It really was the dumbest. project. ever.
My fingers still hurt. It took hours.
But here it is, in all of it's glory. Behold:
The Fresh Cranberry Wreath.
My insanity started when I saw the Target version last weekend in the Smith & Hawken section. It was bout $40. It was gorgeous, but I said "Oh, I can so make that... and I can do it cheaper!" and my hubby said "I like cheaper, you run with that!" So I did.I did do it cheaper, my version cost about $15. But I don't know that it was really worth it.
Because he loves me, and he's really the best hubby ever, he sat at the kitchen counter with me for an hour and a half last night breaking the toothpicks and poking the cranberries for me. We made ourselves a nice little assembly line. I'm pretty sure he saved me hours! It was fun to sit and talk while we worked, but I kept stopping to complain. The toothpicks kept popping through and poking my thumb and index fingers. They throbbed when we were finished.
I started this project in the afternoon, stopped for dinner, continued after my little boys where in bed and didn't finish until about 12:45 AM. Stupid insanity. Next time I'll shell out the $39 and go to bed early. :) I'm serious, this probably took a year off my life.
It does look like I wanted it to, though, and it is really pretty. I like it better today than I did last night.
If you've got time to waste and you like stupid craft projects, here's the run down on what I did...
Get yourself lots and lots of cranberries. I used 5-6 bags. I found them for $1.50 at Wal Mart. They were about $3 at my Smiths, so look around for a good price. I spread them out on a towel to help them dry a little, I had a little help. :)
All you need is a bunch of toothpicks, break them in half and poke the cranberry through the broken end, put a dob of hot glue on the end and stick it into a foam wreath. I spray painted mine black (red would be better, but I didn't have red) just so the green foam wouldn't jump out and draw your eye in. You can't really see it in most places, the black just looks like shadow.So it's break, poke, glue, stick in foam, REPEAT. :)
And about a half hour in you'll wonder why you didn't just spend $40 and buy one at Target.I'm going to try and save it so it's not just a one year deal, we were thinking last night that if we let it dry out just a little bit and spray it with a nice coat of poly that it should help the cranberries keep their shape instead of shriveling up. I'll let you know if that works.
Happy wreath
29 comments:
i know it wasn't fun to make.... but it's super pretty!
It's gorgeous. I'm guessing it will be like childbirth and you will love your wreath as the memory of all the pain diminishes.
LOVE it!
It really is beautiful! I was going to make cranberry garland, but now I'm glad I just opted for ribbon. :o)
That really is beautiful! I've wanted a cranberry wreath for a long time. Course, I don't think I'm up to making one just yet. But you go girl! I'm impressed.
It's beautiful but waaay too much work for not knowing if it will last.
love your colors! cute mantel and awesome wreath!!
How sweet of your hubby to help you make this AWESOME wreath...looks great and so does your mantel...LOVE the colors that you used!!!!
Blessings,
Linda
I almost forgot to tell you that I have a THRIFTY party and I would love to have you join in with your $15 wreath.
Blessings,
Linda
Wow, you sure spent a lot of time on that wreath, but skip the $39.00 next year.. It must feel awesome to have accomplished such a beautiful [and delicious looking] wreath! :)
So sorry the wreath took so long, but it is to die for. So rich!
well it may have taken a long time but it's gorgeous!!! at least you will someday laugh about it!
What a sweet memory with an awesome hubby! I love the wreath! I saw the Martha show last year where she switched from berries to glass beads so that she can save it from year to year... just an idea for next year. I saw a faux wreath at Hobby Lobby. I have not seen the one at Target- but the plastic coating was already coming off the berries-yours is much better!!
that is GORGEOUS! i can imagine that was painstaking but it is beautiful!
It is beautiful. Almost makes me want to shell out $40 bucks for it (no way in heck I'm trying to make it).
LOVE this! So beautiful and love the window pane behind it. Found you from the mantle link party (good photgraphy draws me in to the many links). Can't wait to see your photography blog.
i made that wreath, like, 14 years ago after seeing it in martha. and yes ... it took way too long but was way gorgeous when finished. then, about a week later, as the cranberries started to get ripe and soft, they started popping off the toothpicks. you'll have to let us know if the poly stops that from happening ... we had squishy cranberries rolling all over the place after a couple of weeks. maybe it would last longer outside where it's cold ... ?
I came across your blog from The Lettered Cottage. I did this exact same project last year and painstakingly hot-glued hundreds of fresh cranberries on a wreath. My wreath was beautiful for the entire season, but when I pulled it out of its storage bag this year, all the cranberries had fallen off and looked like shriveled raisins :( I didn't use poly, so maybe that will help you. Beautiful project, just wish it could last longer.
Found you at the linky party, and I'm so glad I did! This post was great! Why oh why does home decor have to hurt so bad sometimes :) It looks great! Love the fun bright colors!
It really is a nice looking wreath. I love the look of it!! I know what you mean about the thought being so cool, but making it can be such a pain and time consuming.
I wonder, what if you made this out of those red wooden bead garlands (I've seen at target) removed the beads and glued them on sideways so the holes wouldn't show. Then the bead wreath would last year after year unlike fresh cranberries.
Great job on the cranberry wreath! Kudos for all the effort. Love your bright, fun colors as well. :)
I had a similar experience making a pinecone wreath last year. It was a nightmare! Since the pinecones were the long kind, instead of the short squatty kind-
I had to cut them in half in order for it not to look weird. Cutting pinecones in half is like cutting sticks in half which isn't easy! Then I had to hot glue them holding them together, since I had cut them and they were coming apart. It took me forever, like a week and a half. I do love it though, and I love your cranberry wreath too. It looks great on the mantle. The good thing about the pinecone wreath is that it will last forever, I hope yours does too. Here is a link to my post last year with a picture of the pinecone wreath in it. Unfortunately I don't have porch anymore, so this year it's above my mantle hanging on an old window similar to yours.
Anyway, I may just try the cranberry wreath after seeing yours- even though it was a pain! I just love wreaths and can't get enough of them!
http://lambie-pie.blogspot.com/2009/12/festive-porch-so-here-is-what-i-have.html
It's perfect! And you can think of how much your husband loves you when you look at it.
Ouch, what a pain. BUT it's beautiful! I absolutely love it and will be looking out for your update on if they shrival or if you can keep it for next year. I hope the latter! I might just have the time and be dumb enough to do this myself :).
It turned out very lovely, even if it was a pain to make! I might try it out if it lasts more than a year, though - good luck! :)
Love your honesty and it really turned out beautiful! What a great hubby you have!
That wreath is sooooo gorgeous. Isn't it funny what our husbands will get suckered into sometimes??
I mean it, LOVE that wreath. Beautiful and totally worth the hours of work. :)
Wow! Your wreath and your mantle is gorgeous!!! So pretty!!
The wreath looks great! I'm interested in hearing how it looks after a year of storage.
I also am so in love with those stockings. Did you make them? Are they felt?
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