The Rural Voice, 1992-12, Page 40Rural
Livin
For the distinctive country life g
That Festive
Touch
Tips for decorating
your home
Once upon a time people who
were serious about decorating their
homes for Christmas spent long hours
moulding fresh -cut evergreens into
wreaths and other decorations. The
decorations added a homey touch but
by today's standards were pretty
crude and amateurish.
Later, people got in the habit of
buying everything for their home,
much of it made from plastic. It was a
trend that made everything look very
professional, but not very homey.
Today, thanks to specialized craft
and decorating stores, you can have
the best of both worlds, something
that has a home-made, personal touch
but still would look in place at some
exclusive decorating shop. This
month two of the region's shops
specializing in decorating pass along
some tips.
Carol Steckle of Huron Ridge
Flowers in Zurich teaches classes in
Christmas decorating each year in the
weeks leading up to Christmas. She
says wire wreath frames, available in
many craft and decorating stores,
make creativity relatively simple. The
frame makes a solid base for the
wreath and provides a hook to hang it
on.
The wire frame allows you the
freedom to choose various courses to
make your wreath. You may have an
old garland around the house that is
looking a little the worse for wear but
when wrapped double around the
36 THE RURAL VOICE
wire frame will look new again.
The frame also allows you to buy
a natural garland of cedar rope, or
even fashion cuttings from your own
trees into a wreath. The look can
range from natural to glitzy.
Once the wreath is formed you can
begin decorating it. Again it can be
natural or sparkly, depending your
Carol Steckle: elegance made simple.
taste. You can use pine cones from
trees in the yard or dried mountain
ash or other berries. For a more
sophisticated look, you can buy
Christmas picks for decoration. Carol
Deanna Snell: a classy touch you can
make yourself