Making holiday wreaths out of ceiling medallions is easy

NORTH COUNTY – One idea for holiday decorations that are simple to make and won’t fade over time involves using pre-manufactured ceiling medallions to create centerpieces, wreaths, and cardholders. This can also provide fun, fast, family activities.

“Urethane ceiling medallions are lightweight and versatile for these kind of holiday projects,” said Theresa Coleman Clement, host of “My Fix it Up Life” home improvement talk show. “These are normally found on a ceiling to accent a fan or lighting fixture, but I find these medallions are ideal for creating unique holiday decorations that look great year-after-year.”

Card wreath

For a new way to display holiday cards, start by selecting and hand-painting or spray-painting a decorative ceiling medallion. When dry, use a staple gun to attach hard poster board on the back of the medallion, leaving the sides closest to the outer edges “open” so that when the medallion is flipped over cards can be slipped into the poster board. Staple a loop of ribbon to the back of the medallion to hang on a picture hook or nail.

“I like to use colors that match our walls so that we can reuse this wreath for showcasing birthday cards and pictures throughout the year,” said Clement. “It’s easy to slide the cards in and out of the poster board ‘pockets’ and to change out the backdrop of items regularly.”

Holiday messages

In order to decorate a home interior or exterior, Clement recommends selecting three similarly-sized Fypon ceiling medallions and spray-painting them in holiday colors.

“Choose three or four medallions with large round holes in the middle,” said Clement. “You can pick different styles of medallions, but stay with the same size of medallions to make an arrangement of the finished pieces.”

Clement suggests choosing several words that reflect the holidays, like “Ho-Ho-Ho” or “Joy - Peace - Hope” and then printing them up on the computer. Place one word on the back of each medallion, centering it in the hole and facing outwards. Then tape or staple the word to the medallion, along with a ribbon for hanging the finished piece.

“Across the front of our house exterior we have ‘Ho Ho Ho’ on three medallions hanging from our windows and door,” said Clement. “You can also make an interior wall arrangement of these pieces.

“Best of all, you can change out the words during the year for different holidays. The green-painted medallions could easily have shamrocks in the center for St. Patrick’s Day or the words ‘Fresh - Spring - Fun’ to celebrate the arrival of Springtime!”

Table centerpieces

Looking for a holiday centerpiece that’s easy to make? Simply paint a ceiling medallion and then add a battery-operated candle in the center “hole” portion of the medallion.

“Imagine a variety of sizes of different colored medallions spread across a long dining room table all twinkling with little lights,” said Clement. “If you have young children, you can have each child paint their own medallion to make it a family project. And, accenting the area around the candles with holiday greenery, ribbons or ornaments can add even more flourish to a simple project.

“After the holidays, the painted medallions can be reused in a variety of ways - as a picture frame or with the word sayings. And, you can even add small mirrors to the center holes to make a unique wall display of mirrored medallions.”