If you’re drawn more toward contemporary designs than traditional decor, here’s a modern twist on a holiday container.
Materials:
• Colorful twigs such as yellow-twig dogwood and redtwig dogwood
• Florist’s wire and 6-inch florist’s pick, both available at craft stores
• Pine cones
• Arborvitae branches (or other evergreens with a feathery texture)
Method:
First, add tall redtwig dogwood branches to the center of the container. They should be about twice the height of the container.
Wire pine cones to a 6-inch florist’s pick (see Photo 1), then stick the picks into the soil or sand so only the pine cones are showing. The pine cones should form a circle around the redtwig dogwood branches.
Next, add arborvitae branches (or other evergreens with a feathery texture) evenly around the sides of the container, hiding the soil or sand. (See Photo 2.)
For an even more dramatic look, hide white holiday lights deep in the arborvitae, where individual light bulbs can’t be seen but produce a pretty glow.
—Project by Duane and Renee Otto, text by Amy Sitze, photography by Tracy Walsh