| Go out for a walk, maybe with your dog or a | | | | structure which, once supported, flowers. These |
| friend. Go to a park, field or overgrown area, | | | | stems can look very dramatic in a dried flower |
| these are the places that you will find lots of dried | | | | arrangement. |
| vegetation. I say vegetation because weed | | | | When you get home stand all your stems in a |
| means unwanted plant, and although you are | | | | vase. Seeds will probably drop out along it the odd |
| collecting what other people deem as weeds, you | | | | bug. You may want to return these later. |
| in fact want them. | | | | Give some of your findings that frosty Christmas |
| Take a bag with you and a pair of scissors. Some | | | | feel by spray painting them silver. Read the back |
| stalks may be too tough to break with just your | | | | of the tin before you begin and follow the |
| fingers. You may need gloves too in case some | | | | directions for using spray paints. Don't paint all of |
| plants have thorns or spikes. Under no | | | | your stems remember less is more. |
| circumstances should you pick plants from other | | | | Add a splash of colour to the bouquet by |
| peoples gardens, unless you have asked for | | | | introducing Christmas baubles or ribbons. Glue or |
| permission to do so. | | | | wire a bauble to a kebab skewer and add to the |
| You may find grasses of different types. Some | | | | display. |
| with heads like mini fox's tails others may look | | | | To make a bow, take a length of wide ribbon and |
| more like trees. | | | | fold it back and forth a couple of times. Scrunch |
| Look out for unusual seedpods on the plants, you | | | | up one end and secure it with wire. Stick the |
| may be lucky enough to find a poppy seed head | | | | ribbon onto a kabab stick. |
| or a thistle. Pinecones are treasures, use craft | | | | To present this gift of nature as a gift, arrange |
| wire or glue to attach the cone to a wood kabab | | | | the dried and painted flowers in a vase or form a |
| skewer and then use as another specimen to add | | | | bouquet secured in place with an elastic band and |
| to your collection. | | | | tie a large ribbon in a bow around the stems |
| Sometimes flowering plants dry out and leave a | | | | covering the elastic band. |