Tag: crafty

Advent “Wreath” in a Box

Advent “Wreath” in a Box

advent wreath

I was born and raised a Southern Baptist girl and for whatever reason we never observed Advent. Why you wonder? Well I really don’t have a clue, but I can tell you that within the last fifteen years or so the Baptist Churches I’ve attended have started emphasizing the holy days and events on a more regular basis. I like this shift in spiritual focus and since I’m married to a Catholic boy, he appreciates it too.

One of my favorite observances this time of year is the Advent wreath and the weekly candle lighting that leads up to Christmas. This year I decided to incorporate this idea into our home and created an Advent “wreath” in a box. I know there is some significance to the round, unending shape of a wreath, but I figured a line of candles was better than no candles at all.

To make my advent box, I purchased some rough finished shiplap at Sutherland’s and asked my husband cut it down to size. We assembled it with our nail gun and added a bottom of plain pine. I then added five candles (four for each week of Advent and one for Christmas day), fresh-cut evergreen bows and pinecones. Other than the size (about three feet long), it’s a very understated display. It’s also a great way to keep the proper focus of the season every time we sit down to dinner.

If you are interested in learning more about Advent, you might want to give it a good search or visit Lifeway’s great Advent resource online. In addition to some basic information, this site also supplies a complimentary Advent worship guide and children’s sermons.

Saturday Sparks — Pinecone Projects

Saturday Sparks — Pinecone Projects

Today’s post is all about pinecones — yes, those completely free gems lying about the ground just begging to be scooped up for our holiday projects. With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away and Christmas quickly on its heels, pinecones are the perfect transitional decoration, and today I’m sharing a bit of inspiration for painting, cutting, glittering and gluing cones of all shapes and sizes. So take a walk in the woods, or your own front yard, and scoop up a few cones for some holiday bling.


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Mother and Son Autumn Swag

Mother and Son Autumn Swag

autumn swag

My son and I enjoyed yesterday’s wonderful fall afternoon walking in the woods, gathering leaves and creating a beautiful autumn swag with our bounty. This was just a little project I dreamed up that I knew my little guy would enjoy and it was a good excuse to tromp through the woods together on a beautiful day.

If you have a hole punch and a little patience, this is a perfect family craft project. We simply picked up lots of colorful, and some not so much, leaves throughout our walk and then used a hole punch to poke holes near the stem of each leaf (unless nature had already provided one), sorting them into small, medium and large leaf piles as we went. My six year old loved punching the holes!

autumn swag

After everything was punched and sorted, we started stringing. We simply loaded a long piece of baker’s twine with a variety of leaf colors and sizes and tied a bow at both ends. After I hung the sway, I evenly spread out the leaves until it was pleasing to the eye and you could see several different colors and leaf sizes. Of course the leaves will continue to dry out and lose lots of color over time, but that’s part of the charm. Also, this cute little swag is highly flammable, so maybe the fireplace isn’t the best place to hang such a thing.

I loved how this autumn swag turned out and had a great time making it with my son; unfortunately this is probably one of those one-event-only projects that will go in the trash before the forth coming Christmas décor explosion. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to make another one next year.

autumn swag

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