My mom is far and away the most creative person I know. Long before Pinterest and DIY became cool, she had my siblings and I making Christmas ornaments and entering craft fairs. She’s the reason I thought to artfully strew our ugly brass dining room chandelier with evergreen clippings, berries, and pine cones sourced from anywhere I saw anything worth gathering. And she’s definitely the reason I was outside freezing my behind off yesterday, making “ice lanterns” with bits of greens and berries for our party this Saturday! She taught me to think creatively and find beauty everywhere.
I think that’s why I have such a strong association with crafting around the holidays. We were always making something together as a family like decor for the house, gifts for friends and family, or just decorating paper gingerbread men for the Advent calender. Two of my favorite childhood projects involved painting reclaimed bricks to look like cute little row houses which I sold as door stops and garden décor. The other was a painted clay pot angel for Christmas. I made dozens to give as gifts. To me, it’s just not Christmas unless there is crafting.
// Photos: clockwise from top left — One of my ice lanterns / our evergreen chandelier / our second-ever gingerbread house / the anniversary bouquet that was re-purposed for some of the previously mentioned Christmas projects (see the berries and greens?!)
Married with Style 