Every year.
Every. Single. Year.
As I am packing up the bazillion bins of Christmas
decor, I make a promise to myself that the next year –
I will not go all hog-wild crazy and cover every surface
of our home with cedar and pine and magnolia and –
glitter. Lots of glitter.
Then, every year.
Every. Single. Year.
I consistently break that promise to myself.
I pull out all of the Christmas decor bins.
I start going thru them one at a time, and its like renewing a
lifelong friendship with friends you haven’t seen in a year.
You start reminiscing with these friends…
remembering Christmases past.
All of a sudden, you are surrounded by these little
friends, and realize you simply can’t let them down.
So – any promise of not going hog-wild crazy goes out
the door – and in it’s place…tabletops and mantels and
cabinet fronts and shelfs and the cats –
if they stay still long enough –
get tied with a bow, swagged with
a cedar boughs, glittered….and Christmas-tized.
Because you can’t show favoritism, you feel
compelled to use all of your friends.
Each one is special, after all.
Promises Schmomises.
If you would also like to make a Lighted Doughbowl…
here’s how I did it.
I am showing you the step-by-step “how to”
as I create the Doughbowl I also made for my
Breakfast Room Hutch.
It is made with fresh clippings of pine and wild magnolia.
First, start by adding a layer of artificial greenery in the
bottom of your bowl.
(I am using a dough bowl, but any large bowl in deep
platter-type vessel would work. Even a basket!)
Next, add a string of lights. This is a string of 100.
You can see I did not spend a lot of time placing them.
I just bundled them up and placed them on top of
the artificial greenery.
You can use more or less lights, but I think the 100 strand
works perfectly.
Next, add cut pine, cedar, magnolia, etc, to the four corners.
I like pine because it spreads out. It also helps camouflage the
cording of the lights flowing over the side of the bowl.
I used six large sugar cones and placed them in a
random pattern in the bowl.
If you do not have these large cones, regular pine cones are
also very pretty. Just pile them on.
Next, I added bits of wild magnolia…
… and bits of red berries.
(these are faux)
And when I was done – I had a beautiful display of pinecones,
pine bough, magnolia and red berries – all backlit with sparkly
white lights that just glow.
So in literally minutes….I created two very different versions
of a Lighted Dough Bowl.
One filled to the brim with large sugar cones and clippings
from outdoors…
…. and another filled with small cones and sparkly red, blue
and snow-filled glass balls.
Cheers to another year of hog-wild decorating.
I’d love it if you would pin this and share the
Hog-Wild Love.
Since Thanksgiving is a few days away,
I thought I would remind you of this
quick and easy idea for a Hostess Gift.
It also makes a great gift idea for neighbors and friends.
Burlap and Organza Wine Bottle Wrap
There’s a cute last-minute Placecard Setting idea as a bonus.
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Shelia says
Love it, Barb! How do you think up all of this? You’re the bomb girl! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
View Commentbe a sweetie,
Shelia 🙂
Karyn says
So pretty! Thanks for sharing. 🙂 BTW, what are the items used to make the cute place card setting? Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
View CommentBarb says
Karyn – they are simple frames and scrapbooking paper cut to fit, then I used more scrapbook stick on letters. Thats all. 🙂
View CommentAnna Starner says
I sat here laughing as I read read your post. Last year I wasn’t going to go all out, only a few santas. Went back to the attic a couple of times for this one, and then that one, and again for another one. Then I just brought down two big blue Ikea bags with boxes of more santas. This year I am only going to use a few. Let you know how that works out.
View CommentBarb says
Haha – do you want me to say it now. Liar, liar pants on fire. 😀
View CommentFABBY says
I know what you mean, you just cracked me up! I promise things that I will not repeat or do the following C’mas and at the end, every.single.time…I endup doing it again, LOL!!! I love your dough bowl, it’s gorgeous!…maybe I’ll make one next year, my dough bowl is too large, I need to get a smaller one like yours. Thanks for sharing, I loved it! Wishing you and yours a lovely Tksgiving.
View CommentFABBY
Barb says
You too, my friend. Have a great Thanksgiving. Blessings. xxoo
View CommentNana Diana says
“That is a really cute idea, Barb. Love it and I like both of them. The rustic one and the one with bulbs in it. I am the same way- every year I say I am not going to dress up every room in the house and every year I prove myself a liar. It’s okay- Christmas only comes once a year! xo Diana
View CommentBarb says
Thats a very good way of looking at it and you’re right. It does only come once a year. On the other hand, thank goodness it only comes once a year. LOL xxoo
View CommentDebra@CommonGround says
such a great idea, I bet it’s gorgeous at night!
View CommentVicki Daugherty says
Boy, did you hit the nail on the head with this one! All my good intentions about not “over decorating” go flying out the door when I start renewing old friendships with my treasures….and they ARE treasures that have been acquired over many years. Who can pick a favorite, that’s like choosing a favorite child! Cannot happen, nobody gets left behind at my house! The more, the merrier. Wishing your family a blessed holiday season. Thanks for sharing. Vicki in Louisville KY
View CommentMarty@A Stroll Thru Life says
Oh this is such a cute idea and I love all the pinecones and greenery all aglow. Great tutorial. Hugs, marty
View CommentSandra says
Pinned! I’m looking forward to meeting up with my old friends hiding in bins this weekend.
View CommentCynthia says
I really love how this turned out. Every year I do the same thing with Christmas but for some reason I can’t seem to help myself. I just love decorating for the holidays.
Cynthia
View CommentSuzan says
I just made and sold several baskets with scented pine cones, lights and “fluff”. I love your idea of using a dough bowl. If only I could figure out how to sneak one out of my sister’s house!
View CommentElizabeth@ Blue Clear Sky says
Both versions are beautiful! I know what you mean about intending to cut back and then opening all the boxes and things just sort of happening lol.
View CommentMary says
Thank you for posting your lighted Doughbowl, I love it! I featured it on my top ten picks this week. Have a great Thanksgiving, Mary
View CommentBetty819 says
Barb, those Christmas lights that you place in your doughbowl, are they battery operated or you must plug them in? I didn’t see any cord running outside of the doughbowl, that is why I asked. I know I don’t get out to look at ‘What’s new” in Decorations, so was wondering if things have gone LED lights/battery operated?
View CommentMary says
Hello Barb,
I have been meaning to write and ask you about this dough bowl for some time now. I know Christmas has just past but we moved into a new home right before Christmas and I am just now getting settled! I was wondering where you purchased your dough bowl? I have been looking all over for just that size and color. I so plan on making this for next Christmas! Wanted to do it for the first Christmas in our new home, but I was lucky I got a tree up this year! Thank you! I love your site and all your decor!
View CommentBarb says
Hi Mary – I really hate to tell you this but I bought it several years ago at a wholesale market. It’s funny you are writing me about this because I was just talking to my mama about them (I bought three in total) and wished I could remember the name of who I bought it from. It’s not a vintage bowl but you would never know it, its so well made as a replica. Hope you can find one. Thanks for your kind words. ~Barb
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