Giant Christmas wreath

So now that I’m quite adept at making cheap wreaths, I wanted to make a larger version for the 2nd floor landing for Christmas. I’ve seen a tutorial for making the cutest wreath using a hula hoop. I started trying to think of things I could use that I already own because y’all know my aversion to spending money. I decided to give the old wire hangers a try for this project. I also already had a large garland I could use. I stretched out 3 wire hangers and connected them into a semblance of a circle. This is much more flimsy than a hula hoop, so I used another stretched out hanger in the middle to add some stability. I wrapped the circle with the garland and then wrapped again with a white shiny garland. I wrapped the middle stabilizer with the white garland and then added a stocking and two bows. I hung it from the landing with picture wire, so I was able to stretch it out as needed to look rounder. I think it is pretty cute. I still want to try the hula hoop. I’ll get around to that some day.

Maybe a string of lights would look good. 

It's Corn Bag Season!

If you know me, you know that once a year I buy a couple of 50 lb bags of deer corn and make as many corn bags as I can make.  I have made as many as 200, but generally I make around 100 per year.  I give them to coworkers, kids' teachers, husband's coworkers, and anyone I can think of who could possibly want a corn bag.  If you've never heard of a corn bag, you probably need one.  They are a cotton bag of deer corn.  You keep them in the freezer and use as an ice bag if you have an ache or a pain.  Then you can place it in the microwave for a minute or two and use as a heating pad.  They are super handy to have around.  I also have a long skinny one  that I use as a wrist rest by my computer keyboard.  I know people who use them as  wrist rests by their computer mouses, too.  Then there's my kids' former piano teacher who heats hers up daily and puts it in the bottom of a sleeping bag to keep her feet warm.  I made a large one two years ago that is folded in half and sewn that way.  My friend has neuropathy in her hands.  She can warm it up and stick her hands inside it so both sides are being warmed and it helps with that pain.  Basically, they are wonderful, people love them, and I am the corn bag lady.  I have a lot of friends who sew and will bring me their fabric scraps, so it's very little cost to me, just time.  I enjoy it and I enjoy giving them away. 

Here is a picture of this year's bounty.

I generally wait until December to give them away, but I got done early this year so I've already started giving them out. 

Easy DIY rag wreaths

I have a lot of fabric scraps. I don’t have the time or patience to quilt, so I wondered if I could make a rag wreath. I found a YouTube tutorial where she bought a preformed wire wreath form. I did not want to invest even $3 in this project, so I put my thinking cap on. I found some old wire hangers. I formed three of them into circles and connected them with picture wire.

I didn’t take any pictures of the hangers, but you can get the idea. I didn’t measure anything, or do anything fancy, I just went for it. 

I decided to go for a Christmas theme for the first one. Again, no real measuring. The strips of fabric are around 4 or 5 inches long and an inch wide. I started tying the strips all around. This fabric was pretty thick, so this went pretty fast. I was finished in about two hours. I like this process because I can watch tv or whatever and it doesn’t take any concentration. I worked on this during my daughter’s  basketball practice. I think it turned out great! I’ll add a bow and maybe a bell or something and it’ll be so cute. 

I had so much fun, I did another one thinking it would be fall-ish, but it’s just kinda cute

It’s tan and orange

Here's my latest.  I had three different zebra prints, so I put them all together.  This one is also bigger.  I think it turned out so cute

I can’t stop! This one will be perfect for a baby boy. 

This one is a brown fabric with green polka dots. I didn’t think I’d like it, but it’s pretty cute!

I used much longer strips for this one.  It's a little "rattier" but I still really like it.  I like that it's more neutral and can be used for any decor. 

This one is a little crazy 

My niece is expecting a baby girl soon, so this one might be cute for her. 

Now that I've discovered I can pretty much finish a wreath every day, I think I might try to sell one and see what happens.  I have lots of ideas to make them as Christmas presents, too!

This is three small wreaths and a little snowman hat wreath made into a rag wreath snowman. I used a hand towel as a scarf. It’s gonna be so cute for the Christmas season!

Here’s a couple of newest. I’ve started adding hangers, too, which I think make them even better!

 I’ve started making college themed wreaths. My dad is a huge LSU fan, so I made this for him for Father’s Day.

Since I live in Razorback country, I made this one for a friend. I’ve found the little flags on eBay for super cheap. The red fabric is a torn up sheet from goodwill. Fabric is so expensive! So finding sheets at thrift stores is way cheaper and it’s working out great.