year in our garden.  Here is my first bloom this year.

I saw a meme on social media that showed two sunflowers facing each other.

The meme said something like, “When the sun is shining, sunflowers face the sun.  However, on cloudy days when they can’t see the sun, they face each other to soak up each other’s energy”.  The point was, we, like sunflowers need each other.

During this odd time in our history, we need each other desperately.   Especially now, when we can’t see what God is doing.  We need to share “The Light” of Christ with each other.

I could not find proof of sunflowers facing each other in nature.  Yes, I googled it.  I wanted it to be true because it is terribly romantic.

Nevertheless, I did find sunflowers keep their faces turned to the sun.  Even on cloudy and stormy days, they still face the East waiting for the sun to shine again.

My sunflowers are 8 feet tall with long spindly stems.  Even on the worst days, they face the East, stand firm, and wait patiently for the sun to shine again.

They may bend and the petals may droop but they stand facing the direction where God always sends the sun to rise again.

Nature instinctively trusts God’s faithfulness and His character.

Sunflowers wait and trust God because He has never failed to care for them before.  Each day may look different but God always provides.  They courageously stand firm on their spindly stems, face the East, and wait.

Psalm 27:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

My friends, it is a cloudy day in our history, even horribly stormy sometimes.

The Son, Jesus, The Light of our life, may be quiet now.  None of us can see what God is doing or know when this storm will pass.

Even Jesus’ Bride, the Church, who knows Him intimately, isn’t sure how to function.

However, we DO know Him, our Creator.

He has never failed us before.  He is trustworthy.  Let’s be like the beautiful sunflowers God created and turn our face to the east or where we saw Him shine last, remember His promises, and wait…  Stand firm and wait.

Habakkuk 2:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

I will stand on my guard post
And station myself on the rampart;
And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me…

Enjoy making this cheap and easy sunflower wreath.

Praying you will use this time to turn off the TV and social media.

Stop focusing on the darkness and focus on Who Your God is!  He is able, He is faithful, and He is Sovereign.  He still in control.

Get a list of God’s Names (I found one Here) and praise Him for Who He is and focus on Him.  Keep your face turned toward Him, just like the sunflower.  Trust Him.  He will answer in His time.

Numbers 6:24-26 New International Version (NIV)

 “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

All my love,

P.S.  I had to wait to finish this post because a storm came through and knocked out the power here.  We think a tornado came through because we lost many limbs, had damage to our roof, and had a huge tree uprooted.

God gave the perfect object lesson and I had to share what happened to my sunflowers.  I thought I had lost them.

The first picture was taken immediately after the storm that evening.  The second was taken the next morning.

Like the sunflower, we can overcome the storm, stand firm, wait patiently, and seek The Son! This storm will pass soon.

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