Bring out the holly… I love that old song from
Mame. The joy they fill in that song about decking the halls. Is the same feeling I get when it's time to pull out the boxes. Do you get that same feeling? Does your heart feel a little bit lighter when you see a
family heirloom ornament? Or when you finally get everything in place and you
realize your living room looks only slightly less jolly than the North Pole? I
love all those feelings. I love to walk around the house and my Santa Collection on display. I love
seeing my tree filled with ornaments that were gifts or picked up on vacations.
But there’s also something else I love about this time of year, decorating with
holiday greenery. I think they are beautiful and they bring that smell of
Christmas into the house.
I
bought this little wooden tree a few years ago. I've never really figured out
what to do with it and for a few years it’s been tucked away in the box
ignored. This year it’s found a home in a basket of pine, cedar, and pine cones
on my coffee table. To make this arrangement you just need to collect enough
pine to fill the basket. Then add in a few pieces of cedar and a few pine cones
as accents. It's a very traditional look and if you collect the greens from
your yard or a neighbors it is really inexpensive.
I did another basket of fresh pine and cedar on
the fireplace mantel. To create this look I started with two small branches
that had small pine cone still attached. Once I anchored them in the basket
with floral foam I worked in small bunch or pine needles and twigs of cedar, until
I achieved the desired look. For some additional color I placed a few red
Christmas ornaments. Be prepared for your fingers to get sticky. There's
usually a good deal of sap in evergreen trees.
I
did another basket of fresh pine and cedar on the fireplace mantel. To create
this look I started with two small branches that had small pine cones still
attached. I anchored them in the basket with floral foam. Then I worked in small
bunches of pine needles and twigs of cedar until I achieved the desired look.
For some additional color I placed a few red Christmas ornaments. Be prepared
for your fingers to get sticky. There's usually a good deal of sap in evergreen
trees.
This arrangement on
my dining table is created using three faux branches of pine and two bundles of
red berries I picked up at Hobby Lobby just last week. I used a crystal pitcher
(a wedding present) instead of a vase. The sterling sliver candlesticks were a
fantastic find while antiquing in Memphis last fall. I decided to leave my
favorite Blue Willow and heirloom china on the table (another great find) and add snowflake
napkin rings for a festive touch.
One last touch of
greenery. This time in the kitchen. This little brown bowl was the home of a
few Hen and Chick succulent plants until about a month ago when my black thumb
struck again. Since I had a few small sprigs left I tucked them into this bowl
and added another pine cone. The picture frame in this picture is a recipe
card. It's a hand written by my MeeMaw and it's for Crock-pot Baked Beans one
of my favorite things she made.
So that's a
little tour around my house for the holidays. I hope you enjoyed it. I know I
loved putting it together and sharing it with you.
