Bucky you haven't burned up yet? How is the orchard? Good to see you on the forums still! We have been making dogwood wreaths for about 1 month, dogwood stars for 3 weeks, rosehip wreaths for 3 weeks, boxwood/rosehip squares for about 2 weeks, christmas wreaths were started about 2 weeks ago. Next up this next week is curly willow. 1985 when we first started making wreaths seems so long ago. We used a wrap form to wrap them. REF machines and rings: I have used Kelco it is nice, but very expense. Mitchell's machine is the cheapest, but it only has the clamper and wreath material comes lose often. The best machine in my opnion is the the wreath master from maple ridge supply, it has a clamper and arm that comes over and makes the wreath very tight. I have 3, a guy making wreaths about 35 miles from me has 4 and a guy that we trade with in CA has 2. They really are the best. Now to rings... Maple used to buy and resell Mitchell's rings. Here are the 4 that I have used: Maple ridge good but resells, Mitchell's usually the best price unless you are buying a pallet of 4,800 on a 10 clamp pallet. Cherokee the best price in the US that I know of, BUT you need to buy a pallet! Oregon wire is nice if you like them painted already or vinyl, but they are expensive. For christmas wreaths we are using douglas and sub alpine fir, juniper, rosehips, incease cedar, port orford cedar and pine cones. Wholesale prices have dropped to around $1 a clamp the lowest in years. Stars are more money of course we are charging $15 for a 10 clamp 4' star made of dogwood. Those of you only making a few may I suggest going to your nearest green waste facility or dumps. We by a forest service bough permit. It is .10 a pound and we cut boughs off the lower branches of the trees. The biggest problem we have is cutting or getting enough material for 3 wreath makers it takes 2 to 3 truck loads a day. Our bundles usually make 5 to 7 wreaths a bundle. Right now a 10 clamp wreath is selling for $10 to $11 wholesale and $15 to $18 retail. Good luck to all. With the economy we have seen wreath sells drop and wholesalers wanting 60 to 90 days to pay. With $10,000 of wreaths it gets difficult to pay labor, gas, and rings upfront. Bryan

Can't wait to see it with the pink sheer ribbon--I'll bet that will make it fantastic! ;o) Luvs P.S. Oddie, did you ever do the yarn wreaths that are made on the same principle as these? We just cut a cardboard rectangle and wrapped yarn around and around it, then slipped the loops off, tied them in the middle and tied them onto a wire hoop. Took two or three large skeins of yarn but they were full and puffy. I remember one I had done in white yarn, had it for allot of years. These baggie ones made me think of the yarn ones too. ;o)

You could take the fresh at the grocery store Put in a low oven.It would probably work,to you could dry them to apoint of just about dry,put on wreath let the rest air dry.I have an aga I lay things on to top to dry.

My grandmother use to make lots and lots and sell them to people on our mountain and I have also made them using her technique. She would use wire clothes hangers, my grandfather would shape them into circles and collect the evergreens. She would use only the limber pieces and about 8 inches of the tip would be the finishing pieces, tucking the hard end into the wreath. She used a very stout black thread and a large sewing needle. They were beautiful! IT is a lot of work but worth it. I still use the hangers (they already have the hook to hang them up with) but use florist wire to attach them. I use mostly Leyland cypress because that is what I have most of but decorate them with boxwood, nandina and a big bow. They smell wonderful