By Barbara Baird, Women’s Outdoor News

Throughout her lifetime, my daughter and I have spent time making things. When she was a little girl, we always made crafty things at Christmas. Often, her three brothers would participate. The list included homemade bread dough ornaments, stitchery projects, flax bags and of course, kitchen creations – buckets and Tupperware containers full of cookies and candies for all to enjoy.

So this year, since she’s moved back to live near us, we decided to make a wreath similar to a shotgun shell wreath that Natalie, over at Girls Guide to Guns, featured recently. Except, I wanted it to have some greenery in it.

It was a fun project, and took us about two hours total.

Materials:

Three-foot wide, fake green wreath with lights (K-Mart, on sale for $34)

Strand of 100 clear lights ($4)

Shotgun shells in assorted sizes and colors (free from local range)

Glue gun and sticks

Bow ($4)

One bottle Chardonnay (for the wreath makers)

Directions:

1. Lay out a proper staging area for your wreath making. We used the basement floor and spread old dog food bags down to catch the drippy glue.

2. Open the bottle of wine. Pour glasses for everyone involved.

3. Also, we chose to work to Mannheim Steamroller Christmas music for its fast pace.

4. Start at opposite ends of the light strand and put a touch of glue on the plastic part, not the light bulb. Affix the hot glued light part to the inside of a shot shell.  Put it about one-third of the way into the shell. Continue until all the shells are on all the lights.

5. If refills are in order, pour another glass of wine.

6. Unplug the glue gun and call it a night.

7. The next day, take the strand of lights in shot shells and wrap the wreath.

8. Attach the bow.

9. Hang.

10. Plug it in.

 

11. Any wine left? Celebrate and enjoy the festive wreath made from recycled shot shells.

 Thanks to Women’s Outdoor News for shotgun shell crafts!