Inspiration from a tutorial...

As much as I enjoy making things--really anything, I'll try it at least once--I rarely make gifts for my family and friends. I think it's because I'm super hard on myself. When someone on Etsy tells me a pair of my earrings are ugly and overpriced (yes, that happened once, some random person sent me a message just to tell me that (they were $6 mind you)), I get frustrated but I get over it. And while I doubt any of my family OR friends WOULD ever say such a thing--I worry! I think, oh but what if I make this and they just *hate* it--would they tell me? What if they DIDN'T tell me? You see where I'm going. Confidence and what not.

BUT...this year I promised I would make SOMETHING for at least one person, just to show off my hobby and love for making pretty things. One of the awesome tutorials I found was over at Tragic Sensation, who really makes me laugh. I found her awesome lima bean wreath here: http://tragicsensation.blogspot.com/2010/11/sleek-wreath.html

My mom had recently re-vamped her living room with bold red furniture and so I was inspired to make her a similar lima bean wreath...it's what you see in the picture above. (please excuse the poor quality, it didn't occur to me to take a decent one at the time)

I used a wreath form I had on hand; it was not styrofoam...rather one of those plastic covered, hay-straw type monstrosities that can be rather unforgiving for a novice wreath maker such as myself. I used a wide, red satin ribbon to wrap the wreath and then glued on the limas...one...at...a...time...there are 366 beans on that stinkin' wreath (you hear me, mom? 366! hahaha) I boxed it up for my mom with a yard of chocolate brown satin ribbon to use for hanging...She seemed to love it, so if I spy it over the fireplace next time I'm over, I'll snap a better picture for you!