In a Vase on Monday, hosted by Cathy at Rambling in my Garden has given me a lot of pleasure, both in the odd few times I have participated, but mostly in reading about everyones else’s creations.
Christmas Cycle Wreath
My husband is a very keen cyclist and until recently cycled daily through London on his route to work and in the past has taken on some epics including Lands End to John o’Groats, Calais to the South of France and any routes with lots of hills, his favourites are the gruelling uphill climbs. The wheel rim above was damaged on one of his trips and we thought it would be fun to recycle for this festive season.
In November I posted On the Wild side vase to place outside, Rubus tricolor, Iris sibirica seed heads and Ivy berries remained and birds have slowly picked at some of the fruits but some were still intact.
We dismantled the original vase and collected some more Hawthorn berries, added woodland foliage and Honesty seed heads and spent a happy Sunday afternoon, wiring everything up and attaching it to the wheel. I asked my husband when we were nearly done, had he enjoyed himself, ‘I’m a bit bored now to be honest’ he replied.
Festive Wheel Wreath enroute to the Front Door
We did put the wreath up in the dark on the front door, its glass so a complicated arrangement involving fishing wire and several pairs of hands. This morning when I looked it was on a jaunty angle, but this year I absolutely promise not to ask for it to be readjusted again.
Please take a look at everyone else’s creative arrangements at Cathy’s Rambling in the garden, its fun.
Gardening Jules 
Oh I love this wreath…so many gorgeous berries and greenery…really lovely….you have quite a flair for this.
Its really easy to do Donna, the trickiest part will be ensuring Hawthorn berries do not fall off and are then walked into the house. It was nice too to share this one with my husband.
I think the use of the bicycle wheel is quite clever! I have been wanting to make a wreath myself, but I can’t figure out how to make it round. Oh, if I only had an old wheel!
Hi Karen, anything vaguely circular would do, as the frame will be covered with foliage, tied on in individual bunches with florists wire. I’ve made hoops from Hazel in the past, twisted vines, and bought wicker hoops, anything that will do as a temporary frame. The bike wheel was quirky and I know our children will laugh when they see it.
How original using the wheel as a Xmas wreath. I love it. Do you cycle too?
I do, but not as well as the rest of my family, I like downhill freewheeling rather than arduous uphill its good for your thighs stuff!
Yes, I have also wanted to make me own wreath, I really like that your wreath is so colorful!
Its really easy to do, my mum showed me how to wire things together and arrange on a garland or wreath when I was expecting my eldest daughter a very long time ago. You can put pretty much anything wired in bunches and then attach to a frame so they overlap. The Hawthorn berries and Rose hips added the colour to this one, just hoping they don’t fall off and get walked in on the carpet!
Thanks 🙂
What a great idea! I love the wreath – and I’m also impressed that you got your husband to help!
That was my second wreath, the first put together the week before and on my own, I had asked my husband to help put up whilst he was on a work from home day, I got short shrift. So I took a picture down in our sitting room and hung it up indoors, where its stayed! My husbands enthusiasm stemmed from the bike wheel!
Oh, your You tree crown is really beautiful and original too.
Thankyou, its on our front door now and the bike wheel was a very large 26″, so plus foliage, the finished article is filling the door nicely!
Julie, this wreath is delightful–a fitting reuse for the bicycle wheel! Glad you and your spouse could share a Christmas project.
Thanks Susie, it was fun to do and I really liked that we could do something creative together.
What a grand idea – and I am impressed that ‘Mr Jules’ wanted to be involved, even if only temporarily 🙂 Can you post a picture of it on your front door too, Julie? Your hawthorn berries are gorgeous in their plenty – I have done my wreath today but there were practically no berries on our holly this year 😦 and I have had to improvise, having no hawthorn berries either…. Thanks for sharing yours with us – I shall do a Christmassy vase in due course too
Will do Cathy, once the lights are up, thats phase two of ‘our’ job list.
Love the bike wheel! Very inventive. It must be rather heavy for the front door? Spinning around?
It only weighs a pound in old money, not super duper light, but modern bike light. It buckled when my husband was riding and two spokes broke, so that was the end of its serviceable life as a bike wheel. Its held up on our glass front door with fishing wire with a 20lb breaking strain, so should do the job. Touch wood.
What a great idea, and love the pun on “recycling”! It looks lovely and I can now imagine what difficulties you had attaching it to the door! I got my other half to hang up a wreath for me too, but it involved only one nail in the wall thank goodness!
I wish I didn’t have to ask for help or knew how to hold a drill so that it didn’t scud across the wall ruining paintwork or could do brickwork like Cathy. My first wreath ended up on the sitting room wall in place of a picture I took down to utilise the nail. To my shame I can’t change a tyre either, whereas both of my children can. 🙂
What a great tip, I am on my way to rummage around in the garage for the old wheel that is sitting in the corner unused.
Charlie, its very easy and fun to do and none else in our village has one the same!
I am reading ‘Sacred Gardens’, a Taoism text from the 4th century BC: Thirty spokes on a cartwheel, Go towards the hub that is the centre – but look, there is nothing at the centre and that is precisely why it works. Emptiness. such as the hub, can be the very thing that defines something.
Tao Te Ching.
Space is as important as presence.
Thank you Brian, this is very intriguing, I wish my head were less blancmange like currently as the lead up to the 25th is hectic in this house, students home from uni, elderly parents and 2 extra dogs to care for. Last night I read ‘The Woman who went to bed for a year’ Sue Townsend. I know I should be stretching further, and I will look further into ‘Sacred Gardens’ I feel I understand the text ‘Space is as important as presence’ though and would like to know more.
Sacred Gardens by Martin Palmer & David Manning. Published in 2000. It was a recent charity shop find. I had just read the passage above, the night before you posted your wheel wreath. What a coincidence? Not much empty space in your house for a while then!
Thank you, sounds a great find, I have made a note and its nice to have a recommended book too. I love the holidays when everyone is home, its just that they are all so tall and no-one else appears to be able to work the cooker!
What fun, I really like this clever use of the wheel. The honesty really adds light too.
It makes me laugh every time I walk past the front door and I know my children will laugh too, especially as I am normally so ruthlessly particular about tasteful festive decorations.
What an unusual and pretty idea! I’d never have thought of doing that but it looks great.
Thanks Annette, thats kind to say, but its more quirky than pretty, it just makes me smile a great deal too.
Brilliant!
Thank you! 🙂
Haha! So good. Can’t wait to see it in the flesh. xxxx
Hello! I can’t wait either, the high winds took their toll, some emergency repairs are needed!
It’s a beauty! Hope your Christmas was lovely.
Thank you and you too Cynthia, we were blessed this year with lots of family and friends to share the holiday with. Happy New Year to you and yours.
I bike the Mississippi River here in USA-Illinois ever spring-summer. We have an amazing bike path that runs adjacent to the river:-) This wreath speaks to me! LOVE IT:-) Original + beautiful:-) Now I know what to do with an old bike wheel next Christmas!
Your bike path sounds brilliant, must be a fantastic journey to make. Nobody else had one in our village this year, not sure they will catch on, but it made us laugh!
I like original! + that was original..maybe string some lights on the spokes:-)
I’m late to the party, but I love this wreath! My husband is a cyclist as well, and I think his response to your question about enjoying himself while making the wreath would have been about the same! Must remember this idea next year.
Hi Kimberley, I was amazed he lasted as long as he did! If we do it again, we would try a smaller wheel, this one was a bit large!