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Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

by | Oct 13, 2011 | 31 Days: Inspired Holidays, Christmas, Christmas Decorating, Fall Decorating, Seasonal Decorating & Entertaining, Winter Decorating

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Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration
Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

Decorating with Branches

I love to find ways to stretch my decorating budget and keep items on hand that are extremely versatile and can be used for more than one occasion or season.

For years and years my mom used sticks for decorating. She had sticks and branches for all seasons. Glittery sticks, plain winter sticks, sticks with flowers, sticks with tiny leaves. Branches made the ultimate simple seasonal statement. I was hooked. I wanted my own.

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal DecorationDecor8

Fast forward to now, and people are still using branches in decorating! You might think they are trendy, but they have stood the test of time and are more of a classic decorative item. I don’t think you can go wrong with items from nature. They just never go out of style.

If you can some great branches or sticks, they will look amazing alone or with almost any sort of embellishment. They work in all seasons, all holidays and all occasions. They are perfect for any room, inside or out.

Enjoy today’s round up of holiday decorating with branches! Maybe you’ll find a new idea or two you can use!

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

Pottery Barn

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal DecorationLife in the Fun Lane

I have a stick just like those with the birds on them.
Why oh why have I never put it on the wall? Now I think I will.

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal DecorationCountry Living

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal DecorationCanadian House and Home

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal DecorationPottery Barn

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal DecorationMartha Stewart

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

Remodeling Center

I love how those branches above are not the main event,
but just add a little height to that side table!

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal DecorationCountry Living

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

Remodeling Center

Even with no other decorations, sticks and branches add a sculptural element that is just beautiful!

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

Housemartin via a guest post from years ago on The Inspired Room,

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal DecorationMartha Stewart

So many options of cute things to put on your branches!

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

Martha Stewart

Twigs and branches can be the perfect solution for weddings and party decor in any season too!

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

BH&G

 

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal DecorationNell Hills Blog

 

Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

 Pottery Barn

 Inspired Holidays {Day 13}:: The Most Versatile Seasonal Decoration

Country Living

How have you used branches and sticks
in your seasonal decorating?

Catch up on the past few posts in this 31 Day series!

Day 9: Things to Treasure List

Day 10: Tips for Mantels and Display

Day 11: Tips for Holiday Curb Appeal

Day 12: Scents for the Season & DIY Cinnamon Stick Candles

The rest of the 31 Day Participants! WAY TO GO 31 DAYERS!!! Keep going, almost half way there!

34 Comments

  1. Camille

    Love this post. I have always used branches in decorating. They are one of Nature’s many Gifts to us!

    Reply
  2. LLMM

    It may be a bit of a stupid question, but branches I have in my garden never look this pretty. Should you dry them or something? And if so, how?

    Reply
    • Savannah

      My husband dried some out for me once in the oven. I imagine you need to be pretty careful with this, but they turned out lovely. He scraped all the bark off first and put them in for just a few minutes (less than 10). They had that smooth, hardened look like store-bought ones.

      Reply
  3. Spring

    I have had some branches in a pot on my mantle for a while- never changed them for ones with green on them come summer, like I did last year. In spring, I clipped some butterflies onto them. I think I’m going to stare at these photos some more, and see what else I can do- I am redoing my mantle today! Oh, and I finally did my front porch, inspired by your curb appeal post! (Painted my steps RED!) http://spring.gouette.com/?p=1547

    Reply
  4. Franki Parde

    I, too, always use branches in my decorating “themes.” I especially like hanging crystals from branches surrounded by candlelight…dreamy. franki

    Reply
  5. Heather

    Love the look of bare branches in a vase all year long. We always use them, especially at Easter when I like to honour my children’s Swedish heritage by making an “Easter” tree from birch branches and tiny tissue paper flowers – something my ex mother-in-law did every year.

    Reply
  6. Dana

    We took a walk through the woods a few years ago and made a Thankful Tree. (If anyone wants to see pics, we blogged about it back in Dec of 09.)

    After its stink for thanksgiving we really weren’t ready to give it up. So, we hung snowflakes on it for Christmas.

    Eventually, we strung white lights all over it and it now lives in my step-son’s bedroom.

    Sticks – and mini-trees, like ours – can be fun :)

    Thank you for all the pics. I’ve been meaning to make a really small stick centerpiece. Perhaps now is the time.

    Reply
  7. Michelle Starling

    Great ideas. I did this on my fornt porch and on my mantle. I also painted some branches white for the front porch last christmas.

    Reply
  8. teresa

    I love love use branches…..I’ve used them in some of the same ways you’ve shown. I did one last year painted white with snowflakes hanging from it.
    Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  9. {darlene}

    I love me some branches!!
    they are so sculptural and raw and natural. once I made hubby pull off of a highway because I saw a curly willow that had fallen over. I got those sticks, girl.

    Reply
  10. teresa

    I love love to use branches…..I’ve used them in some of the same ways you’ve shown. I did one last year painted white with snowflakes hanging from it.
    Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  11. Sharon

    Inspired ideas! How fun to bring a little bit of nature inside!

    Reply
  12. Gina

    This really makes me want to go out and gather branches and arrange them on the mantle. Or by the front door. Or on top of my kitchen cabinets…

    Reply
  13. Barbara (WA)

    Love this! I used to have some tall curly branches in my old farm milk can, on the porch, decorated with tiny white lights. I used it year around until the wood finally got brittle and broke apart. This post is inspiring me…hmm.

    Reply
  14. Maryann

    There is nothing like the shapes of nature! I LOVE all these images you have gathered for us! <3

    Reply
  15. Elizabeth

    Great ideas. Maybe I will go up in the mountains to get some sticks…:)

    Reply
  16. Karen

    Hi Melissa,
    I love natures bounty this time of year. It is such an inviting look that Pottery Barn is imitating nature. :-)
    Karen

    Reply
  17. Camille

    Love this post! I always use branches in my decorating – they are Nature’s best Gift to us!

    Reply
  18. Mimi

    Just love the Pottery Barn Dining room with the branches and ornaments. so beautiful and easy to do. I also like the front door decoration from the Nell Hills Blog. So simple, so elegant!

    Reply
  19. Andrea

    I was just thinking the other day that our little tree out front needs a little pruning… I’ll be saving the sticks for sure!

    Reply
  20. Sunny

    I love the look of branches. Though whenever I bring branches in they look contrived… maybe I am just not doing it right. I think that I will try again after seeing this post. Thanks

    Reply
  21. Lori

    This is my favorite post of the ’31 days’ so far! Thank you for all the wonderful photos – so inspiring. I have branches on my mantel right now but I will be looking for new branches and ways to display in other areas. So many ideas and so little time – hmmm.

    Reply
  22. Jessica

    You always have the best pictures! Who would have thought that sticks could look so good :) Silly question, but do your posts in the DIY & room tour (I just checked them out) show in my daily reader when you post ?

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Hi Jessica, no the DIY and Room Tours do not show up in the main reader. You’d have to subscribe separately to those channels (which the link seems to be missing, hmm, I’ll repost it when I find it). Not a silly question, thanks for asking!

      Reply
  23. Sarah

    I did that for the first time last Thanksgiving when I made a thanks tree. This spring I did a family Valentines tree. And, right now, as you can see below, I have a fall photo tree up.

    Reply
  24. Grace

    You found some great inspiration photos. I love using natural things to decorate. I don’t usually use branches at Christmas because I have so many other things that need space in the house. I do love pussy willow branches in the spring and they are a definite tradition around here as are branches with red leaves on the front porch.

    Reply
  25. Coastal Femme

    Love the photos…nature is so beautiful and full of texture!

    Reply
  26. Pam

    Okay now I’ve got my mind thinking of what to do with branches and a Christmas centerpiece! Thanks :)

    Reply
  27. Heathahlee

    A few years ago I was driving in our subdivision when I saw the PERFECT dead bush/tree/something-or-other that someone had dumped at the curb for the trash. The branches were wavy and they were just perfect. Have I said they were perfect? Well, they were. So, just like any good wife would do, I called my husband and asked him to come get it. But by the time he got there, the bush had been covered over with a whole lot of other stuff. So of course I asked my husband to go through all the other junk in 100 degree weather to get those branches. I’m telling you, they were PERFECT. He loves me very much, so he did. And I have used them for Christmas decorating every year since. Clean them off, paint them white, and put them in a vase with Epsom salts. Now that I think about it…I got that idea from you! :)

    Reply
  28. birdsandsoap

    Great post. Love the branches; cherry blossoms in the spring to icicle-y sticks from the dollar store in winter. I just threw a baby shower and used two large vases with branches and a bunting hung in-between as the centerpiece of the table. It was beautiful. Gave nice height and added a festive look to the table. I just “pruned” my lilac bush back a little for the branches and “voila!”

    This Christmas I am looking forward to making a “Jesse Tree.” I have small children and will be doing it along with our advent calendar. It tells the story of the line of Jesse, bringing Old Testament Scripture to light, showing God’s faithfulness over 4,000 years,leading up to the fulfillment of prophecy with the birth of the Messiah. You make ornaments with each one referencing an event of God’s deliverance of His people and place them on the Jesse Tree that is made from branches. Here’s a link for more info: http://www.crivoice.org/jesse.html . I believe it is an ecumenical tradition, because I had never heard of it until I started doing a little advent research. I think it it will be a great teaching tool for the advent season!

    Reply
  29. KATHYSUE

    I love the use of branches, especially in the Spring and Fall!! I have a curly willow tree in the park behind my house, time to go a-clipping!!!
    Kathysue

    Reply
  30. Autumn

    So many beautiful spaces. There is something ( or many things) I love in every photo. What a great collection! I love using branches too…. My husband doesn’t get it, but is glad to see me use something that’s free for the most part. I have some I keep season to season too. Last year my sparkly beaches made a nest in my dining room chandeliers,,,,this year they are joking the Christmas tree cuttings in a basin with white lights on my front porch! Thanks for all the wonderful inspiration, I know I can count on find that in measure at The Inspired Room!

    Reply
    • Autumn

      Ok, branches, not beaches……and joining, not joking….gotta read what the autocorrect puts in.

      Reply

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