Let it snow...

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

 - Sammy Cahn

Last week I used a Shakespearean quote about not wanting roses in December and what did I cut and bring inside yesterday??  ROSES!  I live in NORTHeast Pennsylvania for crying out loud and it's balmy and warm outside - puts a damper on my Christmas cheer, I gotta tell ya!

(probably just lost twenty readers due to that little rant - sorry)

Anyway, happy December 6th!  As per request, I'm jotting this down quickly before I head out to decorate a client's home: another little 'How To' - Christmas swags!  







Your first step is to determine the size swag you want.  Mine were going under an outside light, so I didn't want them huge.  Here I chose a solid branch and trimmed it to the size I wanted.













Then I began to wire other like sized branches to the top (please excuse the tired manicure - there are just not enough hours in the day this time of year).  After a few branches are added, you have your swag base.










Next I wire or hot glue the other types of greenery I want in my sway.  For this one, I chose holly, variegated holly and juniper.

Then I tie a ribbon around the top, making sure to tie it over the wires to cover them.  Once that is done, I cut off the excess branches at the top and trim the overall piece to make sure it looks good.

Then hang and enjoy!  Good luck with this one - I'd love to see pictures of some you have made.

Where to begin

"At Christmas I no more desire a rose

Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth; 

~ William Shakespear

It is officially Christmas time (at least it is in my book and because I'm the author of this blog, I guess that is that)!  I spent the last five days decking the halls (and lobbies and atriums and meeting rooms) of various hotels which was fun and interesting.  But today I got to begin decorating my residential clients' houses...ahhh....such love cannot be described.   I have had several requests for tutorials on what I do - which is a bit puzzling to me because nothing I do is so spectacular that anyone couldn't do it - but I decided to be bold and expose myself...don't go there.
 

Here I have a 'mixed green' wreath with a few pine cones thrown in for good measure that I purchased at a local greenhouse.  It's nice...just...nice.  But it's a good base.

I'm not wild about the placement or size of these pine cones - in my opinion, they lack signfigance placed this way.  So I cut them off the wreath and put them aside for later.

Although this is a mixed green wreath, it's not mixed enough for me.  So I popped out to my back yard and cut off a few bits of boxwood and cyprus, made some bundles then glued them into my wreath.

Note:  many people prefer to wire everything to their wreaths.  I find this limits exact placement and angle and takes forever.

And viola!  A very mixed greens wreath!

I took one and a half of these awesome silver picks, cut them up and strategically placed (hot glued) them around to give the wreath an icy, blingy kind of look. 











The finished product:  I added back the pine cones, tied on a bow, glued on a gold, glass pine cone ornament and a few more silver twigs to tie it all together.  Pretty easy.  You can add you own colors, twigs, greens and bows to make it reflect you - it's very, very easy.