Wreathed in the Holidays

I am going to go all Martha Stewart today.

Feel like doing some Christmas crafts? This is the place.

I was inspired by this month's Good Housekeeping magazine, which I keep in the library, otherwise known as the powder room. I think this is a really fun magazine, especially for all of the recipes and crafts. Actually, come to think of it, Martha Stewart's crafts seem to require too much of a disciplined, organized lifestyle commitment, and that is not in keeping with my mantra of moderation.

Good Housekeeping's offerings are more suitable for The Haphazard and Disorganized Housewife, who would be me.

Plus, you can play Mahjongg on their website; now, who doesn't like a little Mahjongg now and then, perhaps with a cup of oolong tea?

It makes me feel very Miami Beach circa 1960, just thinking about it. Where are my silk pajamas?

And then there is Heloise, who must surely be 116 by now, still dispensing valuable advice on how to get those ink spots out of your brand-new slipcovers.

My favorite thing about the current GH issue, however, is the Eco-Friendly Christmas Wreath Project. Here is the place where you can find out what to do with those 500 old Christmas cards that you have received over the last 17 years.

What, you mean that everyone doesn't save those Christmas cards, in a huge basket that gets dragged out of the closet every year, and now weighs about ten pounds?

The cards from family and friends that come in the mail and reaffirm that you are worth the price of the card and the stamp, and the time it takes to sign, address and mail them, so how can you throw them away?

The cards that you sweat to respond to in a timely fashion, which usually means that you mail your cards on December 23rd, instead of early in December when you should?

But I digress, and should not be letting my latent Christmas card guilt issues usurp my post.

The recycled holiday-card wreath is going to take care of all of those old cards. Clearly, we are not the only household that doesn't throw them away. GH provides a handy stencil to use to cut the cards into a holly-leaf shape. All that is needed is a styrofoam wreath, toothpicks and a hot-glue gun, that staple of holiday crafts, and voila!

The other wreath that really captured my fancy was the tie wreath. Norm has about 250 ties hanging up in his closet; I know this because I accidentally pulled off the rotating tie rack while rooting through his closet one day (don't ask) and had to pick them all up. The wreath only uses 19 ties, so I will have to think of something else to do with the other 200 ties he doesn't wear. Cut 18 of the ties into 15 inch lengths, wrap them around a wire wreath form, put a stitch in the back so that they don't fall off, tie one in a bow on the front, and voila!

By the way, for all of you wine drinkers out there (you know who you are) there is a lovely wine-cork wreath.

I feel all energized just thinking about making these wreaths/getting rid of those old cards. So, before that feeling dissipates, or my morning coffee wears off, maybe I will pull out the big basket o'cards, print off the stencil and start in on wreath-making.

Now, where would I find the glue gun?