December 17, 2015
An easy DIY tinsel wreath was the last thing on my mind this year, but a pile of golden garland I inherited from my mother after her move, left me brainstorming for what to do with it. Just before Thanksgiving, we helped my eighty-one-year-old mother move to a smaller apartment in a complex for seniors. I know it was hard, but she let go of a lot of things. She had to make sure the things were given to someone who would appreciate them. Guess she doesn’t know that I never really cared for tinsel garland!
I think she will be happier in her new home, and right now she seems to be.
There are more people for her to interact with each day. She is a social person, and although giving away things she had worked so hard to buy was difficult, in the end, she has realized she can’t keep up with a bigger place. Her small apartment is still filled with an abundance of things, which are special to her, and we are still close by.
Some of her Christmas decorations were among those things since there was not enough room for a big tree. One box held the garland on top of a pile of Christmas lights. That box was of no interest to any of my children. Danielle decided to take the box of old ornaments. Jon-Michael and Emily took the Christmas tree. Tiffany and Will were not interested in any of it.
The thought of putting these in the bag for charity donations crossed my mind. I am not a big fan of tinsel on the tree. My thought was to make a Christmas tree with it, but I did not have a cone-shaped base to use for it on hand.
Then I remembered the other day as I was going through some boxes of craft supplies, I came across three wreaths purchased several years ago. After retrieving them from the basement, I loosely wrapped the garland around one of the wreaths, hung it on one of the jingle bell hangers, and actually thought it looked pretty good.
These were about the quickest, easiest wreaths I have ever made! Using a hot glue gun, the end of the garland was secured to the wreath. The tinsel garland was then wrapped around the wreath to cover the entire wreath. The remaining end was also secured with the hot glue.
Bows of two contrasting ribbons were made and secured with floral wire where the garland ends met at the bottom of the wreaths. How much simpler could this possibly be? Two of the completed wreaths were hung on the French doors in the kitchen dining area.
Although I typically think of the garland as a retro look, the look of these is a little more sophisticated and elegant. Maybe if you have some tinsel garland stashed away somewhere, you might consider putting together one of these easy DIY tinsel wreaths.
