recycled plastic bag wreath

Nothing fancy here.  We shop for groceries at a store that uses plain brown plastic bags.  Sometimes I'm lazy and ask for those instead of paper.  (They're easier to carry the 100 feet or so from the car to the house.)  I've been donating them to thrift shops instead of throwing them away. (See?  I can be responsible every now and then!)  BUT...

Isn't this a much better use for them?!

This would work for Fall - add leaves, twigs, whatever floats your boat.

Or Winter - add twigs and pine cones with a little white paint to look like snow.  Maybe some red berries...

I'm on a roll!  Since there is that craft fair to do in a month, perhaps I'll save a few more bags and make another one.  They're easy, if  time-consuming.  Make one while you're watching The Sound of Music.  (or Downtown Abbey, or whatever...)


Here are a few instructions:



First find a metal coat hanger - the flimsier the better.  Then make it round.  A pair of flat-nosed pliers work well for getting the ends straight.  (Please excuse the fuzzy picture.  It's kinda hard to take a picture with one hand, and work with the other...)

 

 (New instructions:)  To allow the wreath to sit flat against the door or wall, place the circle against the side of a table at the beginning of the hook neck.  Bend it so the neck and circle are at right angles.  Then do the same just above the twisted part, making the hook parallel with the circle. 

Next, flatten out the bag and cut off the seam at the bottom and the handles.  Cut off the writing.  Save the handles that don't have writing on them.   (I don't know why some of these pictures are sideways.  Just cock your head to the left, or use your imagination...)

 

Fold in half  lengthwise and cut along the fold on both pieces. 

 Fold in half lengthwise again (this will be a different 'lengthwise' now.) 

I guess I could have said fold in quarters and cut all the folds.  That would work, too.  Just so you have pieces about this size.

(I made a second, smaller size by folding the long narrow pieces into 3 sections in this step.  Gives the wreath a bit of dimension.)

 Scrunch 2 pieces in the middle thusly.

Tie on the hanger and fluff out the ends.  (In the picture, only one end is fluffed.)  Tie all the pieces from the same direction to keep things neat.
If you chose to make different sized pieces, alternate them along with the handle pieces: long, short, long, handle, long, etc, etc, etc.

Your job is now to decide on decorations.  Have fun!  If you make one, please post a picture to share!

This is one made from fold-top sandwich baggies.  Cut the sides of the fold, so that both top pieces are flush, and not folded over.

UPDATE:  As I was surfing pictures of plastic bag wreaths, I came across this at Crafts n Coffee

Go ahead... make my day!  Tell me where you found the link for this post.  And are there any changes I should make to the directions to make it more clear?  Because I know what I'm doing, but you may not...