On the Radar -- So Not Your Granny's Wreath

From Pinterest.

Ok, so I know that the word "wreath" probably makes you think two things:  "Is it Christmas?" and "How boring! Wreaths are sooooo outdated!"  And that's how I've felt for the past few years.  But not now!  Wreaths have made a comeback, and I am sooooo excited!

I really used to LOVE making wreaths.  I made them all the time, whether for Christmas or (insert holiday here) or just for fun.  Then, for some reason, I got a crazy thought in my head that they were too old-fashioned.  Outdated.  Boring.  But last Christmas, I made a few.  Just for kicks.  And now, in the past week, I have found myself longing to go to Hobby Lobby and scout for supplies to make one.  Don't I need to make a new fab Valentine's wreath?  How about one with blackbirds, in honor of the Blackbird girls? 

While I barely contain my growing NEED to make one, check out the plethora of super creative and beautiful wreaths I found, on Etsy and Pinterest.  From simple to super complex, these wreaths are definitely not boring...

Made from paper cups, from here.

Made from plastic spoons, from here.

Made from maps, from weird little world on Etsy, here.

Made from old silverplate, from here.

Living succulent wreath from SucculentDESIGNS on Etsy, here.

Yarn and Ball wreath, from sian on Etsy, here.

Cinnamon stick wreath, from Pinterest...not sure who to credit!

The Skinny -- A Christmas Memory

From Parisian Prairie Charm on Etsy

Everyone has certain holiday memories that stay with them throughout their life.  My most favorite memories of Christmas are the goodies my mom used to make (and still does...), and the time we spent together baking.  We had a double sided bar in the house where I grew up that was between the dining room and the kitchen. Most of the year it was a catch-all for all the things a busy family needed, but at Christmastime, it became the resting place for the goodie smorgasbord! We would have cookies, cakes, and candies enough to last us through to New Year's.  We each had our favorites -- mine are Gooey Butter Bars. 

I always knew that when she pulled out her stack of worn, stained recipes, that the fun was about to begin.  She would stockpile all the ingredients on the bar before baking, buying pounds and pounds of flour, sugars, nuts, and chocolate.  There was also, inevitably, a glass filled with candy canes and a gumdrop tree.  Her recipes were gathered from family and friends, neighbors and little old church ladies.  But the most exciting to me was when she pulled out this book, the Farm Journal Christmas Book, published in 1970.

This book has the recipe for my sister's favorite in it -- Seven Layer Cookies (without that icky butterscotch layer -- we are NOT butterscotch people!).  But I loved it because of the fun, bright pictures of gingerbread houses, candies, cookies, and best of all, crafts.  I looked at it for hours. 

My mom still uses her copy.  I never remember seeing the dust jacket on hers, it was probably lost before I was born.  A few years ago, I was able to find two copies of it -- one for me and one for my sister.  And there are copies that can be found very reasonably (like the one above, available on Etsy for $8!). 

So for today's post, beyond the reminiscing, I thought I'd share some great paper decorations shown in this gem of a book.  They may be designed in 1970, but I think they look pretty current!

  

(The measurement on the bottom lantern for the height of the divot is 1 7/8" and the width is 1 5/16".  Sorry, the scanner got blurry!)