13
“
Home For The Holidays” November 21, 2012 A Lincoln Daily News Magazine Copyright 2012
Another way to go modern, and “green” by
saving energy, is to use solar lights. At Ace,
another new item is solar candy canes: a great
way to line the driveway.
Lighting, swags, roped greenery and ribbon
go a long way in calling attention and dressing
up areas outdoors. Wrap posts, shrubs and trees
with lights. Drape fences
with roping and bows
at the pull-ups. Frame
windows, doors, eaves,
the house, garage, dog’s
house -- wait, maybe not
the doghouse -- with mini
lights.
Take a drive through
the country and collect
colorful twigs; trim wild-
growing
evergreens;
gather chestnuts, walnuts,
buckeyes, lime green Osage orange tree fruits
and pine cones. Remember, it’s hunting season.
You might wear orange and try not to trespass
to avoid getting shot at.
Twigs can be stuck in planters au naturel or
sprayed with adhesive and glittered, or flocked,
with a big ribbon stuck at the base. Add lights
and you have graceful elegance.
Layer a window box with greens, cones and
weather-resistant ornaments.
You can also bundle natural materials and
make your own swags. Add a bow and wire
loop, and you’re done. Hang on either side of
an entry door, garage opening or on posts.
Indoors, you can use the same kinds of
material plus some littler stuff for close-up
detail. Add to your list of materials: colored
candles, ornaments, large jingle bells, long
cinnamon sticks, decorative holiday floral
ribbons, narrow satin ribbons, florist wire,
adhesive spray and sparkles to simulate
artificial snow.
A few special tips you might not know about
using natural materials:
Pine cones: Bake white pine cones, enjoy
the fragrance and see the white sticky resin
transform to a clear gloss.
Spray other pine cones with lacquer to give
them gloss. These can be wired with thin florist
wire and added to any swag, wreath or table
design.
Osage orange tree
fruits: Slice and bake.
Quarter-inch-thick rounds
turnglossyamber and look
great wired into wreaths
and other designs. These
last for years and years.
Or, leave these lime
green fruits whole. Place
on a mantel between
greens and ornaments, or
in a bowl with other natural materials such as
pine cones; tuck moss here and there; sprinkle
with red cranberries; and accent with ribbons
on wires poked in crevices.
A trip through any of the specialty shops,
big stores or thrift shops in Lincoln, Elkhart,
Atlanta and Mount Pulaski is great inspiration,
and you are sure to find things to purchase that
you will cherish for years. You may even find
a gift or two and reduce your shopping list.
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