Holiday Outdoor Decorations and Cookie Time!
case of windy weather.
Keep adding other
Winter Hanging Baskets
items in between the
Have you saved any plastic hanging baskets? greenery. Try to adjust
If so, you had better get to the garage or shed to the height of the stems
rescue them. They make great accents during the and leaves, and try to
holidays and winter. See how easy it is to have a group in threes or twos
winter basket.
for more impact. Cut
The best thing about winter baskets is that there off the excess greenery
is no set rules, it is all about what you enjoy, and where it is needed.
what fun things you can incorporate into your
Adding the holiday
basket.
picks and some gold
Most of the materials may be found in your or silver metallic items
back yard or local craft store.
will make the planter
You will need:
extra special.
• A hanging basket with a liner
You could also add
• Variety of greenery
some mini lights or
• Fruit such as pomegranates, apples, oranges, some Christmas rib-
tangerines
bon for accents. Finish
• Dried leaves
off with a bunch of raf- An ice luminary, featuring pine and berries.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
• Twigs- red dogwood are especially becoming fi a strands made into a
PVC pipe from a hardware or home improve-
• Grapevine
bow and wire that into the planter.
ment
store
• Raffi a
Flat
kitchen grater
• Holiday decorations or picks
Ice Luminaries
Making the base:
• Pinecones and berries
These glass-like structures provide an illumi-
Take the large container and fi ll it with about a
Fill your planter with potting soil. Put two nating light on a calm holiday night.
half-inch
of water. Place outside or in the freezer
grapevine wreaths on top of the pot and attach
Materials:
until
it
is
frozen solid. This is going to be your
them with wire stakes or wire to planter. Place
Greens
base.
a large candle in the center if desired. Then just
Flowers - silk or real
Once the base is frozen, insert that second con-
start adding greenery, starting from the bottom
Water
tainer
inside the fi rst container and center it on top
up and work your way around the planter. Be sure
Containers- one large and one smaller
of
the
frozen bottom base. Tape the containers in
the greenery is secure in the grapevine wreaths in
Duct or masking tape
place. This will prevent the inside container from
fl oating out of place when you add the water.
Next, insert fl owers and whatever greenery you
have cut or purchased in the space between the
two containers. The fl owers will be easier to in-
sert if you keep a small part of the stem on them.
Statice or baby’s breath or curly stems freeze very
well. Use your imagination. Be sure that all the
fl owers face the outside of the container.
Fill the container with water and leave about
one-half inch at the top. Water expands, so if you
fi ll to the top you will have a problem.
Place the container outside or in the freezer to
freeze solid.
Once it is completely frozen, bring the contain-
er to a sink and remove the luminary. To do this,
fi ll the inside of the container with hot water and
eventually it will slide off. Run hot water on the
Brookridge
Heritage Place
Home Health
Cokato
outside container until it slips off. It should come
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off fairly easily after you have had the hot water
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running.
Bring them outside right away to line a walk-
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