Craft Project - Living Ornaments by Wen Zientek-Sico One of my favorite holiday gifts, these ornaments are beautiful and practical. While you can make small floral arrangements, I like making cuttings of my favorite plants and presenting them as gifts this way.

Living Ornaments

Add some life to your tree with these beautiful ornaments. We especially like these ornaments made with clear or simply frosted globes, but any ornament works well. Particularly attractive are dark green balls filled with red roses, or bright red balls filled with holly leaves. If you'd rather not hang these on your tree, they are also delightful strung across a window on a ribbon, placed in small bowls or on candlesticks (like in the photo), or hung in a doorway...especially if mistletoe is the plant used. We like ivy, mistletoe, holly, fern leaves, roses, mums, and daisies for the longest lasting arrangements.

Assorted glass ornaments
Water
Food coloring (optional)
Floral preservative or plant food (optional)
Plant cuttings or long lasting flower stems

Place the ornament in a cup or bowl so it stands firmly upright. Fill the ornament most of the way with water. If the ornament is clear or translucent, add food coloring if desired. For longer lasting floral arrangements add floral preservative or for stronger cuttings, add plant food that is safe for cuttings. Place the plant cuttings or flowers into the top of the ornament, threading the stems through the hole in the ornament hanger and making sure the bottoms of the stems are totally covered by water. Hang or place in a decorative bowl or candlestick, and water occasionally if necessary.

Remember that some holiday flowers, berries, and leaves are poisonous and to take care when working with them and displaying them so that little ones don't eat anything they shouldn't.

Project Developed, Styled, and Photographed by Wen Zientek-Sico.