I have a bunch of hand blown glass christmas ornaments that aren't particularly Christmassy colors, so when I take them off the tree I put them in a big glass bowl. A friend of mine (who I've given an ornament like this for over a decade) hangs hers on fishing line in one of her windows.

I live in a city, so there is not much in the way of dead branches available, but a branch with bird ornaments on it would be kind of interesting too.

Thanks Palimpsest. I love the look of hand blown glass and that might fit the bill for a wooden box I have sitting empty right now. I also recall seeing a magazine article once that showed pictures of clear glass balls that were originally used with fishing nets , I think. If anyone reading this knows what I might be thinking of I would love to track some of those down to use in the same way you are suggesting.

We are almost at the point when I start cutting branches that I bring in and force. Forsythia and flowering quince are two that work well. Also, HD and other places often have orchids around this time for a very reasonable price. They add a wonderful punch of color and bloom for ages. I never have the luck others do with getting them to live on long enough to bloom again-alas.

The glass balls you mention are fishing floats. You can find old ones on ebay or just google glass fishing floats. There a couple of companies that sell old ones. There are a lot of new ones around now that they are popular. I have some old ones that are hand blown with small bubbles in the glass. The colors are delicate and lovely.

Thanks Cyn427 , Orchids are a good suggestion and it would give my rooms a midwinter lift. If the winter weather doesn't keep me in I will head to HD to see what is available.

Cheap bouquets of flowers from the grocery store are a great room brightener any time of year.

I had the same issue and my friend helped me by suggesting I add a green plant. We blogged about it (see the link below.)

One of the first blog posts shows how she cut winter greenery and made an arrangement from it. There is also an arrangement of ice branches that worked well.

I am still trying to get her access to this forum. Bless her heart - she's in her mid-70's and something got goofed up when she registered.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sprucing up an older kitchen

Did somebody say "pictures?" I just added more pictures to all the room threads in the Gallery. If you close this thread and look at the bottom of the page, there is a Gallery link there. There is a thread for about every kind of room imaginable, plus don't miss the "Show me your Cottage Decor" thread. There are several hundred photos in each thread, so pour yourself a cup of your favorite beverage, and enjoy the eye candy! You will definitely find inspiration galore.

Orchids are a great suggestion & green plants too. I love my plants!

Loribee, do you have problems keeping your green plants looking healthy during the winter months? My green plants really struggle this time of year I suppose because the house is so dry when the furnace runs so much. Right now my ferns are all clustered in one out of the way room where my goal is to keep them alive until late spring when they always bounce back beautifully. They would look very sad right now sitting by my fireplace or on the center of my table.

Actually , I thought if I used things that were already dead in my pots and containers I wouldn't have to worry about killing them.LOL

Natal, I do use cut flowers quite a bit and those are my medium of choice when we have dinner guests but the selection at the grocery store these last couple of trips has been pretty disappointing. The selection has been limited and the quality poor.

I just keep thinking there must be someway to out wit winter and make my house warm and inviting.

Oceanna, your gallery additions are a treasure . I will search there for inspiration as well.

Thanks for all your ideas.

Thanks, Sidney. I trust you will find loads of inspiration there. I hope you will show us your befores and afters and ask all the q's you like along the way. Happy decorating!

No- no probs with my plants in winter, Sidney. I water them every Saturday morning~ :)

Love these.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fishing floats

Though it is a little late for this now, every fall, when I plant my bulbs, I hold out some grape hyacinths and stash them in the stairway to the basement. It is cold there, but not freezing. The bulbs get enough chill to think it's been winter. Then, I bring them in and force them in a dish of glass pebbles and water.

I have a rotating display of blooms all winter as a rule...amaryllis, paperwhites, orchids, grape hyacinths, primroses from the grocery store....just enough to keep me happy until it's time to plant peas.

Computer Mom, I don' know how I missed your post but thank you. I enjoyed the link you included and the post on winter foliage is precisely the kind of inspiration I was looking for.

I also ran across another blog from a landscape designer/ artist in the Detroit area.One of her posts gave some wonderful examples of ways to fill containers during the winter months. Most of her examples are for the outdoors but there are plenty of inspiration pics that would work inside as well. I spent a lot of time looking through her old posts ..there are just so many great ideas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Creative Winter Floral Arrangements

I don't think it's a coincidence that I do a lot of painting in January and February. My heart simply craves color and vibrancy...and it's not to be found outside. (And, yes, I live in Texas where we really don't have winter like the rest of the planet. Still don't like it. lol)

But if painting a room or a wall isn't in the plan...I like bright, happy, colorful throw pillows. You can stuff them in a closet when you don't need the color therapy and drag them out again when you do.

I grow basil in my south facing kitchen window...it's green and vibrant, plus crushing a leaf perfumes the house with a happy scent. And I cook with it.

You can safely decorate for Valentine's day now. Some happy reds and pinks might go a long way to brightening things up.

I'm going to buy myself an orchid this afternoon. I need some color and life in the house. Great idea.

If your rooms vary greatly in temperature because of a fireplace, an orchid can be a bad idea at this time. The buds will fall off.

I have several orchids -all phals- but must keep them in a back bedroom as we crank up the gas fireplace each evening in the main room.

The room gets warm and toasty then we turn it off at bedtime and the room gets cool for the night- terrible conditions for orchid buds.
But in the fairly even temps of the unused bedroom they are fine..except I can't enjoy them!

I do a couple of things at Christmas that can transcend into Spring. I have a rusty red pottery jug/urn on my DR table that I have used for several seasons. I have a dried/silk arrangement of florals and berries(I promise they kind of look real) with yellows, poppy reds, little yellow and limey green berries that I use in the summer and fall.

I do a Winter arrangement for Christmas in the same pot, trying not to make it to Christmassy with red berries, white berries, muted red and gold apples, a few grapevine leaves, etc. I will keep this out until early spring.

When I switch out my "arrangements" I lightly tie them with a ribbon or string, so that it does take forever to rearrange. Basically just plop them back down in the pot and do a little tweeking.

I will switch out the placemats or table runner accordingly.

My DIL had me a pine wreath made up for early December birthday. Her mother is a florist. I told her to keep it simple with pine cones, a few berries, and a big red bow. I will keep it up until spring.

I have a throw that a special friend gave me when my mother died with cardinals, holly, and an inspirational quote on it. I am ashamed to admit this, but I really, really did not want to display it - just not quite my style. But this Christmas I ended up folding it and hanging it in a V on the back of an oak rocker. I find that it is the perfect touch for the winter months.

Tuesday

Houseplants and as Natal suggested - fresh flowers.

I have an orchid budding right now - the first blooms since the original blooms (which last forevah!). I can't wait! Many green houseplants (no blooms), herbs in kitchen window and just a couple of violets. I love having violets for a while, then get tired of them and give them away. LOL

Forced bulbs are good right now also and I will do some forced branches as we get closer to spring. I also have a few moss balls in various pots which are nice and green and you cannot kill.

tina

Sydney4, I have nothing to offer other than a thank you. After work today I'm going to get my rear out in the woods and take a walk. I'll see what nature inspires in me.
This is what I love about this forum! A catalyst for design ideas and exercise!

Thank you all for your ideas. I want to try them all! You have managed to nudge me out of my midwinter doldrums. Bumblebeez, I do appreciate your advice on the care of orchids. I was ready to put one in every room but maybe I will start out with the powder room . I think that is a fairly safe environment. I even found a some supply sources for green moss to create my own authentic moss balls.

Happy in Texas. Switching out pillows would be a nice way to bring in some seasonal change and it doesn't require a green thumb! I think for me it would be easy to just make pillow covers that could be switched and stored easily.

deedee if you are feeling similarly inspired by this thread , you may want to check out the link I suggested above. There are so many good ideas there.

I also wanted to share with you a suggestion I received from a local artisan who works in natural mediums She said she fills vases and containers with bare branches after the growing season has passed. She uses the bare branches as filler and then adds in elements depending on the season.She sent me pictures but I don't have her permission to share them unfortunately. For now she has crystal snow flakes hanging from the branches but she plans to add in pussy willow and forsythia as soon as the buds are far enough along to force.

I went out yesterday and gathered up twigs for one of my vases and now I'm in the hunt for what I might use with it to add some interest. I'll send pictures if I come up with something that could pass for anything artistic. Right now it looks a little like "kindling in a pitcher" LOL

Bulbs put into pots can be forced inside. Paperwhites and a few others are often available at the stores this time of year.
They take the blues right out of winter.

Start working on a spring wreath. Take your time look at the new materials they have out and what you have on hand and create something that is uniquely you to hang either inside or out.

Valentines Day is coming rather quickly. If you haven't decorated for that in awhile you might try your hand at making a few cards or just covering a box for the romantic in you. Even a old tree branch stuck into a vase and covered in red and white hearts can add some zing to a dreary wintery day.

I've been busy with work related stuff but I did get a start on a few projects. I went to Lowe's yesterday and they had a great selection of orchids. I wanted to take them all home but I decided to start small since I have absolutely no idea about the care and feeding of orchids. The instructions suggest a location with limited exposure to sunlight and bumblebeez warned about keeping them away from the fireplace so my orchid will get a home in the powder room. I think it looks great in there but I'm a little nervous about potting it without killing it ( I have a lousy track record with houseplants). I found a pot that i think will work well and I would like to use green moss at the base for additional color. Here is a pic .

I also wanted to do something with bare branches. So I filled a white pitcher with branches I gathered from our woods and placed them on our kitchen table. It was so cold outside , I didn't spend a lot of time looking for the best branches to work with but my goal is to use them as filler and add something else to it. It looked a little "barren" at first but I have to admit, the light airy look is starting to grow on me. Here is what I have so far. If any of you have ideas for what could be added to make it interesting let me know. It is pretty much a blank canvas right now. I went to the grocery store and found some cut flowers that might fit nicely but I really didn't know where to begin. I'm not sure what looks good with "sticks" LOL.

Thanks in advance for your ideas. We're getting yet another snow storm this week. This has been a fun diversion from all the gray nasty cold weather.

If you have a small string of lights handy try draping them amongst branches. I did that with Mardi Gras lights and beads ... a few branches in a clear rectangular vase draped with lights and beads.

I actually like your bare branches as is -- if you wanted to give it a little more 'zip', try adding some seed pod branches or branches with a little color (dogwood, etc.). Your orchid looks lovely.

Natal, Jen, thanks for your suggestions. The branches I have now aren't stable enough to hold lights but as you can see through the window of my kitchen I could probably find sturdier branches without too much trouble. Natal do you have a picture you could share?

Jen, my daughter has red twig dogwood in her yard. I may snip a few of those and see how they look. I do like the idea of seed pod branches. I just need a good source. I will be on the look out for some.

Sidney, your orchid looks wonderful in that pot! Also, love the pitcher with branches. Now, I am inspired to get off my duff and head out tomorrow to cut branches, too! Lovely house and furnishings, btw.

"I would like to use green moss at the base for additional color"

Maybe try the moss in the bowl under the pitcher also?
If you almost double the amount of branches in the pitcher, I think that would give it more "oomph" too.

Beautiful view!

Your orchid is very pretty! It is a phalaenopsis orchid and they are the easiest to manage.

Leave it in the pot. You can put some moss over the top but take the pot out of the urn to water it and let it drain in the sink. I would water it about once every 2 weeks. Water until it feels heavy. Get some orchid fertilizer if you want but I use Av fertilizer or weak Miracle grow just fine.

Anyway, there's lots to know about phals - and plenty of info out there- but nothing is hard to do.

Eventually, if you keep it alive, you will want to repot it - next year- and you'll have to buy orchid potting soil but that's all the investment.

It likes bright, filtered light.
I keep mine outside all summer on the patio in the shade.

"I would like to use green moss at the base for additional color"

Maybe try the moss in the bowl under the pitcher also?
If you almost double the amount of branches in the pitcher, I think that would give it more "oomph" too.

Beautiful view!

These have been great suggestions.

I struggle with Jan-March--I just don't like the cold and basically wish I had a time machine.

One thing that I have started to do is to not have any "wintery" decor in the house after Christmas.
No Snowman, etc. decor.

It has made a subliminal difference. I tend to go with house plants, cut greenery from the yard, new candles, valentine candy hearts, and get out my shiny silver platters and bowls. (If you didn't get yours as wedding presents, they are one of the best bargains to be found at estate sales and antique malls, Silver plated items are usually in the $5-25 range. And add sparkle!)