I am many things but the one thing I am NOT is crafty. The simplest DIY crafting projects leave me befuddled, really. That doesn’t mean I don’t WANT to be a craft queen… I just fail abysmally. 

All this means that when the itch to create a masterpiece strikes me I need to think very simple — very. For those of you who have read this blog before you know it also means that the project shouldn’t break the bank. Remember, I’m cheap. 

The approaching holidays are making me feel the need to try my hand at an artistic pursuit — something, well, crafty. The perfect marrying of holiday crafts and my miserliness are using things from my garden to decorate. 

Evergreen

I live in the Pacific Northwest and there are two things we have in spades: pine cones and evergreen trees. With that in mind, in the past I’ve decorated with swags of various evergreens embellished with natural or painted pine cones of varying sizes and/or entwined with dried seed pods, branches of berries and holly. I usually complete the look with a large bow, the bigger the better to cover up some of my booboos like blobs of glue or wires that are poking out. 

Harvest Décor

Another way I decorate for the holidays using items from my garden is to create a cornucopia of sorts for the dinner table. This requires a tall footed bowl or a basket or I suppose an actual cornucopia if I had one. 

I begin by layering the bottom of the container with colorful fall leaves or evergreens, and then begin layering pinecones (yes, again) and a variety of dried seed pods and berries as well as seasonal fruit such as pomegranate, blood oranges or clementines, and apples (always available in the PNW!) from the garden or surrounding area.

When I’m done filling in the blanks, I step back and admire my effort. I finish the entirety off with miniature Christmas balls and flank the edifice with candles. My mother always told me a lady looks best by candlelight so… Here’s hoping the candles mask the flaws in my centerpiece and that I don’t set the table on fire.