Horse Collar and Horseshoe Sunflower Wreath

Last Christmas I made a wreath out of an old, worn, leather horse collar . I added a couple old horseshoes to it, some greenery and a burlap bow. It really turned out nicely. Feel free to take a peek at it here.   Recently, I found another horse collar at a flea market for a reasonable price, so I brought it home.   I had a couple more old horse shoes and decided to make another wreath. This one is perfect for Summer and will even work into the Fall.  

 

Barb Wire and Horseshoe Wreath

I am very blessed to be great friends with my mom. She lives about three hours from me in western North Carolina.   I was able to spend two days with her last week and like always, I came home with goodies.   Two barb wire wreaths were some of the goodies from this trip.    

    Some time ago, my brother had been visiting with her and was helping my dad with some of the fencing.   There was some old rusty barb wire they tore down and didn't need, so rather than disposing of it, he rolled it into wreaths for her.    

Vintage Style Handmade Horse Boarding Livery Sign

My makeover Monday project for this week started off as a plywood cut out silhouette of a running horse.   I found it at a thrift store for $3 and thought it was neat, but I had no idea what I was going to do with it.    

(it wasn't painted when I bought it, it was raw plywood)     This horse had been stashed away in my workshop for quite a while and then... ...inspiration struck!   I decided to create a Livery and Boarding sign, using the horse as the focal point.  

My 2nd Silhouette Project - Barnwood Cowgirl Up Horseshoe Sign

While I was staring out of the window of my workshop, hoping that we would get some snow today, I noticed the box of old horseshoes, that my neighbor gave me, sitting on my workbench.   They got my mind thinking about what else I could make with them.   With St. Patrick's Day coming up, I had the inclination to make a sign that said LUCKY,  using one of the horseshoes as the U.   but then, I thought, what about a sign that said COWGIRL UP. That would be more my speed.   Don't get me wrong.  I'm not a cowgirl, unless owning a few pair of cowboy boots and line dancing qualifies.  

 

I cleaned up a piece of barnwood that I had leftover from building the kitchen cabinets in our cabin.

(you can check out our barnwood cabinets here)

Old Leather Horse Harness Christmas Wreath

Last year I picked up this old leather horse harness at an estate auction  from a farmhouse here in South Carolina.  

(this is the back, I did not take a before pic)   I actually bid on it because it had a roll of old chicken wire with it. The wire was perfectly aged and rusty in spots and would work perfectly for so many projects I have on my list.   The harness got put in the attic of my workshop for a while, I even think it made it into the Goodwill donation box at least once before I decided to hang onto it.   Boy am I glad I kept it.