today i have
a Vintage Christmas Wreath DIY
that you can make.. it could stay up year round, for that matter
{ i promise, this is an easy and quick craft once you have everything ready to go }

when i saw this over at Thistlewood Farms,
i couldn’t wait to make my own

Vintage Christmas Wreath DIY
from pale burnished gold frames, some ornate, others plain..
to celebrate events from 2011
{ graduation, lake fun, birthdays }

the original Thistlewood wreath had several frames
because theirs were much tinier than mine
..i couldn’t locate frames that small

it’s a nice change from those large memory frames
and i think the possibilities are endless

plus it could be a great Christmas gift for family or friends

maybe next year i’ll make one with shiny silver jewel-box frames
with a turquoise bow..

♥

Vintage Christmas Wreath

Materials
(all materials were purchased at Michael’s Craft Store)
1 grapevine wreath, any size (mine was 18″)

13-14 4×5″ width silver or gold photo frames
(photos inside will be 2×3″)
13-14 black and white photographs
(photo paper, if printing yourself)
3″ wide burlap, wired if possible
Green 22 Gauge Floral Wire (I bought the value pack)

Wreath door hanger

Directions
Michael’s had sold out of the “tight” grapevine wreath. I had to buy an 18″ wreath that fanned like a pin wheel. Using the green gauge wire, hold the loose ends flat, wrap a 4″ piece of wire around in various spots, twist it, then press the wire flat. Do this all the way around the wreath so that you have a finished, tightly wrapped grapevine wreath. If you can find a regular 18″ grapevine wreath, you can skip this step. (*You could do any size of wreath you wish, you’d just have to buy extra frames and print more photos.)

Place 4×5″ photo paper in your printer. Using Picmonkey software change each photo to black and white and then print it onto the photo paper. (This step was much easier than I thought. Just remember to change the print options to the 4×5 photo paper before printing.)  Remember you will be cutting these photos to 2×3″ for your frames, so you will be selecting only a portion of your photograph to display. I found photos that were not too “close up” worked best.

Turn over your frames. Cut out and insert each of the photos you have printed.

On the back is the “easel” portion. If you are gentle (I managed to rip one right off), the cardboard “stand” will tear off with a twisting motion, leaving one or two holes for the floral wire. Each frame is different, some have a small pin to push out. If you’re lucky enough to find Christmas tree frames, they won’t have this “easel stand” on the back at all.

Lay the frames in the order you wish around your wreath, sorting out where each type of frame or photo will go and how far apart they need to be so that you can see enough of each photo and face.

Beginning at the top on one side, loop a good 12″ piece of gauge wire through the back of the photo, then simply wrap around each side of the wreath and twist tightly only once or twice to hold it in place.  Don’t finish off the ends or over-tighten, so that you can move and adjust the photos after you are finished if needed. I alternated with one picture over top of the two frames on either side.

When you like the arrangement of frames, turn the wreath over. Finish twisting the green floral wire so that it is tight, then trim the ends and press flat so it won’t scratch your door’s surface once it is hung.

Make a large burlap bow by overlapping twice. Twist the bow in the center with a piece of floral wire and then wrap to cover the wire with burlap. Leave ends to hang as desired.

Hang up on your wreath hanger and gently manipulate the frames again, so that faces aren’t covered and angles angels are pleasing to the eye.

{ Printable Copy }

♥

“Can one desire too much of a good thing?”
{ As You Like It, W. Shakespeare }

“And wilt thou not have one?”
“Ay, and I shalt have twenty such, on Fridays and Saturdays, and all..”
{ I Hope You Like It, J.A. Smidgen }

So the wee oatmeal cookies were made less sweet,
for when Biscoff and cookies are wed,
too much sugar is never a good thing.

Biscoffie Bites

 

Print

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

12 mins

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups Oatmeal (instant or quick, uncooked)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cream together the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then add 1/4 cup water and vanilla and blend to mix.
3. Combine the 3 cups oatmeal, the flour, and baking powder together. Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture and blend well.
4. Drop by small teaspoons ( I used my small scoop and broke them in half ), roll then pat to flatten each cookie before baking.
5. Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until just lightly golden on the sides of the cookie.
6. Move to a wire rack and cool completely. To assembly, spread the desired amount of Biscoff on the bottom of one cookie and push another cookie on top to make the sandwich.

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3.5.3251

 “Now tell me how long you would have them, after you have possess’d them..”

“Forever and a day!”

*Biscoff is a spread (consistency similar to peanut butter) that has a lovely fragrant taste of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. It is a recent product discovered when Delta airlines Speculoos Cookies were ground up and made into a spread. You can find jars of smooth or crunchy. I haven’t found any in Calgary yet.. but ordered online through Abe’s Gourmet on Ebay and it arrived at my door within 2-3 days.