Thursday, September 12, 2013

DIY Herb Wreath Tutorial

This morning Regina from Regal Cottage joined Suzy with D the Broadcast to talk about harvesting Fall herbs and making them into a lovely kitchen wreath. This is a great project to store and use your herbs long after you have pruned them back for winter. The herbs will dry on the wreath and you can snip off only what you need for recipes.

Here is the step by step process to making your own.



Step 1: Choose your frame. Pictured here is a lowly coat hanger destined for greatness! I shaped into a circle (sort of). Once the herbs are on, it fills out nicely, so don't worry too much about this. On the show we made two other versions, one used a grapevine wreath and the other an embroidery hoop. The grapevine wreath is best if you don't have tons of herbs to fill it out. You can just place them around the vines, and it looks great without a lot of herbs. 

Step 2: Cut off lengths of herbs in 9-12 inch sections. Bundle several stems together with floral wire. You will need probably 20 or so of these bundles depending on your frame and type of herbs. Our rosemary bushes had become overgrown and it was time to give them a good pruning, so that is what I chose to be the base for this wreath.

Step 3: You want to cover your entire frame. Attach two bundles at once. I used one on the front and one on the back to make sure that the wreath has a nice fullness and the wire doesn't show through.

Step 4: Layer your bundles on the frame to complete the entire circle. 

Step 4: Add in additional herbs strategically around the wreath. Pictured here is fresh basil on top of the rosemary base. You can add to your wreath as you wish. If you wind up later needing to purchase herbs for a recipe, just attach the leftovers to your wreath for later use. The more the better, and they will never go to waste.

Step 5: Finally attach a ribbon hanger. The ribbon I used in this picture is an indoor outdoor material that didn't tie well, so I stapled it together and put the staples to the back.

We would love to see your herb wreaths! Feel free to share them here in the comments, on Instagram (tag @etsydallas), Facebook or Twitter.

Happy crafting!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Too hot for fall

With back-to-school well under way and Labor Day bringing an official close to summer we look to fall. Oh, how we want to dress in our wooly clothes and tailgate by the fire. Unfortunately, the temperatures are still at the 90+ degree mark here in Dallas. So what to do?

How about taking a note from the leaves on the trees? Change gradually. We can turn in our light bright colors for fall's darker colors of browns, purples, and golds while still keeping the fabrics lightweight. In addition, change the scents in the air. Go from the spring florals to richer, spicier scents of cinnamon, cloves and oranges. Plus, don’t forget the visual changes at the house. A few pictures and pillow switched out will tempt you to light the fire at night. (But, maybe wait just a little longer on lighting the fire?) 

Click the treasury to browse our suggestions you can use now and well into the season. 


(treasury and post by Holly of Freckled Chicken)
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