Everyone Needs a Lima Bean Wreath

So what's a girl to do with a hankering for a new winter wreath and an excess of lima beans?  I guess any normal person would let the lima beans cook all day while making a fantastic wintery wreath but I don't guess I'm what you'd call normal... 

Although I do enjoy a good ole pot of limas!


Instead.... I decided to make me a wreath covered in limas...not cooked, of course.

It's funny, moving from the country to the city is way different.  I say country, it was country to me, even though we were nestled nicely on the side of a mountain next to the river.  And especially now that we have moved... but, "living in exclusion" may be a better term for the old homeplace.  

I mean, I still decorated and made lots of projects in the old house, there was just no one to see them.  Except for those of you out there who enjoy reading and looking at the pictures on this blog.  

Let me just be blunt with you... in the city, the pressures on!  To have a nice yard, a unique wreath, fancy-shmancy oversized, and overpriced I might add, potted ferns to welcome any and all guests.  And the pressure is especially high since our home seems to be on the way to work or on the way home for most of the people we know and love.  Some even go out of their way to drive past our new home, so things that may seem insignificant... (to the husband) like a wreath, or a garden flag, or the welcome mat...are a big deal to me!

I even recieved a few custom orders for Christmas from people who drove by the house, saw something they loved, found me a Facebook, and messaged me to make that something for their loved ones.  See...that kinda pressure.  You get what I'm saying?!

So, with the wreath, I knew I wanted something white...crafty yet elegant...eye-catching but modest.  And after googling and pouring over Pinterest and finding something similar to this, I knew exactly what I had to do.  I was super excited with how this turned out...Hopefully you will be, too!

Get your supplies together!  Here's what you will need:

I think I only used about 1 1/2 bags of the limas...

So first, cut your fabric (I used muslin) into strips and wrap around your wreath form.  Glue in to place.

Once its covered in fabric, start gluing* on your limas.  You can pick a design or just glue them on in any random order.

*Caution: 

GLUE GUNS CAUSE PAINFUL BURNS TO THE FINGERS AND FOREARMS AND ANY OTHER PART OF THE HUMAN BODY THAT MAY COME IN CONTACT WITH A GLUE GUN THAT IS PLUGGED IN!

Now that we've covered the safety issues...

Continue gluing the lima beans in place until you have covered your entire wreath form.

This is what your wreath should look like once you have finished.

I'll apologize in advance for all the random pictures.  There's just something photo-worthy about white and dark-stained wood.  It makes my heart beat a little wildly at times.

Just like the bowl of limas at the beginning of the post.  I'm not big on paintings or still shots hanging on my wall, but I might be tempted to display a picture of a bowl of limas in a white bowl sitting atop a wooden table.  Or maybe just display a bowl of limas in a white bowl sitting atop a wooden table...

Don't judge me... Art is art, and, as my Grammy would say, "To each is own, I guess."

Ok, back to the project at hand...

Once you've covered your wreath, you can go crazy with the embellishments.  I went the simple route with mine and just added a nice, light-saged  colored ribbon.

Isn't she a beauty?!  I left the ribbon long to add a little touch of class.

You know I have to give you a shot of her from all angles.  

So, there she is in all her glory... my fancy little winter wreath.  I'm hoping she'll last me most of the winter and that the birds won't get too hungry and start pecking at her.

I'm also worried that if it gets too cold, or too hot, the beans will start popping off.  And if you just read that last statement and said to yourself, "Too Hot?  It's January," then I'm gonna guess that you're not from around here.  

Down here in the south, our Januarys are about as wishy-washy as a 13 year-old girl and her "boyfriend."  On again, off again...  For instance, Sunday we reached about 81 degrees, and yesterday, we couldn't get above 41 degrees.  And this weekend, they're calling for possible flurries.  See what I mean.

I know the good Lord knows what He's doing, and I also know that the weather is just a sign of the times we live in, but we need a cold winter.  See, me and mosquitos have a love hate relationship...they love me and I hate them.  And if we don't stay cold enough for long enough, those "suckers" are gonna eat me alive this summer!

Anyways, I hope that the change in temperatures won't mess with the make up of my glue.  I'll let you know if I wake up one morning and it looks like freshly-fallen limas at my doorstep...

That may be something to look forward too,though, it being the only white stuff we might see fall this winter.

Enough with my ranting...Happy Crafting!

Featured:

Partied At: