In a vase on Monday: Something for Christmas

The last time I bought a big Poinsettia for Christmas, my husband and I were so taken with its peachy-pink color that we decided to paint an accent wall that color. This time, I wanted another plant that was not a true red which would be too intense a color to put next to the Lohan sculpture just out of photo range. And since there is nothing blooming in my garden at the moment, I went plant shopping at a local independent florist.

I also decided to take Loree at Danger Garden's Poinsettia Challenge to use that plant and to do more with it than just plop it in place. In fact, once I put it in my grandmother's green Roseville Luffa jardiniere, I decided it was much brighter than it seemed under the shop lights. I definitely needed to tone it down somehow. But I didn't really want to cut the plant apart to make it look and feel a bit different.

Instead of clipping the plant, I added assorted stems of statice, dried ferns and other brown-toned foliage. The ends of these plants (at least the live ones) are stuck in those little glass flower tubes and inserted around the plant. I stuck a few dried stems right in the midst of the Poinsettia as well. 

Next I added a mini Christmas tree decorated with cookies, a big candlestick and a string of holiday lights.

Here's a close-up of the cookie tree which my sister-in-law gave me last Christmas. The cookies are by Rumi O-Brien, a local artist who is talented in a variety of media. I thought the red, pink and green frosting was a fun way to reiterate the colors of the arrangement and keep the whole thing from being too serious.

This shows you the "bouquet" in situ with a gold-leaf folding screen on the wall and a Ming dynasty Lohan at the right end of the table. 

Visit Cathy at Rambling in the Garden to see what other folks have found in their gardens to create a winter arrangement.

Comments

[Donna@Gardens Eye View]

A fabulous arrangement....I love the jardiniere and the other plant material you included. That cookie tree is just darling too! Happy Holidays.

[Cathy]

So much to see and admire here Linda - your poinsettia is transformed with the added extras, the pinks and browns adding the subtlety that the poinsettia lacks. The little tree with cookies is a great idea which I might copy sometime - and your huge Lohan is stunning although I had to google to find out what he was. Thanks for sharing everything today and best wishes to you and yours.

[Linda from Each Little World]

Thanks, Cathy. The cookies are a few years old. They were kept in a tin in the fridge. But since they've been on the tree, they've just been stored as is in a closet.

[Eliza waters]

Beautiful Roseville vase, its colors complimented by the pink poinsettia arrangement. I love the mini-cookie tree - such a great idea. The whole vignette is splendid!

[Kris P]

I love the whole ensemble, Linda! The statice does do a great job of toning down the poinsettia, while also making a wonderful accent. That cookie tree is charming too but the Lohan puts it over the top!

[Loree / danger garden]

Hmm, I thought that the photo of the poinsettia composition was lovely, but that last image is also pretty magnificent.

So are the cookies permenant? (art) and is the tree made of curled paper?

[Lisa at Greenbow]

A most elegant poinsettia.

[Ann @ Ann Edwards Photography]

such a lot of inspiration here for festive arrangements and love the idea of painting a wall to match a favourite plant!

[Linda from Each Little World]

Loree — My sister-in-law and I both got the cookies as gifts from a wonderful local artist, Rumi O'Brien, at least four years ago. She intended us to eat them but we couldn't do it. Mine are still in the fridge, but Sara put hers on this tree and gave it to me at Xmas 2014. Since then it has been living in a closet not even covered up. I wrote about the cookies and the tree here:

http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com/each_little_world/2014/12/my-newest-christmas-tree.html

Sara bought the tree and it is a dowel on a base with other thin sticks in inserted into it. All covered with curled strips of paper with print on them, maybe fro a book.

[Sarah]

Lovely vignette! I like your blog overall, and through you I've discovered the Monday Vase meme, which I just tried out though posted a day late. Glad to know about it.
http://ofleafandlimb.blogspot.com/2015/12/in-vase-on-monday-okay-its-now-tuesday.html