DIY pine cone wreath

The best crafts are made with what at least one item that you already have. This wreath was made with the pine cones from our yard and a store bought wreath form. You can wither use a plain metal one, but I was digging this white one, so I bought it instead.


Ingredients:

• pine cones
• metal wreath form
• florist wire
• latex gloves (optional, this helps to keep the sap off of your fingers)

Directions:

• Start by winding an end of a piece of wire around the frame.

• Or you can also start by winding the wire around the cone and then twist the end of the wire around the frame. Do whatever works easiest for you.

• Place the pine cones where they looks best. 
• Wrap the wire around each and then around the back of the wire frame until it is snug.
• I worked with wire pieces that were approx. 18" long and you can wrap it around the cones multiple times (twice is good, one at each end, or one in the middle if it's small).
• End the piece of wire by wrapping it around the wire wreath form a couple of times so that it is snug.
• Continue to work your way around the wreath form until it's covered.

And there you have it, a beautiful wreath. You can also add berries for a pop of color.

 

 

happy holidays

I think it should be acceptable to have Christmas lights in your home year round. There I said it. They add a magical sparkle, which is just what you need during the winter months. Although this year has been so warm that it doesn't even fee like winter.

Anyway, here are some pictures of our home decorated for the holidays.

 

 

We separated the sectional (which was my great aunt's and we had recovered by chairloom), and this spot by the fireplace has become Winnie Cooper's favorite spot. I just realized that she hasn't' had enough air time on this blog, so look forward to more dog pictures soon.

 

I am a fan of colored light. I know there are some snobs out there who think you should only use white, but mix it up and use the colors.

 

I made theses yarn trees at craft night and intended to write a blog post on how to make them. But the pictures I took are horrible, so just here's the brief summary:

Ingredients:

• Yarn (I used 3 colors of yarn, each with a sparkly bit) to make 3 trees
• Styrofoam cone(s)
• scotch tape
• hot glue gun
• pom poms
• small bells

Instructions:

• You can use some scotch tape to tape and start the beginning of the yarn.
• Keep winding it around the cone until it fills the whole space.
• It helps to add a dab of glue here and there to keep yarn in place.
• Around the top, add a dab of glue and place a pom pom. the ones I found had a bit of gold sparkle.
• You can either tape or glue the end a the bottom of the cone.
• Take another string of yarn and string on the bells. I had to use an upholstery needle (one with a big eye) to get the yard through the small bells.
• Use a dab of glue or tape to end the string of bells, or wrap it down around again to the bottom to tape.

And voila, you have a DIY Christmas tree.

craft night!

I've been slacking on the craft nights lately, but this weekend I had my wonderful gal friends over for some good old fashioned crafting and eating pizza. Make it easy on yourself and just order take out and have  a couple apps to nibble one. A couple of cheeses and crackers are a great appetizer.



My friend Jenn made this "reef." She came prepared with some store bought greenery which she gave up on. I couldn't let a friend fail, so we went foraging in the yard for the holly and used some of the leftover bottom-of-the-Christmas-tree-braches to make a cool off-center wreath.