One of my favorite things about the holidays and winter in general is the transformation of the outdoors. Sleigh rides and skating outdoors amidst pine trees, snow and barren branches makes warming up next to a fireplace all the more appealing. Adding rustic traditional elements to your decor can take your interiors through the holidays and into the abyss of winter. Pops of red, lots of textural elements and plenty of candles aglow will warm your spirits!
See below for inspiration photos and a few of my favorite things to buy for this season!
I love this new collection of lit twig animals! The polar bear is by far the cutest!
Lit Twig Polar Bear from Pottery Barn
Who doesn’t need a sleigh that has no function other than to look pretty?
Red Metal Sleigh from Pottery Barn
I love burlap and red plaid and together they make a festive combo!
Burlap & Red Plaid Stockings from Ballard Designs
I had a cocker spaniel growing up and one of their signature features are their eyes. PB captured the essence of them plus a few other breeds in these quirky ornaments!
Bottlebrush Cocker Spaniel Ornament from Pottery Barn
I love this handwritten effect of the sentiment on this platter; perfect for a hostess or holiday gift. Also, the warm color makes it ideal for fall and winter entertaining!
Shanna Murray Platter from West Elm
With the upswing in craft breweries, these would make a great gift for your favorite beer drinker this season!
Hoppy Holidays Beer Glasses from Crate & Barrel
With its traditional font, this festive runner feels as much at home on your dining room table as in your kitchen!
So, you love all the berry branches and amaryllis flowers that are abundant in stores right now. But how do you use them without putting them in the “usual” tall vase? How do you incorporate simpler elements to your holiday decor? Here’s what I did with one of my favorite hurricanes to give it a holiday “facelift”…
empty hurricane...what should we do?candles, flowers & berries, oh my!
I purchased a large white unscented candle which burns within. This is important as you don’t want wax dripping on the botanicals surrounding the candle. Unscented is also a must if you are entertaining a lot. It allows you to burn the candle without interfering with multiple aromas such as perfumes or yummy entrees! Lastly, notice the scale of the candle. Sometimes I bring my candle holders with me when I shop for candles so I don’t guess and have to make several trips to the store!
Okay, I also have some winter berries and these beautiful white amaryllis stems. My idea is to chop the amaryllis really short and frame them around the candle at the base of the hurricane. Time to cut…wire cutters or strong scissors are a must!
time to cut...
So, unfortunately, my idea didn’t work so well. I only cut one to test and it was too squished once it got closer to the base of the hurricane…now what to do with it. Well, I have this cute little red vase that I normally don’t put flowers in but figured it worked nicely for the season. I cut a second amaryllis stem and situated them so they offset the shape of the vase nicely.
looks better here!
Okay, back to the hurricane…how can I incorporate the berries? I remembered I had some black rocks leftover from another project and pulled those out. I love how the black creates a nice base for the candle. You don’t have to fill the rocks too far, just use your best judgment on proportion.
hmm...black rocks may workalmost done!
Now for the finishing touch, I must say this is harder than it looks. I cut off 2 parts of the berry branches and I still have enough leftover for a future project; that was the easy part. The hard part was placing them ever so gently in the rocks without them scratching the candle or falling over. I ended up using scotch tape to hold them together, only from the back so you wouldn’t see the tape. I love how it turned out and I can’t wait to see how nicely it burns!
