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Holy Wreaths, Batman!
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I want to make it clear right here and now that craftiness, creativity, arts … none of those things are my strong points. Certain members of my family will readily attest to that fact, and quite vociferously unless I issue a gag order. When a friend recently invited me and mine to a wreath-making party, I warned her of this, but she assured me that no skills were required and fun was guaranteed.
“These wreaths turn out so beautifully” she told me, “and mine always last until at least St. Patrick’s Day!”
This is why we found ourselves heading up the hill to a Christmas tree farm one recent Saturday morning, where the trimmings off the trees are put to good use to make wreaths. As with all good farms, there was a welcoming dog.
Not only were we going to make wreaths, but we were also going to make a bow to decorate our wreaths. Holy cow! This was going to be a serious challenge! I couldn’t make a bow to save my life. If you’ve ever received a gift from me, you know that the wrapping leaves something to be desired (it’s often the Sunday comics) and you’re lucky to get a stick-on bow.
We were given a mini-lecture on bow design, with the key element being that “simple is better”.
“Mom, did you hear what she said?” my smart-mouthed Fifinella asked, as we headed off to the bow-making supplies. “Try to keep it simple.”
But there before me were all the colors of the rainbow, with more sparkly ribbons than I could ever have imagined. I was like a raven, attracted to anything that sparkled. I started gathering rolls of bright patterns, asking the Helper Elves for advice on what would work together.
Fifinella and our friend, Laura, were busy gathering their own little piles of material to turn into bows. Piles of elegantly colored materials – nothing like what I was going after.
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the colors that called to me
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I was ready to start constructing my bow, if someone would just show me how.
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Butterfly pays close attention
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One of the Helper Elves started teaching Butterfly and Fifinella how to build a bow.
Then I tackled a bow of my own.
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watch while I hold and photograph at the same time
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how much more can I pile on?
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Fifinella steps up to take a picture
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How amazing is that??!! I probably couldn’t do it again if my life depended on it.
“Mom? Did you forget what she said about simple being better?” asked Fifinella.
“Mind your own business! I like bright colors.”
“I doubt you’re going to be able to make a wreath big enough to hold it,” she muttered.
Butterfly took an entirely different approach.
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she starts out simply enough
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and ends up with a thing of beauty
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Going with a red, white and blue theme, she’s apparently going to try to make her wreath last until the 4th of July.
Fifinella took the dignified route.
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it even matches her clothes
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Where did this child come from? This bow is entirely too subdued. I tried to wrestle it from her and inject some color into it, but she protected it with her body.
Once our bows were built, we had to build our wreaths. Have I mentioned that before we started this project we had to sign waivers of liability?
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workbench with goodies to choose from
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First you decide what size wreath you want to make. In the above photo you can see all the metal wreath forms hanging above the workbench.
Next you gather a handful of greenery.
This fan-shaped bunch is inserted into the metal wreath form.
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inserting greens into the form
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Then you very carefully (keeping your fingers out of the way) step on the foot pedal to squeeze the metal prongs around the greenery.
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Butterfly works on her wreath
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Fifinella works on her wreath
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You continue placing fan-shaped bunches all around the circle. In addition to greenery from trees, there was quite a selection of dried flowers and plants to add lots of interest, color and shape to our wreaths.
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Butterfly's completed wreath
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Fifinella shows off her project
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my wreath after it was sprayed
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Each wreath was hung on a post and sprayed with a preservative to keep the greenery from drying out. They were left for a short time to drip dry.
Next we attached our bows and a last little bit of sparkly items.
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Laura's wreath, all decked out
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I scouted a good spot for a group photo – the sun was low in the sky and finding a place with decent light was a challenge. I said, “Fifinella, stand over here and let me take a picture to see how it looks.”
Do they ever grow up?
The final part, the best part, was hanging these works of art on our doors at home. Of course, when I got home I was afraid I was going to have to tell Electric Horseman we needed to remodel and install a bigger front door to accommodate my wreath.
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I can't believe I made it
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Fortunately it fits, albeit barely. If I do this again I’ll try to contain my enthusiasm.
Things look great, too, at the pilots’ house.
I have to admit, she picked great colors for her bow and it looks gorgeous.
And now we come to Butterfly’s house. I wandered up there the other day to photograph her wreath and stood there scratching my head.
“What,” I thought to myself, “is wrong with this picture?”
Ahhh, yes, the bow is sideways.
I opened her door, stuck my head inside, and asked, “Butterfly, you do know you hung your wreath wrong, don’t you? It’s sideways.”
“Yes, and don’t you touch it!” she ordered, as she stomped out the door, ready for battle.
“Ok, I’ll bite. Why did you hang it sideways?”
“Because the orange flowers I stuck in it look better when it hangs that way,” she replied. (Not to mention those butterflies she added.)
“But now the bow is hanging sideways, and look what happens to the jingle bells. None of that looks good! Not to mention, orange does not go with the red, white and blue theme you have going.”
“DON’T YOU TOUCH IT!”
Perhaps an elf will just stop by and change how the bow hangs, which would solve everything. Assuming, that is, there exists an elf that is not afraid of The Butterfly.
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