Don't Throw Those Cuttings Out!

Not everyone like to be 'crafty' but with a little effort you can take the trimmings from your evergreen trees and turn them into a beautiful wreath for your home.

Stores like Beverly's or Ben Franklin crafts have inexpensive wire wreath frames that you can use as the base for your wreath. Many of these craft stores also have great deals right now on decorative ornaments, plants, ribbon, wire and lights.

For this wreath, cuttings from a redwood were used to created the basic wreath and these branches were attached to the wire frame with very thin florists wire. The branches were over-lapped and layered around the frame to give the wreath a nice 'full' look and the over-lapping helps hide the end of the previously attached branch.

A string of tiny 'rice' lights was draped through the branches and attached where necessary with the florist's wire. These lights are perfect for this application as they run off batteries and there is an easy to access, on/off switch. The next step was to attach the gorgeous purple poinsettia leaves and silver ornaments (plastic for safety) evenly around the wreath, again using the florist's wire to secure them.

Finally, a hook on the back of the wreath so that it could be proudly hung on the front door!

So before you start throwing all your trimmings in the compost bin, take a step back and think of the beautiful, natural displays you can make for your home.