How to: Kitchen Sink Christmas Potpourri

Andrea Drexelius shares with us her recipe for a fresh Christmas potpourri blend. Add the soothing scents to your holiday decorations for a intimate feel.

From the garden:

Dried rose petals
Dried hydrangea flowers
Ponderosa and Myers lemon peel
Pink grapefruit peel
Lime peel
Orange peel
Rosemary leaves
Juniper berries
California Pepper berries
Eucalyptus leaves and flowers
Bay leaf
Thyme leaves
Sage leaves

From the cupboard:

Vanilla bean pod
Whole cloves
Loose black tea
Mulling spices

Mix together, then add a few drops of jasmine oil.

Recipe courtesy of Andrea Drexelius
Photography by Mark Tanner

Shared by: Home Cottages

White Christmas Décor

Try casting aside traditional holiday colors for a heavenly spell.

The holiday season is about revisiting memories and creating new ones. Here, we illustrate how to embrace your traditions and introduce new, simple twists that focus on a wintry palette.

It was the Victorians who, in the mid-19th century, popularized fanciful Christmas decorations. They styled their home with delicate bulbs, mistletoe and sparkling tree-toppers. Decorating with a white and silver palette is not only fitting for the season, but also a refreshing alternative from the expected red and green. Traditional Christmas bauble is also replaced with elements such as rosary beads, angel wings and religious statues.

How to Get the Look:

·         For your living room:

o   Paint an antique mantelpiece white. It will strike a serene pose that could soften Scrooge.

o   Pair an old arched window, found at a salvage yard or flea market, with white angel wings and a string of antique rosary beads.

o   Camouflage a wall with tattered scripted paper from antique books to hide the holes; add a touch of sparkle with mercury-glass candleholders.

·         For your bedroom:

o   Fragrant paper-white narcissus is an easy bulb to grow and adds a festive touch in like-colored pots on a windowsill or tabletop.

o   Dress up an antique French armoire with a fresh bouquet of Christmas roses.

o   For a dramatic look, adorn an antique silver bedside tray with candles, pink roses, juniper twigs and winter greens.

o   Embellish plain candles with rustic string, crystal beads and medallions. Overall, the setting is ideal for the true romantic.

·         For your kitchen:

o   Combine simple styling, shimmering candles and natural elements for a serene, wintry effect.

o   Add silver accents for sparkle and sophistication.

·         For your office:

o   Achieve a nostalgic, vintage look through the inclusion of old books and photographs, antique silver pieces and angel wings hung on a weathered window.

o   The silver and white color palette exudes a classic, understated elegance.

Napkin Blings

How to enlist brooches and strands of colorful beads to brighten your place settings.

Photography by Hillary Black

Around the holidays we reach into our closets and jewelry boxes to find those familiar seasonal favorites we will wear again, from sweaters to pins to socks and scarves. For your next party, gather a selection of brooches from your collection, or visit a favorite thrift shop or antique mall. Combine the pins with strands of beads or ribbons and fashion simple napkin rings that will add sparkle and fun to your dining table.

Bring on the Holidays!

What falls into the category of a luxury? Dining at a restaurant with a waiter whose sole function is to grind pepper? Traveling to an exotic destination where immunization shots are required?

This past year, as my son, Luc, has fully assumed his toddler stage, an afternoon to just go blank is luxury: not checking work emails, not obsessing about how many pieces of broccoli Luc has eaten or whether Cheerios are really worth the mess—floors do not have to be swept on the hour.

There is an irony about Holiday Celebrating: The assumed pressure—decorating the home and making meals that involve ingredients gathered from three markets. The approach I enjoy is to take in the company of others who allow you to slip from
the mundane routine of everyday life to relish the celebratory—albeit relaxing—notes of the season. 

By Jacqueline deMontravel
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock.com