Lemon Swag – From Trash to Treasure

Lemon Swag by Darlene Schacht

There’s a funny little story behind this lemon swag–I made it with a piece of trash. You see, last year I picked up a little faux lemon plant that was on a Spring clearance sale for about $2.50. When I got home I realized that the lemons didn’t match the little lemon tree I had. The fact is, they were discolored and a bit grungy looking, so I tossed the plant into the closet.

A couple of months later, I was purging junk for the move and the lemon sprig went into the garbage. I thought that was the end of it, until I happened upon the plant laying on top of a bunch of junk in the garage of our new house.

Apparently my husband took it out of the garbage because he thought I might want it in the future–he was right. I happened to notice that Michael’s was selling lemon swags for $50.00, which got me thinking, why not turn my little plant upside down? All it needed was two more sprigs of leaves and a few extra lemons, and voila a beautiful swag was born. In my opinion it far surpasses the one I saw for $50.00.

Supplies:

• About 5 bunches of leaves (depending on how full the bunch is, use your judgement)
• 1 bag of faux lemons
• Wiro Ribbon for a Bow (optional)
• Twine
• Thin rope or raffia
• A glue gun

Instructions:

1. Place your branches together with stems at slightly different heights.

2. Tie them together well, and then trim off the ends.

3. Make a loop for hanging the swag, and then cover both the loop and the twine with thin rope or raffia gluing in place (with a hot glue gun) as you are wrapping it around the stems.

4. If you would like to add a bow, then start by adding the tails of the bow first. You can tie them right onto the stems.

5. Fold the ribbon into a bow and glue it in place.

6. Using your glue gun, glue your lemons in place. Notice how I glued the top of the lemon to the leaves. I tried to glue them close to the stem of the leaves so it looked like they were growing alongside them. (I also had some that were already attached to the stem we pulled out of the trash).

7. You won’t have to do this last step, but I had to brush some of my lemons with yellow paint to match the new lemons I attached. The lemons on the old stem still looked pretty bad, but with a little yellow paint, they brightened up and matched up quite well!

About the Author:

Darlene and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve raised four children and have welcomed two grand children into their family.

She began her publishing journey about fourteen years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.

Being the youngest of six girls in a house without boys gave Darlene the opportunity to watch, to listen, and to learn what it takes to manage an organized house.

My P31 Home is a warm blend of Darlene’s writing and love for a comfy, pretty, and organized home. It’s a small corner of the world where faith, family, and home come together in one beautiful place.

Find Darlene on the Web at:

Time-Warp Wife Ministries
Facebook: @timewarpwife
Pinterest: @timewarpwife
Twitter: @timewarpwife
Instagram: @timewarpwife