Previews of Coming Attractions ~ Decor 2009

This console table is on the right in the entrance hall of the NC Governor's Mansion. This year, it has one tall arrangement and a lower companion piece. We use all fresh greenery and branches; most of which is cut from the Mansion grounds, or donated by local businesses. We have bins and bins of decorations to choose from. Each year, the trustees* at the mansion take down and save all the permanent decor. They take bows apart and roll all the ribbons; remove ornaments from the trees and store them and anything else the designers might be able to use again. When we begin to design an arrangement, we "go shopping" from all the bins to pick and choose which elements, ornaments and ribbons we want to use. It is SO much fun!! Mel Day (being the boss) gets his pick first, and then the two designers (Rhonda and I) can comb through all the bins.

*Trustees are prison inmates with special privileges; namely they get to work in the Mansion every day and return to the prison at night.

Above is a close-up of the lower arrangement and below is a closer view of the taller one. I had a great time making these today! (you can see me in that photo too...lol)

This arrangement is on a sideboard across the hall from the console table. It is partially obscured, but the container is an exquisite Asian piece. I won't hazard a guess as to the period or country of origin, as I'd probably get it wrong, but it's a delight to be able to work with it.

Above is a close-up of the one above. See the butterfly perched on the green ball?


This one (and its companion below) sit on demi-lunes flanking the grand staircase in the foyer of the Mansion. It has a "fan" of peacock feathers. These white porcelain urns are approximately 3 feet tall without the arrangements.

This one has a few peacock feathers, but its height is gained by the use of corkscrew willow branches. Due to reflection from the camera flash, the glittered, split pomegranates look light yellow here, but these are lime green in person.

This is my small arrangement (about 16" across that sits on the coffee table in the library. As I told you last night, in that room we have featured sea shells, starfish and sand dollars in tribute to the home town of our current Governor, Bev Perdue. The round pods that look yellow here, are also lime green - they are protea pods.

There are two very tall bookcases in the library; and I have been privileged to make the arrangements that go atop them for several years. Everything in this room is completely natural this year; no artificial elements were used. Dried hydrangea, eleagnes, various evergreens, real bird nests, Spanish moss, sand dollars and corkscrew willow are some of the items used in making these and the ones in the photo below.

The photo below shows the mantel in the library. Rhonda made the three sprays, and Mel did the mantel with amaryllis and narcissus plants, mised with various evergreen boughs, Spanish moss, birch branches and raffia. Hanging out of the mantel decor are sand dollars.


I did this small arrangement of moss, willow branches, various seashells and holly berries. It sits on a sofa table in the library, in front of the Governor's family photos.