Make: Winter Garland

I can say with full confidence, our home is holiday ready. We've purchased gifts and even designated a bin in our closet for everything we need to transport for our annual pilgrimage to South Carolina next week. It's been so cold outside, I've been trying to spend as much time as possible indoors. Cleaning and sorting so that when we return in the new year everything will be set for us to jump right back into work and life. I hate coming back to a messy house after vacation, it's a miserable feeling. I want the apartment to feel warm and occupied, not like it's been abandoned for a few weeks.

As cozy and clean as I can make our space on the inside, what happens outside our front door is beyond my control. We live in what must have been a gorgeous brownstone in 1915. Unfortunately, judging by the cracked plaster, rickety staircase and maroon tiling, the building hasn't been renovated since the late 1970s. The eggshell color of the hallways which (with no declaration of war) shifts into what can only be described as burnt custard yellow is a dead giveaway. Seriously, I was shocked that our building wasn't scouted as a location for the new David Simon show "The Deuce", all about the underbelly of New York and the rise of porn in the 70s. They wouldn't have to do much at all, maybe add some ceiling mirrors or a shag carpet. The original decor is that seedy.

If you're lucky, you can ascend this staircase to our front door.

Our super is a lovely man who lives downstairs with his two sons, but there's only so much they can do without the help and financing of a less than interested landlord. In light of all this, hanging a loud and super ornate holiday wreath feels forced. There's also the bit where I don't want to spend a fortune on something which won't be seen all that much- it's not like people are driving by our third floor walk up. Even if there was traffic, you wouldn't be able to see too any of it by the light of the single exposed bulb by our front door. I'm also not sure the door could even handle that much weight. The entire building leans to the left so I'm always nervous to hang anything too heavy. Ok, I feel like I've really painted a picture for you.

For now, my Pinterest wreath dreams are going in the "when we have a house" drawer and I'm sticking with the theme of my last post- no fuss holiday.

Someday I will be incredibly fussy and have this holiday wreath of my dreams.

I had one branch of evergreen leftover from decorating the rest of the apartment which I decided to use for a door garland. Instead of dealing with wire and traditional images of a wreath I stuck with decorating the branch as is. Like I mentioned before, I don't like to go too heavy in one direction or the other with Hanukkah + Christmas. We celebrate both, so I try to land somewhere in the middle. Plus, I like to keep our decor seasonal more than holiday because we can keep it up through the winter!

All you'll need to make this garland/wreath/hanging (you can call it whatever) is a spool of string, a branch of evergreen, some baby's breath, and a pieces of winter citrus. This whole project cost $5 and took me less than the length of an episode of The West Wing.

1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Use any citrus or old fruit you have in the house. I had two lemons, two oranges, one persimmon. (Full disclosure the lemon was moldy. So no waste!) Cut the fruit into slices and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a cookie sheet to dry out for a few hours in the oven. Low and slow. You might burn a few slices but whatever. It's rustic. If you need more direction there's an excellent tutorial on drying fruit for ornaments here.

2. Once ornaments are dry use the string to gently tie them to the branches of your garland. I used dark green string for camouflage purposes. You use whatever you have on hand. Don't let anyone judge you. It's string.

3. Tie and tuck other wintry flowers into the branches of your decoration. I like baby's breath because it's inexpensive and a delicate offset to the rustic and heavy feel of the dried fruit and evergreen. It also reminds me of my wedding and I get sentimental like that sometimes.

4. Hang it on your door. Revel in your craftiness and thrifty ingenuity. Add more bourbon to your coffee. Go back to watching The West Wing.

Festive AND it accentuates the fire exit sign.

No Fuss Holiday

Here's a holiday confession: I am an Eastern European Jew who loves Christmas. I don't mean to say I love any of the religious aspects of the holiday. Believe me, Hanukkah does me just fine. The candles, the warmth, the magic of the menorah. I'm totally covered in the spiritual department. (Don't even get me started on latkes. My favorite food of the season!)  But there's nothing that says "Winter Holiday" to me quite like a Christmas tree, ornaments, twinkly lights... Hell, I even like it when the Starbucks red cup appears. Thing is though, I don't love too much of it in my home. My husband celebrates Christmas and I celebrate Hanukkah and it would feel a bit absurd to drape our 950 square foot apartment in full decorations for both holidays. The last thing we want is for our home to look like a Macy's, the ninth circle of hell during the holiday season, as far as I'm concerned. A pool of red, white, blue, dancing Santas, gaudy menorahs, oppressively hung ornaments, dreidls that looks like boulders... You get my point. Not exactly a relaxing setting to walk into every night.

So how do you solve for this problem: Decorating a small space for two holidays without going overboard but still making it look festive?

Bookshelf garland.

My solution over the last few years has been simple. Cut out all the fuss. We don't put up a tree for two reasons, there's not a ton of space and we spend Christmas with Ian's family. There's no point in a tree that will stay up for only two or so weeks. The upkeep, not to mention the hauling it to our third floor walk up, isn't worth the money or effort to me. There's also the problem with storage. There just isn't a lot of it and any prime closet/under the bed real estate is going to my shoes, not holiday decorations. Instead, I make do with a reusable garland on our bookshelf and a Hanukkah letter garland in the kitchen. Both fold into a small box and the evergreen has built in lights. I like to hang a few small ornaments and ribbon scraps saved from last year's gifts to make it more festive. Cinnamon scented pine cones and plastic winter berries (the real things are incredibly toxic for dogs) scattered around the books add to the jovial vibe.

Evergreen and seasonal greens, riding the subway home with me.

The other solution to my dilemma is to stick to what's most seasonal. Instead of going in one direction or the other with our holiday decor I give the entire apartment a natural, wintry vibe. This is super easy and really, really cheap. Every winter New York turns into what I (affectionately) like to call a "Christmas Tree Graveyard". Almost every corner store has them piled outside like some kind of testament to the logging industry. With evergreens inevitably come fallen branches. If you're nice, most store owners will be more than happy to sell or even give you their scraps for free! (Yes, they will look at you like an insane person when you bypass the trees and head for the trimmings but whatever. It's New York. For every time you look crazy there's probably a guy down the street wearing a doughnut as a hat.) I place the cuttings in jars and bottles around the apartment with other seasonal branches and leaves. Bonus, they dry well and don't require a ton of water. In a small space, a few trimmings of evergreen here and there really do the trick. You don't need much more.

Evergreen, pine cones, and some seasonal greens.

A simple Happy Hanukkah banner and some flowering seasonal branches, in our crooked kitchen.

So there you have it. My own little Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter wonderland. Not too much, not too little. Seasonal without being obnoxious. Also, hot cocoa every night but that doesn't need explaining. 

Twinkly lights above, dog toys below.

Grains of Salt

Trivial, small, cheery... glimpses into the items that shape my day-to-day. 

I was cooped up indoors most of last week writing job applications and clearing out clutter. It felt good to get out this weekend, if only for a few hours each day. The air has a new chill in it and feels crisp, winter is coming and all that. It was nice to see so much sun and green after nothing but my computer screen and coffee mug all week long. Also when working from home any excuse to put on pants, run a mascara wand through my eye lashes, and brush my hair is very welcome. 

Unexpected backyard in a neighborhood garden shop.

I love finding free things on the street. Long time subscriber to one person's trash is my treasure.

Up until this week I had no idea how many holiday plants are incredibly toxic to dogs. Since we can't have red berries in our home, I'm enjoying them in the wild of the city. They're as pretty on the branch as in a jar in my home, right? Meh, probably.

Most days Potato drives Jack absolutely insane. Always in his face, gnawing and being generally obnoxious. As one does at one year of age. Thankfully there are rare moments of calm, like this one. I walked into the bedroom on Saturday and my heart melted to see them snuggled up like this in their holiday sweaters. Yes, I am that person now.

Last of the fall leaves. There's been such a chill in the air, snow is definitely on the way. Some exciting things in the works over the next few weeks. Looking forward to sharing with all of you!