VIII. Candy Canes

Christmas is on the countdown, so fa la la la la la la la laaaaa!!! Christmas time is candy time. And who doesn't love a candy cane???

This week, if you choose to accept, I challenge you to PEPPERMINT!

I encourage you to use peppermint in a recipe for maybe cookies, maybe candy, maybe a winter cocktail or a maybe a warm loaf of bread. Use your imagination, create a new creation! Use what it takes, create, or even bake your way into this fun Christmas time spirit!!!

On behalf of bringing us a bit closer this holiday season, I also put myself to the challenge to create your creation within 7 days of you posting it. Just a little conversation starting, taste bud mixing, moment of fun sharing that we can do while being 3,000 miles apart during the holiday season. (of course if your concoction turns out good)

Challenge Details:
Inspiration: Candy Canes
Medium: Peppermint flavoring (or Candy Canes) -- Garnishing with Candy Canes
Deadline: Sunday 9th, 11:59pm

VII. Wreath Results

Ta-Da! It's been a while, but I finally finished a challenge!  So I was browsing through Michael's last Monday  because I need to pick up stickers for work and I got stopped by the 50% OFF all Christmas decor.  My favorite holiday decor are wreaths, so I just needed to find the correct supplies in order to make it!  I looked through the floral and foam section for a foam circle to use as the base for my wreath, but they were all sold out because they were also on sale so I knew I was going to have to improvise.

I picked up some fantastic, glittery midnight blue plastic leaves that were $0.49 a piece!  For that price I was able to purchase a handful of different leave shapes.

Other supplies that I used were scissors, wire cutter, floral tape and a glue gun.  I thought that I would be able to wrap it only with floral tape and then cover that with ribbon, but I ran into problems keeping it circular in shape because it wasn't strong enough.  Therefore, I resorted to the glue gun.  I also struggled with that, I think the glue is rather old.  I started by laying the pieces for layer one face down and glued the end of the stem to the top leave of the next.  Although I bought a variety, I ended up using only the fern like stems and the broad leaf stems.

After the first layer was put together and glued securely, I layered on the fern pieces to give it some body and structure.

The minute I held up the wreath, the glue started to give way and my circle became more oblong.  I reinforced about half of it with a wire hanger to help hold it's shape.  I hot glued it to the back of the wreath and taped it in few places with the floral tape.  I used left over stems and snipped the leaves so I could hot glue them around the wreath to cover the not so good looking parts.

I used a similar colored ribbon to hang the wreath from and perched it on our door.  As you can see there are few parts that could use a little more body and it's shame isn't 100% circular, but I think it looks great!  It's simple, festive and unique!

Happy Holidays to All!

III. Paint Chips

It's finally time for your second challenge!  Do you dare accept?  I have an inspiration in mind and it could drive you crazy with all of the endless possibilities!

Are you ready?

Your challenge for this week is...paint chips!

Challenge Details:
Inspiration: Colorful paint chips
Medium: Whichever you choose
Deadline: Sunday, November 4th @ 11:59 p.m.

Good luck!  If you google paint chips you get a plethora of great ideas, so don't make that mistake or you will be so insanely overwhelmed that you will probably be making paint chip projects for the rest of your life!

You are not limited to any color range.  GO WILD!  Also, you can use any medium that you would like.  I briefly thought about limiting you to making a piece of art, but I will let your creative juices flow into something spectacular all on their own.