and I did it...

In 2009 I went to a local Christmas Bazaar where I saw these beautiful Christmas wreaths made with clusters of glass bulbs; mostly vintage.  I loved them!  So I bought two!  We were a part of the Romeo Christmas Tour that year and I thought they were a nice addition to my decorations for that event.

I looked them over really well and thought to myself, "I could make one of these".  So, I went to my first Estate Sale and started my collection of vintage bulbs.

After making a few of these types of wreaths and posting them on Facebook, I was prompted by some of my Facebook friends to have a class to show everyone how to make them.  

I had been debating whether I would get involved in Christmas craft shows, but decided I'd try this class idea out first.

So, over that following year, I had started frequenting after-Christmas sales, Estate Sales and Resale Shops.  I was able to get a good supply of glass ornaments, garland and trinkets.  I bought a bunch of Styrofoam wreath forms and glue sticks from Micheal's, buying them one at a time using either a 40% or a 50% off coupon.

I got up my nerve and I invited the ladies that are my friends on Facebook and I had my first class (really my second, as the first was a one-on-one with my Daughter-In-Law).  Seven ladies attended and I must say, it was a lot of fun.  I was amazed at how pretty and how different each wreath turned out.

Manuela's Peppermint Wreath.

Jordan's Silver & Gold she made for her mom.

Dawn's cooler toned Blues, Golds and Silvers - originally made for her MIL, but she kept it for herself :)

Debbie's Silver & Gold.

Jill's Technicolor wreath.

April's Greens, Teals and Silvers.

Kelly's "Victorian" with light Pinks, Golds and White here and there.

So, my second class with two ladies and my third with my three nieces...I think I taught that class in my PJ's ;)  And I still had plenty of bulbs left and the inclination of having more classes at the end of 2012.

Deepa's Blue & Silver.

Diana's Multicolored wreath she made for her mom.

My beautiful nieces!:

Cate's Coat of Many Colors wreath.

Erin's cool-toned Blues & Greens, with a dash of Whites & Golds (my granddaughter in the lower right).

Sammy's Pinks, Burgundy's and Silvers.

Again, during the year I visited some Estate Sales and Resale Shops.  My goal is to only spend up to 10 cents per bulb.  It doesn't happen all the time, but sometimes I get such great deals, it cancels the larger purchases out.  I would say that I still average 10 cents a bulb.

When I started making these wreaths, I used all the bulbs that I would get, even if they seemed like they were very old and might be worth something.  Last year I started really looking at them and trying to figure out if I could sell some of them on etsy or eBay.  I will update you in another post about one sale in particular that happened just last week.

When I buy the ornaments, I separate them out by size, solids, embellishments, shapes, whether they have a twin, triplet, etc.  I put them in paper grocery bags and bins for easier picking.  Sometimes when I go to Estate Sales, they want to sell me the whole box of Christmas decorations, so I go through the full box and also put things aside that I will donate to the Salvation Army or give away to my family or to people on Craigslist.

This year I only had time for two classes.  The first one in November and the second one last weekend.  The class sizes are getting smaller due to the fact that I am only preying on my Facebook friends...and you only have so many of them.  I think I am going to see if the local community center would be interested in my holding a class or two there next year.

Yes, Sammy again, but this time she did Teals, Greens and Whites (both wreaths are for her!).

Samantha with her Golds and light Pinks ~ she made her first one for her mom and this one is for her and her now house.

Peggy with her Reds and Whites (her shirt matches!).

Corena and her Patriots (Football Team) colors.

Anyway, it's really been a fun experience and the nice thing is the price is low, I supply all the materials, Jerome makes snacks, the ladies get to spend some quality time chatting with each other and creating...and by the end, they have a beautiful wreath to take home and keep for themselves or to give as a gift.

Dianna and her Reds and a mixture of other colors.

Jan and her Pinky, Tealy, Creamy wreath.

...I have my favorites :)  Didn't they ALL do a GREAT JOB?!