Holiday - grace grits and gardening

Gracie Lee goes to The Enchanted Forest

December 24, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

Our family has always had lots of Christmas traditions. Mother-daughter traditions. Boon Chapel traditions. Gracie-Abby sister traditions. Visiting The Enchanted Forest at Goldsmith’s in Memphis was one of our favorites. Each year when we went, Momma dressed us in red velvet with white tights and black patent shoes, not because The Enchanted Forest was a dress-up place, but because Santa Claus waited at the end of our forest visit. Having a chance to talk with Santa, to tell him our greatest Christmas wishes, and to take a picture with him was reason enough to have clean hair and look fancy.

Something interesting about Goldsmith’s? During the non-Christmas part of the year, the forest area was nothing more than the basement of the department store. But at Christmas, just beyond the double doors past the men’s department, the Enchanted Forest became as magical as Alice’s Wonderland or Narnia, all those pixie-dust-sprinkled places.

Santa had that sort of power.Continue Reading

How to create a Dreamy Winter Wonderland

December 18, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

I’ve been adding a bit of holly, jolly to our home by creating winter wonderlands. This is a super simple project, y’all. If you’ve been feeling Grinch-like and haven’t summoned the energy to delve into full blown Christmas decorating, make a tiny, dreamy winter wonderland. In no time, the Christmas spirit will find you. Complete with sugarplums and jingle bells and Santa himself.

Promise.

How-to: dreamy winter wonderland:

Dig out your favorite small ornaments, teeny plastic toys, and vintage holiday decorations. The idea is to design a small wintry vignette, much like a Christmas version of the fairy gardens I see on Pinterest yet never make.
Buy a box of snow from your local craft store or use something on hand. I imagine cotton, sugar, glitter, confetti, shredded paper, snippets of rosemary or other greenery will work nicely for the frosty groundcover.
Gather a few small containers. I used silver platters, tin trays, a glass compote, and garden cloches. Use your imagination. Search your cabinets for small dishes and pieces of pottery. That shallow plant saucer in the garage would make a great base.
Channel your younger self. You remember her, right? She waited for Santa, studied the Sears Wish Book, and dreamed of her favorite toys. She left carrots for Dasher and Dancer and Rudolph. That younger self.
Put your dreamy winter wonderland together with a theme in mind. A theme will tie together the elements of your creation. I used favorite Christmas carols.

Really, that’s all there is to it.

Once you make your first dreamy winter wonderland, you’ll make another. Eventually, you’ll have to stop yourself before your entire house is filled with dreamy little wonderlands. Not that one can have too much dreamy or wonder.

Take a Peek:

I used my blue compote to create Blue Christmas. The house was made by my artist friend, Beth Macre. It’s a tiny replica of our Fayetteville home. This little world reminds me of those antique mercury glass ornaments with enchanted dioramas built in.

Let it Snow is nothing more than a silver tray, a few bottle brush trees, and a sprinkle of mica snow. This simple display makes a festive vignette on my coffee table.

Frosty the Snowman adds whimsy in the powder room. A dusting of snow keeps him happy. Most of the trees and ornaments I use, including those in this wonderland, are no more than a couple of inches tall.

Winter Wonderland has always been one of my favorite Christmas songs, so I created my own little winter wonderland in a glass cloche. The base is flat which makes for easy arranging of snow and trees. Consider it a deconstructed snow globe. In other words, not to be shaken.

This vintage Santa is from my childhood. Emphasis on vintage. One of the reindeer has gone missing. Santa’s sleigh could use a fresh coat of paint. The rusty tray looks like a rooftop if you use your imagination.

Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn’t go love this?

Silent Night makes me extra happy, the song and the birthday of Christ. Several years ago, my friend, Jenny, lived in Rotterdam. She brought me the star ornament from the Netherland Christmas market. (I taped it to the top of the glass dome with regular Scotch tape.) I bought the sweet lamb in Iceland last summer. My son made baby Jesus when he was in Kindergarten. Heavenly and peaceful. Yes. I think so.

Other tips / ideas:

Add a small strand of battery-powered lights to make your scene come alive.
Build your dreamy winter wonderland inside a decorative lantern or terrarium.
If the bottom of your container is curved make it level by adding a piece of cardboard. Snow covers a variety of sins.
Create a woodland wonderland using small pinecones, twigs and acorns with bird / owl ornaments and white feathers instead of snow.
If you prefer, secure the components of your wonderland with adhesive putty.

For the Little Ones:

With a bit of supervision, the youngest of Santa’s helpers can create wonderlands in shoe boxes and cigar boxes to better contain the glittery snow. Can’t you see a dreamy winter wonderland made with Legos and Star Wars characters? Little People (are they still a thing?) and Matchbox cars? Of course, these wonderlands can’t be shaken like snow globes, but displayed on the mantle or bookcase, Santa will be sure to notice right when he comes down the chimney.

Seriously, I bet I could come up with fifty more ideas. Yes, this is what I do when I should be working on my next book.

Only 7 more sleeps!

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Create a dreamy winter wonderland this Christmas #craft #vintage [/tweetthis]

P.S. This is the snow I used.

Musical Pairing:
Winter Wonderland, Eurythmics

Creative Christmas Giving with Walmart Gift Cards!

December 2, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

This post is sponsored by InComm for Walmart as part of the #SaveMoneyGiveBetter2017 Campaign. All opinions are my own.

Hey friends! I’m that person who doesn’t start thinking about Christmas until the calendar flips to December. And yay, it has! Now I’m all in. Yesterday, I started decorating my house. Yesterday, I picked up a few Walmart gift cards for those on my Christmas list.

Tis the Season, for Walmart gift cards!

Remember when the children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads?

I do.

But now in our family, there are no babies, no sugarplums, no nestling, not really. My kids are adults in their twenties with lives and careers and new homes and serious goals. My sister’s kids (twins) are seniors in high school with visions of graduation on the very fast approaching horizon.

It’s like I settled down for a long winter’s nap and woke up two decades later.

And then in a twinkling, they grow up in a flash. Take it from me. It’s true.

During the past few years when I ask, “What does everyone want for Christmas?” the answer is the same.

Gift cards.

There was a time I thought giving gift cards was boring and dull. What’s the point of exchanging gifts if I give you a Starbucks card, and you give me a Starbucks card? But there is a point. A huge point.

Giving is important and impactful. It’s about the love we put into it. Giving brings about happiness. We open our hands and hearts and spread a little joy and glitter and tinsel in this world that so needs it.

And here’s the thing. Walmart gift cards can be fun for both the giver and receiver. And the truth is, a gift card is way easier than putting together a Barbie house during the wee hours of Christmas Eve or scouring the interwebs for a rare and sold-out Lego set.

Would I go back and relive one of those Barbie – Lego Christmases? Absolutely. But a stress-free adult Christmas is pretty sweet, too.

How to Make a Gift Card Personal

So how to make a gift card personal?

Match the card to the recipient. Obvious right? Walmart has a variety of gift cards to choose from, so you can be as specific as you like. For the movie lover: Fandango, Netflix, Regal. For the foodie: Olive Garden, Chilis, Outback. For the person who needs a break: a Spa card, Starbucks, Hotels.com. For the gamer: Google Play, Xbox, iTunes. And on and on. For my niece and nephew, I chose Vanilla Mastercards which can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted. Senior year is busy busy BUSY. (And expensive.) They can use their Vanilla Mastercards for new clothes, choir trip souvenirs, dorm room things. Whatever.
Treat the gift card like the special gift it is. In other words, present the card in a fun box or gift bag rather than handing it over in a plain envelope. Make it festive! I seriously love to wrap gifts, so adding ribbon and gift tags is a big part of holiday magic for me.
Tie it to a theme. Whatever card you choose, include other goodies and trinkets that fit the theme of your card and personality of your recipient. A movie card? Add Milk Duds and Sweet Tarts. A spa card? Add a fizzy bath bomb or lavender lotion. Although I chose a rather non-specific card for my niece and nephew, I made it personal by adding a few Arkansas Razorback items to the gift: a hog koozie, peel & stick tattoos, and a Razorback ornament. Full disclosure: the twins have applied to several colleges, been accepted to Arkansas, but have not committed. As their favorite aunt, I’m doing my part to guide them in the right direction. #WooPigSooie

I love the way my gifts turned out. The boxes were less than $2.00 and can be reused. How cute are these Razorback ornaments? Your local Walmart is a great source for fan goodies, no matter which team you support.

So Many Gift Card Choices

The next time you’re at Walmart, stop and visit the gift card kiosk. You can’t miss it. During the holidays, it’s topped with a big red bow visible from anywhere in the store. The available varieties of gift cards is incredible. There’s definitely something for everyone on your list—teachers, your postman, the barista who creates the perfect art on your skinny pumpkin latte. Your favorite blogger, haha, just kidding.

I’d love to hear how you make gift cards part of your holiday gift-giving. And which gift card do you want Santa to bring you? When I see him, I’ll put in a word.