Families are busier than ever before. Sometimes decorating for Christmas can take up more time than people want to spend. It can become overwhelming to set up all of those decorations. What if this Holiday Season you don’t dig anything out of the attic or basement storage area and simply use what you already may have nearby?
What if you can decorate a couple of items you already may have at home, just to add a bit of a wintery feel for the holiday season? A white milk bottle jug or tin bottle/large tin watering can easily transform into an eye-catching Christmas decorative piece in a matter of minutes. Add some fresh pines cut from your yard or nearby Green Giant or juniper shrubs. Collect a couple of pine cones, pick out a beautiful ribbon and you will have yourself an exquisite, fresh, festive, quick centerpiece or fireplace mantelpiece. You can simply take a walk with the family and collect pine cones or ornamental grass stalks to complement the festive decorating of your favorite collectibles you already have on display!
Start with a classic jug, tin, or candle holder with wrought iron décor around it. You can decorate anything you already have at home; it doesn’t have to be new. I’ve shared some pictures of a white antique-like milk jug that was purchased at Hobby Lobby for less than $20, and a trio of candles set inside a wrought iron frame. Both have been transformed into beautiful, simple, farm-fresh crafts for the upcoming Holiday season in a matter of minutes.
When you work with fresh pines, it is important to note that they will stay fresh longer and not drop needles if you keep water inside of the jug you place them inside. If placed around a candle centerpiece, you will need some green foam that will hold moisture that attaches the fresh pines to or create closer to the holiday gathering. As the event draws closer, if there is not enough water to keep the pines hydrated, they will dry out and drop pine needles.
For my white milk jug, I added about six inches of water, and cut long fresh branchy pines to fill the jug with. I picked pine cones that had freshly fallen off of trees nearby and set them atop the branchy pines. Adding a simple, golden ribbon completed the look I was seeking. The pines were placed over a week ago into the jug and have kept every pine needle intact since. The pine cones have since opened up into brilliant little gems complementing the pines.
For the Trio-candle piece, be sure to cut the pines into small, yet branchy pieces, to bend and weave around the wrought iron frame. If using other vases, or pieces to shape and arrange pines around, you may purchase floral wire to firmly attach pines to the vase or centerpiece. There is no need to firmly attach with floral wire around a wrought iron frame if using Juniper or Green Giant branchy pines because they will stay firmly attached, by securing a beautiful ribbon around and through all of the wrought iron bars and pines. Be sure to keep all pines away from the open flames by tucking them in and around glass votive candle holders. Never leave a flame unsupervised.
Enjoy your simple farm-fresh exquisite mantelpiece that takes minutes to assemble and many more to sit back and enjoy this holiday season. Add the same ribbon to your Christmas tree, or poinsettia plants nearby and everything becomes complementary.
