Decluttering and Corn-Husk Wreath

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

We had my husband's sister, brother-in-law, and our 18-month-old niece over for New Year's Eve, and we really enjoyed their company.  

My brother-in-law made an amazing seafood paella for dinner. After our little ones went to sleep for the night, we savored some finger lakes wines while relishing over local cheeses and pickled olives. We finished the paella and our last sips of the wine right before we rang in the new year.   

After all the fun we had in the past few days, I was ready to slow down. It's been also very cold here in upstate NY, and I've been enjoying my wool blanket and cups of hot lemon and maple syrup.  

What would be the best way to start the new year?

Inspired by Janet at The Gardener's Cottage, I decided to declutter my kitchen drawer after the boys went to sleep last night. Letting go of excess and clutter helps me feel more centered.  

Before: 
It looks like I haven't touched the inside of the drawer since Halloween. I spy my son's belt and "birthday rock star" necklace from Chuck-E-Cheese. How did they get in there? 

After:

   

Much better...
I thought I might be able to find 100 things to get rid of just from this drawer, but I ended up with only 56 items to discard and recycle. So I went ahead to clean out our pantry and refrigerator as well. 

After all the decluttering, I was in the mood for something creative. I found two packages of corn husks in the pantry that I was saving for this project: 

DIY Corn-Husk Wreath

Photo by Ryan Liebe Photography for Martha Stewart Living

I gathered up all the supplies from around the house in the excitement that I could finally make this wreath. Things finally started to slow down around here, and I'm savoring these slow and quiet moments.  

All you need are a straw wreath, corn husks, T pins, a glue gun, a large bowl, paper towel and a pair of scissors. You basically dunk the corn husks in the large bowl of water to make them soft, then arrange them on the straw wreath using the T pins and hot glue gun. Visit Martha Stewart Living for the complete tutorial.  

I used two #6 x 1 - 1/4" screws and some wire to create a hanger.  
 

 

  

I pushed the screws in the back of the straw wreath, secured them using the glue gun, then wrapped and twisted the wire around the screws.  

I used this picture hanging hook to hang the wreath on the wall. 

And this is how the wreath looked like in the foyer this morning, after drying overnight.

 

I enjoy bringing natural elements in the house. They make a space feel more relaxed. The creamy color of the corn husks also adds just the right amount of warmth to the foyer. 
 

It was so easy to make.  

Have a beautiful weekend.