Archive for September, 2011
Ice Wreath with Animal Print Ribbon
I can remember from a very early age making fun things to hang out side for the birds in the winter to help them find food. Sometimes we would gather pine cones and spread peanut butter on them, then roll them in bird seed. We would tie a thin ribbon around them and hang them all over a pine tree and from the bird feeders. Another way was to freeze bacon grease in butter bowls with bird seed mixed in to it. Then we would put them in a recycled strawberry basket, tie a thin ribbon to the basket sides and hang it from the same trees. The birds love the seed and protein from the bacon grease. This is a fun family craft too.
This is a fun idea I found that will also look pretty hanging on the fence or gate. The other things weren’t meant to look pretty, they were only meant to be functional. My mom had several Jell-O molds that she used. I’m sure if you don’t have any, your mom will. Place some cranberries, maybe blue berries too with some greenery such as fern or pine branches in the bottom of a Jell-O mold. Then fill with water and freeze. When your mold is frozen solid, dip it in a bowl of warm water for a second to release it from the sides. You can choose a festive holiday ribbon and loop it around the wreath. It would be fun to use animal print ribbon too. Tie a huge bow at the top and loop it over your fence post or gate. As the wreath melts, the birds can pick the berries out of the ice. There will be very little mess. The berries will be consumed and the greenery will simply fall to the ground.
Don’t hang this from a door as it will drip as it melts. You won’t want ice on your porch or walk.
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ner…
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There are so many ways to decorate for fall. Autumn is my favorite season of the year. The weather is cooler and the humidity is low but best of all are the beautiful colors in the leaves as they change.
I love the mini ears of corn for decorating inside. Of course we use tall stalks of corn for outside decorations but it would be a bit tough to use that inside. This is a great way to bring that look inside.
Most of us have tall cylinder candle holders so there is not any extra expense with this part. Choose a fall scented candle for the inside. Peel back just enough of the shucks and trim them even till you have the look you want. You can use mini dots of sticky tape to temporarily hold the mini ears of corn in place until you can wrap the satin ribbon around them and secure it. You can hot glue the ribbon ends or use sticky dots. Since you are gluing the ribbon only, it will be a temporary decoration that you can alter for any season. You could tie a festive bow if you like that look better. The sticky dots will easily clean from the glass candle holder.
Place the candle on a wicker place mat or hot pad to complete the centerpiece. MMM cant you just smell the cinnamon candle burning now?
Years ago, most people only decorated with wreaths at Christmas time. Modern decorating uses wreaths in almost every room for any season. There are so many unique ways to accent a wreath to customize it to anyone’s taste.
I adore the look of this white feather boa wreath. In many cases, less is more! This wreath is simple yet elegant. Pristine white feathers hung with a beautiful taffeta ribbon in a color that can be changed to fit the season or room.
White feather boa wreaths also look incredible as wedding reception decorations. Use ribbon in the bride’s colors alternating.
You will need a hot glue gun, thin floral wire, a foam wreath base, and U shaped pins attach the boa. Spray glitter can add a nice sparkle to the wreath too. They make white glitter spray and you can spray the white boa to resemble snow. White wreaths look amazing hung on a mirror.
If you use white, and decide you want to add a few decorations, you will find that blue and silver will look awesome.
Hot glue the end of the first boa to the foam base, and begin to wrap the feather boa around the foam wreath pinning it as you go. If you want to add small clusters of ornaments, hot glue them after the boa is completely wrapped. You may need several boa’s depending on the size of the form and length of the boa.
Isn’t it funny what can jog a warm fuzzy memory from our child hood? As I was researching some crafts, I ran across this unique wreath. The reason it popped out to me is because my mom had a round tin box full of buttons. I loved exploring that tin. It was like a treasure box to me. It was full of buttons from clothes that we outgrew and or lost a button off of. Some were shiny, some were velvety and odd shaped. Very few buttons matched. Mom made quilts out of some of the cotton items or used them as dust rags but always saved the buttons. Sometimes it was a favorite dress or shirt that was ruined or shrunk and just needed to be thrown out and she would cut the buttons off and save them. Any time we lost a button, she would drag out that box and find one that would work.
I inherited that button box and have used some in crafts and other things but I still have a whole tin full of them. I love those buttons and this is a way I can display them and actually see them without having to dig through the tin.
All you will need is a wreath form, hot glue, a whole box of buttons, and a velvet ribbon that coordinates with your room decorating.
Just start with a wreath form and hot glue the buttons on randomly. Place the larger ones first and fill in with smaller ones. You can use pins to attach them temporarily so you can see how it looks before permanently with hot glue.
This is a fantastic way to use up all the extra grocery bags that accumulate so fast. In a previous post, I mentioned how you can crochet tote bags from the same bags. This idea tops that one in many ways. You will use more bags, and have unique decorations for the great outdoors.
Using recyclable items help the environment, and add beauty to your living area at the same time.
You can use many types of items to make a wreath like this. The plastic will last a while but you could also use holiday ribbon when making the bow to add a more festive touch.
All you will need to make this wreath is a metal coat hanger and plastic bags. I have seen the plastic sleeves that a newspaper would come in to protect it from the weather come in the orange color. Regular (clean) plastic trash bags or shopping bags can also be used.
Step 1. Bend coat hanger to form a circle. Use the pliers to help form the curves. Using the pliers, bend the hook of the coat hanger to form a closed circle. This will be the loop from which the wreath will hang.
Step 2. Cut plastic sleeves or plastic bags into 2 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ strips. Because a wreath always looks best when very full, A LOT of strips will be needed !
Step 3. Tie plastic strips onto wire form. Over and over again! This is a great craft to get the kids involved in too. Even the younger kids can tie a simple knot. I like to crochet and make many other crafts like this while watching TV – it’s a very mindless activity. (Both watching TV and tying on the strips!) I like to use a double strip when tying onto the form. Push the strips together as they are tied on and alternate the ends. This will add to the wreath’s fullness. Do not pull the strips too snug or you might stretch out the plastic and cause it to snap.
Step 4. When the wreath is full, a bow will need to be made. Cut a 8″ wide strip of plastic approx. 54″ long. Double over the strip so it is 4″ wide. Doubling over the strip will help your bow to ‘stand out’ and not flop over. Take this strip and tie a large bow around the ‘neck’ of the wreath (just below the loop you made for hanging).
Hurray!!! You now have a weather proof wreath. The colors can be changed to suit the Holiday – green wreath with red bow for Christmas or even pastel colors for Spring or Easter.
 This fun wreath is so easy to make. There is no need to glue. You will only need a Styrofoam wreath,craft wire, silk leaves in your choice of fall colors, and beautiful plaid ribbon in Autumn colors.
An option you should read first is to spray paint the wreath in a fall color in case you have some sparse areas. Another tip is to dip the end of the leaves in glue before inserting them into the wreath if it will be hung in an area where there is wind.
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| Cut the wire so into one 6″ piece and two 1″ pieces. Begin with the 6″ piece, make a loop and twist the ends. Next, poke the twisted end into the Styrofoam about 1″ from the out side edge on the back of the wreath. Fold the loop towards the outer edge. To help secure the loop, fold each of the 1″ pieces in half and stick them into the Styrofoam so that they straddle the wire of the loop and place one on either side of where you attached the loop.
Cut a wide variety in color and shape of leaves off their bunches leaving about 1/2″ of the stem attached. Place the wreath on a work surface so that the hanger is face down (against the work surface). Begin attaching the leaves to the wreath by poking the end of the stem into the wreath form. Continue adding leaves to the front and side surfaces overlapping them as you go so there is no Styrofoam showing. Make a bow with the remaining ribbon. Attach it to the wreath with two common pins stuck through the ribbon in an inconspicuous spot such as inside the knot of the bow. When attaching the bow, be sure the hanger is at the top of your wreath. Trim the ends of the ribbon to your desired length. To make a nice finished edge either cut the ends at an angle or fold the ends in half lengthwise and cut on an angle starting on the outside and going higher as you cut toward the folded edge. This will form a v shape in the ribbon when you unfold it.
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It’s “BACK TO SCHOOL” time. For many families, school just started this week. Teachers have been preparing for weeks while parents just spend the last week or two shopping. Most teachers are amazing people. They have a very thankless job with low salaries. They spend all day with our kids and encourage them to try their best at all they do. Many teachers even inspire children to go the extra mile and achieve their full potential and make huge contributions in society.
Since you are already out shopping, why not keep the teacher in mind and pick up a few goodies to fill a jar of any kind and decorate it? I love this idea. This specific jar is an antique replica with an organic cotton ribbon embellishment and gift tag. These jars can be filled with almost anything like gourmet coffee, hot chocolate, candies, or potpourri.
This crafty lady embroidered a fall design and pasted it to the front of the jar. I love the plaid ribbon used to complete the country look. This can be a very inexpensive gesture, you can even use a mayonnaise jar with a decorated lid and filled with goodies finished off with decorative ribbon. I love fall! I’m sure your child’s teacher will appreciate this simple gift.
Don’t you just love picnic season? It has been so hot this summer, and we had so much rain in the spring that it left very little time for having a picnic. Anytime I think about picnics or cookouts of any kind, I automatically see gingham check table cloths and napkins. There are a lot of ways to make this happen. You can go all out with china and sparkling beverages or paper plates, and pop in a cooler.
You can use almost any basket as a picnic basket. Some basket companies sell designer baskets like this for a fortune. I love them but cannot afford them. It is very easy to make your own basket ready to hold all your goodies and decorated with gingham ribbon and fabric.
You can buy a large gingham tablecloth and some matching gingham checked ribbon to cut into napkins, place mats, and a liner for any basket. Use the ribbon to tie the flaps down to the basket. Finish off with some cute bows and great food. Nothing can replace quality family time in a simple fun way.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Gold ribbon is used to represent this awareness cause.
Childhood cancer has to be the most frightening thing a parent can hear. I can’t think of anything scarier for the child and parent than learning that your child has cancer. Children are diagnosed every day with cancer and the journey has just begun for the family.
A young girl in our community has been in the hospital all summer with cancer, and the family and friends in the community have really rallied around them in prayer and support.
Wearing a gold awareness ribbon is a great way to bring awareness for childhood cancer and the need for more research.
Fast Facts About Childhood Cancer
- This year, over 9,000 children will be diagnosed with cancer.
- Cancer is the leading cause of death among children.
- Over 1500 children died of cancer in 2005.
- Children tend to develop different types of cancer than adults.
- · Types of Childhood Cancer
Children can suffer from several types of cancer, such as
- Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Bone cancer
- brain and spinal cord cancer
- Ewing’s Sarcoma
- Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
- Neuroblastoma
- Osteosracoma
- Retinoblastoma
- Rhabdomyosarcoma
- Wilm’s Tumor
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