DIY Christmas Greenery Wreath

I've been on the hunt for a Christmas wreath since... Halloween. Since Target, Michaels, HomeGoods, etc. stocked their shelves with Christmas decor mid-October, I started searching early in the season. Although people give these stores grief for pushing Christmas before we've even gone trick-or-treating, I gladly welcomed the candy canes and candy corn sharing the same shelf. 

After two months of searching for this "perfect wreath", I've found that I am too selective. I would find the perfect wreath, but I didn't like the color of the berries, the bow wouldn't be in the right spot, or it just looked too... fake.

So... I decided to DIY... do it yourself. Over Thanksgiving break, my sister and I created a new tradition of crafting our own homemade wreaths. Because my sister now lives out of state, this is the perfect tradition that we can enjoy together while we sip on wine and catch up on each others lives. 

Matt and I love picking out our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. This enables us to have a few days to put it up, let it "rest", string it with lights, and then decorate it with ornaments. This year, I asked him to save the tree trimmings for me. I also asked for extra trimmings from the tree-lot where we picked out our tree. Since they throw them out anyway, they gladly gave us a huge bunch. 

^^We went to the craft store to pick up wire wreath frames ($2-$4), some wire to secure the greenery to the frames ($3), and a variety of decor. Since this was our first attempt at crafting a wreath, we kept it pretty simple. 

^^ While out for groceries that weekend, I grabbed some greenery from the floral section of the grocery store ($3). This bunch of eucalytus smells and looks amazing paired with the evergreen spruce. 

^^ We used gardening trimmers to cut small individual pieces off of the branches.  Then we arranged them one by one as we secured them to the frame. **It is important to lay each branch in the same circular direction**... or else it will look like your wreath is having a bad hair day. 

^^ Once we were happy with the base greenery, we began to decorate! Again, securing the bow and berries with the wire. 

^^ Lastly, I cut down the eucalyptus and arranged it in the same circular direction as the spruce. This brought the wreath to life and gave it lots of character! 

^^ I placed the larger wreath on my front door. It was so rewarding to create my perfect wreath rather than purchase it, and it makes our entrance way smell soooo fresh and Christmas-y. 

I made three additional smaller wreaths to put in our rooms and kitchen window. They are the perfect touch to decorate each room without going overboard. Not to mention they make each room smell like a Christmas tree! 

 The wreaths that I came across while shopping ranged from $30-$60 for just one wreath. I was able to make all four wreaths for $25!! I'm not going to lie, it took an entire night and a few moments of frustration to make these, but it was cost effective and worth it.

My sister and I had a blast making these. We were able to visit, create, and decorate for our homes all in one evening. We are already talking about different variations (and accompanying cocktails) we want to make next year!

Advent Calender

One of my favorite traditions growing up was participating in our family's Advent calender. My grandmother was an extremely talented artist; she hand painted a wooden Advent Christmas tree calendar with interactive pieces for our family. Each day we moved a teenie-tiny hand-painted ornament to a new spot on the tree. Since my dad has always worked early mornings in the hospital, we waited for him to come home in the evenings before we moved the ornament. My sister and I would wait at the door for him to come home, and once he walked through the front door we ran to the calendar with him to see which one we would move that day. 

Since this is Walter's first year being able to interact with the Christmas season, I was determined to make a simple calendar for his room. We decided against gifts, wanting to focus more on family activities. So, I created a list of 25 activities and also added a scripture reading for each day as well. It was important to me to make sure we focused on why we personally celebrate Christmas. I also decided to develop a "theme" or lesson to focus on each year. This year I have framed the 25 scriptures I chose around building a strong foundation in Christ. 

Here is our list of scriptures and fun activities: 

Day 1- Pick out and decorate our Christmas tree

Matthew 7:24-27

Day 2- Make Christmas cards for neighborhood friends

Luke 6:47-49

Day 3- Make salt dough print ornaments

1 Corinthians 3:13-16

Day 4- Bring Christmas cookies to our story-time class

Matthew 16:18

Day 5- Go see Santa!

Jeremiah 29:11

Day 6- Make reindeer hand print art

John 13:35

Day 7- Decorate gingerbread houses

Ephesians 2:10

Day 8- Go Christmas shopping for Daddy

 Isaiah 28:16

Day 9-  Get milkshakes and drive through the Botanical Garden lights in our jammies

Luke 6:48

Day 10- Leave a special card and snack for the mailman

Philippians 4:13

Day 11- Make window snowflakes

 Ezra 3:11

Day 12- Bring our librarians coffee 

Matthew 21:42-22

Day 13- Watch W's first Christmas movie

Psalm 118:22

Day 14- Go through our closets and find clothes we can donate

Ephesians 2:19-22

Day 15- Make homemade marshmallows

2 Timothy 2:19

Day 16- Visit West Minister Nursing Home

 Ephesians 6:4

Day 17- Shop for a gift for Operation Christmas Child

John 3:16

Day 18- Clean out toy boxes and donate to Salvation Army

 1 Corinthians 3:11

Day 19- Bring dog food and treats to the SPCA

Isaiah 54:11

Day 20: Make reindeer food to sprinkle on our front lawn

Matthew 7:24

Day 21: Make paper crowns and talk about how the wise men brought gifts to Jesus

1 Timothy 6:19

Day 22: Have our grandparents over for a special dinner

Deuteronomy 32:4

Day 23: Bring treats to our pediatrician 

1 Samuel 2:2

Day 24: Chocolate waffles for dinner!

 Psalms 62:2

Day 25: Enjoy time as a family 

 Isaiah 9:6

Below is a tutorial on how I created this simple and inexpensive calendar tree!

^^ I described the basic tree frame I wanted, and Matt helped me put it together with pallet boards and nails. This wood is practically free... if you visit any store or shipping company, they're usually more than willing to give you their pallets for free. If you can't find any, this wood is also very cheap at the hardware store. 

 ^^ I rolled the frame with a small 4 inch roller for quick and easy coverage. I used a brush for some cracks between the wood. I bought a sample size of white ($2) at the hardware store. 

^^ I bought a pack of small clothes pins from the craft store and painted them red using another sample of paint from the hardware store. You can also buy them pre-colored. 

^^ I used a medium grain sanding block to achieve a "weathered" look on the wood pallets and clothes pins. 

^^ I also found tiny brown paper bags at the craft store for the "days" on the calendar. I labeled each bag with the date, using the same red paint I used for the clothes pins. Then I printed out each day's Bible scripture and activity, and cut them down to size so that each one fits folded up in it's own little pocket.

 ^^ Matt's office produces and designs large signs, so he was able to cut a perfect metal star for me. However, every craft store has a variety of stars at this time of year that you can use instead! I attached each clothes pin and the star to the wood using a hot glue gun. 

I love decorating each room in my house for Christmas, so the Advent calendar was the perfect touch for Walter's nursery. When he wakes up, we open our new day, read our scripture, and see what fun activity we get to do! I'm looking forward to choosing new lessons and activities each year as he grows up!