under the stars

IF FOR NO OTHER REASON than to wish for a true soul partner—gazing upward at a starry sky from an unencumbered beach unspoiled by the lights of civilization—can bring one’s destiny into focus. An entirely romantic notion? Possibly. But it is worthwhile to succumb to the humbling presence of limitless sky. In a fleeting moment, you can feel as though you’ve tapped into the divine plan for the universe. 

SEASHELLS AND CANDLELIGHT | An assemblage of shells and other objects, a few of which were found on the beach at Tulum; encroach the container of this driftwood tree. The candle (its cucumber lime scent being named Tulum) was one of a few thoughtful birthday gifts this year from Devin Borden, my fellow traveler (and partner of two years) to that magical place in Mexico last November. The small "tree" attached to a piece of coral was found during a walk down the beach at sunrise on the last morning of our trip. Aside from the many unforgettable memories, this is the most cherished souvenir I returned home with—a piece of nature serving as a sort of divining rod to uncover the inspiration and resonance for this post's writing months after this life-changing trip.

HAVING THIS EXPERIENCE with someone you wish to be a living and growing part of your life will ignite a fire at your core that can never be extinguished by absence. If anything, if you truly love someone, “absence does make the heart grow fonder.” Plato theorized that each person is half of an androgynous being split by the gods, creating male and female. Within us, at a deeply subconscious level, we know something is amiss; and we seek wholeness again.

THE DIVIDE might not always be a distinct separation between male and female. There are components of both in all of us. Like puzzle pieces without an image imprinted on them, it is difficult to recognize how the fit comes together. But with enough turns, and enough inward and outward examination, the shapes can finally be matched and locked together.

DRIFTWOOD AND STARS | The garland loosely wrapped around this driftwood tree is made from plastic-coated electrical wire in yellow and green, strung with metal stars implying the "electric circuitry" of the night sky. These stars have been oxidized to create a rich verdigris patina—representing the alchemy and magic seen in the night sky layered with millions of stars.

THE LIGHT REFLECTED from the stars speaks to us. When laid bare before our eyes we are reminded that we are tiny pieces of an unimaginably infinite universe. We can be manipulated by change as easily as the slightest breeze wafts yesterday’s dust into a corner. But we can will ourselves to make our lives happen right before us. We always have a choice to seek, to learn, and to find our own paths.

SUPERNATURAL TOPPER | I've cherished this unusual winged mermaid for many years. Holding the treetop star, she finds a symbolic home atop this tree. With her fish tail and wings, she embodies the link between the earth and the sky, creating a perfect visual metaphor for the larger-than-the-both-of-us connection we felt that night under the stars.

THIS IS THE STUFF of life. Our journey, our meanderings under an infinite immovable sky, are revealed to us in an awesome glory, guiding us in ways beyond our will, beyond our reality, and beyond our imagination. Finding this resonance with a soul partner is the ultimate intent of my dreams. I want us to grow together into a creation unimagined by our limited view of events and ideas for which we absurdly place a label of truth.

STAR PATINA | Some of the metal stars developed interesting color patterns during the oxidation process, forming a varied, but cohesive palette for the neutral background of driftwood assembled into a tree.

THE REAL TRUTH is found in our humblest moments. Moments that resonate at our core in an honest movement through time and space that is entirely precious and profoundly creative. This creative force is love—pure and simple. What our past was, as seen from our future deserves more than a blink when looking back across our shoulders. It is possible that an eternally binding love still grows between us.

MAY THE BLINDING ambient and “civilized“ artificial light of our daily lives not obscure the stars. May we always remember the way we felt and what we saw in that multi-layered night together. And may we learn to cherish those who make us whole again. May we learn to assemble those fleeting moments into a union as sure as the footprints we leave in the damp sand. And maybe we’ll finally see those limitless moments as clearly as the unobscured starry skies we look deeply into to navigate our futures—together—even if we’re apart.

ONE MUST STILL HAVE CHAOS IN ONESELF TO GIVE BIRTH 

TO A DANCING STAR. 

—NIETZSCHE

TULUM MEMORIES | A vacation collage assembled from only a few of the photos from our trip to Tulum, Mexico in November 2012. In the photo me at bottom left, I'm holding a diminuative "tree" embedded in a piece of coral, after finding it on the last morning of our stay there. Instantly becoming one of my most cherished trip souvenirs, it makes a reappearance among the seashells in the photos above—a definite talisman of good memories and future dreams.

©2013 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

elegant easter

A REFRESHED state of mind after the dreary months of winter is what spring brings to all of us. "How appropriate—Easter’s focus on rebirth, celebration, growth, and forgiveness. That’s just about where you’ll be when it gets here," my coworker Yvonne Green offered up after wishing me a great weekend of renewal while stating how nice the weather was finally going to be. She prefaced these words with "It’s a beautiful Friday and it’s going to be a fabulously, gorgeous weekend. Do at least one thing each day to love yourself."

LOVING YOURSELF is the hardest lesson to learn, especially when your focus is on loving others. It could be argued that the selflessness of loving others is also loving yourself, but it's not really the same thing when you think about it. Loving yourself is a more conscious effort because you have to look inward. And everyone knows that if you love yourself, then it's easier for others to love you. That's my mission this spring. It will be a time of rebirth, celebration, growth and forgiveness, both for myself as well as the people that I love. And the only way it will happen is if I start the process within.

WHETHER YOU ARE religious or not, spring's promise as heralded by the Easter holiday is definitely a universal theme that spans across many belief systems. The truth lies at the core of the thought process in combining the words that I am pointed to and forming thoughts around them. As always, creating a new tree and thinking about what to write for my post is my meditative process, of sorts.

EASTER BLING | These fancy crackled mercury glass eggs with rhinestone-studded metal caps make Easter an elegant affair. The eggs were bought at TJ Maxx. The other foil-covered eggs are by Martha Stewart for Grandinroad from a previous season. A better-quality egg-shaped goose-feather tree similar to the one above can be found at Hometraditions.com.

REBIRTH. This is a biggie. This means shedding all the stuff that once seemed so life-giving or that only temporarily filled a void and forcing yourself to take that first deep worldly breath again. It's easy to become reliant on the people you have grown to love and it is easy to take them for granted. Nurture these relationships and find fresh new ways to enrich them.

CELEBRATION. If this tree doesn't say that, I don't know what does. The egg theme is not happenstance around Easter. It is the most resonant symbol for new life there could be. An egg-shaped goose feather tree emphasizes the theme. And everyone knows that the shiny metallic eggs are always the the ones containing the prize!

PETER COTTONTAIL  | In a market filled with cartoonish Easter bunnies, this Peter Cottontail is a well-dressed relief—I found him at Homegoods. The Easter Surprise glass-glittered egg container was a beautiful gift from a friend a few years back and is an original design by Wendy Addison for Tinsel Trading in NYC, New York. And sweet yellow daffodils are placed in the shot in memory of my father.

GROWTH. With any birth or rebirth, the growth process begins for the first time or once again. The miraculousness that Mother Nature brings in spring gives us proof all around, from the bulbs that spring out of the ground, to the budding trees and flowers that abound. Spring is all about new growth.

FORGIVENESS. This is as hard a lesson in life—maybe harder—than learning to love yourself. Forgiveness is something that releases the very core of energy within all of us to find a new purpose. It literally clears the clutter in our minds and hopefully in our physical lives and makes room for more love. After all, love is the life force within all of us. It is the feeling that is produced when we are closest to the divine. That is why it is so highly sought after and sits on the fence between pain and joy. It's up to us most of the time to decide which side of the fence we want it to fall into.

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PRIZE EGG | This goose egg-sized mercury glass egg embellished with fancy rhinestone accents is a prize in itself—found at TJ Maxx a few years ago.

THANKFULNESS. I continue to thank all the people that find resonance in the words and photos that I put together for this blog. I'm sensing a new direction and maybe less attention will be paid to it as I clear the way for a future unencumbered by my past—literally and figuratively. This blog has always been a catharsis for me to move through some very tough times in my life and make something beautiful out of it—to find the joy by putting it out for the world to see. And they do. Just today, I've had visitors to my blog from all around the world (Stateside from Kansas, Oregon, Louisiana, Utah, Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Alabama, New Jersey, California, New York; and worldwide from Canada, Germany, Tunisia, The Netherlands, The Russian Federation, and even way down under in Australia). What my blog might morph into now remains to be seen. There may not be as many posts or they might just change focus (showcasing collections comes to mind) as I attend to things in life that have been pushed to the forefront and to clearing the clutter from underneath it. Know that I will find a way to keep it all interesting. This is my creative outlet after all.

TREE BASE | This heavy ironstone container is traced with vines and leaves and makes the perfect spring container for this elegant tree. The small handmade ceramic vessel, holding pale speckled malted milk eggs was made and given to me by my good friend Jamie Callen Sells.

SPRING FORWARD. This Daylight Savings Time business throws everyone off kilter because we start our days earlier in the spring. I would prefer at its outset to keep Standard Time in accordance with the natural rules of our planet. Even so, life is still a forward-moving process. We can look back, but we can't dwell on the time that we have lost. We can still carry that forward with us as our judgement found in discerning the new things that come our way and making the best of them in the longer and warmer days ahead.

©2013 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

heart strings

LOVE is connection. A deep connection that pulls at your heart strings. Whether you love, have loved or lost—these connections always feel achingly similar. Valentine's day has never been one of my favorite holidays, because when you're not able to be with those you hold dearest to your heart for any reason, then it seems insignificant at best and heartbreaking at its worst.

FRAGILE HEARTS | A red-gridded heart was tied to a special Christmas gift my mother received from me years ago and is from Neiman Marcus. The small bumpy ornament (left) is an antique reproduction by Bethany Lowe Designs, which I purchased last year from Bayberry Cove and part of a varied set of three seen on the tree. A ceramic faux bois vase makes the perfect container to give the tree height.

MY MOTHER, who would have celebrated her 89th birthday on February 10th of this year originally inspired this collection of heart ornaments. Part of this collection was started many years ago—as they were individually tied to Christmas gifts I gave to her—one-by-one. They were never meant for Valentine's Day until four years after she had passed. I first photographed  them for a blog post on her birthday in 2009 entitled Hearts of Glass. As I hold these ornaments touched by her and tied by heartstrings, I'm firmly connected somehow to worlds unknown.

HEART BLING | These two hearts may seem like the odd men out on the tree, but they are significant to me for many reasons. The metal rhinestone-studded wings folded into a heart shape is one of two such ornaments I randomly happened upon at Homegoods a few years back, where this past season I also found this glittered Oberfrankishe Glas heart. You have to have a keen eye to find such treasures nestled within all the market outcasts in such stores.

THIS YARN-WRAPPED wire tree has been a meditation of both love and loss for me. The tedious task of upcycling an existing paper-wrapped tree by over-wrapping all of its branches in thin pale pink cotton yarn was time well-spent in reflection. Valentine-themed ornaments are tied to this tree with the same yarn wrapping its branches—branches which were used originally in my blog post entitled White Christmas. 

CARDINAL RED | This hand-blown glass bird ornament could represent one of the showiest of winter birds, the cardinal. Interestingly enough, this brightly-colored bird is always the male of the species. The glass birds were gift from a friend and part of a multi-colored set (the smoke grey glass bird is also on the tree) and are distributed by Roost Home Furnishings.

I DROPPED Devin at the airport with his one-way ticket to New York City on February 2nd. He left his job and most of his belongings here in Atlanta and headed to the Big Apple—as dreamers do—with big plans and a heart full of hope. My heart follows him there. The direction from here is still undetermined, and the tugging will continue until we both have both tested the tension and find the point at which the tightropes into our futures might coincide in tandem again.

EARLY LIGHT | This photo of Devin (left) and I was taken just before we left for the airport on February 2nd, 2013, when he left for New York City.

LIFE IS at once, exciting and heartbreaking—up in the air, as they say. Going out onto a limb is the only way to find yourself in the life you have imagined. I wish Devin all the luck in the world on this journey he must take. It has spurred me to gain the momentum again to live my dreams and find a place where my work is rewarding—by doing what I do best. The sun is shining in both of our faces. But, the physical distance between us casts a long shadow for now. It isn't ever an easy journey to set off into the unknown.

SWEETS FOR THE SWEET | A metal pedestal from Star Provisions is topped with a paper doily and decadently piled high with delicately-flavored Turkish delight in rose and lemon, a 17th century recipe manufactured by Hacizade.

IT WAS ONLY seven years ago that Valentine's Day ushered great sorrow, when my then 33-year-old nephew, Alan died on February 14, 2006. So Valentine's Day—as it will continually be for the rest of my life—is a day of love and sadness combined together and mixed into an emotional stew. It's certainly not easy to swallow, but gives great sustenance, nevertheless.

GERMAN BEAUTY | The most finely-crafted old world ornaments are still made in their German birthplace. A fine example is the company Oberfrankishe Glas which made this beautiful hand-glittered heart ornament in Germany.

TRUER WORDS have been never been written than those that poets write. The following phrase from Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem In Memoriam:27, 1850 applies more than ever with with the pull and tug of the present, the gentle nudges of my memory and a tenuous tightrope directed toward the future. Connections of the heart are all firmly tied to those we love dearly. Only for lack of words, do we call them heart strings. But they are more than that.

I hold it true, whate'er befall; 

I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

A VALENTINE card is the most personal and poetic way to express your love for someone. It might be the most important component of a Valentine gift. Valentine's Day is certainly one of the most card-centered holidays of all. If your not crafty or designer-ly enough to make your own, buying a handmade card crafted in the capable hands of a graphic designer/crafts-person, is in order. Your love is certainly not mass-produced and impersonal, so why should the big card companies get all the love? Here are two examples—one custom-designed and another handmade. I designed this valentine (inset, above) at my computer, printed it and gave to Devin the night before he left for NYC. The beautiful stitched card (below) is handmade by another designer friend, Maya Metz Logue.

FOR LOVE | (Inset photo, above right) I designed this card to give to Devin for his send off to New York, as homage to the famous LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana. HEART STRING VALENTINE | (Above) Maya Metz Logue makes handmade cards that are hand-cut and tied with embroidery thread. She is an art director, graphic designer and illustrator living in Birmingham, Alabama. Her individually handmade cards like this Valentine card, can be bought on her Etsy site by clicking on this link.

©2013 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland
handmade card by MAYA METZ LOGUE

looking forward

THE YEAR 2012 has been a year of transition, which always uncovers something new. Also, what is seemingly old can be renewed with a fresh perspective. A lot of exciting things (along with the bad, of course) have happened this year, both personally and with the world at large. That's what the New Year's celebration is always about—looking back at where you have been, while looking forward to where you are going. It's necessary to gain perspective from what we have lived through to move forward with any new endeavors we dare to dream.

THIS "TREE" is composed from my snow globe collection is arranged on a galvanized three-tiered stand, trimmed in white crepe paper and dusted with faux snow. It embodies time and memory. I related my feelings about the resonance of the miniature worlds of snow globes in a previous post in January 2011 titled "Frozen Memories," which you can read here. Ancient druids believed that woodland spirits hid themselves in holly branches to wait out the harshness of winter, so I've included them as a forward-looking talisman for a sunny and warm new year.

ON A BROAD SCALE, a great way to recap the year's events is to look at what people have searched for. Google's Zeitgeist 2012 video does just that. Watch it (embedded below). More on Google's "most searched" can be found at this link.  This inspiring video compiles the things people are looking for under broad inspirational themes in relation to the events of 2012. The word "zeitgeist" actually means "spirit of the age/time." I'm also using these themes as a way to relate the significance of the snow globes that decorate this "tree."

LOOKING FOR FIRSTS | This tree snow globe represents acknowledgement—surrounded by curious fauna. A personal first for me this year in a career of working as a designer in publishing, is actually being the subject matter of something that was published. Matthew Mead generously granted an eight-page feature about my blog and book in his Holiday/Christmas magazine available here. And Ben Ashby published a two-page excerpt of my book in FOLK, his magazine celebrating the made-in-America movement, which is available here. Blurb.com honored my book by selecting it as a staff pick! My book published through Blurb.com is available here. All this can only mean I'm gaining momentum with my pursuits (I have a scheduled surprise coming in the spring of 2013 that I'll reveal later). Now that I have some attention beyond the blogosphere, I hope to find a way to make my passions a way of life, rather than it being a sideline. Of course I give a lot of credit to my friends, blog followers and buyers of my book who have supported me along the way with their encouragement and inspiration.

LOOKING FOR RELIEF | Aren't we all? This polar bear snow globe represents a planet in distress. When the polar ice caps are melting at an alarming rate, it's time to change course in the way we live. The biggest relief for me this year was when Barack Obama won his second term as president and was forced to address this issue because of Hurricane Sandy—the October Surprise in this year's election. The palpable effect of climate change is evident in bigger and badder ways than ever before. We are finally being forced to recognize that our way of living needs to change, not the climate. We're realizing that a more biocentric way of life includes keeping the diversity in the natural world intact. Sustaining Mother Nature will, in turn, sustain us, as it always has. It's a beautiful cycle not to be tampered with.
 

LOOKING FOR A CHOICE | The owl snow globe is a warning message. The right choices are always informed by the proper balance between the intuitive and the cognitive. We live in a world where information is at our fingertips like never before. We should be smarter for it, rather than misinformed. Our attention spans need to somehow lengthen again, now that we realize the end of the Mayan calendar wasn't the end, but rather, a new beginning. The Mayans considered the white owl a powerful messenger from the spirit world. This animal spirit warns us that a world out of balance is life out of balance. The white owl is a guardian that allows us to see clearly beyond fear and illusion. Taking time to slow down and ask the important questions will surely be one result of this.

LOOKING FOR CHANGE | The white rabbit snow globe is an invitation to step out of ordinary time. Seeing a white rabbit has long been an indicator of the possibility of spiritual enlightenment and/or an encounter with the Divine. As Alice in Wonderland experienced, a white rabbit can call us away from our ordinary life to go on an extraordinary journey. This will lead us to a transformational experience. It is an invitation to enter into the realm of the hidden, intuitive, unconscious world that coexists with what appears to be reality. A white rabbit in our path is a metaphorical invitation to remain awake and alert to new directions, sometimes releasing what we once thought was important.
 

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL |  This silver tree snow globe is a symbol of finding the special qualities in everything you encounter, no matter how barren it may seem. My favorite way to gain this perspective is to allow myself some time to be completely immersed in Nature. In our lives in cities away from large expanses of sparsely populated land, the stars in the sky are mostly obliterated from sight by the ambient light of civilization. This past November, Devin and I had a week's worth of time to explore the beaches and land around Tulum, Mexico. One night we took the time to lie on the beach and look up at the stars. We were both amazed at the magnificent sight above us in this sparsly populated area. Looking into the depth of this unobscured night sky had a humbling effect. We both got a clear message of the love the universe has in store for us.

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION |  This Christmas Tree snow globe represents inspiration. Childhood Christmas trees from my childhood informed the creation of this blog. And I am constantly looking for new ways to create magic with The Decorated Tree. I invite you to continue on my journey with me in celebrating the seasons and I hope the new year is filled with joyous discovery in everything for which we search. Here's to a happy, prosperous and forward-looking 2013! 

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

pine cone abundance

THE PINE CONE crop this year has been extremely abundant. According to folklore an abundance of pine cones predicts a harsher than normal winter. In understanding the natural cycles in pine cone production, this abundance is called a mast year. This means large numbers of cones (along with nuts and berries) provide a greater than usual amount of seeds for wildlife. This is, in a large part, why pine cones have been a recurring theme in my creations for my blog.

PATTERNS OF NATURE | The amazing texture of a pinecone is gloriously replicated in this oversized mercury glass kugel placed among the gifts at the base of the tree (from a past season's Martha Stewart line at Macy's).

THE HIGH LEVELS of fat and protein in a fall masting help contribute to fat stores necessary for migration, hibernation and survival of young animals once they are out foraging on their own. There is much abundance to be seen all around in the simplest gifts of nature, even if times seem dismal in our increasingly anthropocentric lives.

BECAUSE OF the masting seed cone production, Mother Nature helps ensure that there will be plenty of seeds left over for young conifers to spring up in the woods to continue its magnificent cycle. Consider this rich symbolism when you're ritualistically decorating a tree in your own home.

NATURE STUDY | The seeds of conifer trees called pine cones are represented well in all their stunning variety with my growing collection of mercury glass ornaments.

LIGHT FANTASTIC | These tiny warm white LED lights add just the right amount of magical sparkle and hide well within the branches of the tree without it looking like a jumble of wires. The best ones I've seen can be found at Restoration Hardware and are appropriately called Starry Light Strings.

ONCE AGAIN, I present my ever-growing "mast crop" of glass pinecone ornaments. It was 2005 when I last decorated a real Fraser Fir with these, complete with candles, which was finally posted online the year I started this blog in a post entitled "Tree of Light." This holiday season, you will find a 2-page book excerpt with the photos from this post and one created especially for the book published in FOLK magazine (click here or on the cover link in the left column for information on ordering). You may also order my book at a $10 discount by clicking here using the code GIVE10 at the checkout.

SIMPLE ELEGANCE | Instead of blowing up the top of your tree with an explosion of glittery floral picks, huge bows and otherwise, the understated and simple elegance of an old-fashioned finial topper is the way to go. This retro-inspired topper is from a past line of ornaments for Target by Thomas O'brien.

THESE GLASS CONES have become magical symbols of fertility to create abundance in my life and in the lives of those whom I love. In 2005 when I lost both of my parents within months of each other, I didn't know that I could even muster the energy to decorate a tree, but the absolutely perfect fir tree found me that year and I had to honor its life, even in the absence of the people who brought me life, I set out that year to create a tree that exemplified what one of the first holiday trees might have looked like. Have a look back at the post again here to see this tree.

WITH MUCH TALK about a impending gloomy "end of the world" this year with the seeming "end" of Mayan calendar, I choose to believe that it is just the "end of the world as we know it."  A compassionate Evo Morales, President of Bolivia said it best in addressing the 67th Session of the UN General Assembly this past September. I end my post with these hopeful thoughts of an abundant new beginning of a more biocentric life for the world—as translated in English from President Morales address to the group:

"And I would like to say that according to the Mayan Calendar the 21st of December marks the end of the time and the beginning of non-time. It is the end of the Macha and the beginning of the Pacha. It is the end of selfishness and the beginning of brotherhood. It is the end of individualism and the beginning of collectivism . . . the 21st of December this year.

The scientists know very well that this marks the end of an anthropocentric­ life and the beginning of a biocentric life. It is the end of hatred and the beginning of love. The end of lies and the beginning of truth. It is the end of sadness and the beginning of joy. It is the end of division and the beginning of unity. This is a theme to be developed, that is why... we invite you, those who bet on mankind, we invite those who want to share their instances for the good of mankind . . ."

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

 

giving thanks

HARVEST FESTIVALS like Thanksgiving are a chance to celebrate the abundance of Mother Earth, if not the universe. A large bird, such as a turkey can feed a number of people along with all the trimmings of this celebratory and traditional meal, which is most likely why the turkey became so popular for Thanksgiving. Some experts think the first American Thanksgiving dinner was served by the Pilgrims in 1621. Others credit the settlers of Virginia's Jamestown with celebrating the first Thanksgiving as their version of England's ancient Harvest Home Festival (also called Ingathering). Whether or not turkey was served as part of the first Thanksgiving meal, nobody knows for sure.

GREETING YOUR GUESTS at the dinner table with an ornament at their place setting will serve as an heirloom reminder of the meal for years to come. Even if it's not a turkey ornament, one that has a special significance for the season, in general or your guest, in particular is a welcoming gift. A small burlap bag is an attractive nest to coddle the ornament and once inside it, doubles as a perfect way for your guests to carry their new treasure home safely.

A SUMPTUOUS meal is a tried-and-true way of thanking the important people in your life for being a part of your journey. Gather friends and family alike for this important celebration. If you can't go home to be with your birth family, there are always a few friends that also can't go home and they will welcome the chance to celebrate the holiday. That's what friends are for. Give thanks to them.

PROPER SETTING | A place setting with a surprise ornament such as this turkey is sure to be the start of a memorable meal. This beautiful antiqued mercury glass vintage-inspired collectible is made by KD Vintage. Starburst plate by Isaac Mizrahi for Target (past season).

ORNAMENT BOUNTY | Any unique ornament could fit the bill. It doesn't have to be a turkey. Just make sure it says something about your guest or evokes the autumnal celebration. It's important that you choose with the particular person in mind as a uniquely personal way to thank them. Feather dessert plate by Patch NYC at Target.

FAMILY PATINA | Nothing says tradition and heritage better than using something that is meaningful to you as a part of the meal. Letting your guests know about these symbolic gestures makes them resonant. I can't think of a better way to represent your personal family history than to use your parents old silver-plate like I have here. I've always loved the pattern my parents chose when they were married on December 23, 1941. Although not fine, this timeworn silverplate is one of my few cherished inheritances from them. I don't like to completely shine it to perfection, as I think the patina of a slight tarnish is quite beautiful. The pattern is Grenoble Silverplate by Onieda (1938).

PROPER FEAST | If you don't fuss over many meals during the year, Thanksgiving is the time to do it. Devin and I invited only a couple of friends over this year (Devin did most of the cooking and I set the table and ran back and forth to the grocery for items we needed). We cooked from scratch two turkey breasts, green beans, scalloped sweet potatoes, stuffing and bought fresh cranberry/orange relish from Trader Joes and rolls from Publix. For dessert we had apple pie with a cheddar cheese crust and a traditional pumpkin pie, both with freshly (slightly-sweetened) whipped cream. After our meal, we brought in the Christmas season by watching the 1954 movie, White Christmas, a musical starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, always marveling at Vera's insanely tiny waist and incredible dancing ability. This was much more fun than falling for the crazier-than-ever antics surrounding Black Friday. There's still plenty of time to shop before Christmas. More thoughtful and unique gifts usually always come from small local businesses.

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland
food by Devin Borden

Matthew Mead's Holiday

THE BEST THING about the holidays is good company. It's that most wonderful time of the year when we make it a point to decorate our homes, bake cakes and cookies and celebrate merrily. Matthew Mead and I found good company in each other and he has gifted me this year with an 8-page feature in both issues of this season's Matthew Mead's Holiday magazine and expanded bookazine.

In the spirit of the season, Matthew is offering two bookazines for The Decorated Tree to give away! All you have to do is like The Decorated Tree Facebook page. If you've already liked my Facebook page, let me know you've also visited Matthew's site by leaving a comment in the comments section of this post. I will have a drawing to announce the two lucky winners on November 22nd (Thanksgiving day).

SINCE THIS BLOG called The Decorated Tree was begun on August 17, 2009, it has fast become less of a hobby and more of a creative pursuit. This is my 88th blog post, but it announces my first magazine article. I've designed hundreds of magazine articles over the course of my career, but never have been the subject of one! It's truly incredible to be in such good company in the pages of Matthew Mead's Holiday!

THIS IS JUST A TEASER of much more to be found in the sumptuous pages of this year's edition of Matthew Mead's Holiday. And The Decorated Tree is elated to be a part of it!

THE DECORATED TREE | The opening spread of The Decorated Tree's article featuring trees from several of my blog posts including the two you see here from Winter Wish (above, also) and a closeup of the cover tree photo from my book The Decorated Tree.

COOL, CALM, & COLLECTED | Hostess Sally McElroy offers a full holiday menu with a sweet ending of Double Chocolate Cookies and Perfect Chocolate Ganache—two ways.

GIFTS FROM NATURE | Matthew Mead and his wife Jenny open their home in the pages of the magazine—a beautifully pared-back elegance ushers in the holiday season.

HOLIDAY COOKIES | These cookies get royal treatment in the pages of Matthew Mead's Holiday. The recipe for Cardomom-Black Pepper Trees with Juniper Icing is worth the price alone of the expanded 256-page edition! If you have no other cookie this season, this is the one! But there are at least 20-more cookie recipes to choose from!

 

CHRISTMAS PRESENT | Executive Editor Linda McDonald opens her doors of her holiday home to share her approach to celebrating simply. Delicious cakes, cake bites, trifles and such are their celebratory foods for the season.

WINTER WREATHS | Wrapped in tradition, Matthew's enduring wreath story presents eight ideas for making your own to last through the season.

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Decorated Tree collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland,
magazine spread photos and styling by Matthew Mead.