home decorating ideas for niches

- hey guys! with christmas just a few short days away, i thought you might enjoy learning how to make a spectacular centerpiece idea for your christmas table. and i can't think of anybody better to show us how to make this, then father christmas himself, my dad. he's back! (laughs)

- hello. - thanks for coming. - uh-huh. - [lisa] if you missed dad last year, you can get caught up, and learn how to makehis spectacular eggnog, another family tradition. but i had to have youon for this tradition, because this was somethingthat i grew up with a as a kid,

these fruit towers. in fact, all of the holiday pictures have these towers in the picture. you'll see them sneaking through. (laughs) and i always thought it wassomething that you just did, but then, as i grew older, and i learned more about colonial america, i guess this was somethingthat they did back then. - that's right.

and your grandparents, theyloved to go to historic sites. so, they loved going towilliamsburg, old salem, and we would always try togo during the holiday season. and these were traditionalin the colonial times, because these fruits were such delicacies, that they would use them for display, and then they wouldobviously, eat them after. - yeah, and that's another tip. so, you're gonna see uswork with a bunch of oranges

for this tower. and they don't go to waste. the best thing you can dowith them is squeeze them, and i like to turn theminto clementine juice, that i then serve mimosaswith on new year's day. so, i'm gonna leave you therecipe in the description, and you can learn how to do that. - great idea, so. - yeah, so what do we do?

- getting started, youcan use any container. i like the idea of a footed container, but you could use a bucket,you could use a birch bucket. - yes. - you know, something thatmay be more interesting. if you do use something like this, what i would suggest isthat you use floral clay. - [beth] okay. - now, floral clay, you canfind in any craft store,

or in any floral supply. but what's great about this,is you can peel it apart, and then i like to placeit along the sides. - yeah, okay. - because that'll anchorour styrofoam cone. - [beth] yes. - [dad] and with the styrofoam cones, you can use either white, or they do have some that are green,

but we're going to be coveringup the sides with moss. - but make sure that you do this, because you want it to be anchored, 'cause i think the worstthing that could happen, is during a dinner party, for the leaning towerto go flying somewhere. - (laughing) yeah, ifsomeone goes to touch it. because this does get a lot of weight, once all of the oranges are on,

so while it might feel reallylight as the styrofoam, once you get the orangeson, it does get heavy. and if you guys want to know where to get all these supplies that we're working with today, i'll put a link in the description, and it will take you to my amazon shop, and you can find it all there. - [dad] so, we're going to--

- [beth] yep, got it. - [dad] looks like that. - [beth] looks good. - [dad] and then, anchor it in here, and try to make sure that it's level. - [beth] yeah. - because once it's anchored-- - yep. - it's there.

- okay. - mm-kay. so, what we're going to do, is we're going to start with our oranges. and using these natural picks, - because-- - so, i found, there's, iguess two ways to do it. you can use the floral picks,which we have here somewhere. - right here.

- oh, yes. (laughs) here are the floral picks. you can use the floral picks, or you can use what's callednatural bamboo skewers. i like the bamboo skewers, because we're going to eatthese oranges afterward, so then you don't have to worry about this green dyegoing into the orange. and you know that this isfood-safe, so, just a tip.

- [dad] and then, i like totake this side of the orange, that's usually where the stem is. - [dad] i take that away. - [dad] but then i like to put one clove. or, you can get more decorative, and do something like that. - [beth] wow, i know. wait, you guys have totake a look at this. you see these beautiful oranges

that are covered in cloves. and this just shows howdecorative my dad is, and like, why he's so good at this. i would just put the cloves in there, and maybe do a little x, but of course he takesthe time to do (laughs) - this is actually very quick. i mean, it looks difficult, but. - i know, i saw that last week,

and i thought, that is so clever, that looks so beautiful. it kind of looks like alittle bit of a spider, but. - i refer to this as a star. - yes, i love the star. i think it's so clever and beautiful. - as kids, you would do the whole orange. - i know, oh my gosh! - and i would suggest a band-aid,

because, although you dohave a tip with a fork. so you can use a fork. you can basically just take a fork and pierce the flesh of the orange, and that then creates little holes that you can put the cloves in. why you never showed usthat as kids? (laughs) - i don't know. (laughs) - that would have been easier. (laughing)

- it takes more timeto do it the other way. - i know, but i justremember my little thumbs like, hurting as a kid, trying to do that. i just, always loved that, yeah. - not too many complements. - (laughs) yeah, right. - [dad] please. - he's being very modest here, but he is a great interior designer.

you may recognize himfrom his years on hgtv. and that's how we actuallyspent so much time together. i used to work for mydad, as his producer, and we traveled around the world together, doing all kinds of fun things. and because of that, i grew up in a home that was always well-designed,especially at christmas. - [dad] thank you. well, so at any rate,

what we're going to begin here, is building our tower. we'll take, and piercethe back of the orange, and then begin to do your. - here, do you need meto hold this steady? - yep, here. - oh, yes. - [dad] steady as you go. - [lisa] oh, that's so great.

- [dad] and then, startingto place it around. - [lisa] yes. you used to also do apples. - [dad] you can do apples, yes. - [lisa] there's a few photos with apples. - and as a matter of fact, if you go to colonial williamsburg, they do have the formsavailable in wood, with spikes. - oh, that's so great.

- which would, butthat's sort of cheating. don't you think? - (laughing) but it's certainly easier. - it's more fun balancingthis, the way we're doing it. but then, when you doyour whole row around. do i need to do the whole? no. - well, they probably get the picture. maybe show how you thendo the second layer.

- [dad] second, yeah. and then, what i like to do, is put it in between, - [lisa] yeah. - [dad] the bottom row, like that. - and then, i liked how you had, in some of them, little,more decorative ones. - [dad] yeah. - [lisa] so like, you would do an x,

here, i'm gonna help you out. which, i think, doesn'thave to be done every one, but maybe every four or five, do it? because it is beautiful. - [dad] and it's much easier. - [lisa] and it's much easier. i know, it's much easier on the fingers. - [dad] much easier on the fingers. but i would suggest, allkidding aside, a band-aid.

- yeah. - and it's on the thumb,because, that does protect your-- - it does help. - [dad] now. - [dad] we want to usesphagnum, or sheet moss. - yes. and this is-- - and that's available in craft stores, or you can find it online, i'm sure. - yep, it's in the shop.

- and i like to take aspritzer, and just spray it, because then it becomes more pliable. and then, what you do,is go into the niches, and put the moss. - [lisa] oh, that's sopretty, against the orange. and then, what i like todo to sort of tack it down. - [lisa] mm-hmm. - [dad] is i've created these little, - [lisa] oh, nice.

isn't that clever? - [dad] berry sticks. and we can just, stick that in like that. - [lisa] okay. - [dad] and then i'llshow how you create it. now we don't have many wild berry bushes growing here in my yard, but you got these in your yard, right? - [lisa] well, i have to laugh, because

it reminds me of when we were kids, and we didn't have any wildberries at our house either, and my dad would go drivingaround the neighborhood, looking for berry bushes-- - shhhh. (laughing) - and would pull over! and for him, if the bush was growing over the fence of some neighbor, it was fair game.

- i was just trimming. - (laughing) and my siblings and i would sit in the car, like, horrified, like, oh my gosh, dad! (laughs) - [dad] now you could use rose hips. - ah. - and those are what's leftover after the roses bloom. - [dad] but i'm using this little berry, and unfortunately, i do notknow the latin name for it, but.

- no. red, berry, is. here we go. (laughs) - [dad] (laughing) there you go. and then you just, put that wire around it, and-- - [lisa] oh, that's so great! yeah, that's perfect. - [dad] makes it easy tostick it in, in between. - [lisa] yeah, right.

and these berries, i'm surprisedby how hearty they are, like, they will last a fewdays in this arrangement. but you really don't want to make this arrangement too far in advance. so i would do it, like, afew days before christmas. - a few days. - just a few days. - and also, spritz. - [lisa] yeah. and also, spritz.

- [dad] because that will help it. - [lisa] yep. and the reason being, you want to be able to eat the oranges after. so if you did it, maybethe day before christmas, you could let them sit out for maybe three days after christmas, and then you could goahead and juice them, and turn it into yournew year's eve mimosa.

- [dad] i think you get the idea. - [dad] do you think i need to keep? - [lisa] well, let's see,i think you get the idea. - [dad] cause that's-- - [lisa] oh yeah. - [dad] see, it's kinda-- so basically, you just keep going. and once you're done, you're gonna end up withsomething like this.

look how gorgeous. isn't this spectacular? - it takes a while, but it's worth it. - it does, it's so worth it. it is. okay, so now, for the finishing touch. what do you recommend? - [dad] well, you know, youalways have a star on a tree. now, you could do cranberries,

which, you know, would be festive. - and also, very appropriate,for the top of the tree, 'cause this was usedduring colonial times. - [dad] you guys remember stringing these, for the christmas tree. - yes, that was another thing. - and then, just put it on the top. - [lisa] oh, that's so cute! - [dad] and then you have alittle jewel in the crown.

but, if you really want to be festive-- - yes, we do. - then i would suggest you putan elegant star at the top. now this, i found at a craft store. - and there are many differentstars that you can find. you could even make one, if you wanted to. but, how's that? - oh my gosh, that isspectacular, i love it! - [dad] we'll keep this.

- we'll go with spectacular. and if you're inspired by these colonial christmas decorations, there's a fantastic bookcalled colonial christmas, or christmas in colonial america? - i think it's christmas in williamsburg. - oh, christmas in williamsburg. that's what it is. and i have it in my amazon shop,

and i'll leave you alink in the description, and there's some reallyfabulous ideas in there. i get so inspired every year. - absolutely. - thank you so much. - oh, thank you. - once again, for coming. i hope you guys enjoyed this demo. these towers were so much

a part of my childhood growing up, and it's so special tome to have you come here, and show me how to make them. now i know. - don't get me emotional. will you, please? - (laughing) that's whatthe holidays are for. anyway, from our house to yours, merry christmas everybody.

- merry christmas. (acoustic version of "silent night")

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