The regular “little of this, little of that feature” here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
Having done some traveling over Thanksgiving weekend, I found myself a bit behind at the start of this week. Not just behind on liturgical year preparations and activities, but indeed in all areas (looking at you, bare spaces in the apartment and as-yet-unpacked-boxes! looking at you, poorly stocked pantry!).
So, naturally, I got involved in one of my many crafts that needs completing a new craft.
It started with the Advent wreath. Okay, fair – I mean, we needed a wreath. We got back home late on Sunday night (the first night of Advent, if you'll recall), and everything was thoroughly covered with snow. Living in the city, I hadn't had a very strong idea of where I was going to gather leaves and branches and whatnot for a wreath, but I had had it vaguely in mind that I would somehow come up with something. But here we were, with Advent already upon us, and snow was everywhere, covering up the hypothetical greenery that I was supposedly going to collect. Hmm.
Very fortunately for me, the park where Finnabee and I regularly go on our walks had recently been undergoing some trimming, such that large pine boughs were chopped and left on the ground! When I saw them Monday morning, I thought, “Hmmm. A bunch of big pine boughs free for the picking. I wonder if I have any use for them? …. nah.” And we left empty handed.
But by Tuesday I had put two and two together, and on Tuesday's walk, we went out with a bag and brought home a good bundle of deliciously fragrant pine. Finnabee had a grand time picking out pine to help mama.
On Wednesday, I meant to get around to actually making the wreath.
On Thursday I actually did.
And then, having put together the Advent wreath (pictured above, with the slightly sad candles, on the glass cake stand) with pleasure and ease, I thought, “hey, that was pleasurable and easy! I should make another wreath for the door!”
I didn't have quite enough pine left for another full wreath, so I bundled the two of us up and out we went for another walk to the park. Because I was afraid to wait an extra moment – just in case the city should decide that it was time to get out there and clean up all those boughs on the ground – I set out right then despite the fact that it was very cold and very icy… it hadn't fully struck me until halfway there that all the pine on the ground would also be very cold and icy.
I brought home another bagful, spread it out on my table, and literally took the blow dryer to it.
Then I started on wreath No. 2:
Because I already had the green wire handy, and because my (and my daughter's) labor was (mostly) voluntary, the total cost of this wreath is $0 (it's really just wire and pine, and I only had to use the scissors for cutting the wire).
However, I committed a design flaw, and found, once it was done, that the wreath doesn't have complete structural integrity. It'll hold — it's a solid circuit. But whether it will hold the round O shape upon hanging is another issue; it's more of a slightly droopy oval. So I'm trying to figure that out now… The Artist suggested that maybe I bend a wire coat hanger into an O and affix the wreath to it. I plan to add a ribbon as well.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know! My goal is to use only something I already have in my household… Hopefully I'll complete it and have my act together enough to show you a finished photo with a bit more polish.
This week's links!
For some reading that might otherwise be just too “heady,” but instead makes difficult topics approachable (but you'll still want to read carefully and let them sink in):
- The Hermeneutic of Betrayal: David Warren contrasts the philosophers Edith Stein and Martin Heidegger, shedding light on current issues within the Church.
- Liturgy of the Body: another examination, from Anthony Esolen, of philosophical roots of present-day problems. This article and the above are both from The Catholic Thing, and both of them are the kind of writing that may leave you full of thoughts or may leave you speechless (thoughtless?) for a moment as you're struck by how they have seamlessly pulled ideas together – with brilliance.
In other news:
- Did you see Auntie Leila's piece on Catholic Culture this week? What I Wish a Bishop Would Say About Marriage.
- Can you spot which pillow is the most popular? Some decorating fun.
- For a crazy story: Phyllis Latour Doyle will be receiving France's highest honor this week for espionage she performed 70 years ago and of which barely anyone has ever before heard! This woman's story sounds like the plot of a blockbuster thriller! Wartime spy finally accepts she is a French heroine.
- Another reason to make sure that we and our kids are being moderate with screen time and getting plenty of fresh air: apparently nearsightedness is on the rise and is considerably worse in countries where kids are in school, inside, and at screens for more of the day.
- Make sure you dig through our Advent Archives for all our past musings, suggestions, projects, readings, etc. on this holy season!
Happy feast of the Good St. Nicholas today! There's a lovely meditation on him here by Jennifer Gregory Miller — and there is still time to enter this great giveaway on her blog! Two rare Von Trapp books! Do check it out.
And don't forget that Monday is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception — The patronal feast for the United States (and a holy day of obligation)!
~We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).~
Becky says
I like the hanger idea but you might also be able to cut a round from one of your boxes and hot glue the wreath on. It would probably show more than the hanger, though.
Emily b says
I love finding greenery discards! And your wreaths look beautiful! I have on occasion found kind people at the Christmas tree stands who let me take their snippings as well. Have a blessed advent!
Katie says
Dropping back by a week later, having finished a wreath myself, and I see I had the same thought as Emily b. This year I went to a neighboring church with a Christmas tree lot and simply asked outright if there was a “discard pile” I could look through. They happily shared several wonky branches with me (even carried them to my car!), which turned out to be more than I needed. In the past I’ve used cypress or pine from our yard, but it’s so lovely to have the fragrant evergreen.
Re reinforcements, in our backyard we also (alas) have kudzu, the sole redeeming quality of which is that it makes very nice vine wreaths. Maybe it’s less ubiquitous outside the South, but around here a little roadside plundering could yield plenty for a wreath base. I’ve even managed thicker ones that look nice on their own, rivalling the store-bought grapevine wreaths (and rewarding the otherwise thankless yardwork of keeping kudzu at bay).
I’m too late of course to help brainstorm any actual remedy. Deirdre, hope you are enjoying your wreath!
Aimee says
I generally start with a wreath form cut from a carboard box and attach the pine to it with wire. It might be a bit harder to start with an already formed wreath but it has always been sturdy for me (and my parents; my father makes wreaths in this fashion).
Cathy says
If you (or the Artist) has an unused frame roughly the same size, I wonder if you could wire the wreath to the frame. It would be hidden and give the wreath support on all “four” sides.
E says
I just made a couple wreaths myself with clippings a couple weeks ago, and ran into the same problem. I did the best I could by wiring the slightly thicker branches left over in on the back of the wreath but it still looked a little wonky. One idea I had was to use wide ribbon and attach it to top and bottom of the wreath to support it, then put the bow midway down it, but I didn’t have any suitable ribbon on hand. My wreath just had a lot of character!
Betsy M says
Hi Deirdre, we used a wire hanger every year growing up to make the background of our wreath and it worked great. Just “anchor” the wire around the hangers hook and then wrap your wire around the wreath and the hanger in the back. If you have a heavy pliers you can bend the hanger into a full loop to hang it on the door. Some years we would save the hanger to use for future years. I am a florist by trade but still make my wreath for our own door this way as I am to cheap to purchase the wreath form. Thanks for the links – can’t wait to peruse them.
Virginia says
What a lovely wreath! I think the super-simple ones are the prettiest. I remember one year my mom used one of those metal rings that you put over pie crusts to prevent them from burning. So, if you happen to have that totally random piece piece of kitchen equipment…
Not that I’m a huge fan of Heidegger or anything, but the article about Edith Stein seemed pretty ad-hominem-y. I also don’t understand what it means to say that “our perceptions and inferences not only require {other egos}, but originate in them.” But maybe that just means I need to read more Edith Stein! Anyone know a good starting point?