Young House Love

Home Decorating, DIY Tutorials, & Shenanigans

  • Shop Our House
  • Our Previous Homes
    • Our Richmond House
    • Our Beach House
    • Our Duplex
  • Before & Afters
    • Our Current House
    • Our Previous House
    • Our Beach House
    • Our Duplex
    • Our First House
    • Our Second House
    • Our Showhouse
  • DIY & Decorating Tips
    • Most Popular
    • Home Improvement
    • Painting
    • Cleaning & Organizing
    • Crafting & Art
    • More . . .
  • Podcast
    • Getting Started
    • Show Notes
  • Shop
    • Our Fav Home Finds
    • Our Lighting Line
    • Our Books
    • Book Club Picks
    • Black-Owned Businesses

Young House Love » Decorating » The Jolly Green Garnish: Plant Clippings As Decor

| By Sherry Petersik | June 26, 2008 | 16 Comments

The Jolly Green Garnish: Plant Clippings As Decor

When Meghan Carter came to interview us, we tried to pull out all the stops to make our house look its absolute best. We were sure to have a tasty assortment of apples in our clam-shell-turned-fruit-bowl in the kitchen and fresh towels in each of the bathrooms. Heck, we even Fabrezed a bit for good measure. But we opted against bringing in bushels of fresh flowers after deciding that lush leafy greenery looks just as fresh with our simple neutral palette (and conveniently grows in abundance just steps away in our backyard.

So we were sure to snip some fresh ferns for a few bud vases in our bathrooms:

Smallbathroomafter2

And to bring in some heavier artillery (in the form of some big leafy branches) for our oversized glass bottles in the living room.

Smalllivingroomafter1

And just look how good those leafy greens look with the red front door… gotta love complementary colors.

Smalllivingroom3

Do you guys have any rituals to get your house ready for special guests? Or any cheap decorating tricks like robbing your yard of some not-to-be-missed branches and twigs? Do tell.

More posts from Young House Love

Filed Under: Decorating, Our First House

House Crashing: The Big Reveal
Our Home In R. Home

Comments

  1. Avatar for JenniferJennifer says

    June 26, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    i love to use the variegated pittosporum from our front yard shrubbery in the house. just a snip of it in a pretty vase with some water warms up our bathrooms and guestroom for company!

    Reply
  2. Avatar for erika - urban grace interiorserika - urban grace interiors says

    June 26, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    i rob my yard and buy fresh fruit. sometimes buy or put together a little posey for the guest room bedside table… and if i’ve got time bake some cookies… I might even do that too!

    Reply
  3. Avatar for Jennifer L.Jennifer L. says

    June 26, 2008 at 4:11 pm

    This is such a great idea! I just discovered your blog and am in love with your home – it’s gorgeous! I just posted some of your info and pics on my blog (about how fabulous you two are) to share with some friends who I know will also love your style and your sassy framed prints :) Thanks for sharing photos of your beautiful home!

    Reply
  4. Avatar for GinaGina says

    June 26, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    Loved your ideas — using bright leaves and twigs to cheer a room up.. Totally free, too!!

    In my bedroom, i have this large broken branch, I sanded it a little bit and tied 3 of my favorite pictures hanging with silky white ribbons.

    All under $2.

    Reply
  5. Avatar for freckles chickfreckles chick says

    June 26, 2008 at 9:30 pm

    Looks fabulous you guys!! Great tip.

    A friend of mine stripped some gnarly branches (from her yard), spray painted them white, and stuck them in a glass vase. Perfect pop of “color” and they’ve lasted forever.

    Not decor-related, but I always simmer a couple sticks of cinnamon & some orange rind in a little water on really low heat when we have a dinner party. Such a home-a-licious aroma.

    Reply
  6. Avatar for Kelly BKelly B says

    June 27, 2008 at 8:17 am

    I love the greenery! And I love your taste.

    Can you tell me where you got the striped towel that is behind your door in the bathroom picture? Thanks!

    Reply
  7. Avatar for BenBen says

    June 27, 2008 at 8:56 am

    I love those glass jug vases! Where did you find them?

    Reply
  8. Avatar for CindyCindy says

    June 27, 2008 at 10:05 am

    Typically, at our house, I always have at least one nice arrangement of fresh flowers, even if it’s just a grocery store arrangement. However, we do have a couple of arrangements that are just greenery and I do have a vase with spray painted branches. Here’s what we do when we find out we have guests coming: Open all the windows to freshen the house up – use the Citrus Febreeze downstairs (the fresh smell wafts upstairs), light some candles and typically we have something in the oven – my personal favorite is the BF’s famous banana bread!!

    Reply
  9. Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

    June 27, 2008 at 10:05 am

    Mmm, you guys have lots of yummy ideas (including aromas that far exceed my Fabreze tactic and crafty ideas like spraying branches or adding silky ribbons to gussy things up). Thanks so much for sharing!

    Kelly B- The striped towels in our bathroom are from Target (they’re white with blue and tan stripes which is our whole house’s color scheme so we couldn’t pass ’em up). Here’s a towel tip for everyone. If you find a towel you love, don’t just buy two. Buy enough for everyone in the home plus a few guests (we got 6) so everything in the linen closet will match and your guests won’t get stuck with the old ratty towels if the good ones are in the laundry pile.

    Ben- The jugs are from zgallerie.com, and my sweet in-laws actually got them for me in March for my b-day. I’ve never seen such big, glass vases for such a good price. Here’s the link:
    http://www.zgallerie.com/pc-5600-24-napa-vase.aspx

    xo,
    Sherry

    Reply
  10. Avatar for McGeeMcGee says

    June 27, 2008 at 10:40 am

    Before guests come over, we do a toy sweep – picking up any toys our 2 year old has pulled out. Okay, that’s honestly a constant chore that gets done about, oh, a million times a day.

    Back to guests… we often light a candle or two. In the summer we love “Shore” from Restoration Hardware. In the winter we lean towards peppermint or cinammon scents. We use pumpkin candles in the fall. We don’t really have a set “spring” candle scent. As soon as the Christmas stuff is out at Williams-Sonoma, we pick up their Peppermint cleaning supplies. They have a peppermint countertop spray that is to die for. It cleans AND freshens the kitchen! You can’t go wrong with that. :)

    We also open all the blinds to let natural light flow into all of the rooms.

    Reply
  11. Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

    June 28, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    Hey Charisa,

    Yup, the last name’s Petersik, and the art by the door is actually an initial from a magazine blown up and framed. For a close up you can check out our shop and maybe even snag one of your very own:

    https://www.younghouselove.com/photo-gallery-2/about-2/shop/

    xoxo,
    Sherry

    Reply
  12. Avatar for CharisaCharisa says

    June 28, 2008 at 4:04 pm

    Hey Sherry, what is that “p” on the wall near your front door? Looks really fun and inspired especially if your last name starts with a p or something like that! Can we get a close up? Pretty please :)

    Reply
  13. Avatar for The RauthsThe Rauths says

    June 29, 2008 at 7:21 pm

    wonderful pictures! where are the large glass vases from?

    Reply
  14. Avatar for YoungHouseLoveYoungHouseLove says

    June 30, 2008 at 7:27 am

    Thanks, Rauths. The large glass vases are from zgallerie.com. My fam got them for Sherry as a b-day present last March.

    Here’s the link:
    http://www.zgallerie.com/pc-5600-24-napa-vase.aspx

    -John

    Reply
  15. Avatar for StephanieStephanie says

    July 5, 2008 at 11:57 am

    Wow. It was almost eerie looking at this post but in a very very good way! I have that SAME recycled glass vase on my coffee table and the SAME Objects of Curiosity book on my coffee table too. Weird! We are definitely on the same page design wise it appears. I’ve been looking for a little cowhide too–I see you found the perfect accessory.

    I found your blog via a comment on my blog. I’m grateful for the referral!

    Reply
  16. Avatar for Jessica JollyJessica Jolly says

    January 27, 2013 at 6:24 pm

    Just popping in to say hi. Im in the process of reading my favorite blog from start. :) I will be seeing you two in just a short week and a few days, and your book signing in Charlotte, NC, and I feel I have to be prepared. I would hate to feel confused if you happened to mention something from your early blogging days, so I am reading up (and enjoying every minute of it).

    Just thought I would comment, I love the title of this post, and can’t wait to meet you both!

    Jessica JOLLY :)

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

John and Sherry smiling against pink backgroundHey, we’re John & Sherry. We’ve fixed up 7 homes, written books, designed products, started a podcast, and then downsized & moved to the beach! Here you’ll find over 3,000 DIY projects & home updates. More about us…
*This site contains ads and affiliate links*
See our disclaimer & privacy policy to learn more

Latest Finds

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

SHOP OUR LIGHTING

Young House Love Shades Of Light Capiz Chandelier

GET POSTS BY EMAIL

We’re Digging

Traditional Rug
The “Magic” Rug
Smokeless Solo Stove Firepit
Smokeless Firepit
Woven Storage Ottoman
Storage Ottoman
Subtle Pink Rug
Our Bedroom Rug
Blue Air 211 Air Purifier
Our Air Purifiers
Faux Potted Olive Tree
Faux Olive Tree
Kohler Memoirs Toilet
Our Favorite Toilet
Soft Striped Rug
Soft Striped Rug
SEE MORE OF OUR FAVORITE FINDS > >

  • About
  • FAQs
  • Press
  • Contact
  • :)

© 2023 Young House Love ® · Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · A Fun Wordpress theme on Genesis Framework · Hosted by Liquid Web