Handmade holidays

I saw a charming homemade wreath on Ali Edwards's blog - she had the link to this blog - http://eliseblaha.typepad.com/golden/handmade-holiday/ . this week has been quite cold for south Florida (65 day, high 40s night - I know you're laughing but honestly with the way our houses are built, I swear they feel colder than our house in Denver felt) so I'm really in the holiday spirit. I made this wreath yesterday afternoon out of recycled materials - old Starbucks cup holders (I usually carry one with me but sometimes not and I hate to throw them away), an old used priority mail box (probably illegal to recycle it but oh well), and some old K&co scrapbooking paper. I cut out a leaf pattern and then used it to freehand cut out the leaves. I glued them all together with hot glue. I didn't actually use a round base - I just laid out the leaves in a circular pattern and used the end pieces of the cup holders as backing to attach the leaves together - then I put a second layer of leaves on and then a third. I put some printed side up cup holders on the top layer. Then I added some buttons randomly (ha!ha! Random takes me forever to decide where and how many - I can't do random), punched a hole with my cropadile, and added a ribbon. I took down a picture in the kitchen and hung the wreath above my apron rack.

I was super energetic and productive yesterday. Not only did I get the wreath done, I finished the snow people wallhanging that I started in 2003 just after we moved into this house. I saw a wallhanging in a catalog and then drew my version of it. I cut out the pieces and began to sew it together but didn't get it finished by that Christmas. I put it away in the Christmas boxes. Then the next year (2004) we had 2 hurricanes and since our house had to be reroofed and the inside completely gutted, we lived in a camper (not provided by FEMA) parked in our yard for that whole winter and spring. In 2005 I was still in shell shock and couldn't work on it and the last 2 years it didn't appeal to me. Now this year I rediscovered it and finished it in two days.

I'm now ready to make some button Christmas trees - I made several last year and liked them so much I have decided to make some more. This year I am limiting myself to blue, white and silver decorations (no new decorations this year) so I want some blue trees to go with the white ones I made last year. Unfortunately I can't locate my stash of blue buttons so until I do . . .

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