Winter

Winter

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Thoughts on Thursday



I have been looking through magazines this week, trying to find
ideas of craft projects for December. I like making new things
for my house in December and I have been looking at things
a person like me who is challenged and who knows
I am no Martha Stewart.



Every Christmas since I can remember I have tried to make things.
Even the first year we married I made the ornaments for the tree
and tied them with red ribbon.

One year on the cover of a magazine was this beautiful wreath. It was
one of the most incredible things I had ever seen before. I stared and stared
and read the directions over and over.
Finally I thought I can do this. Now I call having toddlers, life in reality.
I knew I couldn't make this beautiful wreath until they were all in bed.
When the babies were little they were not good sleepers.

I put all of the things I needed in a bag and then planned where my workspace
was going to be. I got the babies in bed and asleep and I was so tired by then,
but I was excited too.
This wreath used a Styrofoam base and fresh cranberries. Each cranberry was
individually pinned with small pins to the Styrofoam. Until the whole thing was
filled and then you took a great big satin ribbon and used that to hang it on your
door.

I worked and the cranberries were sticky, and juicy. Every time I stuck a pin
in juice went every where. The pins would stick to my fingers and juice
was running down my elbows. It was taking so long that the smell
of warm cranberries was starting to smell too ripe. Then the gnats started
arriving.
I was not going to be defeated, but the baby was waking up every hour
and it was very late so I thought, " I would go to bed and get up early in
the morning and finish and clean up the mess. I turned off the light
and went to bed.

I over slept the next morning and when my husband went in to where I had
been working he yelled (he never yells, ever) "What the heck is that
horrible smell!!!! "
I jumped out of bed, bleary eyed and ran in the laundry room where everything
had been, there was the smell of rotting fruit, molded cranberries and a room full
of gnats.

I just picked up the whole thing and took it to the trash. Even today I do not decorate
with real fruit, ever, well pumpkins but that is it.

Later I picked up the magazine and stared at the photograph. Then it dawned on
me, this wreath is somewhere it snows. Where it is cold. That was why it looks so
pretty the red against the white of the snow.

A very smart blogger has the directions over at her place and good instructions
if you want to try it. http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-to-make-cranberry-wreath.html

I was thinking about it as I was planning my decorating this year. I still love
that wreath but I ain't gonna make it.

Have a wonderful Thursday,
~Kim~

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh I have done the same thing...Just make things that are simple and pretty and know that you can do it...I don't know how many people can be Martha Stewart..Besides she has all these helpers helping her..

I am also trying to figure out new things to decorate..Can't wait to see what you think of..

Have a great evening..
Lisa

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

Oh Kim, you are a riot. What a cute post.I've done craft things that didn't work out well too. One year when my kids were 3, 4, 5 years old, I decided to hand stamp my own wrapping paper on plain brown paper.(was suppose to be all tied with raffia, sort of old fashioned country} I got all the paper stamped that were going to other houses, but ran out of energy for all the Santa presents to my kids. My husband said all the gifts that year were brought my the UPS Santa. I never did that again.

Bonnie K said...

Bummer about the wreath. I've had projects like that. Sounds pretty. At least you tried.

Dog Trot Farm said...

Oh Kim, I do remember the cranberry wreath you are speaking of, Martha Stewart right? I do recall how pretty this wreath looked against snow. Now you know I live in the Northeast and it does get very cold and snowy here, but I have to tell ya, I may not have gnats, but a squirrel would rip that wreath apart in a New York minute! I am off to catch up with my blog reading, thinking of you, Julie.

Marti said...

Well, I guess that wreath won't be on my list to make. Next week I'm going to a class on recycling decorations into fab new things. Hopefully, no cranberries will be involved.

Debbie said...

it's a martha wreath....i LOVE that wreath!! i remember reading that it would last 3 - 5 days. when i read that, i knew i would not be making it!!

Kessie said...

Let that be a lesson to you--this is what you must never do!

Sitting here with an insomniac baby in my lap, I know how you must have felt.

Debbie said...

Oh Kim, haha, sounds like soo many of my "projects" when I was first married. I gave up years ago doing anything with real fruit or flowers, lol. Oh the things we do....Hope you have a good day!

Christine said...

Hi Kim! You make it all sound so funny now but I'm guessing at how disappointed you must have felt after trying so hard to make something so beautiful! Life in reality (with children!) means we often have to learn the hard way but at least we're learning!
Blessings and hope you get to make loads of cute Christmas decorations!
Christine

Jill said...

Oh bless your heart! Thanks for sharing your story. Now I know I am not alone. :) That is a beautiful wreath but yuck on trying to make it!

Samantha said...

I made that wreath!
I had to take it down less than 24 hours later..the birds were after the cranberries!
Maybe that wreath design is hexed? LOL

Pom Pom said...

Funny! I used to string popcorn and cranberries.
I can't wait to see your projects! I have "project block" and I'm trying to crawl out of it. We'll see what happens!
Have a sweet Thursday, Kim!

Meg said...

Oh gosh I forgot about that story. No, I don't like to decorate with fruit or "live" stuff either. Those jalapenos we had hanging up in the kitchen to dry? Gnat City. And I feel like I've failed terribly if I have fruit flies in my kitchen!

Julia said...

Kim, this is so funny and my shoulders are just bopping up and down. I can't help but laugh to myself. I just love that you are humble enough to tell it like it was. maybe you can try it with felted cranberries. That would be fun to do even kids could help. There are tutorial on felting. You could use the wreath for years to come and no gnats. All you would need is wool roving and dye or already dyed wool. JB

Jamie Oliver (@va_grown) said...

Oh my, sorry but I'm grinning over here. Sounds like me--trying so hard, but occasionally things just DON'T turn out like the picture! LOL! :)

We like to use pine branches, pinecones, and acorns for our winter decorations. We have a lot of them around here and we spread them out on the porch for a day or two to give...whatever...time to GET OUT before we bring them in. Then we've painted them, glittered them, made them into swags, wreathes, ornaments...you name it. They smell nice and they don't "go bad" or attract bugs inside. The pine branches usually last about a month before they start to brown and I tell the kids it's all natural so we can compost it and then do something brand new next year, so we just take pictures and throw them back in the woods at the end of the season.

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Oh the days of being a new bride and also raising little ones...I too have some of those stories and I am laughing at them in my mind right now.

I couldn't stay up...I am not a night owl, so I just had to create while they were awake..solution, all things had to be made in the game room....where is where I also sewed for my business....oh my, time has flown.

You know you are a Martha Stewart...a realistic one that all of us can relate to

Sassafras and Winterberry said...

I'm giggling! Don't get me wrong...I like Martha Stewart...but she has team of people to make this stuff...and it only has to last for a photo shoot! Haven't we all tried these craft projects that turn into gnat-filled, oozing, smelly things? Law! I like a little swag of greens on the door with a red ribbon... and call it a day!
Love your post!!!
Hugs!

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

I read recently that Martha Stewart's daughter said that growing up was NOT like the magazine, they didn't have any of those special things in their own home. I thought that was kind of sad since everyone copies Martha Stewart... I'll bet your kids think their home was a ball to grow up in... lots of good food and fun all along the way. :)

Sue said...

Kim, If i can stop laughing I am going to try and comment, this is so funny, and what a wonderful read for me to start my day, I will be thinking about this and smiling all day. I think it is so funny to me, because i thought I was the only one who would try this.

I wanted to comment on your chatting on the porch post, I enjoyed it soo much and am so glad to learn so much about you. I am enjoying this meme so well, that I might join it,
You do inspire me in so many ways.
Enjoy your day,
Hugs,
Sue

Silver Strands said...

You're an over-achiever Kim! One year, when we lived on Guam, the kids and I made dough ornaments. We cut them out and painted them, put them on the tree. It was great. Until a typhoon came through and we lost power. No a/c meant humid heat. The ornaments melted and dripped. It was DISGUSTING!