Back Porch Revival : One Man's Trash

The people in my house don't understand my "keep" system...I hate clutter, I really do....however, an antique bed post doesn't qualify as clutter in my world. It might lay in my shop for a year, but it will eventually get a new life. They have no vision...

Anyway, today is the day that bed post did finally get a new life. I love holiday decorating, but I'm cheap, and I don't like to spend much money to do it. I don't usually keep decorations from year to year, because I accumulate so many neat things all year long, and I like to find ways to incorporate them into my decor. I thought it would be fun to show you how to turn your trash into "holiday treasure".

I made an arrangement for my dining room table. The container for the arrangement is a wire and wicker basket I bought cheap, cheap from a friend.

I should warn you now, this will be a picture rich post....

You are going to want to fill the basket with greenery. You can use faux greens if you want, but I like to use real ones so I can just toss them when Christmas is over. I live right on the edge of the highway, so I feel certain at least one of you has seen me in my yard, scissors in hand, whacking away at the poor cedar tree in front.

Arrange the branches with the stick end pointing in toward the center, and add them until it is as full as you want.

It looks a little Charlie Brownish right now, I know, but trust me...have some vision...

Next you will want to add whatever you are using for your votive holder....if you have a few tools, you can make a votive holder out of just about anything.

Here is the old bedpost that I used for mine and the pieces that hubby cut out of it for me.

Use a large clamp to hold your piece in place, and trace a votive candle so you know how big to make the hole for the candle.

Drill a starter hole for the router (which will make the "hole" for the votive)...

And then use your router to carve out the circle you've drawn....

Voila!

Ok, so back to the good stuff now...add your votive holder(s) to the center of the container. I put mine in and got them where I wanted them, and then added a little hot glue to the bottom of them to help hold them in place.

Now, go crazy! Add whatever you want...ribbon, ornaments, glitter, pine cones...whatever you have on hand, whatever fits your style. I like my arrangements to be pretty woodsy and pretty minimalist, with a little bling.

I added a little sheer, gold ribbon...just weave it into the greens, sticking your ends under to hide them when you finish.

I used one of my favorite products, Miss Lillian's Embellishing Butter, to add a little white to the tips of my pine cones to make them "pop" a little in the arrangement. You can tell by the look of my jar that it gets used a lot.