Shore pine was not one I had on my list of greens for a few years until I discovered it. It is odd how you may know so much about plants and such, but then make a new discovery just because you noticed some sitting in a box at the supply house!
I was picking up my typical greens’ orders in early December one year, and I just happened to see it in a box on another table, and asked, “What’s this?” The reply was, “shore pine.”
Next question, of course, was, “Can I get some?”
I always wished wholesale suppliers would have classes. A manager literally rolled her eyes at me when I asked or suggested this idea. I understand, they just don’t have the time, they are so busy, and teaching us is not part of their job, but I do wish there was an intro to what they have and how to use it, especially if someone was a newbie.
Anyhow, if you are new to the world of greens for wreath making, hopefully you found me because I started writing this month about the various greens used in holiday wreaths and kissing balls. Each post is covering a different holiday greenery.
Shore pine is a needled evergreen tree or shrub. The needles appear and grow along very long stems. The whole stem is covered with the short dark green needles, so you end up with a nice long piece of fully covered dark green needles on a stem.
The stems are somewhat flexible, but I think what I liked about these the most is how long the stems were. You could literally use whole pieces of the shore pine branches to make a quick simple wreath without cutting it into pieces if you wanted to, and because they are flexible, they were easy to bend in a circle around a wreath frame. Then just using some green florist wire, wrap here and there to secure it to your wreath frame.
One year, I made some Peace Sign wreaths. I used coat hangers to make the center of the peace sign and used the shore pine wired to it – it was relatively easy to secure. Again, the long pieces of the shore pine worked well for this application.
On this wreath, I also secured moss behind the shore pine so it would be a nice green color.
Shore pine is a great item to add to the mix. It offers another texture when side by side with other greens. It also makes an excellent thriller tall piece in the center of outdoor holiday pots.
Another way that I used it was as pot toppers. Rings with greens that would be placed level on the top of a pot around the circular perimeter of it.
By just adding some wired pinecones, it was an instant way to dress up a pot. On this photo above, I used small green foam type wreaths as the base, covered them with moss, and just bent the long stems of shore pine over it and wired it in easily.
This dream catcher wreath I made has a round bamboo type wreath under it. As you can see, the long pieces of shore pine were perfect to just mold around it easily and secure.
As far as longevity of the shore pine, I would notice some minor tip yellowing after the holiday or if the shore pine was stored too long. Otherwise, it had decent needle retention and I found it was an easy use green.
Some pieces would have tightly closed cones attached too. And when provided as an item in my box of greens, it was another layer of green texture to use.
I can’t find the photo of this but years ago, a friend at my workshops, made a horse profile wreath and the shore pine is perfect to create the mane along the horse’s head portion. When I find the photo, I will update this post! But any animal like wreaths you may consider making, think of the shore pine as useful for things like that – a tail or whatever. All you have to do is get creative!
Hope you are enjoying these “greens reviews” posts and are having the time to make your own creations this season.
Do you know what the word Buxus is? It is the genus name for boxwood. It’s one of the easier botanical names to remember. Anyhow, boxwood evergreen shrubs have rounded or obovate shaped leaves, on slender green stems. It is a dense evergreen shrub used in landscapes and commonly available at nurseries. It is also a greenery available from floral suppliers or retail locations at nurseries during the winter to make festive arrangements such as fresh greens wreaths and holiday kissing balls.
As with most evergreen shrubs, there are many varieties or cultivars available of boxwood. Some have more narrow leaves and others have oblong leaves. For example, common boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) has elliptic or ovate to oblong leaves. Because I am a plant person, I notice the differences in the leaf shapes on boxwoods more so probably than a typical person. The leaves are small and glossy on both sides of the leaves usually, and in arrangements for the holidays, the leaves retain their dark green glossy color very well. Boxwood greens add a nice textural and color element.
I’ve written about the benefits of using boxwood in wreath making before on this blog. For example, there is no sap to contend with as with balsam. After a while, your hands get very sticky when making many fresh holiday wreaths, so that can be a benefit. Also, the boxwood bunches or stems are light weight. I liked using them to make boxwood only holiday kissing balls because of this feature, as other kissing balls would get terribly heavy when I did a mix of greens to create them.
As far as a quality green, I like boxwood on the greens list. It tends to give a classy look to a wreath or kissing ball. Used alone or with a mix of other greenery, it works very well. In my mind, it is a nice benefit or not sure of the word, but a higher-end type of greenery to use and if you can afford it, I say do it!
A holiday kissing ball made with boxwood greens only.
Wreath by Cathy T with Boxwood and Magnolia Leaves
Boxwood ready for a workshop
Typically, the boxwood I would order was packed in boxes or burlap bags, and they were always fresh and good looking. To keep them hydrated, if I felt they needed it, I would take a bucket or bin like the one shown above, fill it with water and drop the boxwood tips and stems into the water to soak them for a bit. Then I would shake off the excess water after they had a good soaking (maybe about 15 minutes or so). I would shake the bunch and then lay them on beach towels to somewhat drain.
As mentioned in my prior posts, the greens need to be kept cold. In the florist trade, it indicates the boxwood greens should be in a cooler at a temperature between 36 degrees F to 41 degrees F. Anyhow, I kept them in the waxed coated boxes or the burlap bags in an unheated garage. However, if I soaked them in water to rehydrate, sometimes I would just place them in a bin after the excess water was removed. Again, rehydrating them was not often needed.
Boxwood on a Wreath by C Testa (with Lemon Leaf shown also)
Another nice aspect about using boxwood is the stems are very sturdy. I would recut the stem ends to a bit of a point to insert into kissing balls center ball foam easily. BTW, you may also rehydrate boxwood before use by recutting the stem ends and inserting them into vases of water, but I usually did not do that or need to. As noted above, if there was a need to rehydrate them, I’d do the soak method in water in a tub for a bit then dry them out a bit so they would not be repacked soaking wet. Outdoor weather like snow or sleet did not bother the look of the greens either once they were in a wreath outside.
For a couple years, I offered boxwood in my box of greens mixes. These boxes of greens were for people who wanted to make their own wreaths at home. Included were many other fresh greens such as balsam or Douglas fir, Salal lemon Leaf (prior post), yew, silver fir, berried juniper, holly, and more. I never harvested boxwood from my own shrubs or others, but these shrubs are common in the landscapes, so if you happen to have a big enough shrub stash of them, they can be harvested from to add to your holiday wreaths. Typically pruning boxwood is done in the spring but taking some minor cuttings for your arrangements is usually harmless for winter decorations.
Of all the greens I would order, boxwood was usually the highest price on the list. Therefore, I did treat it as a quality green to use with a mix of greens, but if I had some left over or someone wanted a boxwood only wreath or kissing ball, I would charge accordingly. The price was worth it because boxwood is an elegant green that makes your arrangements look classy, in my opinion.
Wreath made by C. Testa with a mix of greenery. Boxwood accents shown.
Wreath by C Testa with Yew, Lemon Leaf and Boxwood
Boxwood Only Wreath by C Testa
Another nice aspect of using boxwood is it was a faster assembly as shown above on this wreath with only boxwood. It would take a lot less time than bunching various greens together.
Boxwood Only Holiday Kissing Ball
Snips and tips of boxwood greens are nice in vases or other holiday decorations. For example, if you wanted to make a snow scene in a glass bowl, the cuttings can be used in there and last a long time with no odd scent. And as mentioned good color retention. I really can’t think of any downfalls of using it. I would rate it higher as a good quality type of green to use and hopefully you will have the opportunity to do so in your own holiday arrangements!
Yew (Taxus) is a needled evergreen shrub or tree used in landscapes. It is not really sought after these days, but when my parents were young, it seemed everyone used yew shrubs as foundation plants or as hedge plantings for property boundaries. They have a slow to medium growth rate and don’t experience many insect problems. They keep their dark green needle color year-round and can take moist sandy soils, but the soil must be well-drained. Locations suited for them are shade or sun. So as a shrub in the landscape, they are versatile. However, they were not often used in wreath making. Until I started to do so when I thought about how well they retained their green needles. From a distance, they almost look like balsam fir needles, and they mix well with other types of greens when making holiday wreaths.
Fleshy red arils over the hard small seeds
My Dad has a stand of yew trees on his property behind his house. They’ve been there so long; they are about 20 or so feet high. If I were to guess, they are probably 60 years old, but I am not sure! Some of the branches are thick enough to require a handsaw or chain saw to cut down. For the most part, I obtained my various holiday fresh greens for wreath making from a supplier, but I also noticed my dad’s yew trees were huge and offered a nice filler type greenery for wreath making. One year, I asked him, “Hey Dad, may I take some cuttings from your old yew trees for my wreath making workshops?”
He was sure to respond yes, and Mom didn’t mind either. My Dad has a thing for cutting down trees, although we did not cut the yew trees down, we just cut big limbs or branches every year for my wreath traditions. He’d meet me there as I drove my truck down his farm dirt road which runs behind his house and park it near the yews. The trees may have been shrubs at one time, but now they were full grown trees and very healthy. The towered up high and were full of green needles.
Opening the trunk bed of my pick-up truck, I’d always be sure to watch my footing because usually the road near these yew trees is either muddy, mucky or frozen, depending on the weather. He loved cutting down branches for me and I would point to this or that one as a good candidate because it would be a full branch of dark green needles. I was always excited to get these green harvest goodies from his big three yew trees on his farm. It excited me because I felt yew would make an excellent filler in wreaths and kissing balls. These greens served as a back-up green for me too. It also felt like a Christmasy tradition doing this process every late November or early December.
We kind of kept our tradition of the harvesting from his yew trees a secret. LOL. Mom knew of course, and so did my brother who lives there, but pretty much it was our little secret of harvesting yew for my wreaths. The needles of these evergreen trees and shrubs are a little glossy, short, there is no sticky sap to deal with, and I could gather quite a lot for my uses. As he would start his chainsaw, I would have my pruners or loopers ready to clip off anything undesirable. I’d load up the good full branches into my truck bed after he’d toss them on the ground. He had his job and I had mine. The truck bed would be completely full most times until I was satisfied I had enough. I always feared running out of greens at my wreath making workshops for the holidays, so this was also serving as a wonderful back up of dark fresh greens. Sometimes I’d even piled some branches into the back seat of my truck in addition to the truck bed.
Yews didn’t seem to be a popular green for holidays however, and I don’t think suppliers even offered them as a greens option or variety for wreath making. In the old days, my parent’s days, yews were planted in the landscapes quite a lot. I think for my generation, yews seemed to be out of favor and a bit old fashioned, but these evergreen trees or shrubs don’t really have many problems. No big insect issues, no smell, but they do have toxic properties from what I read in my reference books and online. You may think the berries (actually seeds covered with red fleshy material) are toxic, but I believe it is the seeds within the fleshy red fruit that are a problem, that’s if you or an animal eats them. (Other interesting tid-bits I read about yews is a chemical from them was used to treat ovarian cancer and that Robin Hood used the branches to make bows and arrows – Interesting!) But perhaps the toxic principles are why they were not harvested as a green to use in wreaths.
I think years ago, they may have been used a lot in landscapes around commercial buildings, as hedges, or whatever because other than some pruning, they were maintenance free. If you look at some older type buildings, you may spot old yew shrubs, likely at huge overgrown sizes, somewhere near them, or maybe in a parking lot areas on the middle islands, etc. But today, I just don’t see them very often at homeowner’s properties, and if they are there, it was planted many years ago.
As for the stand of yew shrubs my dad has, they grew so tall, they were more like trees and those trees gave me a nice gift every season. The gift of the greens but also the gift of being with my dad, just the two of us, chatting between cuttings and the sound of his chainsaw. We didn’t stay out there long because it was typically cold out. Once I felt satisfied I had enough, we’d put the tools away. He’d quietly walk away back to the house down his backyard dirt road, and I’d drive off to my house to prep them for the wreath making and workshops. When I got back home, it was just plain fun for me to put these in bins. It made me happy. I am not sure how to explain that – the whole process felt good – because it became a holiday tradition of sorts. We all love holiday traditions.
As it turned out, this harvesting and cutting ritual actually helped his old yew trees to produce more foliage each year. I was fearing that someday we would take too many cuttings of it, and it would eventually look bare, but that wasn’t the case. Yew shrubs and trees can be pruned severely and frequently. Some people shear the yew shrubs into shapes, things like that. You will notice in the photos above, some of the cone shapes by the needles are a golden color, while other times, the pink, red fleshy material was around the seeds (on the female cones).
As far as wreath making goes, yews offered what I called a filler. Sometimes you need a lot of greens to create a full wreath (and you need even more to create a holiday kissing ball) and having this needled type of dark green evergreen filler from my dad’s trees, rather than purchasing more of another filler greens such as balsam and boxwood, helped reduce some expenses for me. It also served as a backup green. I always feared I’d run out at the workshops, and this was a good stock of filler. They hold onto their needles very well and last a very long time. As I’ve noted in prior posts, what makes a beautiful wreath is a mix of greens because you get various textures of green colors and yew also has a lighter underside color to the needles. Can you see the yew in the photos above? The yew helped to fill it in as with all the other greens we had on hand to use.
It is possible people don’t like to use them in their landscapes because they are toxic. My handy reference book indicates the foliage, bark, or seeds, are toxic to people and to all classes of livestock. The fleshy red berries (known as arils) are not poisonous, but the seeds inside which are very small are from what I know. This was interesting to read because my dad’s yew trees are on his farm! He had cows for years, but they were not in the backyard area where these trees stand by the road which leads further back to where the cows roamed the property by the river and in the fields. I wonder now if my dad knew this toxic issue about his yew trees and will have to tell him when I see him this week. He did not have any yew shrubs in the fields where the cows were, so that’s a good thing. I also read they are “not” toxic to deer – go figure! We all know deer like to roam evergreens and have at them in some landscapes.
Undersides shown above on Yew stems next to Lemon Leaf (on far left)
I also liked using some of the taller yew branches to insert into large planters with the other mix of greens when creating holiday decor. The branches with reddish to brown bark are firm and strong, so it was useful for that aspect, serving as a center tall thriller. These yew greens experienced no problems if they get wet or frozen. I realized that yew was just overlooked but very useful. Yew has a nice dark green color with a bit lighter green on the underside of the needles and they had a nice fine texture too. They were not difficult to work with.
There are tons of cultivars of yew shrubs and trees. They have or had many purposes from foundation plantings to topiaries, even bonsai. They do not have serious diseases or insect issues from what I know. And lastly, these greens held up very nicely before and even after use. I would put them in a huge bin with the stem or limb cut ends facing down in the bins and fill the bottom part of the bins with water to keep them hydrated, and again, as noted in my prior post, I put them in the cold garage. The needles “never fell off” even after the workshops were long over and weeks went by. When I had some left over, there wasn’t a needle on the cement floor of the garage. Even if the water in my big bin froze, it did not negatively impact the stock I had collected. Later, I would put the left-over branches in the woods for the deer to have should they find them.
One year, I dressed up in my holiday gear wearing a red Santa hat and red festive jacket and recorded a video of me showing all of the green types I had for the upcoming workshops, and I talked about yews. I noted that not many people use yew greens in their wreaths, but I do. Later, I saw a nursery person showing off yew too. I thought, “Did she see my video and then gather some up too?” Perhaps! Why not so long as you know about the toxicity part.
One thing is for certain, I will miss this annual harvesting tradition with my dad. I’m not doing my wreath workshops anymore and not making greenery wreaths for the first time in 15 years. While we worked to gather up these greens, we’d have quick chats after the chainsaw stopped and I always cherished these quick chats, but it was also cold out usually and we’d feel it. Then we’d decide we were done chatting in the cold. It is something I just felt was a nice experience just for us. I didn’t even take a picture of us out there – which I think I should have. If you should decide to use some yew, please let me know your thoughts.
Yesterday, on the news, they said today is one of the busiest days for many small businesses offering holiday items, but we are expecting lots of rain and heavy winds today here in Connecticut, which may result in power outages. That’s okay, I can still make my custom wreaths in the dark with the woodstove going and candle light if need be.
Also, for some very odd reason, every year around now, my technology starts to give me trouble – why?! I Wonder?!! One year, my iPhone died completely at this busy holiday time, and I actually had to rush out to buy a new one – a present I wasn’t expecting; I remember feeling completely frustrated I had to do that.
This year, my iphone is not dinging when texts arrive (I seem to fix it once, and it is happening again), and my business Facebook page under Container Crazy CT seems to be doing weird things – Ugh, please holiday bad gremlin go away. Just like in the holiday movies, there is always that one bad spirit trying to steal the happiness of others – maybe that is my tech gremlin! I can’t let him do that though!!!
So, I am just reminding everyone the best way to reach me is a direct text or email works too! I’m busy making wreaths and offering my Holiday Box of Greens. Now is truly the best time to get this as the next week is busier than this week for me. As a one-woman owned business, with one very cute Elf Helper, a heads-up is very much appreciated!
Thank you, Cathy Testa of Container Crazy CT 860-977-9473 containercathy@gmail.com
The festive holidays are starting off nicely this year. Thanksgiving Day was a beautiful day here in Connecticut, followed by Friday, which was a little misty and rainy at first but not terrible in regards to weather, then a beautiful sunny day on Saturday (a popular day to get your Christmas trees and start outdoor decorating, as well as hitting up Shop Small Saturdays for local businesses for gifts), and it looks like we will squeeze out at least another half day of no rain before rain again later in the day on Sunday, today.
This kind of nice cooler, non-rainy weather is helpful to me, because I will make at least 100 trips back and forth to my garage for my greens to make wreaths and prep items for holiday pots and planters during the next two weeks. I have to bundle going back and forth and if it is not raining, it sure helps. Even better is when there isn’t any ice on the driveway where I could potentially slip and fall. However, I don’t mind misty rain so much nor would I mind a “nice pretty snowfall” because it adds to the upcoming Christmas spirit we start to experience this time of year after Thanksgiving weekend.
This year is different, because things are just costing more. When you see an item priced a little higher, please just remember, it is not because anyone is taking advantage – at least not by small local businesses, it is because they are being charged higher too, and that is just the way it is this year. We all have to pick and choose what is important and valuable to us. In fact, we went to get our Christmas tree on Friday, and it was $75. All the trees in the lot were $75 regardless of size, where as a year ago, the place had no trees due to shipping issues, and the year before, I think it was $55. But you know what? We got a gorgeous tree at $75. It is so full and beautiful. Last night, I sat in-front of it with my husband and we admired the tree. It smells great in the house, the needles are firm, and it is full. I’m thinking I will sit in front of it every night instead of the television the next four weeks!
Anyhow, today is probably the day I will make my first custom wreath. And yesterday, was the day I boxed up my first greens box order. I am so very thankful for those who have placed orders thus far. Making each items brings me joy and a little worry too, cause I always worry – I know, not productive! BUT, it can be productive when you are planning and doing your best to have all the holiday “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed. But overall, once I get into the zen of making a wreath, it is all good!
We are now at week 4 – meaning four weeks before Christmas. Our weekend agendas will hopefully start to be filled with gatherings and/or festive activities, or perhaps it will be mellow. Not everyone has those big family gatherings, some are small and intimate. Maybe you feel lonely this year, due to a loss, or perhaps just because things are not panning out a certain way. Whatever the case, surround yourself with what makes YOU happy. Whether it be a wreath or a chocolate bar (hopefully hand made with really good chocolate), or in the case of a wreath, handmade with really good fresh greens! And pick those things which make others happy to – for those who are important to you.
8 Varieties of Fresh Holiday Greens
One thing that makes me happy to offer is my Holiday “Box of Greens,” which is actually two boxes with 8 varieties of fresh holiday greenery per order. To learn more of the total list of varieties and contents, cost, etc., feel free to contact me soon! And get decorating alone or with friends. I’m located in the Broad Brook section of East Windsor, CT and will be here every day this week and most of next. You may also visit me on, http://www.WorkshopsCT.com for additional details, photos, etc.
Thank you and enjoy the rest of your weekend! Hopefully today will be a day of rest for YOU!
This year I am offering Holiday Greens by the Box, which I refer to as, “HolidayGreens by Cathy T.”
The Box is actually two per order!
It has been so much fun for me packing up all the wonderful fresh greenery for my orders. I hand select them from my stock and prepare each order individually right before the customer arrives so all is super fresh.
I bought a big roll of shiny red tape to close the boxes, knowing red is appropriate for Christmas and the holidays, and tie each box off with red string too.
Cathy T Holding one of the boxes
As I close them up, I feel a sense of happiness – like I’m wrapping a Christmas present. It is a type of process that makes me feel as if I am giving someone a treat, a gift, and a package of festive time to come.
Lots of Variety!
Each box contains wonderful varieties of greens. I love having the various textures and shades of greens to make my wreaths and I think it is a special treat to have this material to make holiday decorations at home.
Customer Putting Boxes in her Car
My husband built a wonderful rustic stand of tree branches from fallen trees and it is perfect. In fact, I call it “Driveway Pick-ups” now. If someone wants completely no contact whatsoever due to COVID safety, it is easily achieved.
Driveway Pick Up Stand
However, I have been snapping photos of pick-ups at a safe distance with both our masks on!
Picking up a Large Order for her and a friend
Every time someone shows up, a conversation starts up. Just the two of us in the driveway sharing stories of how we all have new traditions this year, as a result of limited gatherings due to COVID19. I hear of what has been going on in their lives, things they may have experienced, and we all realize the new traditions we are forming this year, which could perhaps stay as a tradition – like these new Holiday Greens by Cathy T I’m offering.
There is still time to get your box (which is actually 2 per order). Imagine sitting home right now making a wreath with a friend or with a child, grandparent, and whomever you are staying safe with right now. I invite purchasers to a page with my how-to videos and wonderful tips on working with holiday greens.
If interested, please reach out and I will provide you with the list of greenery included in the boxes and the price. My cell is 860-977-9473 and I am located in Broad Brook section of East Windsor, CT.
I shared this photo yesterday, on a whim, on my personal Facebook page and received lots of comments. Most people wrote things like, “You look so happy!” or “This is a great photo.”
I have to say, I am THE most happy at the moment right then, right before I would be completely ready for my holiday workshops to begin for my annual wreaths and kissing balls attendees.
Cathy Testa right before attendees were to arrive!
This photo, taken two years ago, was on a sparkling, yet brisk cold, December morning. I got up early before all the wonderful attendees arrive, working diligently with my helpful and happy husband to get all the beautiful fresh mixed greens on tables. All this work always took place right before the workshop was to start on the day off.
Boxwood in a Galvanized Bin
From fresh Balsam Firs, so traditional for the Christmas scents we are familiar with, to elegant florals such as Berried Eucalyptus. All would be carefully placed on rustic tables and shelves. Some bundles were placed in red plastic bins or galvanized rustic buckets in wheel barrels. Whatever we had on hand to make all the taking easy for everyone.
Fresh Juniper in a Wheel Barrel
It would be so pretty when we were done setting all the greens up. I would be freezing cold at times with the tips of my fingers being numb even while wearing gloves, and feel like my eyes were tired (why the big sunglasses over my eye glasses in that photo), yet, I always took the time for photos to capture these moments just before guests would begin to arrive. Every minute, from our first sip of coffee that day till the start time of my holiday workshop was consumed with work for both me and my husband.
Decor everywhere
There have been many years where I was completely exhausted from all the organizing type stresses. Will my greens by okay? Will there be enough greens? Will I be able to handle a group of 35-40 very excited women ready to make wreaths?! Will the weather cooperate? Will it be windy? Usually all my anticipation would start to fill my mind, of course, as I laid my head on the pillow the evenings before the big workshop days.
The days or even weeks before the event, I would start to decorate here and there, adding holiday touches in my home, on my property, and in the staging area for the greens. I always wanted to make everything perfect, or as best as possible. It needed to be a cozy, organized, and a welcoming event.
Cathy T’s Holiday Red Hat on the KB Sign
We would stage all the fresh holiday greens, many varieties, in a beautiful wood shed, which my husband built for his wood. For many years, he sacrificed the space on one side for us, for this workshop event, for the ladies. What a man, Mr. KB Claus. He never once complained about that. This year, of course, it is all filled with his stacked wood. And he just happily stacked his wood this year without ever a mention of how he gave up the space all those years prior for my workshops.
Decorations all around
It almost looked like a manger on my holiday workshop days, as one attendee stated one year. It wouldn’t be long before I learned, I need elf helpers because the large group took a lot of coordinated effort, and fortunately for me, I am blessed with three close friends who offered to help me and my hubby.
My elf helpers – They even agreed to wear the festive aprons I got them last year!
But this year is different, very different. My holiday offerings are different, our upcoming family and friend gatherings are different, and our holiday anticipation, in many ways, will be different. All due to COVID entering our worlds. Who would EVER imagine COVID would be here still in the month of November. Into, what eight months, since this all started in March? My goodness!
So this year, as I’ve noted, I am taking custom orders for wreaths and kissing balls, as well as offering fresh greens by the box. All the details are outlined on my site, http://www.WorkshopsCT.com. I have my holiday face mask ready to greet anyone coming by for orders, and my helpful and festive hubby already built a stand for safe zero contact porch-pick-ups. Well, it will be driveway pick-ups this year. The stand he built is from wood limbs of trees around our property, which make it rustic looking. I can’t wait to hang my custom wreaths and kissing balls on it for orders. I think it will look pretty. And this starts next week, immediately after Thanksgiving Day.
Steve, Mr. KB Claus, Holding a Wreath made by Cathy T last year for a customer
So who am I? Well, I guess this holiday season, I am still Mrs. KB Claus but in a different format. Not sure what my title will be but I do know, I thoroughly enjoy working with the beautiful fresh holiday greens creating and it will certainly help ease our COVID situations. Creating with greens is an amazing escape from any concerns we may have as we stay safe at home. And I’m sure my husband will tolerate all my antics along the way!
Cathy Testa 860-977-9473 containercathy@gmail.com
Token Males, I used to call them as a joke, hanging out with Steve by the firepit outdoors while us festive women created our holiday items!
The start of November, as we await Thanksgiving Day, and move quickly into the Holiday mode, is what I feel is a transition zone.
I really don’t want to bombard people with what I will be offering for the holidays until a bit later in the month, but then again, many people plan ahead to decorate and get into the holiday spirit.
We also have a few days of decent weather coming up, so this is when we will wrap up our outdoor clean up for sure. For example, my husband is planning to clean up the gutters this weekend, and I will be removing last minute summer items into my garage or basement during the rest of this week between appointments and orders.
As far as transitioning, the following are some items I’ve been doing:
Updating my Galleries on SmugMug. Been creating a Holiday Folder to show custom orders and my holiday greens coming up.
Updating my 3 sites to be more current. Yes, I have 3. It is a long story but each is dedicated to my service offerings: WorkshopsCT.com, ContainerGardensCT.com, and this blog site, ContainerCrazyCT.com.
Ordering supplies for my upcoming custom holiday wreaths, kissing balls, and loose greens orders. Taking inventory, writing instructional documents, and more.
Taking any last minute orders – still – for handmade Succulent Topped Pumpkins which make beautiful centerpieces for the Thanksgiving decor and your table!
Making hanging succulent filled glass globes to add to the autumn decor for custom orders. Making terrariums with succulents and fall decor too.
Checking my greenhouse daily to ensure all systems are working property, looking over the plants moved in and making sure none have issues. Making sure the heat is working and all that jazz.
Cleaning the house! Yes, part of my fall transition zone. I’m so busy in spring with plants of course that I never have time to do the big clean in spring. It tends to happen in the fall or early winter.
Trying to decide on the Thanksgiving dinner plans. I think it will be just me and my honey this year, and that is the week I start making wreaths and kissing balls, so just as well be home. Just too risky to do large gatherings due to the COVID rises across our country.
Sorting my holiday home decor and donating the old or unneeded to free Facebook pages in my town.
And finally, taking walks in the brisk cool air as much as possible before it gets too cold out there – but then again, that just reminds me – get those snowshoes out so when it is colder, I can transition to that!
Happy Wednesday everyone. Hope you are okay while we wait to hear the results of the election, and transition through whatever they may be!
I am continuing to hand make custom wreaths, kissing balls, swags,
and offer boxes of greens till Christmas!
My wreaths are very full and fluffy –
and I use between 12-15 different variety of fresh, aromatic greens.
They are adorned with a bow of your color choice (red, gold, candy cane, etc.)
and some faux berries with small glass ornaments,
or may be left natural if you desire one with no decor.
Kissing Balls and Swags are made with various greens as well.
We have about a week and a half left before the big Christmas day, so don’t delay. *** Pick up in Broad Brook, CT by Appointment. ***
On Saturday, December 15th, I will be one of the many vendors
at the Stafford Winter Fest.
The market is held indoors in the town hall on Main Street.
If you have not been to downtown Stafford Springs, CT in a long time, now is the time.
The Main Street runs direct to the Town Hall – the building facing the rotary, and there are shops along the way on Main Street. Many are new and happening!
There is a wonderful coffee pastry shop, pottery store, a cidery, vintage type store, a restaurant or two, and there will be a food truck in the parking lot
as well near the town hall.
Grab your umbrella and come visit.
The town hall is a lovely old building with stairs to the 2nd floor to the market place.
It is not too many stairs either – I tested it out! My hips are not as friendly now, LOL.
I am going to be there with hand-held styled holiday gifts adorned with succulents and greens, and greenery fresh items – all will be perfect for those last minute gifts or decorations.
Market place runs from 3 pm to 7 pm, and during the day, as noted on the flyer above, and there are other fun events happening same day in town.
Container Crazy CT 