What you make them out of...

• Twisted dried grapevine wreath forms can be bought - or made, if you have access to a grapevine! They’re so handsome in and of themselves that little (if any) decoration is needed to make them festive.

• Recycled artificial Christmas tree branches can be made into attractive wreaths or swags (if you aren’t put off by having no real, fragrant boughs to enjoy). (Or add some real, fragrant boughs!) The wire basis for the branch means that all you have to do is twist them together.

• The folded paper autumn leaves (creased along the vein lines, to give them "body") make a princely wreath as well as a swag or garland. (Perhaps I say "princely" because they remind me of royal crowns.) They could just be glued to a styrofoam wreath form or one made of heavy paper or cardboard.

• Make a light-twisting wreath of excess CDs and a simple cardboard backing. Use one for the center, and glue about 10 others, overlapping, in a circle around the outside of it... pretty!

• Use any dry (if not thoroughly dried) real leaves for the wreath... and spray-paint the whole with a metallic (or maybe just pearlescent?) paint.

• Wire/glue a whole lot of dried aromatic herbs together... wow!

• …Or (if you’re lucky enough to come by a vast quantity) lots and lots of cinnamon sticks.

• ...Or a bunch of different small succulents, if you have a lot of them to glean from.

• ...Or a collection of beautiful seashells.

• ...Or some small pine, fir, or spruce cones.

• ...Or a spiral of feathers, if you have molting birds!

• A straw wreath form can easily and inexpensively be made with two wire coat hangers and some twine or thin wire... Pull the coat hangers into circular shapes. Cut one hanger at the bottom and rewire it together so that it’s just a little smaller than the intact one - placing it inside the outer one, it should be two or three inches away from the outer circle. Wire/tie the two circles together evenly all around - then wire/tie bunches of straw onto one side in a fat tube. Decorate as you like - the straw makes an attractive background for simple decorations (dried flowers?), or it can be completely covered up and is easy to pin or glue things to.

• Glue a horde of buttons onto a flat cardboard ring, trim with a huge gauzy bow.
  

• Wrap a foam wreath form in strips from book/map/score pages and decorate with flowers/leaves made from the same (wintry "write-white"?).
  

• Another way to use book pages is to dye them (perhaps in 2-3 related colors), then roll them into cones and hot-glue them onto a cardboard wreath form in an interesting pattern. (Use 2-4 tsps. of dye to 2 cups of hot water, poured into shallow pans and submerge a few book pages into each dye bath - leaving them in the length of time that produces the effect you want. Take them out one at a time, rinse them in cool water, and lay them on paper towels to dry thoroughly. Press them with an iron between cloths to smooth them out if you like.)

• Wreaths don't have to be round - how about a star shape?

• Use up all those spare "boughten" ribbon bows by gluing them onto a styrofoam wreath form.
  

• Wrap a wreath form in a tinsel garland and add any decorations you like every so often.

• Tack colorful crayons in a rainbow circle on a cardboard ring.
  

• Twist-tie multi-colored un-blown-up balloons onto a wire wreath form (for someone whose birthday is soon after Christmas?).

• Then there’s a fancy loopy wreath made from knitting ribbon. See "Crocheted Ribbon Wreath" in Instructions.

• Another wreath form (that may help you get rid of unwanted Stuff!) can be made by wrapping bits of chicken wire around an old bicycle tire. Stick decorative elements into the wire holes, or wire/tie/glue them on. (In fact, why not continue with the recycling theme in how you decorate it?) (And maybe in some households, plain chicken wire with "homespun" ornamentation will be appreciated.)

• A dried red chili pepper wreath is very festive - just string them together through the centers and tie them to a wire form (what about shaping it as a heart?). Or hang a row of them as a swag across the fireplace (a great place for hot chilies!) .

• Small tangerines or large kumquats and their leaves make a striking wreath (thread the fruit together, then wire the circle onto a "bed" of leaves attached to a wreath form).

• Long pine or spruce cones can be strung together through the ends (with spacers of some kind - fat beads, maybe) and hung across a window or fireplace under a swag of evergreen boughs.
  

• Long cones can also be arrayed in a whirly circle, spray-painted white - and then add single-color birds and baubles in strategic nooks.

• One year I made jigsaw-cut, white-painted wooden wreaths out of 1X12" boards (so that the two halves of the wreath would hinge together - for easier shipping and storing)... with painted jigsaw-cut birds and holly leaves. (Everyone I made them for keeps theirs up all year - including me.)
  

• Just marshmallows can be glued onto a wreath form = "snow".

• And a children’s wreath favorite, wrapped hard candies... that can be snipped off judiciously throughout the season!
  

• A beautiful medallion wreath can be made by hot-gluing concentric rings of pinecones, fruits, and nuts to a foam wreath circle (perhaps with dried moss filling in any visible cracks).

• And living wreaths! - Stuff wire forms with sphagnum moss and soil, tuck small plants into them. They can be used as a table centerpiece and later hung on an outdoor wall or fence (where they’re easy to water with the hose and drip dry).
    

What you decorate them with...

• A wreath almost as intriguing as a one-of-a-kind ornament-decorated tree can be made from greenery and an inner ring of fancy buttons, beads, and charms (with a large glittery ribbon at the top to match).

• Dog biscuits tied on with criss-crosses of ribbon

• Sewing supplies? Other profession- or hobby-oriented samplings?

• Trouble dolls and other small folk-arty folks and animals

• Cookie cutters

• Office supplies

• A whole tiny village!
    

(A wreath can make a wonderful gift, too... How about a fresh greenery base, and the dog biscuits, sewing supplies, cookie cutters, etc. are made to be used afterward?)