Monday, December 2, 2013

One wreath, two wreath, three wreath, four

Last weekend we braved the 14 degree weather to collect a ton of greens and accents: cedar, white pine, the elusive princess pine, pine cones, birch bark, and wild berries. See below for the materials.



Yesterday our good friends Lorna and Tim (Lorna helped with the greens acquisition last week) came over for an afternoon of wreath making. We set an aggressive goal for ourselves: 6 wreaths and a 12 ft long strand of garland. Last year we also tried our hand at making these. Our net result was one wreath that Lorna took home. Given my nature of trying to better understand a process and create a more efficient way, I took to the internet to see what could be done. I found these terrific wreath forms that had clamps on them. This would speed up the process nicely. I had high hopes.
Lynn, Lorna, and I began creating wreaths while Tim was busy painstakingly drilling holes into whole nuts and stringing florist wire through them to serve as wonderful accents. Lorna and Lynn seem to glide through the process by bunching a mix of greens that would magically look like something the Met would house. I, on the other hand, was overthinking mine and seeking symmetry and order whilst keeping a minimalist look. My wreath would be well housed on the back door of an auto body shop. I have always admired and respected those with a natural artistic talent. I have none. But lest not forget the importance of the admirer. :)
One of Lorna's creations
Lynn's masterpiece
All in all we accomplished our goal of 6 wreaths and a strand of garland. But you know what? That was not the important part at all as it turned out. It was the sharing of ideas, the laughing, the stories, the creativity (or lack thereof in my case), eating good food,(Lorna brought a great dish that I will have to share in the future) all while creating something marvelous. It was about being with good friends on a snowy afternoon. That is what really matters.
My advice to you is to gather up some friends and go make something together this season.