Monday, December 12, 2011

The Twenty-Four Days of Christmas: Day Twelve

Getting Crafty

We live on a 3.5 acre wooded lot.  I think I have mentioned this before.

  

This fall we discovered that the woods are full of wild grape vines.  In September/October this was great, because it meant having a pint or so of scuppernongs, even though our vines were not mature!

But now that it is December, I have suddenly discovered a whole 'nother use for these fast-growing vines: WREATHS!!

First I went out and collected grape vines.  Not as easy as you might think if you have only done this at Michael's, JoAnne's, or Hobby Lobby.  Grape vines are tough.  Grape vines are strong.  Grape vines wrap themselves around any available tree/shrub/whatever and CLING FOR DEAR LIFE!  So when you go out to gather you might need:
1.  Hedge trimmers
2.  An axe
3.  A step-stool or ladder
4.  A tall man (I am so blessed to have two of those in my house!)

So after you collect the grape vines, put the tools away, and make a pan of brownies to appease the tall man/men, you can start shaping them into wreaths.



I have to confess here that when I did these two, I did not really know what I was doing (I know, you are shocked...at least try to pretend that you are).  I used black electrical tape to hold them together.  Since then, I have discovered a wonderful little corner of Hobby Lobby where they have this:


It is wonderful stuff.

Next, I went into my stash basket and rejoiced that I can not make myself throw "stuff" away because I found this scrap of fabric:


It is not a tie, just an odd piece from a skirt I made a couple of years ago.  I tore strips that were about 3/4 inch wide by about 6-8 inches long.  I did not cut them, I tore them.

Then I began the process of tying them on to the wreath.  If you are going on a car trip to Demopolis, Alabama with your sister to visit the daughter-of-your-heart and your "grandchildren", take everything with you and you will make remarkable progress!  Then when you become desperate for something to blog about, pull it out and finish the last 10-20 minutes worth of work that needs to be done to call it finished.  


Finally, take all the little scraps that are too small to tie onto the wreath and put them in the clear glass ornaments that you bought when you were at Hobby Lobby.


Decide who you want to give a wreath to.  Then go make more grapevine wreaths (using the wire and florist tape instead of black electrical tape) and tie more of those left-over bits from your stash pile.  Suddenly your stash pile has a lovely purpose!

I'm thinking about doing some of these for an Etsy shop.  What do you think?

What are you making for Christmas this year??

1 comment:

dogquilter said...

Very cool idea. You can also soak the vines in the tub to make them more pliable.