Tales from the Sea Garden

Tales from The Sea Garden

Email me: theseagarden@btinternet.com

Friday 19 October 2012

A walk in the woods.....


I love to forage in the woods......


and bring back leaves, cones and lichen; such beautiful colours and textures together.



 Inspired by my walk today I decided to have a go at making a paper oak leaf wreath, and if you would like to give it a try too, here's what you will need:


some wire (not too thick but strong enough to keep it's shape.) I had this white wire, but galvanised wire from a garden centre will do just as well; a few beads, and some paper. I used some thick tracing paper and a page or two from an old handwritten book. You'll need paper that's a reasonable thickness or it will tear too easily when you come to wire the leaves.


 I started by drawing round a number of real oak leaves and then cut out the shapes to make templates. Using the templates I then cut out around 26 oak leaves.


With a bradawl I made a very small hole near the base of each paper leaf and thread a length of wire through, gently twisting the ends together to fasten. Another leaf (or two together sometimes) was then attached to the other end of the wire. I used different random lengths of wire, and wound each length around a central wire ring, onto which I had already threaded some glass and faux pearl beads. ( I realised after I had finished making the wreath that I should have taken a few pictures of it in progress - sorry!)


The wreath was intended as a prototype for a possible item to sell at the Christmas Fair I shall be doing next month, but it took about two hours to make, and just what can you charge for something that basically only consists of wire and paper? Sadly as is the case with so many ideas, the reality of bringing them to life is just not cost-effective. So I hope you have a go at making your own!



What's this I see in Godolphin woods?


A pair of eyes and a nose peeping out from a hole in the oak tree.......



The new man in my life likes to have fun with Fimo, and has a quirky sense of humour!



 Hee hee! Putting a pair of teeny eyeballs onto a little clump of moss instantly turns it into a hairy creature!


Funny that his surname is Woods........

Farewell for now my friends!
x x x

9 comments:

  1. Beautiful treasures from your walk and your oak leaf make is just gorgeous! have a happy weekend sweetie

    Bee happy x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Christine,
    What a beautiful wreath you made...Sometimes a prototype can take a long time to create and subsequent ones are quicker to produce...I'm sure they would be saleable if you could justify the time to make more...

    Dave and I visited Godolphin garden this week! I loved the way it had been left for nature to reclaim, but wasn't sure whether to recommend a visit on my blog...perhaps we didn't stay long enough to take it all in and perhaps missed something...I know I was keen to get back to St. Ives to sit in on the front with a cup of tea and breath in the sea air that day!

    Love the little fuzzy creature your new man made...reminds me of a character from Sesame Street! :)

    Love to you,
    Niki x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Niki,
      Like a lot of Cornish gardens, Godolphin Garden is definitely best visited in the spring; first there are snowdrops, then carpets of primroses and bluebells. A little way down the road from the entrance drive is a lovely walk along a stream, and also Godolphin woods. And of course Godolphin Hill behind the house, from the top of which is the most wonderful view of Penzance Bay with St. Michael's Mount. So perhaps next time.....But I don't blame you for wanting to get back to St. Ives, such a magical place! x

      Delete
  3. Love the wreath and all the goodies you gathered.
    Your new beau has a wonderful sense of humour... it would be interesting to see what he could make with a handful of acorns.
    Have a lovely weekend.
    Susan x

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a pretty wreath and such precious finds! Hehe, I love the little eyes on the moss.... How inventive and delightful! Xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely lovely lovely. hope you well and thanks just had a happy hour on your blog. from hesta

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your wreath is stunning!! I would buy one!!!
    Love Helen xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing, nice post! Post really provice useful information!

    An Thái Sơn với website anthaison.vn chuyên sản phẩm máy đưa võng hay máy đưa võng tự động tốt cho bé là địa chỉ bán máy đưa võng giá rẻ tại TP.HCM và giúp bạn tìm máy đưa võng loại nào tốt hiện nay.

    ReplyDelete