ELLIS OL ETE ane RN

Green it up with swags and wreaths

Mary-Anne Davies
_ Southam Newspapers

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MAKING your own Christmas swags
and planters can be a simple and

inexpensive proposition,
especially for those with
evergreen trees in the
backyard.

Pruning these trees can

provide the base for an

outdoor = swag that

should last one |

the holiday season.

Outdoor swags, ae

with fresh boughs, will

last from now until Wee
Christmas. The only exception is
if we get a lot of warm weather
and particularly sunny days which
will brown them out a little.

To make a swag, only a few basic
materials are required: greens,

wire and decorative accents. There -

are about 10 different types of
Christinas greens from which to
choose. The wire holds the swag
together while outdoor velvet rib-
bon, angels, Santas, bells, berries
and/or pine cones are used to
dress up the swag in festive fash-
ion.

The decorative accents put a per-
sonal stamp on the swag and
should be chosen to match the

decor and style of your home.

Whether it’s dried weeds or branches, if
it is visually appealing, gather it up, spray it
gold, white or silver or just leave it natural.

Mix your greens and use cedar or balsam

for its fragrance and its different texture.

~ Wire the boughs together (at the
Dy 'S of the stems) as tightly as possi-
Zy ble because once the stems drv
our, they will shrink and the swag
will fall apart.

a B After the base is wired togeth-
er, add natural materials (dog-
wood, pine cones, ete.), wiring
Y en in place. Don’t worry about

wy look of the wire because the rib-

ae will cover it.

B@ Once dried materials are in place, focus on
the top of the swag and attach a large bow.
@ Depending on your decor, you may want
to choose velvet ribbon for a formal look,
raffia for a country look or sheer, lacy wired
ribbon for a Victorian theme.
@ The final touch is the addition of whimsi-
cal accents to the swag — strands of beads,
pearls and berries — which can be wired into
place.
® Wear gloves and old clothes when working
with fresh greens because once the sticky sap
dries, it is hard to remove from skin and will
mark clothes permanently.
@ Hang outdoor swags on or to the side of
the door, in between sets of windows or
attached to columns, pillars or posts.

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