We do this every year and have made tiny hand sized ones up to door sized ones. I've never bothered dying the toothpicks as the kids dont seem to care and dont worry too much about exactly how many "thorns" each wreath recieves. Mommy will make some judicious adjustments to see that the dc have a thorn to pull for each day of Lent. :)
Last year we had a shared one on our family altar and one on our front door (which drew comments from neighbors and delivery men). Some years the kids have wanted personal one.
We usually decide on Ash Wednesday.
You will need a grapevine wreath of any size and a purple ribbon of any width if you wish to hang it.
Tooth picks of any size- these are about 3 and 4.5 in long- thats it.
Bobby pins and ribbon rosettes are an optional addition we use.
Let your kids poke the toothpicks in with lots of stern warning to not poke one's siblings (I swear I tell them every year!)
If you want to hang it string it with your ribbon or simply place it on your family altar.
We add a red or purple rosette for each Sunday in Lent and the children pull a thorn each day until Easter.
Easter morning the children wake to find their Crown has "bloomed".
We have used the same toothpicks and wreaths and roses for 5 years now but checking at the craft store this week it looks like under 8 dollars for the whole shebang if you have no supplies at home.
A blessed Lent to you all!
