Wreaths and bows and urns, oh my

Yesterday evening, my colleague Brandie and I decided to brave the drizzle and head on over to the Distillery District for a little festive inspiration.

 
The Vintage Gardener was hosting a two-day "Evergreen Festival," with flower carts decked out with make-it-yourself and pre-made holiday centrepieces, urns and wreaths -- including a ribbon and bow bar! (shown below) -- as well as decorating presentations from great gardeners.

It smelled absolutely divine - and definitely helped get the creative juices flowing! Brandie picked up this gorgeous blueberried juniper wreath, adding a blue ribbon from the bow bar. 

And here we "learned" how to tie the perfect bow - or at least we watched it happen. I can't promise that either of us could pull this off on our own! The method involves four yards of ribbon and tying a big bow, then a smaller bow on top of that bow, then an even smaller one on top of that!

And, if you're going budget-friendly this year (as many of us are), and want to make your own arrangements for the holidays and beyond, the Vintage Gardener's Elaine Martin offered up a few tips to help get started.

Martin says you should think about an arrangement like an outfit, starting with the skirt or pants -- which would be your planter or urn.

Once you've got that foundation picked, she says to pull the colours up into the arrangement, then add accents and embellishments, the same way you'll add a great top and jewelry to an outfit, for example through greenery that's complementary to your base, then adding on gorgeous berries or a pretty flower. Don't you just love the pomegranates below?

 

The next arrangement is also gorgeous, with a great surprise - Amaryllis ready to bloom once you get it home!

Martin also encourages carrying a thread throughout your holiday arrangements, for example using similar colours or repeating a type of foliage or material to keep them all tied together.

I'd love to add these pink pepper berries to a centrepiece, or even just use them solo in a bowl or vase. So pretty!

All this eye candy definitely has me wishing Mr. Speedy wasn't allergic to everything green and growing. I might still try to sneak in a pot of paperwhites or a miniature evergreen for a wee festive touch.

And, if you're looking for some help getting your own green holiday goodies ready, the Vintage Gardener will be hosting a series of Festive Workshops in the holiday lead-up, including an Evergreen Wreath workshop and "Mantel Mania" - get the full list on their website.