Mini Christmas Trees in Planters | Easy DIY Step-by-Step

Since last weekend, I've been adding Christmas touches little by little.  This is our first Holiday season in the new/rebuilt house, so I'm almost starting from scratch.  It takes a bit to find out what feels right where, and how much is too much and what is not enough.  I've already moved pieces around, added wreaths and taken them away.

Since I saw these Transferware Planters ($14-28), I knew I would use them for something, but I just wasn't sure how.  Last month I planted an amaryllis bulb in it... but it hasn't so much as sprouted (the paperwhites, are doing great... who knows!), so I took another route.

Our market has these real  fir tree tops for sale for $15.  They are spindly and filled with tiny pine cones.  I bought one and used it to make three "tree" arrangements in the set of three transferware planters.  I am copying my friend who had similar ones made in the planters by a florist : )

Shop the Transferware Collection, here.  They make a really lovely gift, centerpiece or accent for your home.

I just loved how they turned out.  I'm already earmarking another set so I can do some magnolia leaves, berries and cloved orange arrangements, too... and another set to create some greenery and candle centerpieces (coming next week).

As you can see, I put little strings of battery operated lights on each one, too, and tucked them around in corners of our home - adding a little sparkle.

I started with the largest and used the top of the tree top.

I cut it to the size I wanted, leaving plenty of "trunk" to go into the foam and hold it into place.

I used wet foam in each container and filled it with water.

Make sure the tree trunk goes down into the foam far enough to make it sturdy.

I went outside to my boxwood bushes and took some clippings to cover the foam at the base.   You could also use trimmings from the tree or moss.

I took the leftover tree trimmings and made two more tree shaped arrangements in the smaller containers.

Someone else was crafting, too : )  Gosh, that bottle of blue paint is looking really close to my white couch in this photo!

I really like just green trees and white lights, but you could definitely jazz these up however you'd like!  I am going to make another one for the bedrooms, too.

I found these battery lights at Lowe's.

This is our dining room corner.  I thought I had taken a photo of the little floral on our table, but now I can't find it.  It is little orange spray roses with magnolia and bay leaves - left over from Thanksgiving.

We are having our first holiday party next week, so I will be sharing some details on our new table and a festive table setting that I hope will last the rest of the season.

This little tree is living in the kitchen for now, until I get a bigger tree in here to hold all of our copper cookie cutters as ornaments.

The other tree is living in Mike's office.  I found that Bing albumn a couple of weeks ago when we were hunting for Thanksgiving goodies.

Even a rosemary plant it looking Christmasy in my planter.

Happy Holiday decorating!  I like to do a little at a time and enjoy the process.  We will be doing the last of the yard cleanup for winter this weekend, hanging exterior lights and other touches this weekend.  I will share them on Monday... hopefully : )

Meanwhile, take advantage of new sale items in my Holiday Collection to deck your own halls or prepare for hostess gifting season.

Transferware Planters set of 3, now on sale for $24.50 >

Shop the entire Holiday Collection, here >

My Stress-Free Holiday Entertaining Tips on MyWell-Being.com

As most of you know, I write a monthly blog for MyWell-Being.com, a site that serves as a "guide to getting started on the path to complete well-being in every aspect of your life—health and money, people and play."  On their site they explain Well-Being as :

Well-being. It’s about so much more than simply being well.

While your health—physical and mental—is a big part of your well-being, it’s only one piece of a much bigger picture.

 Think about the sense of contentment you get from feeling close and connected to family, friends, and your broader community. That’s well-being.

And remember how good it feels to be financially confident? When your career’s in good shape and you’re on top of your savings—that’s well-being, too.

And let’s not forget the lift you get from the time you spend at play, traveling the world, or exploring new—and old—interests. Well-being, again. 

Isn't that great?  Their philosophy of "well-being" is very much in line with my beliefs of "living well" on a daily basis and what I try to inspire you, my readers, to do through entertaining friends and family, creating a warm home or traveling to a relaxing destination.


This month, my MyWell-Being.com post is all about Stress-Free Entertaining for the Holidays.  Here is a small excerpt.  You can read the rest at MyWell-Being.com :

At the beginning of each Holiday season, many of us make the resolution to spend less, rush around less, stress less and give more.  However, even with our good intentions, there are still Holiday dinners to be prepared, gifts to be purchased and parties to attend that seem to fill up our month of joyful celebrations with a list endless obligations.  Even now, as I write this I'm feeling very behind on my own Holiday checklist!

One way to make our Holiday "to-do's" less stressful is to simplify our Holiday Entertaining.  Hosting the perfect family dinner or festive cocktail party this time of year can sometimes seem like a big burden.  Too often, we feel like our homes have to look perfect and the food has to be expensive and elaborate so we can impress our friends and family.  With these high expectations come a lot of stress and not a whole lot of fun...

 Read the rest of the post and my 3 Solutions for Stress-Free Parties at MyWell-Being.com

*Do you remember this tablesetting?  I created it last year!  I think it is the perfect Christmas Morning Brunch table... complete with cookies at each place setting.  Read about the details, here.

Bay Leaf Wreath for the Holidays | Holiday Home Decorating

I can't wait to order this wreath from Williams-Sonoma for the Holidays.  It is made completely of bay leaves - one of my favorite scents.  For $29.95, it is a great little something to send to friends across the country, too.  Or maybe you'll be a guest at someone's home for the holidays?  Send one of these in advance to let them know how much you're looking forward to spending the holiday with them.
Bay Leaf Wreath & Garland $29.95 - $99.95

Entertaining | Holiday Flower Arrangement | Flower Arranging Tips | Magnolia Leaves Clove Studded Oranges Roses

For a client this holiday season, I wanted to create a sophisticated but traditional holiday floral arrangement to be the center of their cocktail party.  I am a little tired of all red and green, so I selected a variety of colors : red, coral, tangerine and pink.  The arrangement is made of red, coral and pink roses, with tangerines studded with cloves, white hydrangeas, pomegranates, and magnolia leaves.

 I started with this large pewter footed bowl that I normally use to chill beer and wine (as you might remember from my self-serve bar!).  I put 3 bricks of water soaked oasis foam in the base and taped it down with clear floral tape.

You can buy oasis at any craft store (be sure to get the 'wet' oasis and not the 'dry' used for fake arrangements), or sometimes if I'm in a pinch I run up to a florist (even at the grocery store) and buy some directly from them.  They typically cost a couple of dollars each.

Next, use your foliage to create the shape of the arrangement.  I used magnolia leaves - I love the contrasting brown and green sides.  Sprigs of evergreen (out of your backyard or the back side of your tree!) would work great, too.

Citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines and grapefruits are in abundance this time of year and are a very traditional addition to holiday decor.

I used tangerines because of the rosy color.  They added just the right amount of contrast and texture to the arrangement.  I studded the tangerines with whole cloves - it smelled amazing.  The spicy cloves, when they pierced the skin let out the fresh scent of the tangerine.  It smelled like Christmas!

 I put the tangerines on heavy floral stakes (also purchased from the grocery store florist) to insert them into the foam.  I also used pomegranates staked the same way.

At the end of the arranging, I decided to add some sprigs of white pine (from our backyard) too add even more dimension and shape.  The arrangement was looking a little too formal, so the pine added an organic look.