> You have permission to publish this article electronically > or in print, free of charge, as long as you include > author's bio and any links, then send an email to > Eileen@theartfulcrafter.com with a courtesy copy of your > publication or link to your web pageHomecoming Mums: A Southwestern Tradition By Eileen Bergen www.theartfulcrafter.com
It’s homecoming season across nation, but only in parts of Texas and Oklahoma, is it also "homecoming mum season". Some students take homecoming mums just as seriously as homecoming football game itself.
For uninitiated, a homecoming mum is an oversize mum corsage decorated with three-foot long streamers in school colors, bells, charms, banners, little plush animals done up in bows, sparkly letters, even Christmas tree lights. It is usually worn in middle of chest like a breastplate with streamers flowing down front of body almost touching ankles.
It is, in short, a fashion statement.
But homecoming mums are so much more than that. They are a sign that somebody loves you. They’re no longer given only by boyfriends. Mums can come from friends, your mom, dad, aunt, or even a booster boy (a boy-friend who is not your date). Anybody who's anybody wears one, or two.
These days, a homecoming mum can cost up to $100 and weigh as much as 12 pounds!
Homecoming mums have become a status symbol for many junior high and high school students. Designs change every year. The more original, better. If you’re a crafter and live in Texas or Oklahoma, you should be in seventh heaven. You can make homecoming mums for yourself or your favorite high school student at a fraction of retail price. Even boys are getting into this fad. They’ve started wearing homecoming garters on their sleeves. If you craft for profit, high margins make homecoming mums a very attractive seasonal craft.