A Wreath with Pine Cones

It's finally December!

A wreath on the front door is always a welcome sight at Christmas time.

Over the years, I've turned a plain, store-bought wreath from blah to TADA!

This one had a candy theme made with salt-dough ornaments. 

And this one looks a little more grown-up.

But the more I looked at the wreath, the more I thought, "This needs something more."

I found these pine cones on the side walk. I just love how nature gives me crafting materials for free!

Have you ever picked up a pine cone? It smells of glorious pine trees but is sticky with sap.

So I cleaned the pine cones by soaking them in a basin of warm water and a cup of distilled vinegar for a few hours.  Then I removed any remaining sap by scrubbing them off with an old toothbrush. I left the pine cones to dry overnight on a bed of scrap paper.  

There was still some sap residue that I couldn't get rid of. As long as the pine cones were no longer sticky and they were free of dirt and possible bugs, I was okay with that. 

I used wire to attach the pine cones to my wreath.

I worked in odd numbers. 

And tucked them all around the wreath.

And here is the new and improved holiday wreath. TADA!

I hope this has gotten you in the mood to decorate for this festive season. Before you go out and buy, why not try D.I.Y? Use what you have and turn them from "blah to TADA!"