So, you are feeling crafty, huh? Yes, I will help you make a wreath. What kind of wreath did you have in mind, dear? You want succulents. Someone else made one and you saw it on her blog. You can’t get it out of your mind? I assume we are talking faux succulents? Real ones would be a big mess. How could you keep them watered?

Okay, I’ll Google it and see what I can find. Here’s a pretty one at Pottery Barn, but it is $99! We can make it cheaper than that. A lot of cute wreaths are on the internet, but they are all expensive. Pick out one you like and we will use it as inspiration. You like the one at Pottery Barn? That figures.

Step one is to buy some succulents. Dollar Tree has some and a dollar is about what your budget can afford. I have a Styrofoam form out in the garage, and I think I have some dried moss left from my birdhouse project last year. We can run over there and pick some out.

Now that you have the succulents, let’s get started. We need to take the tags off the plants. Man, these are the stickiest tags I’ve ever seen. Maybe we can cut them off next to the stem and peel off the rest. I guess we need to shorten the stems or they will come out the back of the wreath. They have wire inside the plastic. Watch out! Well, there goes my good scissors.

Now, we can glue the moss on the wreath form to cover it. Where is the glue? You don’t know? That figures. Let me find my Elmer’s glue. Why isn’t the glue coming out? Take the lid off and pour out a little. Yikes! I said a little. What a mess. Go ahead and glue moss while I try to wash off my jeans. I hope it doesn’t glue them to my legs.

The moss won’t stick? Maybe it will be okay when the glue dries. Turn it over and do the edges. Oh no, it all fell off. You can’t put it back because it is sticking to your hands, and the table, and getting in on the floor? I think we need a different plan.

How about using a grapevine wreath? We can stick plants in the cracks between vines. I know the stems are too short. We can use a hot glue gun. See, you put a glue stick in, plug it in like an iron and let it get really hot so the glue melts. Then squeeze the trigger and out comes glue. No, not yet! Well, let it cool and we can peel it off, I hope.

Lay them out the way you want them to go. Now put some hot glue on the back of this plant and I will stick it in the vines. Ouch! I said on the plant. Maybe we should have used gloves. That glue made a blister. Anyhow, let’s try another one. This time you hold it. Whoops! It got on your finger? Don’t put it in your mouth! Oh no! Now you will have a blister on your finger and your lip. Maybe we can do the others without burning any more fingers. Be careful, really careful. Ouch, ouch, ouch…

Okay, I must admit it does look pretty good now that they are all glued. Let’s not use any moss between them. The vines look good enough to me. I can’t deal with moss again.

Hang it up on the door and we will call it a day. Whoops! One fell off. Glue it back. Whoops, another one fell off. I wish we had left the stems on them. Maybe no more will fall off if no one slams the door.

Do me a favor. The next time you are feeling crafty, just buy a wreath – or call me and I will buy it for you.

©2016 Sheila Moss

What sort of do-it-yourself crafts do you make? If you have something posted, let me know. Also, what is the best ointment for blisters?