Choose Natural Decorations for the Holidays
Want to save money, pollinators & the planet from plastic this holiday season? Choose natural decorations!
Read on dear friend read on…
As gardeners,
creating spaces for wildlife we are all trying to use earth-friendly practices in our daily lives.
By taking simple steps, you can reduce pollution by eliminating plastic, metal and foam in your homes and garden.
here at the farm
I try to use earth-friendly practices everywhere I can especially during the holidays!
BUTuring the holiday season, gift-giving & decorations can make being ‘earth-friendly’ is a challenge.
Unsustainable materials flood our homes as 25% more waste is produced during the holidays. Things like plastic, metal, and floral foam are everywhere especially in holiday decorations and packaging!
BUT WE CAN TAKE A STAND AGAINST PLASTICS and other waste during the holidays too!
One way is to choose natural holiday decorations
Natural Holiday Decorations
have so many benefits for YOU & Wildlife in that they make decorating this holiday season super easy, creative & affordable
Natural holiday decorations can last all Winter long
Made with only natural materials your holiday decorations also help pollinators, birds & other wildlife.
In Winter, enjoy them outside in the garden or next to your door to greet friends.
You can also bring them inside for special days then place them back outside to keep their cool all Winter.
Then in early Spring simply add them to your brush pile where they can feed and shelter pollinators!
No waste & no fuss!
It’s been 20 years since I made my first natural wreaths for giving to friends.
Our kids & I would walk into the ‘Winter Wonderland’ of our woods to collect greenery, rosehips, dried flowers & pinecones.
Thermos of hot cocoa in hand and our dog Candy leading the way… what a lovely way to spend a Winter day!
Every year since my old barn turns into a Winter Workshop!
Fragrant evergreens, twinkle lights, holiday music playing (the Peanuts Christmas album mostly!) and lots of hot cocoa make for a VERY HAPPY OLD BARN!
The kids are all grown up but still the natural decorating fun continues.
I make all of our holiday decorations for our home using only natural materials found in our woods. I also make gnomes, centerpieces & garlands to give as gifts to friends & family.
But now that we have Lazy Dirt Flower Farm we get the share them with YOU!
GNOMES, GARLANDS, SWAGS are all created in the barn and get decked out in Nature’s beautiful of evergreens, dried flowers, berries and more!
Even a vintage Tonka dump truck comes along every November to get decked out for the holidays!
We use the same method from all those years ago
It starts with a walk in the woods to find greens & a dash of whimsy for your order..
Then I bring all back to the barn to get crafty without using ANY metal or plastic
WHY?
Because every decoration MUST naturally decompose to become a shelter for pollinators & birds. (mini-brush piles in your garden!)
I’m so excited about this year’s Winter Workshop!
Besides fragrant evergreens & collecting berries, grasses and pinecones…
there’s beautiful DRIED FLOWERS from my friend Claire at Fernwood Flower Farm!
I can’t wait to make boutonnieres for the gnomes & add them to the garlands & other arrangements— especially John’s vintage Tonka dump truck!
4 things I’ve loved the most about making natural decorations is
#1 : NO PLASTICS, METAL OR FLORAL FOAM ARE USED.
Instead only NATURAL MATERIALS ARE USED.
Being able to sustainably gather what I need from the land is so important to me. Instead of cutting trees ect I only take snips & pieces of plants that are thriving. Many are native plants I’ve planted over the years are just for holiday decorating & as bird feeders.
For example, every season I only take a few branches of Winterberry as the birds will eat the berries in late February when food is scarce & the berries are dried on the stems.
#2 I LOVE walking into the woods on cold snowy days~ you see so many different things. I know I should bring a camera to promote the decorations on social media ect.
But for me, each walk to gather items for an arrangement is a special time.. I even say a little prayer asking Nature to lead me to the whimsy the person ordering needs to have in their gnome, wreath or bouquet.
#3 There’s nothing like playing in my 220 year old barn~
bringing the foraged things together on old worktables under twinkle lights. Sounds of vintage Christmas music and the barn creaking from the wind fill my heart (plus there’s always a raccoon in there somewhere goofing around!)
#4 and my most favorite part of making holiday decorations is
Seeing your smile when you all pick up your orders. Last year, watching a little girl hug a gnome centerpiece was priceless!
Every weekend, folks stop by to pick up their gnomes, swags, wreaths & custom centerpieces like this trio of gnomes! (I’ve been told the pics don’t really catch the magic of the gnomes like seeing them in person so I’m looking for a photographer who likes Winter!)
This year, I’m adding a special surprise for those picking up their decorations on Saturdays!
Whether you gather your own or bring one of our holiday decorations home …
I hope you go out into your garden to collect a snip or three evergreens to make simple natural decorations.
Try a #30stemchallenge for extra dash of fun!
Remember NEVER collect from invasive or endangered species! Nor from state/federal or other private properties without permission!
Want to stay inside sipping cocoa & have me do all the gathering instead? Check out my little holiday shop
You can also send a special request. This is how the annual decorating of the Tonka truck began!
Just send your dreams for natural holiday decorations to me HERE. Creating special natural holiday decorations for your home would be an honor indeed!
