Holiday Bow Sales
Congratulations to Karen Duncan and Mary McBride, asales dynamic duo who have sold out the entire inventory for a 2nd year in a row. Great Work Ladies!!
Since 1989 The Landings Garden Club has been making Christmas bows to sell throughout the community as a fundraiser. The Ways and Means Committee coordinates 2 to 4-hour sessions where bows are hand-tied by member volunteers all summer. More than 300 volunteer hours are spent to make and sell the bows.
For the past 30 years, the Garden Club’s beautiful bows have decorated the mailboxes, golf carts and homes of Landings residents. And part of the proceeds assist our members to annually decorate the entrance gates for The Landings community.
The success of this fundraiser is the source of The Landings Garden Club charitable contributions to beautification and conservation of our island. So, as our goal has been to beautify The Landings community during the holiday season, this project has expanded to include supporting community service projects on an on-going basis.
“A Bow on Every Mailbox”
Create a Holiday Mailbox Swag with a Garden Club Bow and greenery from your yard
by Dottie Kirkland
1. Assemble the materials:
Base: wire mailbox frame or “saddle” (available at craft stores or online
Evergreen branches: such as pine, cedar, magnolia, holly and small palm fronds.
Wire and Tools: green paper- wrapped wire ties for smaller branches and 24-gauge wire for larger branches, green florist tape pruning shears and wire cutter.
Décor: Large outdoor bow and other ornaments as desired.
2. Assemble the base:
Dottie begins by wiring longer flexible branches to the middle of the wire frame. She also secures them to the frame sides with wire ties. She recommends using an evergreen such as pine or cedar that will drape, for the base. Trim branches to the desired length before wiring. (You may want to measure the sides of your mailbox.)
3. Build up layers for fullness:
Dottie continues wiring in evergreens with different leaf sizes and colors to add texture. You could continue using the same greenery as the base. These branches are shorter than the base branches.
4. Add largest leaves on top:
To give the swag height and to cover the middle of the frame, Dottie wires in large-leaved greenery, such as magnolia at the swag top. She suggests making the swag highest in the back where it will rest against the mailbox post.
5. Attach the bow:
Wire the bow to the front side of the swag top. The bow hides the top of the frame and wiring.
6. Attach the swag to your mailbox:
Dottie hooks a black rubber bungee cord into one end of the swag frame pulls it under the mailbox cross brace and tube, hooking it into the other side of the frame. (A 41” cord is needed for large mailboxes, 36” for small mailboxes). Once the swag is secure, she fluffs the greenery and adds palm fronds to give it additional height on top. You can also wire in outdoor ornaments or pinecones.
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