23 November 2009

diy wreath roundup

am loving all of the ideas circling 'round the internet having to do with do-it-yourself wreaths. here are twelve of my favorites (click image for larger view) to inspire you over the long thanksgiving weekend. black friday may as well be known as craft friday in this house.

wreath tutorials: 01. | 02. | 03. | 04. | 05. | 06. | 07. | 08. | 09. | 10. | 11. | 12.


these wreathy wonders might just persuade me to get some crafting done in between helpings of turkey and raspberry pretzel jello salad. yes, pretzels and jello. you have to trust me on this, it's delisch. i have been eating it on every special occasion my entire life. dan insists that this whipped creamy dish can hardly pass as a salad, however my mom always served it as a side dish with a crisp iceberg lettuce leaf underneath every square of jello. wasn't that cute of her? lettuce = salad. and i am determined to keep the tradition alive. (in reality, benji will be getting a jello scoop on his highchair tray and i might get caught eating it straight from the pan.)

and of course, (going back to my childhood family dinners) being raised when watching carbs did not exsist (thank goodness), we'd have a real dessert like mom's famous brownie cake afterwards (sometimes while watching seinfeld together). which just happens to be the exact recipe of pioneer woman's chocolate cake (buttermilk and all). no kidding. no wonder i love ree. however my mom never threw in nuts, she uses a 9x13 pan (not a sheet pan), and she adds a secret ingredient. which makes all the difference. it really does. but lets just keep it between you n' me, my mom's secret ingredient is a spoonful of cinnamon in the cake batter. mmm. mmm.

this post was going to be dedicated to the wonders of the diy wreath. which kinda got away from me. i suppose i have food on my mind. family food. this year dan and i will be celebrating thanksgiving within the walls of our own home, just the three of us. somehow our plans just turned out that way. it'll be a happy holiday with a humble little turkey, my grandmas dishes, a fancy tablecloth and most importantly, realistic expectations. am excited to cook all of our favorites and knock our socks off with an incredible (and edible) feast. i've jotted down my dad's famous turkey tips on a legal pad and will be slipping it into my three ring binder for safekeeping. if all goes well, i may attempt this again. knowing dan we'll probably take a big family walk on thanksgiving day. i really love this tradition. knowing me we'll probably take a big nap afterwards and watch a movie with hoodies and quilts. a movie that will contain a plot. and does not contain any guns or explosions. am crossing my fingers for an explosion free thanksgiving.

p.s. do you have a holiday movie favorite? please don't say gremlins. my eighth grade math teacher let us watch that for our holiday party. i remember thinking more along the lines of it's a wonderful life. but that's just me.

34 comments:

kh said...

you are just too cute. i love the diy wreaths and i have had that 'salad' before, it is as you say it is. yum.

my all-time fav holiday movie is little women (winona ryder) i watch it at least a thousand times during the course of oct-nov-dec. i won't be surprised if my baby starts to recite its lines. that movie screams 'family' and 'holiday' to me... wonder why. ;)

happy thanksgiving!

Stephanie said...

I adore that pom pom wreath. I've made pom poms for knit hats in the past and I know how time consuming they are, so I'm reluctant to give it a try. Wonder how much they would be to purchase? Probably a lot.

My favorite Christmas movie is Elf. I know it isn't a classic, but it makes me laugh and puts me in a wonderful mood. We actually watch it year round since I love it so.

Cassie said...

I have a couple of holiday favourites - a newer one (which is rather corny) is 'The Family Stone'. I love the idea of a big family with all the characters getting together and the kind of fireworks that inevitably follow. And my absolute classic that once watched symbolises the start of Christmas for me is the 80's classic - Santa Claus The Movie - love, love, love! xx

Travelin'Oma said...

Before VCRs and DVDs, the annual movie event on Thanksgiving Day was The Wizard of Oz on TV. We watched it every year, and I still associate it with grandparents and pumpkin pie.

brooke said...

The Warner clan watches Planes, Tranes and Automobiles the night before Thanksgiving every year. It is a family favorite. In the movie, Steve Martin and John Candy's characters are trying to get home for Thanksgiving. It is such a hilarious classic. It is R but by '80s standards. Is that justification or what?

Mandy Ferrugia said...

I know, right? These wreaths are soo adorable! And so addicting :] I wish I had more time to make all of them.

Thank you so much for posting all of these DIYs.
xo.

crissy // mama boss said...

I've been making that jello stuff for a couple of years, but I heard about it on Good Things Utah. Also, I make mine a little differently, I add chopped pecans to the pretzel, and I use rasberries and blackberries. My recipe is here, if you're interested.
It is so delicious, and always a hit.

Love all the wreaths, have really been wanting to make the book page and pom-pom ones. Don't know if/when I'll ever have time, though.

Also, great movie: How the Grinch stole Christmas. We've been watching it almost daily here.

Mary said...

enjoy your "just three of us" thanksgiving - it will be "just four of us" this year and I am so looking forward to having ALL my time to devote to my three favorite people. favorite holiday movie in our house is white christmas, followed by love actually (which we re-watched just this past weekend...a bit early!)

Anonymous said...

was your mom's recipe called denver sheet cake, by any chance? as i was making this a couple weeks ago, i realized my mom had given me this recipe a LONG time ago!! i heart pioneer woman... :) and our holiday movies include elf, love actually (more than once), and white christmas.

Jake said...

Happy Thanksgiving, Min! I read on someone's blog that you aren't a grown-up until you've made your own turkey. Congrats and have fun.

Johanna said...

oh Marta, I just love reading what you write. lettuce=salad,yes very cute!

Fav movie? LOVE ACTUALLY and of course It's a Wonderful Life.

robyn said...

charlie brown christmas, all the way!

and we always ate that jello pretzel stuff as well, but ours is strawberry flavored. i've got my mom's recipe - maybe i'll have to make some for thanksgiving!

Kelly said...

lovely roundup marta!!!

xo
Kelly

PS: Happy Thanksgiving :)

talesofahummingbird said...

we too have eaten that jello + pretzel salad on more than one occasion, and yes it is most definitely a salad served with the meal. no way is it reserved for the dessert spread. enjoy your feast for 3!

my favorite ever, EVER, Christmas movie is White Christmas. You must see it, and perhaps own a copy. So much romance, goodness and holiday cheer - not to mention old time nostalgia and amazing dancing.

--r said...

i'm glad i'm responsible for bread only at thanksgiving. the vegetarian in me just cringes at the idea of cooking a whole turkey. good luck!
and my movie choice for thanksgiving would be miracle on 34th street, as it starts off at the macy's parade and goes right through to christmas day. perfect.

stephanie from texas said...

The Miracle on 34th Street has always been my favorite Christmas movie. I have to say though that Christmas Vacation is a very close second....Merry Christmas the ****** is full. too funny!

Molly said...

OOOHHH I love these wreaths! Last year I sprayed painted my white wreath gold and pit little Cardinals in it, my granny's fave bird. It turned out lovely! Me and my husband always watch the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special on Thanksgiving Eve. On Thanksgiving day me, my husband, my mom and 3 other siblings always head out to the movies after we have stuffed ourselves. I love family traditions! We have been doing this since I was little! I hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving with your family!
~Molly P

Melanie Anne said...

What delightful wreaths! I made a wreath last night! It was so fun to put Christmas music on and make something pretty for my home! Oh and i must tell you--my boys and I just made some of your mini clipboards. They turned out so cute! We are using them for my boys weekly jobs/schedules. Thanks for the great clipboard idea!We also made some for my boys teachers at school--a gift to present to them at our families teacher apprecition dinner
My favorite holiday movie would have to be "the Christmas Carol" with George C Scott--but my boys would say "Elf" Happy Thanksgiving Marta!

KJ said...

my mom always called it a salad, too, though i argue the point like dan. and I love to toss cinnamon into my brownies! and I think it's great you are celebrating thanksgiving as a trio. We did our first year here and it was grand. same with Christmas. hope it's lovely for you. I'll be around fri and sat if you get lonesome!

Jamie said...

My favorite holiday movie would have to be Love Actually. It isn't very kid friendly though. I also really enjoyed The Holiday. And...you can't forget the Grinch. I guess that makes three for me!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your little family. I am confident your feast will be a huge hit.

[eeny] said...

Oh I love that book page wreath. Saw it a while ago on another blog. But I just couldn't get myself to rip a book apart to make it.

One of my favorite holiday movies is The Holiday. And Santa Clause with Tim Allen but mostly for the reason because it reminds me of my Christmas in the US. I watched it over and over with "my" girls. And since I was little I watch Pippi Longstocking during holiday season. She was my hero, I always wanted to be like her...and asking my mom she would say I sometimes was =)

I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving with your boys. To bad we don't have this holiday here in Germany.

tawnya said...

We're a Love, Actually and Elf family. Can't wait!

MelancholySmile said...

Every Thanksgiving morning, while I mash potatoes and bake pies, I watch While You Were Sleeping. It's my ultimate Thanksgiving movie. :) Lately, as our family grows, baking pies has taken a lot longer than it used to, so I've added The Family Man to the mix. I love It's a Wonderful Life, but that's a Christmas Day movie to me. :)

Erin {pughs' news} said...

I think that wreath made of glass Christmas ornaments is gorgeous! A friend of mine made one that was all frosty blues and greens and silver. Divine.

Am a huge fan of Christmas movies. My top picks are A Christmas Carol (the Alistair Sim version is the best by far), White Christmas ("Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters!"), Miracle on 34th Street (the bit with the little Dutch girl makes me well up every time) and OF COURSE It's a Wonderful Life. I love everything about it. I mouth along to every word. I cry my eyes out at the end every single time. George Bailey, I'll love you till the day I die!

satakieli said...

I'm in love with the paper wreath (number 12) and have been since I saw it a few days ago on a different blog. Now to get around to making one for myself!

summer said...

so cool, marta! everything: the wreaths, the tangents, the thanksgiving plan, and the awesome pretzel salad. (mom had this on little dessert plates last thanksgiving, but it was definitely served as a salad. also, our family has the same chocolate cake recipe too! only we call it 'texas sheet cake.')

ps. my dear, i would love to help, for holiday movies are my ultimate guilty pleasure. my top two of all time are 'it's a wonderful life' and 'white christmas.' but i also adore 'a christmas story' and 'miracle on 34th st'.

Em said...

Thanks Mart. Will definitely be doing one of the DIY wreaths with my sisters over Thanksgiving.

Hope yours is fab.

em

oh yeah, Little Women for sure is my fav.

Miranda said...

Prepare yourself for a lengthy comment: (Ahem)

Raspberry pretzel salad. Yes. I've made it famous in our little ward here in Denver. Don't ever let anyone try to tell you it is a dessert.

The wreaths! Yes! I totally forgot about that cookie cutter one! It think I may have one more door in my house that doesn't have a wreath on it.

Thanksgiving movie: Christmas Vacation. Every. year. But it does have explosions so.... :)

Happy Thanksgiving Marta!

P.S. said...

I love a good wreath, especially a homemade one these days.
check this one out
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_B4cqIWkgkGw/SoBkheepxyI/AAAAAAAACfQ/8VtAp89oyRM/s1600-h/BH%26Gcrafts2.jpg

Let me know if that link doesn't work and I'll email it to ya, trust me, you need to see if you haven't already.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Sweet Marta! O & M adapted the gumdrop wreath into gumdrop balls - much like a mistletoe ball. We had lots of fun! Thank you for the great idea - we're thinking of taking it on the road for an after Thanksgiving Dinner activity! Love to M, D & B!

J, K, L, and D said...

Great ideas! Thanks for posting to help me get moving on my wreath.

Fav holiday movies...It's a wonderful life (of course), Charlie Brown Christmas & Elf.

rachel griffith said...

thanks for the linky love on my fabric wreath.
:)

my all time fav christmas movie is christmas vacation!!!
SO love that movie.

Catalina Alvarez said...

Oh! Lovely roundup!
Thanks for sharing.
Cata

Anonymous said...

I like "While You Were Sleeping," with Sandra Bullock. Maybe it's not a Christmas movie per se, but it's set at Christmas.

Thank you for the tip about sprinkling cinnamon sugar on pretzels dipped in white chocolate (or whatever it is). I'm going to try that. : )

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