A ten-minute holiday decorating idea

I was out looking for props for a February story the other day (crazy world of publishing, I never know which month I'm in as I'm currently shooting March and April and feel like winter is behind me!) and I dropped into one of my favourite haunts- Angus & Company. As well as having truly beautiful antiques (never stuffy, always fresh and fabulous somehow), they are master stylists. That means they can make the simplest things look truly elegant.

I snapped this shot there to share with you. There's really nothing to it at all - a huge bunch of branches, stuck in a tall and simple vase, and generously decorated with colourful birds of all types. It's reminds me of that magical place at the Royal Ontario Museum where all the different bird species are displayed (my kids love it there, especially on a rainy day). I can practically hear them all squawking! Part of what makes this so elegant is the pair of plain vases that flank the decorated one. Imagine how beautiful this would look in an entrance, on a side table in a living or dining room....

So run outside with tree pruners in hand and cut away, just don't throw those branches away. They're my new favourite decorating trick!