this is a blog about memory keeping, funny stories & baked goods i make, and do my best not to eat. proper capitalization is always optional.

12.05.2010

diy: plastic bag wreath

when i was a kid i remember making these plastic bag wreaths out of white garbage bags. we would sit in my grandmother's kitchen for hours cutting the garbage bags into strips & then tying them onto a old wire hanger. i thought about making one for our house, since it would be relatively cheap.

then i thought about those hours it took for us to all sit there and cut the plastic bags, and changed my mind!

while picking up sandwich baggies for the dude's lunch i had the brilliant idea to use those instead. (i'm sure it's not original, but i was still pretty impressed with myself)



so here's what you need to make one:
-approximately 150 fold-over style sandwich bags
-wire hanger
-wire cutters
-ribbon/paper/ornaments whatever color/style for embellishment

1. first you want to stretch the wire hanger out into the shape of a circle. it doesn't have to be perfect because the bags will hide the wonky bits.



2. fold your baggie in half length-wise, with the opening towards the inside of the bag (i found it just makes the shape more uniform & less sloppy). then tie it in an overhand knot around the wire hanger starting at the top next to the hook.




3. continue tying baggies around the frame in the same fashion, pushing the knots closer together. the tighter you push them together the fuller your wreath will be.



4. you may find it easier to make sure the knots stay in the same direction if you wedge the wire between your knees as you work. i had the circle with the part i was working on at the top of my knees, and moved it around towards the ground as i made the knots. (*tip: make sure you pull the bags tight, but be careful, you can rip the bags. i found that if you held the bag close to the knot it made it easier to pull tight without ripping the bag)



5. use wire cutters to snip off hook at top & embellish any way you choose. i free-handed some banner shapes, painted some chipboard letters, and stapled it all to some silver elastic cording. you could wrap it with ribbon or tinsel, attach ornaments, or just wrap lights around it & hang it up!






















6. hang & enjoy!! :)

xo-k

8 comments:

  1. This is so cute! I would never guess it was made from plastic bags!

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  2. This is ingenious! Love it! Thanks for linking up!

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  3. What an original idea! I love it! Very chic for plastic baggies!

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  4. love this with the bunting! I made one of these years ago when I was little. I should make one again :) if you have a chance come link up to handmade tuesdays @ www.ladybug-blessings.com

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  5. An oldie, but goodie. We made these from bread bags in elementary school - circa 1960 - sans the banner. Cute update.

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    1. I taught first grade in a small town in the 70's and for several years my first graders made these. I could drive down every street and see where all my first graders lived by the wreath on their front door. The wreaths were put away and then put up every year. The wreaths lasted for years. I look back now and think about the work those children did. Their little fingers were not supposed to be able to do it. There were no glue guns then and every decoration was tied on with wire making them almost indestructible. The only thing I can say after all that is that their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills improved greatly and so did their handwriting.

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  6. After 55 years ago of making these and selling these as a small child I am back at it. Thank you for refreshing my memory on making them I also used the sandwich bags I love them

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  7. Thank you for explaining that the open part of the baggie should face the center of the wreath. Your instructions are very precise, including avoiding pitfalls. Done like a real teacher!

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