Foraged Winter Tablescape

February in Minnesota is cold and dark, and finding ways to feel cozy and warm is imperative: candles, fires, twinkly lights, warm drinks, and gatherings with friends helps. So when our neighbor invited us over for yummy treats and mugs of cocoa we were delighted. Heading over in the darkness (at 5:00 p.m.!) we were greeted with homemade glowing ice lanterns illuminating our path to their door. Welcomed into the warmth of their home we were captivated by the smells of good things. The greatest delight was the table decked out in a whimsical display of foraged greens. So simple, lovely, and inviting!

A winter tablescape of found nature is a beautiful way to use your creativity to create a place to gather that makes your guests feel welcomed, thought of, and cared for. And the cost is only time and imagination. Here are some ideas to inspire you to decorate the table for your winter dining festivities:

1. Linens wrapped in twine with cinnamon sticks and a sprig of evergreen tucked in.

2. Pinecones as holders for seating place cards.

3. Candles add height and a beautiful glow.

4. Evergreen branches to create a garland along the table.

5. Evergreens and twigs for simple vase arrangements.

6. Hanging wreath made from foraged branches.

Set the gathering in motion by inviting guests over on a specific date this winter—potluck style so all are involved in the food—and you can spend your time creating the cozy atmosphere. Happy gathering! xo

Mini Dried Flower Wreath

Many months ago, we were walking along the paths on our property to gather wildflowers— sage, guara, primroses, and daisies. “Let’s make a few arrangements for the home and tuck a few away in the barn to see how these look dried out,” my twelve-year-old said. We placed a few bouquets in little vases and scattered them throughout our house, and took the remaining flowers out to the barn. In a cool, dark spot among the rafters we have bunches and bunches of wildflowers hanging upside down. We like to see how the colors, leaves, and stems of the flowers change in appearance as they dry. After drying out they can be placed in vases as dried bouquets or used for various crafts. With Christmas nearing, we decided to make mini wreaths to adorn our gifts.

Placing a little extra intentionality with the wrapping is really fun, and a mini wreath can really elevate the presentation of a gift, especially if made from flowers you grew months ago. A dried bouquet wreath can also become a gift itself and saved to hang someplace fun. And the process to create one is so simple.

How to:

1. Make your wreath base. I like to use grapevines to create a simple wreath. For this example, the wreath is 5 inches in diameter. If you are using fresh living vines, you can let them dry out for a couple of days after you cut them. Then simply make a circular coil, secure with florist wire, and tuck in the ends. (Hobby stores also have pre-made wreaths.)

2. Make your mini bouquet. Gather your dried flowers into an arrangement and trim for size. For this wreath, I used an 8-inch bouquet. Secure the ends with twine.

3. Attach your bouquet to the side of the wreath. I attached using florist wire.

4. Attach your mini wreath to your gift and voila! (I like to loop through using brown twine.)

A mini wreath is such a beautiful addition to your Christmas presents. Tuck away a few

bunches of wildflowers from your spring nature walks and you will have the dried flowers

ready for you come winter. Happy crafting! xo

Lavender Wand

We tend to adopt “neighbor grandmas” wherever we live, and our time in New Mexico was no exception. We stood in line next to Miss Norma at a garden tour in Albuquerque, and after chatting for a bit discovered she lived right down the road from us. We invited her over for tea and very quickly formed a sweet friendship. When her lavender was in bloom she called us down to pick fresh stems from her front yard and taught us how to make lavender wands. She showed us a few wands she had made years before and they still smelled good. We were so excited to learn this beautiful new craft!

I've always been smitten by lavender and Albuquerque's high-desert climate was the perfect environment for growing this fragrant herb. Our local organic farm, Los Poblanos, was famous for their gorgeous lavender fields and had this to say about their lavender crops: “Lavender is a low water use plant that thrives in our arid environment, and our fields have grown to hold thousands of plants after years of hand propagating the original lavender plants in our historic greenhouse.” I planted dozens of lavender plants around my property and was excited to make lavender wands every fall with our own crops.

How to make lavender wands:

1. Gather 15 freshly picked stems of lavender and about 50 inches of narrow ribbon.

2. Remove all the leaves from the stems.

3. Line up the bottom of the flower heads and tie them together.

4. Turn the bundle upside down.

5. Gently bend each stem down around the blossom heads.

6. Start to weave the ribbon under and over the stems.

7. Continue weaving until you have covered all the flowers. Wrap the ribbon around the neck of the wand and tie it off.

Miss Norma had wands from years ago, and to release more scent she simply rubbed the wand in her hands. We still have ours that we made with her that day and they still smell so lovely. I hope you will invite your neighbors over for a lovely time of crafting lavender wands. Xo

* We have since moved away to Tennessee, but Miss Norma packaged up her fresh lavender and sent it to us so we could make this project again.