I've been just as busy outside putting my garden to bed for the winter as I have been inside, decorating my home these past several days. As part of the "Home for Christmas" blog hop series, co-hosted by
Hometalk.com and
CountryLiving,com, I'm sharing how easy it is to create your own garden arrangement for holiday decor, utilizing remnants from the garden. Be sure to see all the details and links on the "Home for Christmas" blog hop series at the end of this post.
My inspiration for a winter greens arrangement came straight from my garden. I cut and saved magnolia branches, eucalyptus from my annual containers, and red twigs from my red twig dogwood bushes. I stopped by Lowe's, where they were selling their fresh Christmas trees, and asked if they had any remnants from trimming trees, and they offered me two bags full - for FREE! I took only one, leaving the other for someone else.
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| Garden Remnants |
A vintage French market basket, sourced from a fellow antique dealer in late November, put my wheels into motion insofar as how I would create my arrangement.
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| Vintage French Market Basket |
So, into the garden shed of supplies I went. I gathered a plastic bucket from prior plantings, a coir basket liner, and some potting soil.
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| Garden Shed Supplies |
I placed the coir liner into the basket, and put enough dirt into the liner to give it some weight.
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| Fill 'er up! |
Then, I simply starting arranging the remnants, using the container principle of thrilling, filling, and spilling (although the thriller only came once the arrangement was inside, see further in post). I put the tallest red twig branches in back. Next, I placed a long branch of magnolia in the center. I snipped branches as needed, until it was spilling enough to please my eye.
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| Trimming the Fillers |
I filled the sides with pine branches, and then stuck a few of the smaller red twigs here and there, for added dimension. I had saved some lavender, but ended up
not using it, as my cuts were too short.
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| Arranging: Thriller, Filler, Spiller |
I did tuck the eucalyptus branches into the mix before I called it complete - at least while outside. ;)
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| Temporarily Finished Arrangement |
Once inside, I knew I wanted to add some sparkle - my final, thriller effect. I created the thriller by adding a few pre-lit, silver branches I had on hand to the back. Lastly, I added pre-strung, battery operated wire lights around the lower, front assemblage. Ta da! The finished arrangement, inside.
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| Adding the Thriller Factor - Lights! |
Since I "planted" the cuts into the bucket that I placed inside the market basket, I can add some water and keep the arrangement fresh enough through the holidays. If it lasts beyond Christmas, well, that'll just be a bonus! For now, the fresh smell of pine is filling the family room, next to the Christmas tree, and the lights make me smile.
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| Detail of arrangment |
Now, onto the blog hop!
Stop in and visit any and all of the bloggers who are sharing their ideas in the "Home for Christmas" series by simply clicking on any or all of the links below. It's sure to get you in the holiday spirit, and will be a great source for pinning any number of your favorites, for this year or years to come. A special thanks to the
Hometalk.com and
CountryLiving.com teams for their joint efforts in co-hosting this series!
Sharing with any given number of these fine hosts:
As always, your visits, comments, and loyal readership are always welcome here on my blog!
My inspiration for a winter greens arrangement came straight from my garden. I cut and saved magnolia branches, eucalyptus from my annual containers, and red twigs from my red twig dogwood bushes. I stopped by Lowe's, where they were selling their fresh Christmas trees, and asked if they had any remnants from trimming trees, and they offered me two bags full - for FREE! I took only one, leaving the other for someone else.
Stop in and visit any and all of the bloggers who are sharing their ideas in the "Home for Christmas" series by simply clicking on any or all of the links below. It's sure to get you in the holiday spirit, and will be a great source for pinning any number of your favorites, for this year or years to come. A special thanks to the Hometalk.com and CountryLiving.com teams for their joint efforts in co-hosting this series!
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