A Kentucky Derby Wreath

Can you believe the Kentucky Derby is only days away!  The Derby is always a great excuse to gather friends and family for a celebration.  This year I will be welcoming my guests with my ‘Run for the Roses’ wreath.

Wouldn’t you love to be welcomed at the door by this Derby Day themed wreath.  Back in 1904 the red rose became the official flower of the Kentucky Derby.  In 1925 a sports columnist dubbed the horse race as the “Run for the Roses”.

In 1932 the tradition of the beautiful blanket of more than 400 red roses became an integral part of the Kentucky Derby winner’s celebration.  In planning my wreath, I knew I wanted to include red roses.

I began by wrapping a straw wreath form with wide black burlap ribbon.  I bent the wreath into an oval shape which to me looks a little more like the racetrack.

I picked up this little oval art canvas thinking I would put the words, “run for the roses” on it, but was wondering how I would add horses or horseshoes to the wreath.  I decided that if I took my dollar store horse, painted it gold and put it on a field of green it would look very regal and somewhat official.  I painted the canvas green, the horse gold and got out the glue gun.

Next was just the addition of a red rose garland I picked up at Hobby Lobby at 50% off.  I attached the garland with “S” pins.  It will remove easily to re-use in the future.  The garland was somewhat sparse so I filled it in with a couple of red rose bushes also from the dollar store.  I just used wire cutters to separate the roses and pushed them right into the straw wreath.  I am ready to welcome guests, so now it is time to start polishing my mint julep cups!

I will be sharing this at the following link parties: This is How We Roll | I’m Lovin’ It | Friday Flash Blog | No Rules Weekend Blog Party | Tutorials and Tips Link Party | Best of the Weekend Party