Dog Days of Summer Wreath

The phrase “dog days of summer” often make me think of the month of August when the actual days of summer are long and hot and by the end of them you are truly ready for fall weather.  According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the “Dog Days of Summer” are the 40 days of summer between July 3rd and August 11th.  No matter how these days got their name, this phase came to mind when I was planning the theme of my latest wreath project. It is a fun and whimsical kind of wreath inspired by a dog print ribbon I purchased several years ago.

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I actually made this white burlap wreath several years ago and added the black and white dog print ribbon.  But I never added anything else and it hung in my dog kennel room for years.  Over the years during the holidays, I have changed it up from time to time like adding decorative ball ornaments at Christmas.  For the most part it remained incomplete.  I was just waiting for the right inspiration I guess.

The inspiration came in the form of some dog toys we couldn’t give our dogs.  They were the cheap plastic kind that you can find at Walmart.  One of my dogs ate one of the toys and the plastic pieces had to be extracted from his system.  After an expensive vet bill, these plastic toys went up on a shelf in the pantry to never be given to the dogs again.

Recently I spotted these old toys on the upper shelf and that is when I realized I could use them to make a wreath instead of throwing them away.  Another trip to Walmart and the Dollar Tree and I had even more whimsical dog toys to add to the wreath.

This is probably the most playful and fun wreath I have ever made.

The original bow I made just didn’t look good on this wreath.  So I took it apart and ended up cutting up the old bow and creating a new scrap ribbon bow known as a bird bow.  A bird bow is basically just scrap pieces of ribbon, about 6 to 8 inches in length with the edges of each piece cut in a duck tail pattern.

Gather about 8 pieces of ribbon between your finger and thumb and secure with a pipe cleaner.  Fluff out the edges and you have a new whimsical and fun bow.  From my craft supply stash, I added lime green pipe ribbon to the black and white dog print ribbon – because some of the dog toys were lime green.

To fill the wreath and keep the pattern going, I added strips of the dog paw ribbon and green pipe ribbon all along the circle of the wreath.  I just love this ribbon.

Years ago, I found the ribbon at the famous store called The Christmas Store in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  I doubt I can find it again after all this time.  So I will just enjoy the last of it on this silly dog days of summer wreath.

“Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.”  Proverbs 4:13