The 12 Days of Christmas Décor, Day 5: Act Naturally

Welcome to Day 5 of Blackbird Design Studio's 12 Days of Christmas Décor! As promised, today's mini-blog post will focus on bringing the outdoors inside when sprucing up for the holidays. Let's get to it!

Day 5: Act Naturally

Christmas trees aren't the only natural symbols of the December holidays. Many popular holiday songs -- "The Holly and the Ivy", "Winter Wonderland", and "White Christmas", to name only a few -- use imagery from nature to get listeners into the spirit of the season. Why not take a cue from Mother Nature herself and take advantage of her bounty when decorating indoors? It's easy and it's free!

Gathering holiday ideas and supplies from nature doesn't have to wait until the snow starts falling! Multitask in the fall: do a little leaf-peeping and scout around for the perfect fallen branches and pinecones at the same time. Of course, it's important to be respectful as well; it's impolite and usually illegal to take cuttings on private property or in public parks. Try to use "found" items from the forest floor whenever possible. A word of caution: some plants may be harmful to children or pets, so consult a list like this one before bringing plants home, or ask an expert at a local garden shop.

One of the best things about using natural items in holiday décor is their flexibility: their beauty can stand as is, or be highlighted or augmented with paint, ribbons, glitter, and other supplies. Pinecones can be lightly sprayed with artificial snow or paint and used as place card holders at Christmas dinner, or left in their natural state and glued to a form to create a rustic door wreath or centerpiece. Mason jars left over from canning the summer harvest make charming candle holders when filled with evergreen trimmings and berries. The possibilities are endless!

Still working on decking the halls? Looking for inspiration? Join us for Day 6 or schedule a consultation today!

Until next time,