We’ve got just the thing to make your door pop this holiday season

By Tim Goodwin - Dec 9, 2014 | 0 comments

A wreath made of cupcakes? Now we’ve seen it all.

Colorful and glitzy.

Whatever you do, don’t eat the berries.

Some of the traditional designs.

Who would have thought a fake reindeer would make the perfect wreath centerpiece?

Cobblestone Design Company owner Brad Towne helps unload a 6-foot wreath. We can only speculate, but we believe it was purchased just so we could take this picture.

So we drove by your house the other day and were a little disappointed.

No, we’re not talking about your leaf/snow pile that looks like the result of an epic weather battle between fall and winter, but rather the open space on your front door. Sure your door is nice and goes well with the shutters, but don’t you feel that something’s missing?

It is the holiday season, after all, and nothing says this house is bursting with Christmas spirit like some balsam branches hanging in a circular formation with pine cones, silver or gold balls and big red bows. That and a ton of lights that would give Clark Griswold a run for his money.

We’re talking wreaths here, people, and if you don’t have one, it’s about time you got one. Everybody’s doing it, and don’t you want to be part of the cool crowd? Don’t worry, it’s early enough in the season that you won’t be the focus of utter humiliation from your neighbors – at least not yet.

Now, the one wreath we described above is called traditional because it’s been a mainstay in the wreath decorating business for years, and we know this thanks to Cobblestone Design Company’s owner Brad Towne.

Towne also told us about all the other unique ways to decorate what should really be considered your front door’s centerpiece. Now for full disclosure’s sake, Towne brings his wreaths in premade from Canada because for one, they take too long to construct, and secondly, he can spend more time jazzing them up to meet his customers every wants and needs.

“We’re more known for putting our style to it,” Towne said.

Because you see, Towne and his trusty crew of wreath making elves will put out a bunch of traditional combinations right after Thanksgiving, ones with different size bows, pine cones and accent pieces for those just looking to pick one up to take home.

But they’ll also take a quick walk around the store with you to find that perfect combination of glitz and color, elegance and wow. And believe us, there’s plenty to choose from considering most of the store is Christmas and has been since October.

At Cobblestone, nothing is off limits – and we mean nothing. At least when it comes to wreath making. You want glass or wire balls? They can do that. Maybe a mixture of gold and silver leafy things as well? Sure, why not. How about bright blues, vibrant greens or electric orange? There’s a way to mix that in, too. You can even bring in your own pine cones.

“They come to us for a more artistic and colorful wreath,” Towne said. “They’ll give us their color schemes and say ‘Do what you want.’ ”

The first thing you need to do is determine what size is needed for your door. The most common is 16 to 18 inches, but just to be clear, that’s the size of the metal ring the wreath is built on, so it will actually be about 24 inches or a little bigger.

If you have a color scheme this year, bring samples of those as well. Pick out the things you want on your wreath (they can even do snowmen) and come back a little later to pick it up. It’s really that simple.

“It’s a matter of what we have to put on them each year,” Towne said.

It takes about 15 minutes to make a traditional wreath and about 30 to 45 for a personalized circle.

Towne will even do special orders for larger wreaths, like six- feet-in-diameter kind of larger, that this year will hang from the side of the Graphic Packaging building on Commercial Street, four stories up to be exact.

But Cobblestone also has quite the selection of artificial wreaths for those who want to bring the fun indoors.

“You can get really creative,” Towne said. “You can use ornaments that won’t really survive in the cold and if you take care of them, they’ll last years.”

Balsam is the premiere ingredient in a good wreath because it is hearty and will last.

“You need something that will take 20-degree weather,” Towne said. “A balsam wreath holds in its needles the best and will stay green – as long as it’s cold – for three months.”

And don’t worry if you forget to water it, because wreaths don’t need water. It’s your tree with all the lights on it that does.