What's in Your Hand?

For years I have  tried to use what I already have to teach my children, feed and clothe my family and to decorate my home.  Re-decorating usually means taking something from one room and using it in another or just simply re-arranging or re-purposing.  Clothing my crew usually starts with a shopping trip in the attic first and then the clearance racks second.  That doesn't mean that I never buy books or curriculum (that happens twice a year) or that I don't buy groceries regularly or that my children always dress in hand-me-downs or that we never buy anything for our home.  But I really try to limit how much I bring into our home, things that create more clutter,  because God has already provided an abundance for us.

The other day Jeff brought home a catalog of high priced modest clothing and gifts that someone had left with him thinking I would be interested in the clothing.  Well, even the sale prices were way too high for my frugal tastes, but I did get some ideas from the gift section.  One high priced item was a cluster of braided herbs and my creative juices started flowing.  I thought, "Oh, we could do this next year if we plant more herbs and have more variety."  Last week we gathered the remaining herbs and bundled them to dry.  Remember this picture?  So, I attempted to use what I had to make something beautiful!

Sage and thyme from the garden.

Well, now they look like this!

Pineapple sage with red blossoms and thyme.

Sage and thyme with my beloved dogwood berries.

I will leave these wreaths up throughout the holidays and they should dry just fine like this.  I think next year we will try to make several to sell at the local craft shows using a greater variety of herbs such as the sage and thyme, but also rosemary, garlic, chives and red cayenne peppers.   I bought the forms at Hobby Lobby and Kaelan helped me bundle the herbs with rubberbands.  We then attached them to the forms with floral wire layering each bundle to cover the base of the one before it.  I think they look just right on my bare wood walls (which by this time next year should be painted a beautiful off-white!...I am so ready to lighten up my dining room!)  They are hanging to the right and left of the chest they were picture on earlier.  What do you do with what is in your hands?