DIY Projects
Fruit-inspired holiday decor
Fruit-inspired holiday decor
DIY Projects
Fruit-inspired holiday decor
With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, many of us don't have the time to shop around for holiday
home decor ideas. Yet, we all want our home to look its best at this time of year. You'll be surprised what beautiful fresh ideas await you at your grocery store to help decorate your home like I did at my local Longo's. Get inspired by the rich colours, textures and shapes that you can find especially in the produce and floral departments. From cranberries, pomegranates and winter greenery to herbs, lentils and candy, you'll find everything you need in one place for unique holiday
decorating ideas.
Not sure where to start? Focus on three main areas. Your entranceway, tabletop and powder room are all key parts of your home that will be seen by visitors who drop by during the festive season. With a few simple ideas, you can transform these into beautiful focal points in your home that will leave your guests wondering how you did it all.
Outdoor entranceway urn
Warm up your entranceway and welcome your loved ones with a classic urn used in a unique way that will spark conversation at the door. To make it easy and simple, start with a pre-filled urn that features fresh greenery. To add further panache, insert birch trunks, vibrant red dogwood branches and hypericum berry boughs in the centre for added height and great contrast. Add colour and texture with ruby pomegranates, fuchsia or green dragonfruit or large red apples, spearing them using wooden skewers. For a final touch, insert large cinnamon sticks to add some holiday fragrance. Remember to use layers when building your holiday urn, incorporating varying heights and using the colours of the season.
Ice wreath
Create a sophisticated ice wreath to adorn your front door or hang from a tree using fresh greenery and fruit for colour. Get inspiration with fresh fruit, using tones that complement your holiday colour scheme. Try a combination of cinnamon sticks, white pine and cranberries or for something more exotic, try star fruit sliced with blueberries and cedar. This dramatic, wintery wreath will look terrific on your door during those long winter days when the thermometer drops well below zero. Best of all, this wreath is fun and easy to make so even the kids will love creating their own unique designs.
Sugar fruit centrepiece
There's no denying that the dinner table is where we gather most frequently during the holiday season. To make it special, make a statement with a beautiful centrepiece. For an interesting, festive centrepiece, choose any variety of red fruit. A beautiful display could include red Bartlett pears, pluot and prune plums, cactus fruit, red and champagne grapes, figs and even strawberries. Add sparkle when you "sugar" the fruit. Simply arrange sugared fruit on a tiered dish or clear bowl and add a small amount of evergreen such as cedar as an accent.
How to sugar fruit
1 Select, firm, fresh fruit.
2 In a small bowl, lightly beat three to four egg whites or as needed.
3 Using a pastry or craft brush, lightly glaze fruit with egg whites.
4 Sprinkle fine white sugar onto fruit until gently coated, shaking off excess.
5 Place fruit on a parchment lined cookie sheet to let dry (about 30 minutes).
6 Arrange onto dish, larger fruit first, then smaller, and add a touch of greenery.
Cranberry canes
To add height, colour and interest to an area of your home, like the foyer inside your front door, beside the fireplace, or on a mantel, spear fresh cranberries on dogwood branches at varying intervals and heights. Simply display these cranberry canes in a tall glass vase filled with coarse salt for a simple, elegant wintery look.
Also remember the tried and true decorations. Oranges pierced with cloves and displayed in beautiful containers provide an easy to make, long lasting centrepiece that also fills your room with a warm, delicious scent.
If you lean to a more contemporary style, try using a variety of dried nuts, lentils and other legumes as a base for beautiful candles. Leave them in their natural earthy tones for an organic display or make a more glamorous statement by spray painting them in silver and blue tones.
Not sure where to start? Focus on three main areas. Your entranceway, tabletop and powder room are all key parts of your home that will be seen by visitors who drop by during the festive season. With a few simple ideas, you can transform these into beautiful focal points in your home that will leave your guests wondering how you did it all.
Outdoor entranceway urn
Warm up your entranceway and welcome your loved ones with a classic urn used in a unique way that will spark conversation at the door. To make it easy and simple, start with a pre-filled urn that features fresh greenery. To add further panache, insert birch trunks, vibrant red dogwood branches and hypericum berry boughs in the centre for added height and great contrast. Add colour and texture with ruby pomegranates, fuchsia or green dragonfruit or large red apples, spearing them using wooden skewers. For a final touch, insert large cinnamon sticks to add some holiday fragrance. Remember to use layers when building your holiday urn, incorporating varying heights and using the colours of the season.
Ice wreath
Create a sophisticated ice wreath to adorn your front door or hang from a tree using fresh greenery and fruit for colour. Get inspiration with fresh fruit, using tones that complement your holiday colour scheme. Try a combination of cinnamon sticks, white pine and cranberries or for something more exotic, try star fruit sliced with blueberries and cedar. This dramatic, wintery wreath will look terrific on your door during those long winter days when the thermometer drops well below zero. Best of all, this wreath is fun and easy to make so even the kids will love creating their own unique designs.
Sugar fruit centrepiece
There's no denying that the dinner table is where we gather most frequently during the holiday season. To make it special, make a statement with a beautiful centrepiece. For an interesting, festive centrepiece, choose any variety of red fruit. A beautiful display could include red Bartlett pears, pluot and prune plums, cactus fruit, red and champagne grapes, figs and even strawberries. Add sparkle when you "sugar" the fruit. Simply arrange sugared fruit on a tiered dish or clear bowl and add a small amount of evergreen such as cedar as an accent.
How to sugar fruit
1 Select, firm, fresh fruit.
2 In a small bowl, lightly beat three to four egg whites or as needed.
3 Using a pastry or craft brush, lightly glaze fruit with egg whites.
4 Sprinkle fine white sugar onto fruit until gently coated, shaking off excess.
5 Place fruit on a parchment lined cookie sheet to let dry (about 30 minutes).
6 Arrange onto dish, larger fruit first, then smaller, and add a touch of greenery.
Cranberry canes
To add height, colour and interest to an area of your home, like the foyer inside your front door, beside the fireplace, or on a mantel, spear fresh cranberries on dogwood branches at varying intervals and heights. Simply display these cranberry canes in a tall glass vase filled with coarse salt for a simple, elegant wintery look.
Also remember the tried and true decorations. Oranges pierced with cloves and displayed in beautiful containers provide an easy to make, long lasting centrepiece that also fills your room with a warm, delicious scent.
If you lean to a more contemporary style, try using a variety of dried nuts, lentils and other legumes as a base for beautiful candles. Leave them in their natural earthy tones for an organic display or make a more glamorous statement by spray painting them in silver and blue tones.
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