I heard it through the grapevine (wreath)…

 

So yesterday, when I took you on a tour through my garden, I forgot to mention one of my “crops”:

Wild grapes!!!  Of course, I didn’t know that they were wild when I asked permission to drape the vine over my neighbor’s fence.  I had hoped they would be the same concord grapes he’s nurturing just a few feet down.  It’s okay, though.  These grapes are small and sweet, but refreshing to pluck and nibble on when I’m out enjoying the yard.  The photo above was taken much earlier in the season.  They’re a deep purple now, but not much larger.

Aside from the grapes, though, the vines quickly enveloped the chain link fence that borders our yard.   In fact, they were even starting to grow up into one of my trees, and I was pretty sure they were killing off some of the limbs.  So, yes.  It was time for a little trim:

But the point?  Thanks to a little something I found on Pinterest, I was able to turn my trimmings into, hopefully, some show stopping decor a little ways down the line.

Of course, I should have done this a little earlier in the season, according to the tutorial, but I still feel pretty accomplished about my wreaths.  I actually made four of them, but the biggest one is my favorite.  They’re drying in the sun, right now.  I can’t wait until they’re totally brown and ready to decorate!

Yes, this is a kid friendly craft.

So that checks off the FUNNEST item on this weeks to do list.    It’s always good to get the funnest project out of the way first, right???

Have a great weekend!
-Mac-

Make a Rock Garden Centerpiece!

It was time to put something on my table for spring, and I’ve been kind of stumped.  I always like to have something on my table that makes our home look alive, but its time to do something besides flowers or candles.  I definitely wanted something green to match my springtime green mantle, so I set about turning a small houseplant into a simple garden themed centerpiece.

You can find “river rocks” like these close to the florals in any craft store, or really, even in Walmart.  At target they’ll be close to the candles as “vase fillers”.  My houseplant was a dollar on closeout at Aldi, and the 70’s looking plastic water can was 15 cents at my favorite thrift store.  I don’t think I would go quite this simple with my centerpiece if my table runner wasn’t so eye catching by itself.  I found it at World Market, where I was cashing in on a $10 off anything coupon.  (Did you know they send you a $10 coupon for your birthday when you sign up for their emails?!  Sweet!)

I love how this constant reminder to water my plants, actually helps me remember to drink more H2O.  It’s SO ridiculously simple, but I don’t know…  I think it’s got a kind of zen quality!  What do you think?