This has been a challenging week for me.  Not only has the weather been less than stellar, I also managed to contract some early season snot-germ that kept me at home.  My coworkers even told me to get out when I went to the office.  Bad Weather + Bad Cold – Riding – Barn Visits = Stir-crazy horse owner.  Rumor has it that Ike is less than concerned about our lack of work this week.  He has enjoyed his unexpected vacation by romping with his brother.

Before the cursed germs invaded my body, I had decided that I was going to get crafty this Christmas and make my own horse head wreath.  I found the instructions on Facebook, and I thought to myself that I could give it a go.  If you search around the internet, you can find plenty of them made by very talented people.  Some are made with real greens, others with garland purchased from the craft store.  All of them are pricey.

So in between napping, blowing my nose, and working, I decided to try my hand at making my horse head wreath.  I won’t bore you with the step by step instructions – you can find them on my Facebook page or Google “how to make a horse wreath” and you will find the directions.  I will however share with you a few tips to make your construction go easier than mine…

1) Use the cheap wire hangers that you get from the drycleaners.  I made my wreath with these cheaper ones and the wire was very easy to shape.  When I decided to make 2 horse heads for Ms. C, I used purchased wire hangers from Walmart.  The wire is a thicker gage from the purchased hangers, and let’s just say that it was not as user friendly for bending.  My husband grew concerned about my well being as the nasal-toned cursing grew louder and louder.

2) Purchase wire cutters.  Kitchen shears, school-kid scissors, and wire-strippers are all poor substitutes and will also lead to cursing.

3) The instructions I had said to use masking tape and hot glue for the frame.  Hot glue guns and I are not on speaking terms, so for Ms. C’s wreaths that needed to be outdoor friendly, I used green duct tape.  Duct tape, like baling twine, can fix anything.

Ms. C’s first wreath

Ms. C’s second wreath

4) Read the label of your ribbon while at the store.  Finding out 10 days later that your spool doesn’t have enough ribbon to complete the bridle causes a delay in the completion until you can return to the store to buy more.

5) When using craft glue to add embellishments to your picks, do not set them on the carpet to dry….you will have to cut them away from the carpet and then cut glue blobs off your pick.  Glue blobs are not very festive.

6) If you are sick, consider delaying your craft project.  The holiday ribbons and picks all have glitter.  The glitter gets everywhere.  A snotty, glittery red nose is not a good holiday look.  It is not a good look period.

Good luck if you give it a try.  Please share photos in the comments!

Alison