Christmas 2011 and Snow in the New Year

Here are some photos of the Christmas decorations that were enjoyed during the holidays. I am totally enamored with vintage pieces with snowy trees and snowflakes playing a big part in the decorations. The glass gazebo is up year-round so it gets filled with bristle trees during Christmas. My beloved silver tinsel tree has small rice lights on it which are set to gently twinkle. Mercury balls, vintage snowflakes, and a bird collections are highlighted. The WISH ornament is from a friend who is a soldering master. My daughter started presenting a pair of matching birds to my late husband and I three years ago and now in his absence, she is continuing the tradition. Those special birds are proudly displayed on the tree as well.

The Puget Sound region was beautifully blanketed with snow the week of Jan 16. Some areas received over a foot of snow. On Bainbridge Island there was about 4-5" which made our property look simply wonderful. We named the acreage Fernwood due to the hundreds of native sword ferns which abound. The sign was designed by my architect/artist son, Brandon, and is placed at the entrance to the property. Moving the extremely heavy rock down the 600' driveway was a challenge, not to mention setting it in place. Fernwood Studio is the name given to my place where I teach craft classes. Please see my website, www.tigerlilysattic.com for more information.

Part of the landscape includes a copper gazebo with a granite bench. The gazebo was made by my husband for our wedding ceremony. Muslin curtins are hung on it during the summer and as you can see, they were never taken down, along with the candles and chandelier which is off-camera. The scene reminded me of the winter palace in the movie, Dr. Zhivago. I loved that movie. When I saw it in high school and loved the daffodil scene I knew someday if I ever had a girl, she would be named Lara. Life has been good and Lara is wonderfully in my life.

The lady statue always looks great with her snowy white hat and fur wrap. She has a collection of sea shells at her feet that I collected from a beach in Florida. Her basket of snow flowers completes her look!

No Fuss Quickie Floral Arrangement

This is the hostess bouquet I took to my daughter when we visited her family for Christmas day.
Believe it or not, I put it together as we were loading the car. To my critical and trained-eye, there was room for improvement, but I offer it up as an example of how easy it is to do it and have reasonable results. In my previous post, I described "guerrilla decorating" and this post falls under the same category.

I had purchased the red roses and white daisy mums from the local grocery store and with the wreath work I do, the evergreen boughs were already standing by. I used noble fir for form and stability and cedar for softness and drape. The fir went in first, followed by the cedar. Next the mums were cut to size. If you are not sure where to cut the stem, place it in front of the vase where you want the stem to be placed and you will readily see where to make the cut. But just like in soup preparation, start with just a little bit of salt (a little cut) and do more as needed.

The mums were placed evenly around, some cut shorter then others for mixed heights. The mums were put in before the roses, as they were larger and would carry the load of the arrangement. Then the roses were cut to size and placed evenly around, some shorter than others. I don't usually use use baby's breath in arrangements, but this time it would have been nice as it would have added a "snowy" effect. Red glass ball ornaments affixed with twist ties to chopsticks or bamboo skewers would have added a festive touch. If I had had a few more minutes, I probably would have included them.

There is no reason to make things any more complicated than they need to be. If you what you design with a bit of abandon and "it doesn't matter" attitude, you will find yourself having fun and the results will show it. This is about enjoyment, not agony. Have fun!

Quick and Easy Holiday Decorating 101

I love to decorate and present beautiful spaces in my home during the holidays. This year found me with little to no time to fully engage in decorating. With three jobs and the on-going development of my my upcoming web site, I had to employ guerrilla warfare and whiz-bang the house with pretties. It became "drive-by decorating" and actually turned out well.

The photos show some of the decorating"quickies." The side board had a runner from TJ Maxx that featured quilted velvet squares in jewel tones-which was my color palette this year. So having chosen the color, I selected the theme of fruit. So I gathered all the "sugar-dusted" faux fruit I've collected, with an emphasis on pomegranates (juicy and red!). I placed some fruit in two clear glass containers and put more in the repurposed lampbase with glass fixture I made last summer. To bring it together, I placed a small red sugared berried wreath at the base with a small fruited garland.

The dining table centerpiece was completed in less than ten minutes. I took a faux green wreath (about 18"), placed it flat on the table (yes, wreaths don't always have to go on the walls) and studded it evenly with sugared fruit picks (found at Michael's and JoAnn Etc. for a song). No need to glue as I don't have high winds or boisterous children/teenagers living at home. Then to add a different texture for emphasis, I tucked in small jewel-tone glass ball ornaments. The glass mosaic vase with candle placed inside was the finishing touch. Using the fruit on the dining table and nearby sideboard made for a oordinated look and both were completed in less than one hour..... next!

The arrangement in the hall corner went even faster. The large ceramic planter was already in place (has been waiting to be turned into a water feature). Out of storage, I grabbed the 3' tall red velvet tree (found at a garage sale) and generously placed faux evergreen boughs at the base. I then tucked stems of red silk poinsettias and peonies into the boughs. For sparkle, I added some lime green glittered picks. Again, no glue, no foam blocks.....just place and push.


Decorating on the fly is perfectly fine and it works. Yes, there are times when thoughtful consideration is in order, but one happily finds that the end results speak for themselves and
look just as wonderful. Yes, I will admit I have many of the pieces to pull together but with a little imagination and creatively looking at what one already has, vignettes and color palettes can be easily and quickly pulled together. We need to give ourselves permission to think simply and to ask the question, "how else can this be done?" It can be a great deal of fun and bring tremendous satisfaction. Try it.

Some tablescapes I have created can be found on my website: www.tigerlilysattic.com.

Evergreen Wreath Making Tutorial

The photos demonstrate the simple steps to making a wreath using a "machine." I hesitate to use the word, machine, as it implies the use of electricity which this does not use. This machine uses a foot pedal which makes the clamp squeeze the wire prongs on the wreath form. The machine is almost "goof proof" and enables even a beginner to easily and quickly make a practically perfect professional looking wreath.

I cut the greens into 10" lengths and layer them in each prong to make an attractive bunch.
Then I step on the pedal to squeeze the two prongs together, capturing the greens in a tight bundle. The wreath form is then moved to the next open prong so when that bunch is clamped, it covers the wires from the previous bunch. And so it goes, all the way around the ring. The wreath shown started as a 12" ring but finishes at about 20-22" in diameter.

I collect evergreen boughs from my property on Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound and also purchase noble fir boughs from a local tree farm. Noble fir is good to use as the blue-gray color is gorgeous but the needles are firm and upright. I usually work with the following evergreens: noble fir, Douglas fir, cedar, juniper, cypress,pine, and arborvitae. I also incorporate the stems from deciduous shrubs/trees such as huckleberry, red twig dogwood, birch and will purchase blue juniper berried branches from a florist supply house. Evergreen shrubs such as sarcococca, huckleberry, eounymous, boxwood,and rosemary will often appear as well.

Embellishments in the form of nuts, pods, cinammon sticks, berries, various cones, and gorgeous ribbon will be added appropriately to echo the front door and interior home decor.

I make wreaths to order and also make my two machines available for folks to come and make their own wreath. I provide some of the greens, along with the embellishments.
Once I made a custom wreath made entirely of bearded wheat stalks and another one made up of just blueberry stems. Any product that can be dried or hold-up for a reasonable amount of time can be used. I show some of my wreaths on my website: www.tigerlilysattic.com.