Tuesday, November 27, 2012

ARRANGING CHRISTMAS GREENS DYI



There is noting like fresh, live greens to bring the beauty and aroma of Christmas inside!

Fresh greens bring a very organic, natural, woodland look to Christmas decor.

It's easy to put together an arrangement and with a little work keep it looking beautiful and fresh until well after Christmas.

I'll show you how...








First you will need to crank up the Christmas music....

This is a messy job, so work with greens in the garage or outside (I arranged mine in the kitchen for photographic ease).

I used a large bread bowl to make a low arrangement for my kitchen table, but this process can be used with almost any container.

Because the bowl is wooden and I am working with wet material I put a layer of plastic from a plastic bag  in the bottom of the bowl to protect it.



I soaked 2 large blocks of oasis in water for about 20 minutes to get them completely saturated and cut them to fit inside the bowl.


I wanted to use two tall pillar candles in the arrangement. I positioned them on top of the oasis and using a sharp knife, drew around them. I then scored the oasis within the circle and scooped out the oasis with a spoon. This was so easy! I evened out the oasis so the candles fit and would be level.




Four different kinds of greens were used to make this arrangement interesting.

 Fraser fur was used as the base filler...
White pine, Boxwood and Golden Cyprus were used to add fluff, a little color and interest.



I started by arranging the two ends of the bowl. Adding Fraser fur over the the sides of the bowl, I then worked in towards the candles. When the ends of the bowl were filled in with Fraser fur I went back and filled the sides in with the rest of the greens.













I then filled in the around the candles and center... using the same method I used to fill in the sides. I kept the center greens much shorter than the sides.








I added small pinecones here and there and a birds nest that I filled with pinecones and tiny snips of Cyprus and white pine.









To keep the greens fresh I'll make sure the Oasis stays wet.


I change the greens if I see any getting dry or dropping their needles. Just pull out the old ones and add fresh. I do this in my sink to catch the mess.










It's really a easy as it looks! A few well placed bowls of fresh greens make the whole house smell wonderful and look beautiful!









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66 comments:

  1. What a beautiful centerpiece, Yvonne! I'll bet it smells wonderful, too!

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  2. I am bookmarking this post, Yvonne! Thank you for sharing.
    Happy Tuesday.
    Teresa
    xoxo

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  3. Gorgeous! I love using natural elements and had never thought of creating an oasis so the arrangement stays fresh.

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  4. Looks amazing!! I love the natural simplicity of it, and it's just gorgeous!

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  5. Yvonne, beautiful!! I love that you used real greenery!! I can only imagine how wonderful its fragrance is, in your kitchen. So simple and pretty. Love it!!
    Happy Tuesday,
    xo Kathysue

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  6. Just gorgeous! I bet the smell in your home from the greenery is amazing! Have a wonderful week!

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  7. Nature is perfection...for all senses! So lovely Yvonne!

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  8. Love this! The process seems would be as enjoyable as the finished project!

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  9. Yvonne,
    Love the natural greenery. It really gives you a good feeling when you're around real evergreens, & pines. Wakes up the senses.
    Love your header. Stopping by to say Hi! & Happy Holidays!
    Pat

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  10. I love fresh greenery! This is beautiful!
    hugs, Linda

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  11. Yvonne,

    Beautiful as always!! I have always wanted to make my own evergreen arrangements. I dabbled a little years ago, but now I'm retired and would love to try it again; as flower shop arrangements are sooo expensive.

    Do you buy your greens or trim them yourself?

    Thanks for the great tutorial!!
    Ann

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    Replies
    1. Ann, Great question. I have had several e-mail about that too! I buy a tree "second" or a "B" tree and cut it myself. A whole 6 foot tree cost me $20.00. Gotta love the price for all that green!

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    2. Oh my gosh, you always have great tips!! And this one is wonderful, I can only imagine all the beautiful pieces you will create.

      By the way, I made your "make ahead mash potatoes" for Thanksgiving Dinner and they were a big hit as well as a great time saver.

      Thanks for all you do.
      Ann

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  12. so pretty! I love natural elements in Christmas decor

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  13. It's beautiful and using oasis and keeping the greens hydrated is terribly smart. You are smart. Happy Christmas, Olive

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  14. so pretty, Yvonne, I wish i could use fresh, but lots of allergies over here. I can get by with some Holly and a few sprigs. LOVE seeing yours!

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  15. I worked in flower shops for a few years, and working with holiday greens was my favorite!! How did I never think to make my own?! Yours is gorgeous! I love the Cyprus... I wonder if I have any around here... Thank you so much for the inspiration, I think I'm going to have to venture out into the woods with some clippers!!
    ~April

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  16. So pretty and I too love the natural elements..the greenery must smell so great! Will have to make one for my table this year! Thanks for sharing...always a treat to stop by!
    Miss Bloomers

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  17. Gorgeous Yvonne! We have simliar posts....I showed my dough bowl with greens today too along with my holiday decorating so far..much more to come! Looking beautiful over at Stone Gable!

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  18. It's just a beautiful, natural centerpiece, Yvonne! I love seeing your creations and inspirations.

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  19. BEAUTIFUL Yvonne!! I'm using a lot of fresh greens this year too, even getting a real tree, can't wait!

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  20. Oh, what a beautiful arrangement. Simply beautiful.

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  21. Very nice arrangement. It turned out so well. Thanks for sharing the how-to!

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  22. I can almost smell the fresh greens, Yvonne! Your centerpiece is so pretty.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  23. Hi Yvonne,
    that looks really great. Thank you for the helpful DIY tipps.
    Best greetings, Johanna

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  24. Very pretty. A job well done. I like that you used the birds nest.

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  25. This is very pretty and looks easy to do with your tutorial. I really like your selection of greens, and the pinecones in the nest is a very sweet touch! xx

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  26. Yvonne, this is so pretty! I love all of the natural elements. You're so good at creating such lovely arrangements. Thanks for sharing!

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  27. It looks so pretty, I can almost smell it from here!

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  28. It's simply gorgeous! Thanks for the tutorial, I will give this a whirl!
    I have always loved fresh greens but they always dried out so quickly, so now I know the secret!
    Cindy

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  29. Wonderful tutorial, Yvonne! I love that wooden bowl with your greenery. This is such a beautiful decorating time of year!

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  30. Thank you, Yvonne...this looks very pretty and doable! I love your philosophy of taking the seasons slow. I thought I was the only one (and I do a lot very slowly, just my nature)! Keep the great ideas coming! :)

    XO,
    Jane

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  31. Beautiful! There is just something about fresh greens that make everything look so much prettier.

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  32. Yvonne, your arrangement is gorgeous and it must smell so heavenly! Your hard work paid off in that you have a unique centerpiece!

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  33. Gorgeous and I know it smells wonderful.

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  34. It turned out beautiful Yvonne! Your pics are great too-enjoy:@)

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  35. Oh Yvonne I can smell the fresh greens as I post.
    This arrangement is beautiful!!

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  36. Love it - I started decorating today - just have to finish up the kitchen and bring in our fresh greens. I get $5 worth - all you can carry. Let me tell you i stack it so high it fills the back of my CRV - I can carry alot.

    Enjoy the blessings of the season!
    Leann

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  37. That is just so gorgeous! and motivates me to go check out the greens! :-)

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  38. Stunning.

    Another trick to keep them fresher longer is before you go to bed pick up your fresh greens (if you are able to relocate) and put them in the garage. They'll love you for it.

    Gorgeous arrangement, gorgeous pics, gorgeous artist: YOU!

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  39. How very beautiful, Yvonne. I love it. I put some fresh greens around outside, too...I love them-xo Diana

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  40. This is perfect Yvonne! I usually take the easy route and skip the oasis but it really does make a difference in how long the arrangement will last. Love the white candles and pine cones. Wonderful inspiration!

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  41. A beautiful arrangement, Yvonne! It must smell heavenly and I love the bird's nest! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful week.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  42. These are so pretty. I love the smell of fresh greens at the holidays.

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  43. So, so pretty, Yvonne! You always do the best, most realistic posts! Thank you for that! I have thought this Christmas everyone seems to be going for the natural…search the woods for beautiful pinecones kind of look…I"m so glad! It's what I love and I think it speaks well about our America…perhaps it's truly time to go back to our roots in more ways than one! Happy Christmas Decorating! Thanks for all of your sweet comments…I truly appreciate them!

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  44. Very nice Yvonne! I love the smell of fresh greens too. I wish they'd last longer though! Your cut outs in the oasis for the candles is a great idea. Great looking centerpiece!

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  45. So gorgeous, Yvonne. I bet it smells great too! Thanks for giving me an idea on how I can put my small little dough bowl to use this season.

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  46. Just beautiful and festive, waking up to those fresh greens. Great job, I love it.

    Cynthia

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  47. Oh, I love your arrangement!! Naturally beautiful and what a delightful aroma! Great centerpiece!

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  48. Yvonne,
    This is a keeper. Such helpful tips on creating a pretty centerpiece. Thank you.
    Karen

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  49. Just lovely - thanks for the tips!

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  50. Beautiful Yvonne....love the use of fresh greens, but they do not seem to last very long in my home...any tips?...How long do they last for you?...

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    Replies
    1. If I keep water in their container they will last at least 3 weeks. I'll replace the frazer fur... the rest will probably last until after Christmas. I have been looking for a product I heard about that keeps the greens fresh longer... but have not found it yet.

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  51. Excellent tips. Maybe mine will look better this year.

    Bliss

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  52. This arrangement is so simple and so pretty! I'm sharing this on FB.

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  53. I love using fresh greens in my Christmas decor. Your centerpiece is just beautiful!
    xoxo,
    Kim

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  54. There is just nothing like the smell of fresh greens indoors this time of year. Your centerpiece is gorgeous, Yvonne. Thank you for showing the way you sat the candles down in the oasis. Beautiful!

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  55. Such a beautiful arrangement Yvonne! Thank you for joining HSH!
    Sherry

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  56. I was so inspired by this post that I created something that resembles your centerpiece. I used your picture and gave you credit as well as links back to this post on my blog. I hope that is okay. I just loved it and was happy to make something that looks good (but not as good as yours!)

    Please let me know if you would rather I didn't use it. Have a great weekend!

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  57. Wow Yvonne, beautiful arrangement. Thanks for the tutorial. What a great tip to buy an inexpensive tree!

    Love your blog.

    Linda @ The French Hen's Nest

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  58. Beautiful! But I had to giggle at you spelling fir "fur", I kept imagining furry branches!

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  59. Pretty dough bowl arrangement. Fresh greens are my favorite thing to decorate with. I planted evergreen trees and shrubs, just for cutting at Christmas. Thanks for the tutorial showing how to place the candles,and the inspiration. I bought new floral foam the other day. Now, I need to get busy and make a few arrangements.
    xo Babs

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