Jingle Berry Branches

December is here and it's time to think about decorating for the holidays ahead. Today I am sharing a simple, cheerful little project: jingle berry branches.

To make my faux berry branches you need:

• some very fine wire

• red jingle bells

• wire cutters

• some bare branches (from your garden or foraged respectfully)

• blue ribbon for a bow (optional)

Cut short lengths of wire and pass one end of the wire through the bell loop. 

Twist the wire on your bell closed.

Arrange the branches a pitcher or vase of your choice. This will make it easier to 

determine where to place your "berries".

Loop the wire around the branches a couple of times and snip off any excess. Press any sharp ends of the wire inward with your thumb nail, so you don't end up with thorny berry branches.

I couldn't resist adding a few little bluebirds when I was done.

And there you have it! Festive berry branches that jingle.

I also made an evergreen version. 

To make the evergreen arrangement you need:

• assorted evergreen boughs (from your garden, foraged respectfully or purchased from the store)

• red dogwood branches

• red and gold jingle bells

• wire cutters

• very fine wire

• pine cones

• low heat glue gun & glue sticks

• shish kabob skewers

• faux red berry branches

• red ribbon for a bow (optional)

Fill your the pitcher or vase with fresh water and arrange your evergreen boughs. (Tips: Try to strip away any evergreen needles that will be sitting below the surface of the water. This will help the water stay fresher longer. Cedar and pine branches spill nicely, while fur boughs add an upright element to the arrangement.)

Insert the red dogwood branches, which can be cut from the garden or bought from a florist or store.

Add pinecone pics to the arrangement. (These can be pricey to purchase, so I make my own.) 

How to make the pinecone pics:

Create snow by brushing some white latex paint on the tips of your pinecones. 

Set aside and allow to dry.

The wooden sticks are just shish kabob skewers purchased at the Dollar Store.

Put a generous blob of hot glue at the bottom centre of your pinecone. Take a shish kabob skewer and twirl it in the blob of hot glue to coat the end of the stick. Shift the stick into its proper upright position and hold it for a minute until the glue sets.  

Use fine wire to tie the red "berry" bells to the evergreen bows. Use the same wire to tie gold jingle bells to the dogwood branches. (Note: These bells were one size up from the bells I used to create the previous jingle berry arrangement.)

Finally add some faux or real berry branches to the arrangement for that extra bit of holiday cheer.

Keep the water in your pitcher or vase fresh and the arrangement should last for a couple of weeks.

If you have a minute, check out the DIY holiday ornaments on my home page.

The Silver Lining

What will many flea market and antique dealers tell you is a tough item to sell these days? Silver. 

No one wants to have to polish it!

I certainly couldn't see myself polishing silver, but then these two champagne buckets caught my eye. They were $10! How can you beat that for affordable elegance? (I must point out here that the champagne buckets are only silver plate and not sterling silver, but hey, I was after style on a budget.)

After that, I started to see silver in a whole new light.

Let me state at the onset of this post, that I am not suggesting you take up polishing silver knives, forks and spoons as a hobby. I am sure you have way better things to do with what little free time you have available. 

I think that you are smart to pass on any small, high maintenance items like cutlery. 

A few larger pieces however, might light up your holiday table or add some panache to your mantel display. Silver is classic. It adds sparkle and a touch of sophistication. 

And the best reason of all that I can suggest for reconsidering silver? Because it is not popular at the moment, you can often find silver for a song.

I don't imagine that I will use my two $10 silver buckets not for champagne. How often do I serve champagne after all? Instead, I will use them to dress up potted plants and bulbs.

Here, I just dropped the plastic pot in and let it catch on the sides of the silver bucket. (To water the cyclamen, I would suggest that you carefully remove it from the silver champagne bucket, water the plant, and let the it drain in the sink before re-interting it back into the silver bucket.)

Just image how great the silver bucket will look with a potted amaryllis this holiday season!

 This is an old silver pitcher that was probably used in an upscale restaurant to serve fresh ice 

water to patrons. Cost $7.

Spring flowers look great in it.

Add some white mums, evergreen boughs, a few stems of red berries and the water pitcher becomes a nice arrangement for the holiday season.

This large silver tray cost $8 (again silver plate, not sterling silver). In my house, it will probably never be perfectly polished. I like the way a bit of patina brings out the decorative pattern of the tray (or at least that is my excuse anyway). 

We often watch television in the third floor attic, and so I use trays to carry drinks or a snack to the third floor. 

A silver tray might also be useful for serving coffee in the living room after a holiday meal or perhaps might be used to group cups or glasses into an orderly presentation on a buffet table.

While I can be fussy to buy for, when it comes to perfume, I like just about anything. So for years my husband gave me perfume for Christmas. The collection of bottles began to looked messy on the top of our bureau, so I organized them in a small round tray. Silver tray $2.

I may not be willing to polish knives and forks, but I am up to polishing a fancy serving spoon in order to impart a bit of glamour into a store bought pie. I personally don't think it even matters if the spoon matches the rest of your flatware.

For those of you reluctant to do even the smallest amount of silver polishing, mercury glass makes a great stand-in and has all the same holiday sparkle.

I got these little glass vases at the local grocery store for $3.99. They came decorated with a pinecone and faux evergreen bough that was tied onto the vase with a piece of raffia.  I think that a group of these vases would look great scattered down the length of a holiday table.

Where can you find similar silver pieces? Watch for silver items at flea markets, thrift stores and even garage sales (my $2 tray was a garage sale find).