The Smile Says it All!

Right after I finished my Let's Go Buffalo Wreath, a family friend requested I make him a New York Jets Wreath.  Wow, someone wanted me to make them a wreath.  I was humbled to say the least.  I used the same set up that I did for the Buffalo and New Orleans Wreaths.
It making this one really worked out as he just moved into a new place and we were able to give him the wreath as a house warming present.

The smile says it all...

The Who Dat Wreath

In 2004 I had the opportunity to return to New Orleans.  My first time there was only for a few months back in 1995.  I will post more on that in a later post as I have plans to make a Mardi Gras wreath later. So onto my love for the New Orleans Saints.
When I got to New Orleans, The Saints were far from being one of the great teams in the NFL.  Their record was 8 and 8.  The following year in 2005 their was utterly horrible with a record of 3 and 13!
More importantly in 2005 on August 29th, Hurricane Katrina made landfall.
I was safely in Atlanta when the hurricane made landfall, but watching Fox News and seeing the devastation was heart breaking.  When I was told to report to Memphis I saw some command members of mine had lost everything they had.  As soon as I got to Memphis I was told I could go back to NOLA to check on my house.  I was grateful to find out my home suffered minimal damage.
Over the next few months I was going back and forth to New Orleans over weekends and running errands during the week that had me running back and forth.  I was blessed to have a place to live and stay in Memphis where others were stayed and had to endure months of uncertainty.
When my command moved back in January 2006, the city was far from back to normal.  New Orleans needed some uplifting.  A great shot in the arm came from the Saints.  In the off season they had brought in Sean Payton to coach, Drew Brees as their quarterback and drafted Reggie Bush.
Many were wondering if The Saints did not do well this year would the team be moved to Texas or quite possibly to Los Angeles.
The Saints rose to the challenge!  With a rebuilt Superdome they reignited the city and helped bring back hope to the city with a record of 10 and 6.!

I have been a Saints fan since.

I really like the decomesh ribbon I found for this one.  I found it on Amazon for $13.50 and I paid $7.00 for shipping
The ribbon I found for $10.20 with $6.00 for shipping.
The helmets and footballs I got at party city for $5.99 each.  Remember if you order them in the store at Party City you can get free shipping.
The 16" ring I got at Michael's for $5.99.

Once again the shipping is the main evil!

However, I love this wreath.

More to come...payday!

The "Lets Go Buffalo" Wreath

Since the day I finished my first wreath and found it acceptable, I decided I wanted to do a Buffalo Bills wreath for my wife.  She is a huge Bills fan!

We grew up five houses from each other in New Jersey.  She ended up being a Buffalo fan and I ended up a New Orleans fan...go figure.

So her allegiance is to Buffalo and my allegiance is to her.  So I wanted to do something nice for the woman I love.

Where I would love to take full credit for the idea of this wreath, it is actually a combination of different ideas I got off of Pintrest.

Putting together the pieces and parts for this wreath proved to be quite challenging.

First off you can't just run down to the local craft store and pick up NFL merchandise.  Stores have to have special permission to sell the merchandise.  Michael's is not one of them.  Party City is one of them, however, they do not have them in the store.

BIG TIP FOR SAVING MONEY!

If you go into Party City they have a kiosk where you can order anything off of their website that is not in the store.  If you order it through their kiosk, you do not have to pay for shipping!

So the helmets and the footballs were purchased at Party City.  I was able to purchase the footballs right off the rack.  I ordered the helmets and they arrived about five days later.

I picked up the decomesh ribbon at A.C. Moore, for about $6.00 and I picked up a couple of 24" rings at Michael's for $9.00 a piece.

The ribbon I had to order, I got lucky and was able to get both the Buffalo ribbon and some ribbon for a New Orleans Saints ribbon from the same place, so I pad $5.99 for the shipping for all three.

I hate paying for shipping!

Making the bow ribbon at the bottom was something new for me so I went back to Youtube and fond this video to show me how to make a nice bow ribbon.

When it was all done and I got a thumbs up from my trophy wife, I went to the Facebook page for the Buffalo Bill Backer's of Raleigh.  This great bunch of people meet every sunday at the Buffalo Brothers Sports Bar, every Sunday...Good People....Good Times.

Within minutes I was asked how much it would cost to make one.  I considered the cost of putting it together which was almost $50 and I asked for $60.  Unfortunately, that is where the conversation ended.

BIG NEWS!

However, I put the picture on my Facebook wall and within minutes, I was asked to make two NFL wreaths...one for the New York Jets and one for the New England Patriots!

Whoot!

More to Come...New Orleans Saints!

It's Beginning to Look alot Like Christmas

First off you should not be afraid to say Merry Christmas!  So I made my first wreath.  I got some good feedback so I decided to make a couple for Christmas.  My lovely trophy wife even gave me the idea of making a couple and giving them as Christmas presents.

So off to Michael's I went to see about making my first Christmas wreath.  This time I was sure I did get a couple of 24" ring.  The size difference is quite noticeable!  However, I was going to make two wreaths for some people who are very dear to my heart.

The first is for my wife's best friend.  She has a heart the size of all of North Carolina.  Going to her home is always something.  People laughing, talking and just hanging around...and none of it at a reasonable volume.  Since my wife and I were dating she has welcomed me into her home.  She was my wife's maid of honor, and her sons and daughters have become younger brothers and sisters to me.

The second was for her the mother of my wife's best friend.  Years ago I was in Spain and I, quiet accidentally, tried piaya.  I LOVED IT!  One Thanksgiving at my wife's friends house I was taken aback when what do my wondering eyes do appear but a whole serving platter of piaya.  Suddenly I was like the seagulls in Finding Nemo, "Mine."

After I ate...well almost all of it.  I thanked her so much.  There is not a time I am over there now where piays is not given to me in mass.

This family and some others here in North Carolina have restored my faith in the human race.  Below is  the wreath I made for my wife's best friend.  It is a 24", with all the materials purchased at Michael's.

Looking back I wish I filled this one in a bit more.  Doing a 24" wreath is quiet a bit of filling to do.  I would like to claim inspiration for giving me the idea for two different colors but I ran out of green...so I filled in with red.

Here is the one I gave to friend's mom.  I made this one a 16".  I thought the size and filling in went with her personality.

She put it on her front door.  I was so touched!

Next up...NFL WREATHS!

Lessons Learned from Making my First Wreath

      My brother once said to me that to start any hobby you need to invest at least $250.  I think that number is pretty correct when you are purchasing equipment.  However, with making a wreath everything you buy is consumable.  Meaning you buy it...you use it.
     So far the only real equipment I have seen that I need to buy, is scissors and a glue gun.  I have always known there are different grades of scissors but after a couple of trips to Michael's I have found there are different grades of glue guns...who knew?
     Alright, so my first wreath is done and it is on the door.  I am proud of my effort.  One thing is bothering me...I spent as much getting some of the pieces shipped to me then piece itself.
Case in point...

24" Wreath Ring --------------------------- Cost $10.00(Shipping $5.12) Also with this I paid for a 24" ring and I got a 16".

Orange and Black Stripped DecoMesh- Cost Cost $12.50(Shipping $6.00).

     Now I know some of you may say, "Oh why not just go to the store and get the fabric."  I did that and they did not have what I was looking for.  I was actually quite disappointed with the selection at Michael's.  I have since learned of A.C. Moore.  Their selection too is quite limited.  However, Amazon always has what you are looking for...you just may have to pay for it.

Michael's did have a GREAT selection on the little things to glue to your wreath!

Also since I am a teacher for Wake County, N.C., I get 15 percent off there.

So from now on I am buying my rings from Michael's and I am still trying to find the be all and end all solution for fabric.

More to follow....

Something to get me Through the Winter

So Fall is here in North Carolina.  What the deer did not get is gone by the cold weather snaps we have already experienced.  So what to do with my free time.
I could give all my free time to the new World of Warcraft Expansion.  However, after a few hours I find myself wanting to do something else.
Back around October I saw one of my neighbors had a Fall wreath out.  I asked myself, is it hard to make one of these.  There are whole departments in craft stores devoted to making these things.  So I went to Youtube and watched this video:

Does not seem to hard.  So off I went to Michael's and put together my first wreath:

My wife loves me and she said she loved it...however, loving someone means telling them something is nice when it is not.  So I posted it online and I have gotten some positive feedback.  With that said a hobby is born.  So I hope to post pics and the stories behind each wreath.

More to Come...