Here's a cute decoration I accidentally came up with a couple of years ago that I just love. After decorating the tree, I had a strand of plain white lights left over, so I plopped them into a big Longaberger basket I have, just to get them out of my way. For some reason I looked at it and thought to plug it in. The way the light came through the weave of the basket looked really pretty, I thought, but looking into the basket and seeing the lights wasn't so pretty. So, I grabbed a bag of cinnamon-scented pine cones I had picked up at Michael's and threw them in on top of the lights to disguise them. Plugged the whole thing back in and a few minutes later the cinnamon scent was all through the house. The lights put off just enough heat to warm the pine cones, releasing the fragrance. (I always unplug them when we're not home, just to be safe.)This year in addition to the pine cones, I wove strands of red and natural wooden bead garland through, draping them here and there over the rim of the basket. Then I stuck in these apples and pears to add more interest. The end result is so cute, very homey, and of course smells delish.
Any basket with a somewhat-loose weave would give the same result. I also think you could use any fragranced pine cones or pot pourri – evergreen would be wonderful. If you're not into a rustic look, try spray painting a basket gold or silver, and put shiny colored Christmas ornaments on top of the lights. Then you could weave in some satin ribbon and silver or gold bead garland. If you want the fragrance, you could try some esential oils on a cloth or cotton balls, which would be hidden by the other decorations.
The Bob and I love the way the house looks, feels and smells at Christmas. Try this decoration and let me know how it works for you!
UPDATE 12/29 – Since The Bob gave me a neat-o digital camera for Christmas, I thought I'd update this post with an actual shot of my basket decoration. I hope you try this next year!
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