Junk Pumpkins

I picked up a bagful of these canning jar rims at a thrift store recently with the intention of making myself a wreath just like this:

HERE

However, I had a real hard time getting my rims to form a nice circle that would stay in place once it was hung up, so I abandoned the project for a while.  (my house is full of these abandoned and half done projects - hence the "abundance")

Sooo...one day when looking for some other junk treasure, I came across these rims again and a light bulb went off in my head - yup that's what it really seems like to me when inspiration strikes - a light bulb gets turned on and everything falls into place.  Is it like that for other people too or is it just me?

The things that came together for me were a bunch of pictures I'd seen of "pumpkins" made from wire and dryer venting and these poor abandoned rims.

So, in true recycling style, I found my stash of leftover and reclaimed clothing elastic and pulled out an old bra strap and tied those suckers together in a nice tight circle that stayed together beautifully.  

For a natural look I added a piece of tree branch and a metal leaf from an old light fixture that I also recycled.

If you plan on doing this project yourself these are the supplied you will need.

1. 13 old canning jar rims
2. 1 piece of elastic about 12" long, so you can tie it.
3. One piece of tree branch about 3" long, about 1" in diameter
4. Anything else you want to make it look more like a pumpkin

I had enough rims to make 2 in the bagful - total cost for this project was $.25  for 2.  That's right 25 cents!

Here is how I used them in my fall decor this year

Have an abundant day!

Diana

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PS, Donna at Funky Junk was kind enough to point out another idea for this craft, you can find it:

HERE