Decorating with Branches

So, I was laying in bed thinking about decorating with branches the other morning.
But not just any branches.
COOL branches…

How’s that for some semi-fancy, semi-faux, TOTALLY FREE Fall foliage?!

Other inexpensive, hot glue-able options might be artificial cranberries…

or acorns…

And don’tcha know, we’ve got a driveway full of those right now!
(But they aren’t pretty half green/half brown ones like the ones above!)

Anywho, I started to think about where else I could get some cool hot glue-able stuff, and I remembered a website the fabulous Christopher Lowell mentioned on his show one time.
It’s called Loose Ends.

I looked around their site for a while last night, and they do have some pretty interesting things.

I like these little “apple pods”…

And these “cane berries” are pretty cool lookin’ too…

After I was done snoopin’ around their site, a Google search led me to another online shop called Save-On-Crafts.com.
Holy TONS of cool branches Batman!

They sell these great-looking, artificial leaf-covered ones…

And these KILLER mossy-covered birch ones…

And these snazzy red Dogwoods…

And they even carry these faux-snow covered branches…

They also sell shorter bundles of branches too.
I love these dried blackberry-tipped ones…

…and don’t even get me STARTED on these Tallow Berry ones…

I love Molly Shannon as “Jeannie Darcy” too.

Happy decorating with branches, friend!

PS-
The hair accessory I’m sportin’ in the video above is from WhippyCake.com

Aren’t they fabulous!?

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Ooh!

Wait!
One more thing!

Speaking of the fabulous and funny Christopher Lowell- have you heard about his new project?
He’s creating a web-series called “Ask Christopher”.
Apparently, you can ask him questions through Facebook or Twitter (@AskClowell), and unlike some design TV shows that are taped waaaay in advance, his web series will be monitored every day– so it’ll have a more “live” feel. Should be fun to check out! Here’s a preview…

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49 Responses to Decorating with Branches

1. Natalie E says:

   Oct 19, 2010 at 7:26 pm

   Your video is cracking me up… but I love it and the post overall. I’ve actually been working on some branchy things myself. Now I just need to cover them with nuts.

   Here’s what we did with branches at a bunaglow project!

   http://abungalowproject.blogspot.com/2010/10/fall-mantel-and-birthday.html

   

   Reply
2. Chris says:

   Oct 19, 2010 at 7:37 pm

   What? No outtakes! You’re slipping, Layla! Your terminology was much better than mine would have been. I looked at them and thought, “Oh! She’s decorating with fuzzy balls.” Not nearly as mature as your terms! I’m off to check out the websites!

   

   Reply
   • Layla says:

     Oct 19, 2010 at 7:41 pm

     Oh, I’ve got outtakes.
     I’ve got LOTS and LOTS of outtakes.
     But you’ll just have to wait and see what I’m gonna do with ‘em!
     Mwahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!
     >:-)
     Layla

     

     Reply
3. Sharyl@The little brown house says:

   Oct 19, 2010 at 7:41 pm

   Love them! And the hair accessory! And the fact that you lay in bed and think of things like that!!

   

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4. Claire says:

   Oct 19, 2010 at 7:42 pm

   Those are sweet gum balls, and they are a pain in the neck to have in your yard. Beautiful though. Love your website.

   

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5. Aimee says:

   Oct 19, 2010 at 7:48 pm

   Loved these ideas Layla! I was just thinking about some inexpensive fall decor ideas and this has got my brain turning! Thanks!

   ~Aimee

   

   Reply
6. Carrie-Lee Hurzeler says:

   Oct 19, 2010 at 8:33 pm

   I love the inspiration you give when you post all these beautiful things on your blog. I would love to access all these lovely branches, and acorns and things, but I live in the Arctic where the Kotzebue (my town) National Forest is one lone tree in someone’s yard. LOL. Ok, so we don’t really have a National Forest this far up North, but I think you got the picture! Keep blogging, and I know I will keep writing down great ideas I steal from your site!
   Carrie-Lee

   

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7. michelle says:

   Oct 19, 2010 at 8:33 pm

   Love the sweet gum balls on the branches and also the mossy branches, too! Once on Oprah, Nate Berkus said that he loves to decorate with natural elements and to bring the outdoors in.
   I found a few small white, dried flowers at a local store and glued them to branches and have them displayed in a vase in our bedroom– love them!

   

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8. Kelly says:

   Oct 19, 2010 at 9:56 pm

   Great idea! It came out beautiful.

   Did you ever share your fall mantel? I think I might of missed the post. If so, can you link it in the comments.

   

   Reply
   • Layla says:

     Oct 20, 2010 at 6:30 am

     Not yet! VERY soon though!

     Layla

     

     Reply
9. angela walker says:

   Oct 19, 2010 at 10:13 pm

   Hi Layla! Love your video You are too cute…. What a great idea to hot glue those sweet gum balls on to branches! I have a few of those Tallow Berries and I covet them. I found a few vintage medicine bottles and stuck those babies in… just love em…
   Love your headband too!
   Health and happiness to you and Kevin!
   Angela

   

   Reply
10. Missy says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 2:43 am

    Hey Layla, I love those little pods, they have such great texture and color! I wonder how long they will retain their color before they turn brown and crunchy too. hmmmmm…you’ll have to let us know.
    Wish we had some interesting trees around here to gleen goodies from…….don’t think black walnuts would stay! lol
    Hope you have a happy, wonderful, fun-filled day!
    Hugs!

    

    Reply
11. Marianne@Songbird says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 2:55 am

    Oaw I almost missed this one. Your feed is not getting in my inbox lateley. I tried resubscribing but that didn’t seem to work. Is that a problem on my end or on yours?
    Anyway love the branches. So don’t keep us guessing too long. What’ye do with it?

    

    Reply
    • Layla says:

      Oct 20, 2010 at 6:30 am

      Hey Marianne!

      I think we finally got our feed issues fixed yesterday.
      Let me know if you get my next post in your inbox or not.

      As for the branches, I just stuck ‘em in a vase and called it a day!
      

      Layla

      

      Reply
12. michelle chafin says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 3:15 am

    Love the branches. Also the video is fantastic!!! I love your blog.

    

    Reply
13. Laura says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 5:46 am

    Hi!
    Love the video as well as your website!
    I’m glad I’m not the only one who notices branches!

    Every year I get branches that have blown off of our tree, gather leaves and acorns and hot glue them all back together. I even iron the leaves and send them out to family out West who request them each year. They don’t get the kinds of colors we get on the trees out here. So this weekend is my leaf expedition and ironing marathon!

    

    Reply
14. Molly says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 6:33 am

    Love the idea……I am getting to work creating some faux foliage branches. Love the video Layla! If you are interested in using some of my French and Italian Wall Decor tiles for a decorating redo…let me know….I would donate them to help bring a room to life..!

    

    Reply
15. Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 8:18 am

    Awesome photos and great post. Loving your site!

    

    Reply
16. Cortney Lovelace says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 8:38 am

    Oh man, I haven’t seen Christopher Lowell for years!! I use to love his show!

    

    Reply
17. Lemonade Makin' Mama says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 8:47 am

    Holy awesome nut covered, seed filled branches post, Batman!!

    

    Reply
18. Kim says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 9:22 am

    Great idea!

    I love the new blog format.

    

    Reply
19. Terri says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 10:25 am

    Oh my goodness. Those things bring back such memories. When I was a kid, sweet gum balls were our ammunition of choice for the neighborhood boys against girls turf wars. Let me just say the green ones HURT when they peg you in the back! Never thought of gluing them onto a branch; only of painting them silver and gold and putting them in a bowl for Christmas. That’s really pretty too.

    

    Reply
20. Lindsay @ A Design Story says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 11:02 am

    Layla- You are adorable! Love the hair thing… great source!

    The branch thing… girl I totally understand! I did the same thing awhile back except I put fine papered flowers on mine for spring! The possibilities are endless when you have a hot glue gun

    

    Reply
21. Karen says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 11:28 am

    Layla,

    Leave it to you to come up with such great ideas. I have a tree that drops those spiked berries you show—not sure I’ve ever seen the green ones but they are probably on the tree and I can get some. Thanks too for the sources for other cool crafty things.

    Karen

    

    Reply
22. Tammie says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 12:32 pm

    Branches and Mollie WHAT COULD BE BETTER.

    

    Reply
23. debbie says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 2:26 pm

    I love your site and love all of your ideas! You have inspired me to do some fall decorating and the craft site you mentioned is fabulous!

    On another note, I noticed you painted your kitchen cabinets white. I meant to write down your “recipe” for the black cabinets, specifically what product you used to seal your cabinets once they were painted. Also, did you use a flat paint, eggshell, satin or gloss? Any help would be appreciated as my goal is to have my cabinets painted before summer of next year. I haven’t told hubby this yet….

    

    Reply
24. Dee says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 2:55 pm

    I am now following you on twitter and I love the video that you created on the decorating with branches.

    http://www.deesdailynews.com

    

    Reply
25. Cara Rose says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    Layla,

    Love the new post. Using nature inspired is so beautiful. There is a website at http://www.sfherb.com that you can use for finding great pods also.

    Can’t wait to see the fall mantel.

    C

    

    Reply
26. geri says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 6:02 pm

    Layla.
    I just got a blast from the past.
    I could not stop laughing at Christopher Lowells video
    today or 20 yrs ago when I use to run home to watch him .(before DVR’s
    became my favorite thing in the world besides paint. hehe)
    He was one of the first and the most original decorators to
    hit T.V.
    he always had the best guests and ideas for less.
    I thnk you and he should team up and do a
    web series together. It would be totally SMASHING!!
    Seeing Christopher Lowell was like finding an old friend
    you missed and sadly forgot. Thank you Layla.

    

    Reply
27. Rosemary says:

    Oct 20, 2010 at 8:38 pm

    You are so inspiring….I really, really enjoy your blog and seeing all your creative work. Thanks for the great link as well….they have TONS of stuff and reasonably priced too.

    

    Reply
28. Mary says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 6:43 am

    You are just too darn cute for words! Love that headband, too! Hey…I thought there was a cute little haircut in your future?? I’m waitin’…

    Great tips on the nut-covered…seed pod branch thingys! So cute…and free! The best!

    ~mary~

    

    Reply
29. Kay says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 8:52 am

    K WOW! I seriously just picked some acorns off my father n laws trees a couple of weeks ago! He & my husband were making fun of me for stealing squirrel food, but I thought to myself this is totally free & something that I do believe Layla would do!! Crazy coincidence or what?! By the way, I used mine in two Pottery Barn glass lanterns with huge white candles and the acorns going about a third of the way up the glass. Happy Fall!

    

    Reply
30. Angie @ The Country Chic Cottage says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 11:27 am

    I saw on some blog (sorry don’t know who) where they painted their acorns.

    

    Reply
31. Karla says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 11:35 am

    I love that idea-very creative and I do love all the foliage and branches that PB decorates with! Definitely a great way to celebrate fall by bringing the outdoors in.

    I was told that the acorns have little worms living inslde them, so it’s best not to bring those indoors. I love bringing fresh cut flowers indoors but generally have to run our hibiscus under the tap as they attract a lot of bugs. Love nature, but I don’t want all those bugs in my house! I hate that when I find something that’s fallen off a tree I have to wonder if the grass its on has been loaded up with pesticides-especially in local parks. I tend to stick to what’s on our natural grown lawn. So, I guess no twigs for me but Michael’s should have what I need.

    

    Reply
32. Judy says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 11:42 am

    Hi Layla,

    Love love love the natural and natural looking elements. I need to go check out that website right now!

    Judy

    

    Reply
33. janie says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    Would love to own this special table. You both are da-bomb!

    

    Reply
34. Beth@A2Z says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 3:35 pm

    I just watched your video with Zeph (age 3) sitting next to me and he said, “What was THAT all about out?” I told him it was about making sticks with pods. His response, “Oh. Just something like you would do huh Mommy?” I haven’t done it yet, but I think it’s a fabulous idea and could see myself doing it soon! (Your hair accessory looks adorable!)

    

    Reply
35. amy thayer says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 4:43 pm

    I saw a bunch of these great branchy things at the Country Living Fair. I NEVER did find the vendor selling them :/

    

    Reply
36. julie says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 5:19 pm

    hey layla! i loved your video! and i loved your idea! you know, the house i grew up in always had those sweetgum tree balls! and i must of been ahead of the decorating times because me and my friend made wreaths and topairies out of them just by hotgluing them to forms! and that was back in the late 80′s or early 90′s! i am definately on a mission to find some more! hmmm! i wonder if the owners living in my old house would mind me coming and picking some!

    

    Reply
37. Flower Patch Farmgirl says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 5:42 pm

    I need some Killer Mossy Birch in my life! I didn’t even know I needed it….until right now!

    

    Reply
38. AshleyAnn says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 7:50 pm

    I have those crazy green things hanging from my tree and it NEVER dawned on me that they would look so cute inside. Add this to the project list!

    

    Reply
39. Amy says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 8:25 pm

    I’ve been wanting to decorate with branches for awhile, love the ideas!

    

    Reply
40. all that jazz vintage says:

    Oct 21, 2010 at 9:19 pm

    Layla, you are too cute! So enthusiastic and inspirational when it comes to creative pursuits! You could make fabulous home decor out of a plastic grocery store bag and a pile of dirt, I swear!!!
    Goin’ out to look for seed pods the first chance I get…..
    Happy weekend~~!
    ~michelle~

    

    Reply
41. OurGreatEscape says:

    Oct 22, 2010 at 7:27 am

    “GUM BUMS” that what my kiddos grew up calling those sweet gum balls!

    Centuries ago (well, the last 1960′s and 70′s), gum balls used to be all the decorating rage! My grandmother and her friends would used the dried ones and make wreaths. They made holiday trees with them too. There was some sort of wicker form that they glued hundreds of gum-bums to. The entire thing was painted green.

    What I’ve been hankerin’ for the past couple of years is a wreath made of cotton bolls:-)

    Thanks for the post and my walk down memory lane!

    

    Reply
42. Rebecca Foxworth says:

    Oct 22, 2010 at 9:32 am

    i LOVE Christopher Lowell. Thank you so much for the link!

    

    Reply
43. Lisa says:

    Oct 23, 2010 at 12:18 am

    You are too super cute. I’ve VERY interested in this idea…awesome! Acorns are my favorite to work with. Also, I LOVE LOVE what you said on your profile description about you guys being “dream believers”. LOVE IT. I know that was random, but had to share.

    

    Reply
44. Debi says:

    Oct 26, 2010 at 8:12 am

    Oh my lord! We call those things pricker balls and our yard is COVERED with them. We hate them. We will mail you a gazillion of them if you want them. They get embedded in the ground and then in the spring when we are out sititng on the ground to weed, etc, we sit on them. And they hurt! Enjoy them, because I detest them! Love our site though.

    

    Reply
45. Rachel Elizabeth says:

    Nov 3, 2010 at 12:41 pm

    I was looking for some craft supplies and had completley forgotten about save on crafts. Thanks for the reminder and the great fall decorating ideas.

    

    Reply
46. Chrissy @ Adventures in DIY says:

    Aug 8, 2011 at 1:27 am

    I have 2 of these trees and when these prickly suckers fall, my front yard is completely covered with them. And when they dry up and get brown like in your video, they hurt! lol If you want some, let me know and I will mail you bunches of them.

    

    Reply