Tips for Green Holiday Decorating-Swags,Centerpieces,Cards & More

[Tamberly Mott]

As beautiful as holiday lights and decorations can be, sometimes they
aren't very eco-friendly. Between the energy they consume and the
materials they're made from, decorating your home for the season can
be a challenge when you're also trying to be green. Fortunately, there
are some easy ways you can dress up your home while keeping the earth
in mind.
Begin by investing in LED lights. LED lights use only 10 percent of
the power of a traditional light bulb, which can really add up in
savings.
Beautify your home for the holidays with natural greens gathered from
a walk in the woods or through your own garden. Here are some expert
tips, instructions and inspiration to get you outside and into the
seasonal spirit.
Swags—evergreen branches tied together for hanging—look best when
created with a variety of greens in different textures. Choose
variegated boxwood, eucalyptus, magnolia leaves, variegated holly,
berried holly, berried juniper, incense cedar, white pine, and Frazier
fir—all work well.
Pine cones, nuts, seed heads and ribbon can be tied to the swag for a
festive look. Secure them with floral wire and soften the look of
unsightly ends of cones or seed heads with floral tape.
Evergreens will dry out less quickly if sprayed (misted) with water,
which will help extend the longevity of the evergreens and keep them
looking fresh.
Collect pine cones as soon as they fall from trees. Allow the cones to
open up in a warm area, so that any seeds left in the cone can fall
out. If desired, wash the cones in water, using a stiff wire brush to
remove any soil.
To remove the pitch from fresh cones,—or any bugs that might be hiding
inside—bake the cones on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees Fahrenheit
until the pitch melts, about 30 minutes. Buy an inexpensive baking
pan from a thrift store to use specifically for this project. Make
sure to tackle this project on a day when you can open the kitchen
windows as it leaves behind an unpleasant odor.
Fold a piece of floral wire in half and slip the loop end down around
the lower end of the cone between the scales. Twist the wire a few
times to tighten it. The wire can be wrapped onto swags for decoration
and concealed with floral tape.
For centerpiece arrangements, craft stores sell wire attached to small
stakes that can be easily inserted into centerpieces (floral picks
with wire). Simply wrap the wire around the bottom of the cone,
sliding it between the scales to make the construction disappear.
It is easy to create a beautiful evergreen centerpiece for your
holiday table. Select a bowl that can accommodate a large piece of
florist’s foam in the bottom. Before you place the foam in the bowl,
you need to presoak it. Simply let the foam float on top of the water
and leave it until it changes color.
To turn your greens into a beautiful wreath, purchase a metal wreath
frame at a craft store. Take medium-gauge wire and wrap it several
times around one point on the frame. Place a small cluster of greens
(4 to 6 inches in length) on the wire and secure by wrapping the wire
several times around the ends of the green and the frame. Do not cut
the wire.
Take another cluster of greens and place it 2 to 3 inches down the
frame, overlapping the first cluster. Wrap this with wire as above.
Repeat this process until you have finished the frame.
With the last cluster, lift the first cluster of greens and wire it
underneath. Then cut the wire. You can then wire pine cones and bows
to the arrangement.

Another great green idea... instead of spending money on expensive
holiday cards, express your creativity with a holiday card you design
and print yourself. Use a favorite family photo or an attractive
seasonal scene and consider making your own paper from your recycled
shredded paper and bits of leaves, flowers and twigs from your yard.
Making paper can be a fun activity to involve the kids in too! Step 1-
Screen on Wood Frame
Build a frame that will be used to shape the paper. This frame can be
made of any material, although wood is most common. Other materials
could include wire clothes hangers, coffee can, or embroidery hoop.
#Step 2-If your frame is made of wood, use staples to attach a wire
screen to it as seen in the photograph. If your frame is made of a
wire hanger, wrap the screen around the hanger and staple it to
itself. If your frame is made from a coffee can (or another metal item
like an aluminum baking pan) then punch several holes around the
perimeter of the metal with a nail and use twist ties to secure the
screen to the can. #Step 3-Fill a blender halfway with the shredded
paper---the smaller the pieces, the better---and then fill the blender
to the top with warm water. Blend the paper and water until it is a
fairly smooth pulp. There should not be any large chunks remaining.
Set this pulp aside and make two more batches. #Step 4-Fill a
container that is large enough to hold the frame halfway with warm
water. Pour in the blended paper pulp. The greater the ratio of pulp
to water, the thicker the resulting paper will be. If desired, add 2
tbsp. of starch, which will help make it easier to write on the paper.
#Step 5-Place the frame into the water, allowing the pulp to cover the
screen completely. Slowly pull the frame out of the water keeping it
evenly covered with pulp. If necessary, use your fingers to even out
the pulp. #Step 6-Hold the frame over the container, allowing water to
drip from the pulp. Place a large piece of clean cloth onto a stack of
newspaper. Turn the mold over onto the cloth. Press the screen with a
sponge to remove as much water as possible, then lift the frame off of
the paper. #Step 7-Set the cloth and paper in the sun and allow it to
dry completely before use. To dry the paper more quickly, use a
microwave or oven (on very low heat). Once it has dried, you have made
your very own recycled paper!

Green Holiday Wishes!
Tamberly