DIY Dino Wreath

It’s craft central at the Living Small house these days. I’ve been feeling the drive to DIY (oncoming autumn, maybe?); here’s the latest creation:

I call it the Dino Wreath. Clever, yes? In any case, if you’re bonkers for brontosauri, here’s the Patented Living Small Do It Yourself Dino Wreath Guide. Note: This project has a difficulty rating of SUPER EASY.

SHOPPING LIST

• Wreath form. Mine is some kind of wickery substance, found for a half-dollar at the thrift shop. Secondhand shops are magnets for wreath forms. Go there first. Mine is painted white, but feel free to choose whatever color/finish suits your taste.
• Plastic dinos. Or army guys, or doll heads, or Matchbox cars — whatever weird focal point you’re into today. Because my wreath was kind of small (about 10 inches in diameter), I picked up a pair of dinosaurs. Of course, Value Village only had two “in stock,” so my limited choice metamorphosed into dino wreath perfection.
• Beads, charms, goofy baubles — basically, any embellishments you’d like to add. I’ve developed ridiculous symbolism for each of the extras on my wreath. Have fun playing humanities teacher and imbue your beads with special meaning.
• Beading wire. 20 gauge should do. For the two-dino design, you’ll need about a foot, though a little extra never hurt anyone who was prone to making and remaking. (Who, me?) Wire cutters are also necessary, but no need to buy specialty ones from the bead store, lest you’re going to start making jewelry. Most sets of needle nose pliers have built in wire cutters, and we all know that everyone should have a pair of needle nose pliers for the good of the order.
• Vegetation. I picked a few branches of rosemary off the bush in front of my house. Smells good, looks prehistoric. Ferns also are an excellent choice. Both veritably scream Triassic.

MAKE IT

Now for the fun part! First, place your items on the wreath. Move them around, change their position. Figure out where you’d like them to hang. It is especially helpful to leave convention aside for this portion of the operation. DIY, not DI–like-Williams-Sonoma, capice?

Next, start wiring. Wrap a length of wire through the wreath, then around your dinosaur. Wrap around feet, necks, tails — anyplace that will secure your mastodon to the form. You can use your needle nose pliers to help tighten the wire around said feet/necks/tails. Thread wire through your beads and charms, and wire as with the dinos.

Add your veg. Just stick the greenery in and around the embellishments. No need to secure; the plants should stick, so long as they are wedged into the wreath well enough.

Finally, hang it up. Take snapshots. Mail them to your mom, and, if you want, to Jeff Goldblum, in honor of his portrayal of Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. He’ll love them, I’m sure.

What have you been crafting lately?