This week’s Martha Mondays is the nut wreath from November Living, chosen by Sara at SassySuppers. I spent $16 on this for nuts and the wreath form. I cheated and bought a 12 inch form while Martha says to use a 24 inch form. I would have needed double the nuts if I had done that, and this would have cost even more! I already had the glue gun and ribbon.
This project sounded pretty easy – glue nuts on a wreath. It sounds easy, but it wasn’t that easy for me. Mr. MarthaAndMe was here to lend a hand and gave me some pointers. For example, he suggested I glue some nuts standing straight up – something I wouldn’t have thought of. He also suggested gluing hazelnuts all the way around the outside edge to cover up the wreath form. What would I do without Mr. MarthaAndMe? He has more craft sense in his little finger than I have all over.
I hate the spider web strands you get with glue guns!
This took a lot more time than I thought it should have and we kept adding nuts to try to cover up holes. Finally, we thought we had something decent and Mr. MarthaAndMe hung it up using fishing line (8 lb test!). Big mistake. It came 
crashing to the floor and shattered. Yikes. Martha might have mentioned you need something really strong to hang this from!
Most of it was intact, so we replaced the nuts that broke or fell off and finally had something ready to hang. Mr. MarthaAndMe suggested we hang it outside and watch the squirrels try to take it apart. I am sure they would have figured out a way! Instead, we hung it on the kitchen pantry door (I don’t why the wall color looks so incredibly horrible in this photo – that is really bothering me!).
I think it actually turned out pretty nicely.
Did you make this? Please post a link in the comment section to your results. Please visit everyone else’s results and leave them comments!
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This is a beautiful wreath.
The other thing I hate about glue guns are the burns. Ouch!
Yes! Martha says to keep a bowl of ice water next to you – I did that and it really helps to be able to stick your finger right in.
Brette, this looks really good. I didn’t do this project due to the cost of the nuts and the lack of a glue gun, but in some ways I wish that I had. Will you hang the wreath outside for the squirrels or use the nuts at any stage?
Pru
No, I think we’ll keep it for inside since I like it. Although it would be fun to see the squirrels figuring it out. I have no doubt they could quickly dismantle it!
This wreath immediately caught my eye when I got my Nov. issue of Living in the mail. Yours turned out beautiful! I’m in the middle of a major home improvement project right now, so didn’t have time to buy supplies. Plus, I don’t think my local grocery store carries nuts in the shell until closer to the holidays. But I’d like to give this project a try over Thansgiving weekend as a family project. Hopefully, my kitchen will be repaired by then 🙂
I was surprised to find the nuts were out – they actually have all the holiday baking supplies out now. Heck, they’re already selling Jingles, those anise flavored cookies. I hope the renovation is going well! We survived one about 6 years ago and I am still having post-traumatic shock! That was the year I made Christmas cookies in the toaster oven and we ate Christmas dinner on the coffee table in the family room!
Your nut wreath turned out beautifully! I made a regular wreath last year from holly and evergreens, and the process of tucking in all the branches drove me NUTS, so I do not think I will do more than admire yours from afar. You are fortunate Mr. MarthaAndMe has crafts smarts!
That would make me totally insane too! At least nuts are hard and can be manipulated a little easier than branches and things which are always springing up at you.
I finally got my post up. Sorry everybody for picking something cost prohibitive as well as difficult and HEAVY! I think mine turned out great. Yours looks great too Brette!
http://sassysuppers.blogspot.com/2009/11/martha-monday-nut-wreath.html
I didn’t expect it to cost as much as it did – nuts are expensive though. Hopefully it will last for many years though, so it was a good investment.
Turned out great, I think. The colour of your wall looks weird because of the colour balance your camera, probably on Automatic White Balance, chose. It is the sort of thing you can fix in post-processing quite easily in programs like Google’s Picasa.
I made a wreath like this with pine cones once. It was a lot cheaper than using nuts — I picked up the pine cones in the park down the street. And it was faster, because it didn’t take many of them to cover the wreath form.
Very great idea. The problem I had with pine cone wreaths in the past was with the edges of the pine cones breaking in storage or if someone brushed against the wreath.
How cute! I love it. I’m a fan of wreaths, especially non-standard ones. May try to make this myself.
Very nice looking. I love it when we can incorporate natural, biodegradable things into art work.
I am having problems finding a flat wood wreath base any suggestions? Thanks
I bought mine at Michael’s. I think that a lot of people are doing wreath-making at this time of year in preparation for the holidays, so if your local craft store is out of them, that’s probably why. I would suggest asking when they will get more in because they probably will be. I think a wire form would also work, but would a little trickier since there’s not as much to glue to.
I am having trouble finding wood wreath forms. Any ideas? DPOLLY
I found mine at Michael’s, but it was one of the last two. Check there and maybe ask if they can order some in for you since I know they carry them. I haven’t seen them anywhere else unfortunately.
My Michaels doesn’t carry the wood wreaths. I’ve even tried on-line. Any other suggestions where I might find one?
Gosh, I really don’t know. Can anyone out there suggest where to find them? Maybe a florist supply store?
Did anyone find a source for the wooden wreath bases formerly carried by Michael’? My store says it no longer sells them!
Has anyone tried Joann’s?
I tried Hobby Lobby today and they don’t carry them either. I did see some on http://www.paper-source.com but this would be a last resort to have them shipped.
They have them at 3ringcircles.com. There’s a craft in the 2010 Dec Living that uses them that cites that source. They seem to run between 99 cents and $8 depending on size
Hi, I could only get a wooden wreath form made of twigs so not flag. Do you think this will work?
I don’t know. It’s worth a try I guess.
I bought some holding glue so the nuts will stick better. Was doing this as a 49th birthday gift for a friend and now worried it won’t work 🙁
Mine is still together several years later and I used a glue gun.
Did you have a flat or vine wreath?