Trying to create a unique entry for our townhouse from the small sea of identical townhouses is challenging given the HOA rules. Adding vines around the front door is definitely helping. Bonus, changing it out seasonally will be easy because first I installed a DIY framework made with plumbing supplies! Here’s what I did…
DIY Pipe Frame
First thing I made was a lightweight frame of sorts with white plastic plumbing pipes and copper bell hangers. White pipes blend in better because the wood trim around the door is white.
I chose the bell hangers because they hold the pipes securely, but yet creating a gap between the pipes and the doorframe. With that space I can easily slip wires behind the pipe to attach the vines or decorations I want to add around the doorway.
There is approximately 3/4″ gap between the trim and pipe.
The white plastic pipes easily cut with pretty much any saw you have. I cut ours with a jigsaw, but a hand saw would work too.
We used corner pieces to connect the pipes on the two top corners, and didn’t bother to glue them for this use.
That gap between trim and pipe is perfect! I was even able to slip a couple of grapevines behind it.
Grapevines
After the pipes were installed, I started adding the vines around front door using grapevines. I had to purchase mine, but you may be able to gather some wild grapevines. The purchased grapevines come very tightly coiled and are really hard to uncoil. I think next time I’ll try to soak them in a bucket of water overnight and see if that loosens them up more.
When wiring them to the doorway, my goal was for them to look organic and not too tight around the doorway.
Also, as I went along, I was careful to be sure there were not vines interfering with the door movement, or the ring doorbell camera.
Ring Doorbell
Do you have a ring doorbell camera? I really appreciate having it. Super easy install, I did it myself. It was just a simple step of replacing the doorbell button that was already there. No drilling or sawing, just a screwdriver. There are options for an electric style or battery operated style, (I’ve used both).
Now I can see who’s at the door, if there’s a package on the front porch or even check to see if it’s snowing out.
Here is a shopping link to our electric style ring doorbell.
Don’t already have a doorbell, so no electric there? No worries! At our last house, I needed a battery operated one, at the shop entrance because there wasn’t already a doorbell there either. This is the battery operated one I got for there. Again, really easy install and it worked great!
Okay, enough about doorbells, back to the vines on front door project…
Next Layer
Here are the vines and supplies I have selected for this spring doorway display, (and I’m hoping for many months through summer).
To make it easy for you, if you’re wanting something similar, I’ll link the same or very similar options for you as I mention them in this post.
3 lengths of faux magnolia vines.
The next step of building up this vining arrangement on the front door was to wire the magnolia garland on top of the grapevines.
The magnolia vines was easy to vine it in and around the grapevine and plumbing pipe frame. I first twisted cut lengths of florist wire to the magnolia vine and then wired that to the grapevine and frame.
The way I wired them was I snipped about 12″ of florist wire off the spool of wire. Then I bent the wire in half, twisting it around the the main wire part of the magnolia vine, then with the florist wire tails, about 5″ each, it was easy to twist that around the grapevine and plumbing pipe frame.
The grapevine with just the magnolia vine alone was pretty, but, ever the heart of a maximalist, I had envisioned a little more…
Additions
Wanting these vines around front door to last many months, I felt colorful flowers might start to be obnoxious to me in a week or two. Instead I thought layers of greens and textures with more of a natural feel would would be a better option.
My plan was to create a large corner arrangement that would tuck up in the top left of the doorway. Then add a few smaller arrangements on the doorway to balance it.
I found it was easiest to build and wire together the arrangements on the kitchen counter, and then wire it as a unit outside to the doorway.
Supplies
Incorporating several different types of leaves with differing shades of green and even some brown, here are my supplies for the arrangements:
Faux eucalyptus bushes. I simply snipped the branches off individually to wire a few branches in each arrangement.
Faux pussy willow stem. Same as the eucalyptus, snipped and wired individually.
The closest thing to flowers with color in the arrangements are the yellow berry stems.
The wooden mushrooms were actually Christmas ornaments I found at Joann’s. As of the writing of this post, there were some still available, but Joann’s is permanently closing so you’ll want to act quick if you want some!!
There are a couple other greens I mixed in, fern styled branches, (for the brown color) and green berry clumps similar to these, and the long leaf eucalyptus branches.
Constructing Arrangements
To start the arrangement, I had large fern branches with sturdy wire stems.
I bent the stems slightly to create a curve, and laid them opposite each other, stem to stem, with the fern leaves pointing out to the right and left. I wired the stems together, so the base was sturdy. Then it was this curving fern branch arch I used to wire the arrangement components to.
Tools
The only tools or other supplies I used for the arrangements and to attach the vines around the front door were florist wire and wire cutters.
Once the largest arrangement was completed, it got wired up to the doorway, securing it with several florist wire ties to both the pipe frame and the grapevine.
The last thing I want is for it to plop onto someone’s head as they go through the doorway!
Wiring Tip
The biggest tip I have for wiring arrangements and stems securely, is what I’ve been trying to already explain… First wire the stem, then with the ends, or tails, of that wire, twist it a second time to the vine and frame. That way the stem won’t slip through the wire.
This close up shows how the green stem has the florist wire twisted around it and then the ends of that florist wire are twisted to secure it to the grapevine.
Attaching Arrangements
Close-up of the arrangement:
I like the texture created with the combination of different shaped and colored leaves, brown grapevines and more layers of brown with the stems and mushrooms.
And speaking of those mushrooms… they’re kind of fun, right?! Just a subtle whimsy.
Adding 2 smaller additional arrangements, one on the lower left and upper right:
This placement of arrangements on the vining was for balance but intentionally not as large as the upper left corner arrangement.
This way, they accent the main arrangement.
Vines Around Front Door Finished
Here’s a glimpse of the finished vines on the front door.
In retrospect, although the tightly coiled grapevine was quite difficult to maneuver, holding it’s tight coil, I do like the curly cue it has on the bottom.
Shopping Links: Basically, everything I used can be found at Michael’s, except the wooden mushroom ornaments I got at JoAnn’s.
Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate you reading along.
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Mizzpan says
Hi!! Ive been going to do this with my door for a couple of years… can you please tell me how many grape vines you used to do yours so i have an idea of how many i would need… I have a side light on either side so id have to add more but at least it would give me an idea. Tysvm 😊
Liz says
Hi there, thanks for reading along. I think I used 3… possibly 2 but I think it was more like 3. I bought them in coils at Michael’s and should have soaked them overnight to help manage them, they were so tightly coiled it was like they were alive, fighting me all the way. LOL