Dressed for the Season

Decorations from Drew Parker that can stay up all winter long

By Molly Wright | Photos by david owens

We all look forward to decorating our homes for the holidays. Traditions aside, nothing chases away winter’s dark days like the warmth and sparkle of seasonal decorations. But for many of us, the holidays end too soon, and we secretly wish we could wait until after old man winter has truly left the building to pack everything away.

Columbia resident Drew Parker, decorative painter and muralist, says we can avoid the dreaded holiday décor letdown by decorating for the winter season rather than concentrating on the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to Parker, this way you have “something you can put up way before Thanksgiving and leave until Valentine’s Day or later.”

Follow these step-by-step instructions for three of Parker’s wintry designs, and your home decorations can last from the first whiff of pumpkin spice to the end-of-winter’s welcomed thaw.

Wintry Chandelier

Materials:

  • 3 pieces of artificial pine garland, in varying lengths from 2 to 3 feet
  • artificial wispy pine sprays and artificial juniper sprays
  • 2 to 3 frosted real tree branches with real pine cones attached
  • artificial pepperberry and pyracantha sprays
  • artificial pomegranate branches with fruit
  • Styrofoam ball covered in allspice
  • groupings of artificial oranges with cloves
  • bundle of large (16-inch) real cinnamon sticks tied with a ribbon
  • green pipe cleaners to hold everything in place

 

  1. To build bulk, hang pine garlands upside-down, and tie with pipe cleaners to the chandelier chain where it meets the ceiling. If your chain is exceptionally long, tie the garland closer to the chandelier. Parker prefers using artificial items inside the home. “You have so much more control over the actual piece,” she says, so they last longer and aren’t as messy. Flexible pipe cleaners are easy to manipulate and don’t scratch surfaces.
  2. Add layers by tying small amounts of wispy pine and juniper sprays into the garland using pipe cleaners or by twisting the garland around the pieces to hold them in place.
  3. Create movement by arranging frosted (flocked) pine branches throughout the decoration. “This adds a little twinkle without adding anything super shiny,” Parker says. Extending one branch down through the chandelier gives the decoration an outdoorsy, natural look.
  4. Add color by scattering pepperberry and pyracantha sprays throughout the base greens. Parker says pay attention to proportion because adding too few of something will be lost, and too much will overwhelm.
  5. Add dimension by mixing in pomegranate branches with attached fruit. Today’s artificial fruits look incredibly real.
  6. Add fragrance by attaching two or three allspice-covered Styrofoam balls. The fragrance is appealing throughout the winter months, not just during the holidays.
  7. To add additional volume, attach two or three groups of cloved oranges and the cinnamon stick bundle.

Winter Mantel

Materials:

  • artificial pine garland with white pine cones
  • artificial wispy pine sprays
  • 3 vases, various sizes
  • white/gray ceramic “resting” deer or something similar
  • 2 decorative platters
  • artificial or real tallow berry
  • artificial or real juniper
  • preserved boxwood in rusty urns

 

  1. Drape garland along mantel edge, and allow the extra to flow down the ends. Secure garland with a thin wire connecting it to a couple of screws in wall behind the mantel.
  2. Add wispy pine to soften the look and create a sense of movement.
  3. Position taller jars on either end of the mantel with the smaller jar on the outside of one. “Use something from your own personal collection,” Parker suggests. Repositioning from other areas of the house makes the items seem new but doesn’t cost anything.
  4. Place tallow berry and juniper separately in tall jars so they extend several inches above the brims.
  5. Center deer on the mantel to add holiday flair.
  6. Center and hang the two decorative platters on the mantel wall, with the smaller platter above the larger one.
  7. Place boxwood urns at the base of the mantel on each side to frame the space.

Winter Wreath

Materials:

  • basic artificial wreath
  • artificial magnolia sprays
  • artificial boxwood sprays
  • artificial juniper sprays
  • 4-inch, wire-edged champagne white and silvery plaid ribbon
  • artificial shiny eucalyptus sprays
  • glass Christmas balls, coordinated with ribbon color, in various sizes
  • additional items such as children’s handmade ornaments (optional)
  • green pipe cleaners

 

  1. Start with the wreath. Parker says for use outside the home, fresh can be used; however, “a string of warm days can cause the greenery to go brown or dry out faster.”
  2. Twist magnolia sprays into the wreath so they don’t look like they are just sitting on the top.
  3. Add boxwood sprays with a similar technique. Fresh boxwood, which is green in the winter, can be substituted.
  4. Add volume and a hint of color with juniper sprays.
  5. Manipulate ribbon into a simple 3-inch loop bow, proportional to the size of the wreath. For wreaths left up all winter, Parker suggests using ribbons with nontraditional Christmas colors. Thread a pipe cleaner around the bow and through the wreath, and attach it to the back. Tuck ribbon tails into the wreath in a serpentine fashion so they look nestled in the greenery.
  6. Add eucalyptus sprays, which can be taken out after Christmas if desired.
  7. Use pipe cleaners to attach glass Christmas balls.

Storage: Cover wreath with a dry-cleaning bag, and hang it in the basement until next year to keep dust off and make the decoration last longer.