I attempted to make my first balsam fir Christmas wreath. I’n my usual fashion, I researched the heck out of the project. I read tutorials on the Internet and watched “how to” videos on YouTube. I spent an afternoon tromping through the woods (hoping that a hunter would not mistake me for a deer) looking for just the right kind of fir trees.  Here’s what I ended up with. Not exactly what you’ll find at L.L.Bean, but nice enough that I wasn’t totally embarrassed to take it along to my folks at Thanksgiving.

Tipping (gathering the greens for wreaths) and wreath making are huge industries in Downeast Maine. So big, that a couple of the local big boys have been embroiled in law suits over land right of ways and balsam centerpiece designs. I guess when you’re vying for clients like L.L.Bean and QVC it’s a cut throat business.

It’s a good thing I have other talents.