There are some times that I feel I was born in the wrong era. Ever feel like that? I connect with things from 1800’s so deeply, the homes, the colors, simpler times…..and holiday decorations! Hundreds of years ago, the festivities were much more natural and organic and still so beautiful. That is what inspired me for my most recent segment on Mass Appeal on WWLP-NBC. (Click link to view or you can view the full two segments below).

Paper Cone Trees:

What you need:

Scissors
12″ x 12″ Scrapbook Paper
Clear Tape
Optional Embellishments

What you do:

1. Put the printed side of the scrapbook paper face down on a flat surface
2. Start to roll one corner toward the center of the paper.
3. As you continue to roll the paper, you will notice that the cone will start to take it’s natural shape toward the top edge of the paper near the corner you started rolling in.
4. Continue rolling the paper until the cone is fully formed.
5. Once it’s fully formed, tape the edge with clear tape.
6. Using scissors, trim the wider end of the cone so it can rest flat on a table or flat surface like pictured.
7. You can add embellishments if you’d like 🙂

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Orange Clove Pomanders:

What you need:

Oranges
Scissors
Ribbon
Straight Pins
Whole Cloves
Wooden Skewer

What you do:

1. Remove any stickers from the orange.
2. Using a wooden skewer, puncture the orange through the skin about a 1/2 inch in.
(Be sure to leave room for wrapping ribbon around the orange if you choose to do so for hanging.
These can also just be set out in a decorative bowl around the house.)
3. Insert a whole clove, stem first into the holes.
4. If you want to hang this on a tree or around the house, cut a strip of ribbon about a 18″ long.
5. Drape the very center of that ribbon across one end of the orange, and secure it with a straight pin.
6. Wrap both ends toward the other end of the orange and knot them once, and secure with pin.
7. Twist the two ends to wrap to the other side of the orange in the spaces adjacent to the
other ribbon wraps. (so you should have 4 lines of ribbon around the orange.)
8. Knot the ends together twice.
9. You should have at least a few inches left on each ribbon end at this point. To create a loop,
tie another knot at the top ends so that there is a loop between the top of the orange, and the ends of the ribbon. (as pictured).

Enjoy the aroma for weeks to come of the cloves and orange oil together!

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Wintery Tablescape:

What you need:

White linen
White dinner napkins
White dinner plate
White salad plate
White soup bowl
Silverware settings
Clear coffee mug
Clear ornaments from craft store
Sugar
Cardstock tags
Burlap table runner
Fresh pine greens (or fake if you prefer)
Pine cones
Wintery embellishments/decor of your choosing

What you do:

1. Lay the white linen.
2. Lay the burlap runner across the center of the table.
3. Lay the greens as you’d like along the burlap runner.
(Hint: Have some Tecnu on hand to scrub the sap off)
4. Lay out the decor between the greens as you’d like.
5. Place dinner plates down.
6. Lay the dinner napkin flat, and fold top edge down to the center of the napkin, then
fold bottom edge up to meet the top edge of the top fold.
7. Wrap the napkin around the salad plate (with folded edge face down on the plate so you won’t see it)
8. Place the wrapped salad plate on top of the dinner plate.
9. Plate the soup bowl on top of the wrapped salad plate.
10. Fill the clear ornaments with sugar about half way and put the top of the ornament back on.
11. Tie the tag to the ornament.
12. Set the ornament in the soup bowl.
13. Set the silverware down as follows:
Salad fork then dinner fork on the left side of plate.
Then, knife with blade turned in toward dinner plate, then coffee spoon, then soup spoon
on the right side of plate.

Voila!!! You are going to impress your guests!
Any extra linens, napkins, silverware, pretty dishware, chairs and tables can be rented from Jerome’s Party Plus in Westfield Massachusetts.

If you missed the segment, view it now! Happy Holidays!