Wreath Made Of Honesty/Silver Dollars

A few years ago I had a lot of honesty/silver dollars in my garden. I didn't just want to pull them out and throw them away and ponderd a while on what I could do with them.
Then I had the idea of making a wreath with them! I want to warn you in advance, this is a project for people with a lot of stammina and is very very time consuming!
This is what the end result looks like

When I started, the seedpods didn't look all nice and shiny like they do on the photo. The seed pods on the plant have a husk around them which you have to gently rub off/remove one by one!
This is the "before" photo of a seed pod.

This is the "after" photo

I did all this while the pods were still on the plant. About eight hours later I had enough to make the wreath from. When cutting the pods off the plant, try to leave as long a stem as possible on the pod so you can stick it deeper in the base.
This is the type of base I used. It has a plastic back

Then I spent countless more hours sticking the pods in the base. Try to pack the pods tightly next to each other for the best result to completely cover the base.

If you like the idea but don't have enough honesty/ silver dollars you can combine it with eucalyptus or other plants which dry well.

If you like the idea but have no honesty/silver dollars you can sow them yourself but you will have to be very patient because it's a biennial plant so you will have to wait two years for the flowers and seedpods

I hung my wreath on the wall but you could also lay it flat on a surface and place a candle in a glass storm lantern in the hole in the middel. Don't use a candle without "protection". Dried plants are very flamible and I wouldn't want your house to burn down!

Hanging Window Decorations

In the village I live in we have a lot of tourists and some of them think it's a kind of open air museum and don't hesitate to press their noses against the windowpanes to look inside our houses.
I have tried different things to detere this except full length curtains which I dislike. First I tried potted plants but they grew through the holes in my croched curtains which made cleaning the windows a time consuming event.
Then I had an idea... I love stained glass windows and thought I could make mock stained glass window hangings
This is what they turned out like...

I made them using sheets of perspex which I had made to size, self adhesive plastic used to block the view through windows, permanent glasspaint en self adhesive lead strip bought on a roll.

As I said ealier I live in Europe but I'm certain these things are available in your area perhaps under a different name. Except perhaps if you live in the middle of the Amazon jungle, Sarahan desert or arctic circle.

I started by drilling holes in the corners of the perspex so that I could hang them when they were finished. Then I drew the design I wanted to use on the back of a piece of wallpaper and placed the perspex on top of it. By doing this you can see where you have to place everything. What you do next depends on what you are going to use. If you want to use the selfadhesive plastic you start by sticking that on in the position you want. This sounds easier than it is... If you only want to use paint paint the areas you want painted.I used "medium" to make the paint thinner and more translucent. Don't use your best watercolour brushes because this paint will ruin them.

I left some areas bare but feel free to do what you want. Lastly I stuck on the lead tape to divide the areas.

I used 3 squares, one for each window but you could place a several next or under each other and connect them with chains. You could also paint them in solid colours or mix colours together on the perspex. The possibilities are endless!

Lastely I attached chains and hooks to them and hung them on my curtainrod but you could also screw hooks into your windowframe.

I was very pleased with them when they were finished although they didn't bring the result I wanted. The tourists now stop to admire them!

I also made one for the window next to my backdoor. For this one I used selfadhesive plastic and releif paint which comes in a tube.

Silk Flower Wallhanging

When the news gets around that you like to create things people give you all sorts of things they think you might have a use for. Once I was given a big plastic bag full of silk flowers. Because there are only so many silk flower arragements a person can have in their home I put the bag in my closet where it stayed for quite a few years before I thought of a use for them.
One day I stood holding the bag in my hands while tidying the closet wondering how I could use them all up in one go when I had an idea! I could use them for a floral wall hanging.This is the end result:

It's very easy to make. All you need is an artists canvas, a gluegun and lots and lots of silk flowers. I thought that I had more than enough but in the end I had to ask the lady who gave them to me if she had some more which luckily she had.
I started by cutting all the flowerheads off the stems and putting them into a mesh laundrybag and washing them with a bit of laundrypowder in the bath because some of them had got a bit dusty over time. After rinsing the bag with flowers I spun myself round in the garden to remove excess water ( I hope no one was looking) and let them dry thoroughly on the centralheating radiator.

Then comes the fun part.. glueing the flowers onto the canvas. Take care not to burn your fingers on the hot glue! I placed the flowers randomly trying not to be too pickey about which colours to place next to which and alternating large and small flowers ( just like mother nature does)

I also went over the edges covering all the visible canvas but if you wanted to you could glue a ribbon around the edge.
If you like the idea but don't have enough flowers you could make one or more small ones and make a group of them on the wall.
I also used up my own old silk flowers which were a bit tatty and sunbleached. In amongst all the others you don't notice they aren't as "fresh" as they once were.
If I've inspired you but you don't have any silk flowers, I recommend you have a look in thriftstores and yardsales and ask around in your circle of friends and family. I'm sure some of them have silk flowers lurking around in their basements, attics, and closets.
The end result may be a bit tackey but I think in the right surroundings it would look great and certainly be a conversation piece. I know I cheer up no end whenever I look at mine!