Missing my blog? You can now find me at www.emilyaclark.com.
Remember I told you earlier this week that I threw out lots of our fake Christmas garland this year? My motivation was in the form of this fresh cedar garland that arrived on my doorstep from Lynch Creek Farm. Besides what I’ve clipped from our yard, I’ve never decorated with fresh greenery for the holidays, but I might officially be hooked.
The smell is unbelievable, of course, and I think it helps me to forget we didn’t even bother with getting a live tree this year. They told me that this garland typically lasts six weeks if kept inside and spritzing it every few days is recommended. Since I rarely buy any new Christmas decorations, I’m thinking of making this a new tradition in our house each year.
I also used their larger blended bay wreath in our foyer and layered it right over the botanical prints:
And, for the front door, I used the “bah humbug” wreath. I like how the striped burlap bow adds a little color.
Fresh wreaths also make great, easy gifts. They ship them in a box that includes directions for care and a card with a gift message to the recipient. And, it instantly smells like Christmas when they open it:
Lynch Creek Farm is giving two of my readers a $50 gift certificate to use on their site. To enter, just use the RaffleCopter form below. I’ll post the two winners on Monday. Good luck!
I always use fresh greenery and trees. I can’t stand the thought of not having that amazing smell in my house at Christmas. It would be lovely to have it arrive on my doorstep and not have to work my fingers to the bone. =)
Looks pretty Emily. Love the wreath over the botanical prints! Sarah
Looks great, Emily! We are supposed to go out this weekend and cut our tree and some greenery for the house…hopefully the weather cooperates so I can get the fresh smell in my house too! Audra @ keepinupwiththejahns
Beautiful! I love the smell of fresh greenery at Christmas time.
Beautiful! Love the garland :)
love Lynchcreek. We used 72 feet of the cedar garland for the Christmas shoot and the blended bay wreath is may FAVORITE! that one is in my bedroom! Just make sure you sprtiz it bc they only last about 2-3 weeks without water – good news is when they do die the cedar doesnt shed too bad just remove it very carefully and it will stay in one piece- or just do like I did-ripped it down and had green “snow” all over the floor, then have your vacuum cleaner break at the same time and your left sweeping your carpeted stairs for days on end cursing the life of cedar trees……. :-)
I love fresh greens and the best part is you don’t have to store them. They also look best without a lot of embellishment in my opinion. Easy works for me! I have a similar wreath and garland on my mantel. I’m spritzing it almost daily, but it’s dying much faster this year. Fingers crossed it makes it to Christmas!
Oh I’ve never used fresh greenery, but it’s so beautiful!! I can only imagine how wonderful your house smells right now too. Your mantle looks awesome! Merry Christmas!
I LOVE the garland! It has such good color and simple style! I think it is well worth the investment!
So jealous! My husband and daughter have horrible allergies! I heard once that you could hose the tree and greens down with water but that didn’t seem to help! Felt kind of silly washing my tree but I was willing to try anything!
My son and I both have allergies and I usually have a hard time with a live tree. Besides some itchy eyes after I handled the garland, I’ve been doing pretty good with it since then…
I pitched my faux garland this year too! Actually donated them to my daughter’s school for their decor – which I put up anyway! Fresh smells so good & guess what no storing them after the holidays. Love that! Thanks for the chance to win. Pop on over to my blog http://www.mysoulfulhome.com for two big Give aways $600 Visa card & a Christmas house tour with $200 OKL gift card & 8 beautiful ( not reindeer ) Christmas swag items up for grabs. Come on by!!
So beautiful Emily :) I love it on your mantel :) xo Kristin
Could you share where you found the red and white striped ribbon you used on the wreath?
Yes, it came with the wreath from Lynch Creek.
Oh I bet that smells heavenly! Would love to do fresh but not in the budget this year. Looks gorgeous!
I love fresh garland and wreaths! Always makes the house smell great! Even with fresh greenery, I always burn a Frasier Fir candle..the best!
Very festive and classic ;)
So fresh and festive! Love it
Thanks for the chance to win! Beautiful!
So lovely!! And when did you switch from a black to natural wood mirror above the mantle? I like the change!
Because we do a fake tree – I just think it’s a lot easier – I always buy some real garland and cedar is my very favorite! The smell can’t be beat either!
Real greenery is so gorgeous and so is your home!
I can smell the wonderful aroma of the outdoors and Christmas right now, lovely greenery.
Congrats on the updated blog and your own domain, looks very sharp.
I just pinned your lovely photos. My favorite… the mantel garland!! and I also like the ribbon you tied on the piano bust.
Just lovely!
I love using fresh greenery. I would love to enter but the link isn’t working for me :(
Emily, love your simplified blog look and your concept! Your photo is gorgeous and the greenery in your home is heavenly. It must smell great. I will be sad when the holidays are over and the greens die but I think I’ll keep some up all winter! Happy Holidays!
xoxo Nancy
Thanks, Nancy! And, I agree–the house always looks a little sad when the Christmas comes down.
Love the fresh greenery. Used to always have a “real” tree and some fresh greenery around. But after years of finding myself having to take my kids to the doctor every Christmas, it finally dawned on me that maybe, perhaps, there was a connection. Got rid of the real stuff and lo and behold, the annual Christmas doctor visits became less frequent. So sad, but happy to have options. This year we are going to cut down a fresh tree and decorate it on our porch. Maybe I’ll sneak a few sprigs in the house for myself.
I just bought some fresh garland last night and it is a 180 in comparison to the fake stuff I had been using for years. What a difference in texture, smell and overall look! I could not be happier about making the switch, especially because I have a fake tree too!
– Jaime
Lovely! I’m with you, the less you bring out the less you have to put away in January.
Bette @ Somerset Lane