DIY Wreaths for the Holidays

by Mandi on November 30, 2010

The holidays make me feel all crafty and inspired, even though I already have more unfinished projects than I care to admit. I’ve been drooling over several different DIY wreaths for months now, but I think it’s going to be next year before I try my hand at actually making one. If you’re looking for inspiration, though, here are some of my favorites to get you started:

DIY Wreaths
1. Coffee Filter Wreath, Nesting Place

DIY Wreaths

2. Rag Wreath, pirsuu on Etsy

DIY Wreaths

3. Sparkling Ornament Wreath, BHG.com

DIY Wreaths

4. Forest Floor Wreath, Martha Stewart

DIY Wreaths

5. Recycled Holiday Card Wreath, Good Housekeeping

DIY Wreaths

6. Marshmallow Wreath, Three Pugs & A Baby

DIY Wreaths

7. Yarn Ball & Ornament Wreath, Life as a Pepin

DIY Wreaths

8. DIY Tinsel Garland Wreath, Creature Comforts

DIY Wreaths

9. Christmas Card Pinup Wreath, Martha Stewart

Have you ever made a wreath?

Tracy

The marshmallow wreath looks cute, but sugar as an outdoor decoration seems potentially disastrous! Hello, bugs! Or what if it rains?? LOL
http://www.zenfamilyhabits.net Sherri

These are amazing I love the coffee filter one! Such a simple idea and it looks so cute!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TRETNBM5ASCYMUXLK6BDCOXCIU Malisa

No, but these wreaths have inspired me to make my own! I even convinced my little sister to help me tonight.
Angel

We made a gumdrop wreath a few years ago and hung it inside. It looked great with our Christmas decor and didn’t cost much when purchasing the gumdrops in the bulk section. Here is the tutorial we used.

http://kiddley.com/2006/12/19/gumdrop-wreath/
- http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life…Your Way
  
  This sounds like such a fun project to do with the kids!
teres

buy 1 cheap wreath form and 2 or 3 feather boas in your choice of color from the dollar store. wrap the feather boas around the wreath form and hang onto your door or in your window with a wide band of satin ribbon and a removable 3M hook. TA-DAAAAA! my favorite wreath(s) ever and every single person that comes through my door LOVES it!

i have a white one for winter, a black one for late fall and a pistachio green one that i keep up from spring to fall. simple, cheap, fun and look like a million bucks!
Anonymous

Thanks for the post Katie! I may try to soak my kiddos footed pajamas, but since I already wash them in castille soap, Im not sure I need to. Here’s a link to a product I’ve found to keep babies safe from the chemicals in their mattresses. A friend told me about it when I was pregnant with my last baby and since the problem is worse when it’s an older mattress, we got one for our crib and one for our pack & play. http://www.babymattresscovers.com/
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Sarah,
  Aw, shoot. I just replied to a comment above saying that I hoped that since our crib mattress is older, it would have already done its off gassing. I never even thought about our pack-n-play, my goodness. Why is the problem worse on an older mattress? THANK YOU for this link!! Katie
sa

Thanks for the ideas Katie…a couple of questions.
Do ALL fleece two-piece or footie pjs have the chemicals, even if they don’t have the flame resistant labeling?
And secondly, if the chemicals should off gas in a year, is there any point in treating old pjs with the soap or acid treatment?
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  sa,
  Hmmmm, anything flame retardant should have some labeling, but the gov’t is actually more stringent about the flammable stuff being labeled very clearly so parents know at what terrible risk they’re putting their children when they buy those PJs…sigh. From what I can tell, any sleepwear that is not tight to the skin must be flame retardant, but there could be some that don’t have chemicals, simply because polyester passes the fire test already (since it’s made of plastic and burns slowly), as does wool.
  
  I never treated old PJs, just hoped they had already off gassed. Katie
Vhdunn

OK…This is probably a stupid question, but I have to ask. Since acid counteracts the chemicals, do you think urine would have this effect? I ask because we are still working on toilet training at night and I refuse to buy more pull up. So… my daughter has soaked each of her footie pajamas at least once, and they have then sat in the hamper for a full day at least before getting washed. DO you think that has helped counteract the chemicals? ALso, I only use vinegar as a fabric softener, so do you think that small amount in each load is doing anything? Thanks!!!!
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Vhdunn,
  Definitely no stupid questions here; I’m just barely figuring this out and guessing a lot as I go myself. No idea about the urine idea, but I do think the vinegar as fabric softener should make an impact over time. For myself, I’d still take the 5 minutes to give them an overnight soak in vinegar to knock it all out right away. Katie
Becky

this is great! Thank you for posting. Guess what will be on my to-do list?
Also, I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking about this. I have to say I have comforted myself with the knowledge that 99% of their clothes are used so I have felt better about the chemicals being worn off (but then of course I think about the poor kids b/f mine who wore them…) Anyways, I seriously had thought about writing a post about this…how it’s healthier for my kids to have used clothes! Again, yet another reason why living frugally is better for our health….http://www.purposefulhomemaking.com/search?q=what+motivates+me%3F
Anyways, thanks again for posting!
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Becky,
  Yes, yes! So often seeking “the good stuff” costs more money, and I’m always so thankful when there’s an easy way to strike the balance between taking care of the earth and my budget at the same time. Katie
Johanna

The MIL looked at me scornfully when years ago I ask for only flammable clothing (as if I intended to burn my kids?*!) Still, everything they send us has the flame retardant hang tag. We prefer hand-me downs or going to the local kid’s resell shop (the owner doesn’t accept polyester PJs for resell anyway). What do I do with the unacceptable clothes? We return to the store, even if it’s for a 90% off rate or store credit (like without a receipt). Atleast it’s out of our house and not passed onto other kids (Via Goodwill or Sally Ann). I now sew our own flannel PJs (making sure the label on the Joanns bolt says “flammable”), and prewashing anyway. I also found some online shops that sell organic cotton knits (though I have to say, it’s better to see and feel fabric in person. My recent purchases have felt thin and cheap).

Our Baby mattress is an EcoBaby with wool puddle pad and organic sheets, but the Ikea toddler mattress is not natural at all (just 11″ longer than a standard crib mattress, a custom organic version would run us another $700)… atleast it has a removable (albeit polyester) cover, so I washed that thing probably 5 times before I put on the bed (and aired out the foam/spring insert a week or so). I wanted to sew my own cover (with wool backing, cotton batting and quilted cotton duck top, even it none was organic), but I just don’t have the time. I may try one more soak with vinegar… a few boogers permeated my custom sewn organic sheets so it’s due for a washing. I can tell you that the initial washes of the mattress cover stank up the whole house! In fact I didn’t even bother drying it or taking out of the washer the first few times because the chemical smell was so strong… I didn’t want the evaporated stuff floating around the house (I apologize to our local stream for sending icky water down the drain. Hopefully our water treatment plant can handle those chemicals).
Thanks for the succinct article with all the important points! I will pass along to my pregnant friends.
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Johanna,
  You are amazing. Wow. Mattresses freak me out, but I cling to the hope that a hand-me-down mattress has done a whole ton of offgassing before my kids’ little heads rest there. ???
  
  I was cracking up picturing you asking your MIL for “flammable clothing only”! And good for you to be tough and return…I just couldn’t get away with it with the Elmo fuzzies and my son’s reaction to his new sports jammies from his uncle. Sigh. If only the polyester monstrosities weren’t so cute and comfortable and loveable!
  - loveskilts
    
    it’s not the off-gassing of a chemical per se. as i understand it, the off-gassing is the commmon household fungus emitting by-product as it consumes the mattress, more or less. my terminology is probably all wrong, apologies. according to dr. sprott’s site, “Why does the risk of cot death rise from one baby in a
    family to the next? Many parents re-use cot mattresses from one baby to the next. If a mattress contains phosphorus, arsenic or
    antimony and certain household fungi have become established in the mattress
    during previous use by another baby, generation of toxic gas commences sooner
    and in greater volume when the mattress is re-used for the next
    baby.” i read somewhere else that the higher the bacterial content, also the worse. more people having used the bed means more bacteria. would have to google a bit to get back to it. btw… this is hands down the best page and discussion on the subject that i have run across to date. thank you!!! i’ll be back to this blog!! i’m having trouble admitting to myself that the fuzzy blanket sleepers seem to a no-win situation. i’m still holding on to the idea that i can find some that aren’t $50+ a pair. argh!!! so pricey
http://broadhorizonsschool.blogspot.com Sweetpeas

LOVE it!! Though I finally convinced my mom to make my girls flannel nightgowns every year for Christmas, they were SOOO excited the first year they got NIGHTGOWNS instead of snug fitting cotton jammies. And since mom makes them for us ,they can be cotton flannel instead of polyester, woo-hoo!! BUT I’m still thrilled to read these ideas . . . just in case the one year old ever decides that our 64 degree house is abit chilly for sleeping naked (and I keep it up that high because she DOES insist on sleeping naked, AND throwing the covers off, silly child!)
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Sweetpeas,
  Only a frugal eco-conscious sister would call 64 degrees “high”. Love it. I wish someone would make my kids homemade PJs, how lovely! Katie
http://impressyourkids.org lmilla

ARGH! So frustrating!!!! Another thing I’ve never even thought about… Thank you for sharing this info – I’ll go and soak the pjs now…
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Imilla,
  I hear you. So much to ponder and have to know about. I’m sorry to give you one more thing to do, but at least this one is easy, right? Katie
  - http://impressyourkids.org lmilla
    
    Thanks, Katie! This is an easy one – you’re right! I’m just frustrated
    that we even have to worry about these things! Mankind has dug such a big
    hole that we have to work out way out of if we want our family to be healthy
    and natural. WHY?!?
    
    I do thank God that these things are revealed to us and that we can do
    something about them.
    - Leigh
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658632745 Landon-Kathrine Wehrung

Thank you for sharing! I’ve always been bothered by that tag and usually choose secondhand but this is great for when the grandparents buy the kids pajamas! Thanks so much!
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Kathrine,
  LOVE secondhand PJs. Most of ours are that way, thankfully, but the kids got 4 pair of fuzzies between them this Christmas, so I was on a mission to learn about getting the chemicals out! Katie
Anastasia

That’s a great tip! Though I hate polyester and do not buy anything made from it, this is something I can pass on to some friends. I can’t stand the static from the polyester either and I can’t put it on my daughter, she gets all sweaty since it doesn’t let the skin breathe (even though it is 65 degrees in our house). Wish we could all afford merino wool sleepwear that’s naturally fuzzy and naturally flame retardant! No chemicals involved.
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Anastasia,
  Good call on the wool! If you have little girls, you’ll also find that cotton nightgowns and anything loose fitting will be flame resistant, so even though I focused on the fuzzies, it’s a bigger issue than just polyester. Thanks for the recommendation! Katie
Heather

hi – did you soak in straight vinegar when you soaked the jammies?
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Heather,
  I used a lot of vinegar, much more than when I mix up a solution for cleaning purposes, so it was almost straight, or maybe 50/50 with water. If you have a big jug of vinegar, you might as well go straight – I figured a couple bucks to achieve less chemicals offgassing in my kids’ faces all night long was worth it. Katie
http://joyceandnorm.wordpress.com/ Joyce

Thanks for sharing the info. I never thought about that. We get mostly hand-me-downs, so yay for that.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1246554906 Patty Lacoss-Arnold

The polyester is naturally flame resistant without being treated however many companies then add flame retardant to the polyester. I know some don’t. You probably have to call the company. I don’t think the soap actually removes those chemicals, it just makes the fabric flammable again. The acid idea however just might work.
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Patty,
  It was definitely tricky trying to find hard information about whether these ideas would work or not. You’re right about the polyester being naturally flame resistant, but it seemed like so many sources were corroborating that chemicals are also woven in that I’d rather just treat them all as if they have chemicals. ??? It’s a tangled web! Katie
- John
  
  Polyester is not flame retardent. I was an instructor at a damage control school while in the Navy. why do you think they stuck with cotton for ship board use? A demonstration we used to do and is still done in the class room using an ordinary match book match was to put the flame to various materials. The ones that went poof and formed a nasty hot liquid mess polyester nylon and other sythetics. Most flame retardent without treatment natural fibers except silk. The chemicals put in fire retardent clothes are no longer used in the service as when they start to heat they give of gases that would probably be lethal to a small child. Aside from that it is not the fire that kills in most house fires but the smoke and gases given off by burning substances.
deena

I try to buy brands that never had flame retardant in them to start with – Hanna Anderson is one.
I can usually find Hanna Anderson PJs at yard sales, on Craigslist, or in resale shops for 4-5 dollars a pair.
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Deena,
  I’ve heard great things about that brand, too. But do they have the fuzzies? My kids are so in love with those… Katie
http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

Wow… I never even thought about the chemicals in pajamas before…sigh… the things we have to worry about these days! I make my own laundry soap with my own homemade actual soap, so hopefully that helps, and fortunately, all of our clothes have been hand me downs from the start. I still think I’ll soak all the footies for all the kids tomorrow, just in case. In the future, I might consider letting them just sleep in cotton sweat pants and socks. Since those aren’t technically PJs, they shouldn’t have the chemicals, right?
Thanks for the post!
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Wellness Mama,
  Exactly! Only clothes created for sleepwear have to be treated. In fact, some of the sources I was reading from the government almost spoke with disdain about “those parents” who got around the system by (gasp!) allowing their kids to sleep in thermal underwear or sweats. Such control they want over us! Katie
http://marcijo.blogspot.com/ Marci @ Rancho Relaxo

Lovely, thanks for the ideas on how to get rid of the chemicals.
Shakeragsusan

The thing that irritates me so much about the poison pj mandate is that when my dad worked in a coal mine, he was REQUIRED to ONLY WEAR 100% cotton- outerwear and underwear. Why? Because the risk of fire and/or explosion. Cotton burns up. Polyester melts and melts into the skin causing much more severe burns! Buying cotton pj’s a couple of sizes too big doesn’t work well for us. Chubby arms and legs hate tight jammies. They are all made for skinny kids. Buying soft clothes for daywear and using as jammies has worked best. My daughter even has one “night gown” that is really a soft, 100% cotton dress. I’d love to be able to afford wool jammies!
Thanks for the article!
- Britanie
  
  When my mom was a kid she actually did get caught on fire while wearing polyester PJs and yep they melted and burned into her skin.
  - http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
    
    Oh, frightening! Maybe I need to reconsider the polyester PJs thing…. Katie
Julie

Thanks for sharing! Now, how to get it out of mattresses?! We want to either wrap our mattresses or buy one w/o flame retardants. However, I hear wrapping them is extremely noisy and uncomfortable and the organic mattresses are more than 3x the price! What do you do?
- http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball
  
  Julie,
  Mattresses are one thing, although it’s probably an extremely important step, that I haven’t even tackled. It’s the most expensive green change I can think of. I take some solace that my kids’ mattresses are both really old and just cross my fingers that they’ve off gassed everything. Even organic mattresses are flame retardant, unbelievably, unless you have a note from a doctor! This is a really tough area for me, to be sure. Sorry I’m not more help on that one –Kstie
  - http://healthhomehappy.com Cara
    
    My daughter had a reaction to a crib mattress, so I’m really picky about them. My kids have natural mattresses (and they’ll be on crib sized mattresses until they’re like 7 LOL) and they’re flame retardant by using wool.
http://www.hybridrastamama.blogspot.com Jennifer

THANK you for this post! I dress my todder in wool at night but that can get pricey! Good to know that there are ways to beat the system and get those nasty chemicals out!
http://www.hybridrastamama.blogspot.com Jennifer

THANK you for this post! I dress my todder in wool at night but that can get pricey! Good to know that there are ways to beat the system and get those nasty chemicals out!
http://edible-food.blogspot.com Diana

Thanks for the info! I had never even thought about chemicals in pj’s. My son is getting older and mostly wears sweats/t-shirts, but I am definitely going to be more aware for the next one!
http://profiles.google.com/pepin.jamiel Jamie Pepin

i dont know how i JUSt found this, but thanks for adding my wreath!!!!
- http://yourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way
  
  You’re welcome!
Pingback: 9 Unique DIY Christmas Wreaths
BusyMama4

Thank you for this post! I have been trying to figure out what to do for my daughter’s pjs. My boys always used blankets, but she refuses to sleep with a blanket and gets cold…however I have been trying to avoid sleeper pajamas because of Thr flame retardants. I’m going to buy some…and a whole lot of vinegar!
Anonymous

We always hear about the downsides of video games, but I think that’s a
great example of the benefits!
Heather

I am also wondering the same thing Michelle. . .
http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball

Amy Kate,
Yes, polyester has plenty of “green” issues beyond the flame retardants in pajamas. I’m not sure if I understand the question about manufacturing vs. VOCs, but wearing plastic is not ideal under any circumstances. If only I lived in an ideal world… Katie
http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball

Amy Kate,
Love it! Happy to help lift some guilt – I think it’s fabulous that you made homemade PJs; what an amazing gift! Katie
http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball

Heather and Michelle,
I used either only vinegar or mostly vinegar. You might as well go straight since it’s only a couple bucks. Sorry I wasn’t clear in the post about the ratio or lack thereof! Katie
Heather B.

Really? I was just looking at some of ours yesterday after reading this,and they all said “flame resistant.” I wonder what that means then?

Thx for the info
http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball

Daisy,
Thank you for this note – how did you find the information from Carter’s? Were you just seeking answers like me? Thanks! Katie
Janetmakris

As I am trying to purchase pajamas for my grandchildren, just today I was on the internet trying to gain some information on Carter’s pajamas. Some of the cotton pajamas make no mention of a flame retardant while the polyester one are marked flame retardant. This makes me as nuts as it did when i was having my 4 sons 30+ years ago. I just can’t imagine who and why these chemicals have been legislated into sleep wear. It is far more likely for a child to be burned during the day, one would assume. What is the source of your information, if only it is true. Are you sure? Thanks for your time.
Nikkih_7

Interesting….I have PJ’s in my daughter’s drawer that is Carter’s and says Flame Retardant.
loveskilts

finally found this. had to go googling for it… it’s an old mothering magazine article. this is an except:

“…”less than 1% of either polyester or cotton sleepwear garments are treated with flame retardant chemicals.” The key word here is “treated,” which, in this case, does not mean exactly what one might suppose.

Treated or not, most children’s sleep clothes made of synthetic fabrics will contain flame retardant chemicals in one way or another. In some cases, the material is treated after it is woven or after the garment is finished; in other cases, the flame retardant is actually bonded into the composition of the fabric. … However, “inherently” flame resistant polyester textiles are manufactured with built-in fire retardants. This is because the fire retardants can be chemically inserted into the polyester compound, becoming a part of its molecular composition.

The enhanced polymers are quite stable, so polyester sleepwear is unlikely to pose a health risk to your child, beyond the reduced breathability of the fabric, which can contribute to overheating and rashes.”

……..i’m sure this is meant to make me feel better, but it’s not working 100% :
http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball

Kelly,
If you’ve had PJs for a year and a half, I would think/hope they would have off gassed by now anyway. Real soap is always a good start, but I do think many commenters make a good point about the acid maybe being a better option to actually get the chemicals OUT and not just deactivate them. Katie
http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball

Anna,
What a moving story…I’m so thankful that you found a good Naturopath who could help you detox your son. Phew. I’m sure you don’t even consider purchasing polyester or flame retardant clothing – better safe than soaked and sorry! Thank you so much for sharing your experience here to remind the rest of us that we do need to be vigilant in our toxic world, even if ignorance is more fun for a while. Katie
Victoria

What were some changes that you had to make to the home environment? What does he sleep in?
http://twitter.com/kitchenstew Katie Kimball

Heather,
Because polyester naturally passes the flame resistance test, Carter’s wouldn’t have to add more chemicals necessarily. It’s a tough thing to figure out! Katie
Anonymous

Katie – You seem to be confusing the sleepwear standard and the general flammability standard for clothing. Children’s sleepwear must either be snug fitting or pass the flammability testing. And, even if snug fitting, must still meet the requirements for flammability for clothing and for vinyl film.
Anonymous

Polyester pajamas are flame resistant – the difference on “treated” is that some fabrics have the flame retardant bonded to the fiber before the fabric is woven so they are not “chemically treated” but they still have flame retardants.
loveskilts

oop… sprott, not sprock