How To-zday: Hydrangeas & a Giveaway!

First off, our hearts go out to any of y'all who were in Sandy's path.  Hopefully we'll be able to pick up the pieces & get everyone on the road to recovery smoothly {& without it becoming political fodder in the last few days of the campaign}.

I have a quick & easy craft today-- a simple wreath made out of my Mom's hydrangeas.  Last time we visited, a few weeks back, she sent me home with a bushel full of the beauties.  I had purchased a straw wreath earlier, without having an exact plan on what I was going to do with it-- so I was ready to go when the opportunity presented itself!

Straw wreaths are great for floral arrangements-- first off, they are inexpensive {far cheaper than styrofoam or *gulp* the dramatically overpriced grapevine}.  Secondly, they allow you to simply poke the stalks directly into the wreath without any wires or fancy tricks.  I did use some glue on occasion, to hold flowers firm if they seemed wobbly, but for the most part, they are held in place by the wreath itself.

After the wreath was full, I hung it on a door and did a combination of pressing down and/or some trimming to make the shape more regular.

Here's a handy trick.  To keep the flowers from shedding petals as they continue to dry on the wreath, mist the entire project with strong hairspray.  Don't coat it, just cover it lightly.  You can repeat later if needed, though ours has been hanging for a couple of weeks now without losing a single petal!

I added some ribbon in matching tones to act as a hanger, as well as complete the look.

And here's the finished product!  I put it back on the door temporarily for the picture because...

where I ultimately hung it looks great in person but does not photograph as nicely because of the window on its left~*

I even used the remaining hydrangea stalks {waste not, want not & whatnot}

There they are in the red vase on the left side of the mantel~*

Quick & easy.

Next week we are going to do a pumpkin seed recipe-- I had intended to do that this week, but our seeds are still drying out {5 pumpkins = a plethora of pumpkin seeds}.  So if you are saving your pumpkin seeds let 'em dry out real good because you won't want to miss my husband's secret recipes!

Have a great Tuesday {& for those of you in Sandy's wake, stay warm & be safe!}

Only 14 hours left for the spooktacular Trick or Treat giveaway over at ModaMama's-- head over there to enter before its too late!

Handmade Happy Hour