Boxwood Wreath

 I love boxwood wreaths and topiaries. Back around Christmas-time I decided I wanted one, but after looking  around and pricing several on-line at an average of $40 to $60.00 (on the lower end) I decided that I needed to attempt to make my own.

 I had a straw wreath form in my craft stash that I had picked up with a coupon several months ago for a buck or two.

 I also have four boxwood bushes in front of my house.

 I clipped a bunch of the boxwood and just started poking it into the straw wreath form.

Then I had to clip more boxwood.

I also had to get out Stella (my glue gun). She was helpful in securing some of the more free-spirited branches.

 It took quite a while, and quite a lot of boxwood, but I wanted to make sure the wreath was good and full and there wasn't any straw showing through.

When I had it all good and filled in, I just used some plain old scissors to trim some of the fly-aways and give the wreath a more uniform appearance.

I hung it with some wide grosgrain ribbon from my newly repainted flea market window on my mantle. I love how it turned out. It's a lovely addition to my spring/summer decor. I wasn't completely sure that I would be able to pull it off, but it really wasn't hard (and it only cost me about $2.00). It just took a little patience to keep going until it was nice and full.

One of the great things about using boxwood is how nicely it dries. It has been a couple of weeks since I made and it is pretty much dried out now but it still looks nice. I'll probably keep it until it either turns brown or crumbles into dust and blows away--whichever comes first.

Today's Poem: "The Echoing Green" by William Blake