Mirror, Mirror , On The Wall

When it comes to decorating for the holidays, author and designer Carolyne Roehm says a touch of "the natural" is all one needs to create an atmosphere that celebrates the season and complements the home.

Mirrors add great depth and fluidity to a room, making them wonderful focal pieces for holiday design. So, Roehm has taken her keen appreciation for beauty and practical know-how and combined them to create a mirror decoration involving two complementary holiday crafts: a mirror adorned with green leaves/fruits and a coordinating topiary.

Roehm will take a basic mirror and adorn it with seasonal natural elements and fruit. She says the naturalness of the finished product makes it a perfect visual fit in any setting, regardless of style or color. Roehm notes, "From casual get-togethers to formal dinners, this is the perfect ensemble to give your home a holiday feel without going too over the top."

Roehm says it is often better to use decorative elements that you find in your neighborhood.

In the north, for example, one may consider using pine greens, pears, grapes, cranberries, limes, pine cones, wooden or metal picks or evergreen.

Those living in the south may choose accents of kumquats, lemons, lemon leaves, limes, and dried sheet moss.

In the east, red grapes, apples, red plums, and red roses could definitely brighten things up.

In the west, Boxwood and large and miniature pineapples could be the perfect thing to create a holiday atmosphere that fits, and isn't forced. (Of course this is but a short list of the possible elements that could be taken from the four regions.)

Here are the elements you will need for the mirror:

• A jigsaw
• A 30 inch X 42 inch piece of masonite with holes
• One pack of 12 X 12 beveled mirror tiles (they come 6 in a pack). You can also buy the same size in a non beveled version for less money.
• A strong gauge wire that can hold at least 30 lbs.
• A hot glue gun and glue sticks
• One box sheet moss
• A 3 X 1 foot x 2 in. wide piece of styrofoam
• Liquid Nails (an adhesive)
• 4 inch green floral sticks with a wire tail
• One package U shaped floral pins
• 1/4 case of boxwood
• Juniper branches
• Seeded eucalyptus
• Brunia (two varieties)
• Lady's apples
• Limes

1. Have Home Depot or your hardware store cut you a 30 inch X 42 inch piece of masonite. You can also use a jigsaw to do this at home.
2. Attach the picture wire through the top holes to the masonite (this will depend on which way you plan to hang your mirror), leaving enough slack so you can adjust the height.
3. Adhere the six mirror tiles with liquid nails to the center portion of the masonite (in two lines of three across the width). Once you have done this, there will be a remaining 3-inch border all around the edge.
4. Cut the styrofoam into 3" wide strips. Cover the strips with moss, using the hot glue gun. Using the liquid nails, adhere the moss covered of styrofoam strips to the exposed 3-inch border of masonite.
5. Weight the mirrors and the border with heavy objects, such as books, and allow to dry overnight.
6. Using boxwood as your base, begin fastening the greens to the moss covered styrofoam. You can fasten the boxwood first in clusters, using the U pins to secure the greens to the foam. Continue with the juniper, using the same method. The seeded eucalyptus and the brunia can be fastened to the mirror with the green floral picks. Just wrap the wire tail around the bunch and stick the bunch, with the pick, into the styrofoam.
7. As the greens grow dense, use either the picks or the U pins to fasten the material--it's whatever works best for you.
8. Remove the wires from a few of the green picks. Then, stick the picks into your apples and limes. Once this has been done, you can begin sticking the fruit into the styrofoam. I like to place them together in clusters for a more natural look.
9. When finished, hang by wire (which can be covered by holiday ribbon) in the desired location.

For the Topiary:

• 1 8" moss covered terra cotta pot
• 1 35 " stick, one inch in diameter
• 1 8" styrofoam ball
• 3-4 bricks of styrofoam
• Liquid Nails adhesive
• A hot glue gun and sticks
• Sheet moss
• The same greens and fruits used on the mirror

1. Using a knife, cut a narrow hole in the styrofoam ball, approximately through to the middle of the ball.
2. Fill the hole with Liquid Nails and push the stick into the hole until you feel tension. Allow to dry for one hour.
3. To create the base, trim the styrofoam bricks so they can rest securely inside the pot. Place them in there with as little space between as possible for a tight fit. Cut a hole in the styrofoam and fill it with the Liquid Nails. Sink the other end of the stick into the hole until it hits the bottom of the pot. Support or brace the topiary against something and allow to dry for another hour.
4. Using the hot glue gun, cover the styrofoam in the pot with moss. Also cover the entire styrofoam ball with moss using the same method. Allow to dry for 1/2 hour.
5. Using the same technique as was done with the mirror, fasten the greens and the fruit to create your topiary.

About Carolyne Roehm:

For more than 20 years, Carolyne Roehm has been considered one of the country's A-List tend setters in fashion, flower design, and entertaining. She worked with Oscar de la Renta before launching her own line of couture clothing.