How To: Pinecone Wreath

By now, I bet you’ve learned two things about me.  Number 1: I like to make a lot of things myself.  Number 2:  I’m cheap.  I like to make things because I’m cheap.  One item I’ve been working on is a pine cone wreath. 

What I love about this wreath is that it can easily transition from autumn, to Thanksgiving, to Christmas, to winter, just by adding a few accessories.  That means, one wreath to store, but two seasons and two holidays of decoration.  Sweet, huh?  Yeah, I think so.  What’s even better?  It’s practically free!

To make a pine cone wreath, start with a wire wreath form, available at craft stores, pinecones, wire, and wire cutters or scissors if your wire is thin enough. 

Cut a length of wire between 9 and 12 inches long.  Wrap the wire around the base of the pine cone, tucking under the petals. 

After wiring a few to the form, I learned that the cones flop around less if you keep part of the wire on each side, rather than twisting like the picture above.

Once your cone is wired, wrap around the wreath form, pulling tightly to keep it firmly in place.  Wrap the wires of the next cone to the previous wiring.  Again, this will keep the pinecones in a tight formation and prevent flopping. 

Group the pinecones as closely together as possible.  The back will look something like this. 

Twist the wires together and cut the ends off.  Continue this process until you re covered the entire wreath form.

If you used large pinecones like I did, you’ll have to find smaller ones to fill in the gaps where the wreath form is visible. 

I bought some golden pine cone picks from Hobby Lobby for $.50 each, after a 50% discount. 

I cut the pinecones off the pick and followed the same wiring process to fill in the gaps.  Add the small filler pinecones and the wreath is finished. 

The way you choose to hang the wreath will depend on your situation.  You can add a few lengths of fishing line or hang from a hook.  You might be wondering why my wreath is on m dining room window.  Well, friends, that’s because it’s friggin’ freezing in Montana.  I literally have not left our house in days due to the cold.  Cold like a high of 5°.  Which means, the suction cup hook I bought won’t work on the outside of our front door.  It requires a minimum of 40° to stick.  So, it’s hanging in our dining room. 

I will share details on how to add decorative items to add some seasonal pizzaz.  What are you doing to spruce up your home for Thanksgiving?

Gimme a Giveaway: Terrarium Winner

I love reading your comments and getting to know my readers.  So many of you love birds and owls and guess what?  Birds and owls are my latest obsession.  I’ve been bringing  feathered critters home often lately, remember this post

Well, I’m so excited to announce that the winner of a cute little terrarium is…

Commenter number 6, Lorie Smith!  Congrats, Lorie!  If you’re looking to score free Our Humble A{Bowe}d goods, along with many great Etsy sellers, head over to Thrifty Little Blog and enter Kasey’s giant gift giveaway.

A Flock of Cranes

You all know I’m crazy, right?  Well, I am.  I spend a lot of time on little projects because I’m too detail oriented.  I see the trees and Ben sees the forest, so we’re a great team.  Sometimes, I care way too much about the trees, though.  So, I take on little, time-consuming projects like this origami crane shadow box that is currently on the recently refinished bookshelf.

A side note:  If you like the alphabet painting, you can buy print versions for $15.00 in my Etsy shop

Back to the topic.  To create a flock of seagulls paper cranes, first cut thin paper into 1 inch squares.  I used light weight scrapbook paper, but you can use anything that will fold well.  Use an origami crane tutorial like this one, to learn how to fold the cranes.  If you don’t know how to make an origami crane, you may want to practice by making several larger cranes before you go onto small cranes. 

Create 25 small paper cranes in the colors of your choice.

Cut a piece of cardstock to fit in your shadow box.  My frame is from IKEA, but I can’t find it on their website.  It measures about 6 inches square.  Using another sheet of paper, draw the spacing of your grid.  Then, use a thumb tack to poke small holes at the intersection of your lines.  Place this template on top of your cardstock and draw a dot inside each poked hole. 

To keep the cranes flat against the paper, I cut off the back wing.  Use small pieces of foam adhesive to attach each crane to the cardstock, centering over the dot.  I think it would look really cool to create a grouping of cranes as if they were flying, too.  Attach all cranes and place in your frame.

See what  I mean about being crazy?  To add to the crazy, I even made a 1/2 inch paper crane.  Notice the little blue one?  Yep, I might be committed soon. 

If you like the look, but don’t want to make the cranes, you can buy some from this lovely Etsy seller.  Speaking of Etsy sellers, Thrifty Little Blog is hosting a handmade gift giveaway, including one of my prints, so check it out. 

What is the craziest, most time-consuming project you’ve tackled?  Am I alone in this?  I can’t be.  Please make me feel a little normal.

Recent Deals and a Feature!

You know I like to share my finds at thrift stores, TJ Maxx and Ross, and I’m back to share more.  I did this shopping a few months ago and I just haven’t shared it with you.  Until now.  Katie Bower inspired me.  I am envious of her finds, so I thought I’d try to make you envious of mine 😉 

First up, here are my recent Goodwill and thrift store finds.

More brass.  I can’t pass it up now that I know the magic Blue Magic can do.  The large footed bowl was $3.99, the small vase was $.99 and the brass taper holder was also $.99, but 50% off.  The glass pillar candle holders were $.50 each and I’ve seen similar ones at Target for 5 bucks each!  What a deal!   The lacquer coasters were $1.99.  I love the pop of color they add and Vincent loves that they double as plates for his snacks.  The decanter was a whopping $1.99, too.  I planned to use it to store alcohol, but Ben doesn’t like it.  Yesterday during my judging duties, I saw the perfect use for it: storing mouthwash!  Brilliant idea, thanks, Kate!

After a little Goodwill shopping, it was time to hit up TJ Maxx where I snagged these goodies:

It’s hard for me to pass up a cute hourglass, so this one went home with me for $5.99.  You’ve already seen the bird and branch candle holder ($11.99) and the large glass vase for $5.99 in a fall decorating post

Speaking of fall decorating, I have added two sets of tweed leaf bowls to my Etsy shop!  Get ’em while they’re hot. 

On a side note, our dining table is featured over at Tatertots and Jello today! 

Don’t forget to become a Facebook fan of Pier 1 to donate $1.00 to Toys for Tots.

Guest Judge and New Prints!

Guess who’s gonna guest judge on American Idol? Not me, but I am the guest judge and sponsor this week at the CSI Project! I’m so excited, too! I’m ready to pick out my favorite bathrooms. If you haven’t already, head on over and enter your beautiful bathrooms and you’re entered for a chance to win a 2011 Our Humble A{Bowe}d calendar and 8 inch by 10 inch print of your choice.

Speaking of prints, I’ve added two holiday and winter inspired prints to my Etsy shop.

Merry Christmas Tree:

Weather Outside:

As always, both prints are customizable with your favorite colors.  We’re now offering 5 by 7 inch prints for just $10.00!  So, please take a minute to stop by the CSI Project to enter your bathroom and check out our newest prints!