Exterior Holiday Decorating

True to my embellishing nature, I just love holiday decorating.  Not only is it a great justification for rearranging and creating, many of my favorite changes are free or bargain finds.  Today, I want to feature some exterior decor that's incredibly easy and inexpensive.

The smell of fresh pine epitomizes the season for me.  Fresh greens are easily accessible at most places where Christmas trees are sold - many vendors actually encourage people to take the scraps branches cut from the bottom of their trees.  I used to take these home and painstakingly wrap them with wire to create garlands.  While they were beautiful (and wonderfully fragrant), in my lazier adult days, I realized the same effect can be achieved using faux garland as a base.

 Here's a before photo of my faux garland.  
I bought 2 of these after the season a few years ago and strung them together.  It's........ok this way, but needs more embellishing!  The branches are basically just a wire.   

I used outdoor red ornaments and wired them directly onto the garland.  I also wrapped the garland with lights. 

I use garden trimmers to cut smaller sections of pine from the branches.   Bending the wire from the faux pine over the real pine secures it.

It takes very little time, smells great and looks beautiful, if I do say so myself!

To add more texture, I like to incorporate different kinds of pine needles as well as holly and red berries, just snipped from the yard.  They are fastened the same way.

The front door gets the same treatment.

And the wreaths on the windows (hung with suction hooks).

A little fresher and fuller.

Making use of the scraps, I fill planters with the trimmings and add a few ornaments.

A Holiday Makeover for the Front Porch

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
  
Needing help sprucing up for the holidays?  I'd love to embellish your home!
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