#6 If You're Still Not Satisfied with #22 and #16...

...then here are a few more ideas for your Christmas cards:

Make a card tree for your entry with branches from a nature walk


Frame your favorites. You'll end up with a nice collection of holiday art after a few years.


Fold your favorites into paper cranes and add them to your Christmas tree

#8 The Easiest Centerpiece You'll Ever Make

As all regular Zen readers know, the centerpiece on my dining table is a never ending creative project in my house. This year, my centerpiece came together in five minutes and required only five elements:

A vintage breadboard

A pink poinsettia

A piece of burlap

Some vintage grosgrain ribbon from Sundance

And a pretty green wreath (JP bought ours at Costco, of all places)

Wrap the poinsettia in burlap, tie it with ribbon, place it in the center of the wreath, and place all of that on the breadboard. Et voila! Gorgeous, and plenty of time left to squeeze in a nature walk (see tip #24).

Everything Eventually Comes Into Fashion If You Wait Long Enough

I've been in the catalog business for most of my career, and many hours on location have made me a fan of a product known to photo crew members as "goop".

For years, I've been sticking photos, postcards and other things I like to my walls with goop. I add and subtract as I go, and my walls become sort of a living display of my family's and my current interests.

I've always liked this method of photo display because it's easy, I think it adds nicely to the casual vibe I have going in my home, and it doesn't require the time commitment of sizing, framing and hanging all my photos. In short, it's perfect for a working mother of three.

I'd like to thank the stylists and magazine editors who've recently made just sticking photos randomly to the wall a style statement. I'm seeing it everywhere now:



Any trendsetter who popularizes the easiest possible decorating idea is doing all of us working moms a big favor. If I could hug each of you I would!

Art in the Everyday

My friend Brian Andriola just did a great article for Country Living magazine all about his collection of white bowls.


The article, and the images that came with it reminded me that everyday objects can be the most beautiful things in my home. I remember when I was growing up, my Mom had very few decorative things in the house, but always had very beautiful baskets that she displayed throughout the house, hung on the walls in place of art, and used for storage. Now I understand why -- with kids crashing through the house 24/7, unbreakable accessories are a good idea. After 13 years of kids in the house, and 13 years of addressing new and various organizing challenges, I've accidently built quite a beautiful basket collection of my own.
I've got painted french wire that I acquired on a trip to London

Vintage fishing creels collected from Sun Valley

Several laundry baskets purchased in my quest to find the perfect size and shape

African Wedding Baskets that were some of the first decorative objects I bought when we moved into our house

Willow trunks that have held anything from toys to baby clothes, to bike helmets in the garage

Some metal boxes and vintage suitcases that have been with us since the very early days of our marriage

A garden trug I purchased at the Paris Flea Market


Katie and I will be spending this rainy Saturday afternoon trying to make sense of it all. Thanks, Brian for the inspiration. And drop by if you've got a minute.