Sacrifice Crown of Thorns

I've heard about using a "sacrifice crown of thorns" during Lent from several different blogs and websites including Catholics United for the Faith and  Ten Kids and a Dog,  Most recommend making a wreath out of braided salt dough but my salt dough creations never turn out as nice as those pictured on other sites. In addition, I wondered if a salt  dough wreath could withstand the fluctuations of heat, cold and humidity in our garage, where we store many of our out-of-season decorations.

At the Dollar Store the other day I discovered a bleached vine wreath for only $1.  I immediately envisioned it as a crown of thorns with a bit of brown paint and some toothpicks. At home, my daughter (who has been bugging me to do a painting project) enthusiastically covered it and about three dozen toothpicks with brown paint. Voila!  Our wreath is ready for use starting today (Ash Wednesday).

This project was incredibly easy to do and required no artistic talent at all, so it's perfect for those who are a bit intimidated by crafts.

To use the wreath:  any time during Lent that a person makes a sacrifice  or does a good deed,  s/he can pull a thorn (toothpick) out of the wreath, with the goal of removing all thorns before Good Friday. On Easter, the wreath can be decorated with flowers.  We will be putting all of our thorns in a little dish next to the wreath.  Those thorns will be replaced with jelly beans on Easter morning.