As the song says, I have a few of my favorite things for this magical time. Every year around this time, I surround myself with these things that bring joy and fond memories. Sharing them is my gift to you.
I start by putting a pot of my special Christmas scent on to boil. The aroma of the cloves and cinnamon fills the air and delights the senses all season long. It has been a family favorite at our house for years. Here is the recipe.
3-4” long cinnamon sticks ½ lemon cut in half
3 bay leaves 1/2 orange cut in half
¼ cup of whole cloves 1 quart of water
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and
simmer as long as desired. Check often and add more water as needed. It may
be stored in the fridge and reused. ***Never leave unattended on the stove.
Now that the house smells yummy, let’s add a few special decorations. First, I hang my “Christmas swags”. It seems I can never get interior decor out of my mind. Even my Christmas decoration names sound like window treatment styles! All they are is just 3 strands of Christmas decor beads that I drape softly over the top of my windows-right on top of the draperies and then loop the ends of the beads over the curtain rods. The color and the glimmer of the beads is beautiful. The beaded garland is available where Christmas decorations are sold. Strands of evergreen garland or ornaments strung on ribbons also make great swags. Try your hand at making your own Christmas swag treatments.
You will just love this unique and beautiful table decoration. It comes direct from “across the pond” in Europe to you. Get a group of 6-7 Christmas ornament balls and remove the top loop and cap. Put a single small silk flower down in the balls with a sticky dot to hold the flower stem upright. It has then become a round vase for the flower. On a sturdy plate, spread out some stone or glass chips to cover. Use sticky dots on the bottom of the ornament balls to anchor them on the plate amid the stones. A few tips on creating this look- first, choose a color theme for the balls, flowers and stones; second, one floral spray will suffice for the arrangement and lastly, be creative to come up with different materials that you can nestle the balls into. I love decorating- whether I am designing for a client’s home or creating a beautiful mantel for the holiday season. That’s me! I’m cooking up more holiday design goodies for you. See you in the next issue. Always remember to decorate with joy and happiness in your heart.