Outdoor Christmas Decor ~ A Red Sled & Skates ~

CHRISTMAS
Christmas is coming,
the geese are getting fat,
Please to put a penny in an old man’s hat;
If you haven’t got a penny a ha’penny will do,
If you haven’t got a ha’penny,
God bless you.
Mother Goose

I was in my garage looking for a lost earring, when I ran across an old American Flyer red sled and a pair of ice skates. I thought hum, this will do nicely! I went inside, and found my stash of holiday goodies to dress it up. I made a swag by adding a bit of greenery, tied a sassy bow, and threw in two over sized pine cones. VOILA, magically it was transformed into Outdoor Christmas Décor!

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something fortunate, especially while looking for something entirely unrelated

"It's not cheap it's inexpensive."
Words of wisdom from my Dad.

I used paper wrapping ribbon to tie the greenery and bow to the sled. Above is the back side view.

Two different colored ribbons were used for this project, Since I assembled my sled previously, I created a second swag to demonstrate how I made it.

These scissors from the Dollar Store are worth every penny!

Cut two pieces of garland and double them up. Place on top of each other to make one full piece. I simply twisted them together to hold them in place.

Create the bows...simple for those who already know how, but for those that don't here are a few instructions. Tip: Use wire ribbon, because it holds it's shape.

Start by making a loop.

Twist the ribbon around so the finish side ends up on top. Keep repeating this until you have as many loops as you need.

Make each layer of the loops larger as you go along.

When finished, tie the bow with a piece of ribbon, and keep the ends long.
Make a second bow in a different color, then sandwich the two together.

Tie the bow to the garland with a knot in back.

Flip the garland over, shape, fluff and fan out the bows. I added bells for interest. On my sled I added pine cones. To attach the pine cones I used paper ribbon and threaded it under the pine cone's scales, then attached it to the garland.

Since I now have two swags, this one will look nice hanging from a door, but I sure wish that missing earring would turn up!

Posted To:

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