Les Seigman finds decorative uses for the most mundane items. He glues PVC piping - the plastic material used for plumbing - to make arching arbors for wandering vines and tall trellises for espaliered plants to be pruned and trained to grow on.

So the Gloucester resident is not about to even consider throwing away old tools when they can be transformed into a decorative delight for a doorway.

Used, broken and unwanted tools - hammers, screwdrivers, shears, sprinklers, gears, faucets, hatchet heads, trowels and shovels - take on a new personality when they are attached to two wire wreath rings nestled together for extra strength to support the weight of the tools. Wire a 12-inch wire wreath inside a 14-inch one or 14 inside a 16-inch wire frame.

Securely wire the tools to the wreath frame, spray the creation silver, gold or any color you want, and attach a big bow. This wreath can weigh 20-25 pounds, so make sure you hang it securely.

BAY LEAF WREATH

Herb wreaths can be enjoyed year-round, but they are especially festive during the holidays.

A wreath for the kitchen or front door can be made with bay leaves but also can be done with thyme, sage, lavender, rosemary, savory and artemisias.

Many easy-to-make wreaths are featured in the $19.95 book, ``The Complete Book of Herbs'' by Lesley Bremness, a Penguin Studio and DK Book which is available in local bookstores. Make wreaths with fresh material for easy handling and then let wreath dry in a dark, well-ventilated place for later use, suggests the book, which also tells you how to grow herbs. For interest you can add colorful drying flowers such as yarrow, roses or a mixture of herbs. And you can always pluck herbs from the wreath to season your wintertime soups and stews for garden freshness.

Here's how to make a bay leaf wreath:

1. Cover a wire frame with spaghnum moss, wrapping the moss with wire to secure it as you go.

2. Cut small twigs of bay, each the same length. Group them on the wreath, all facing the same way and overlapping. Wire them in place.

3. Decorate with ribbon, a simple figure-8 bow or small bunches of drying flowers, berries or rosebuds.

You also can create a bay leaf wreath by merely inserting branches into a straw wreath. Or hot glue stems on to the wreath.

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