Beautiful Winter: Wreaths, Garlands, & Decorations for Your Home and Table

Norman (Beautiful Wildflowers) takes us from summer swelter into the solstice’s leafy comfort of fallen twigs, bark and moss, and into the ideas that sprout from all that stuff that falls to the ground. An emphasis on natural materials (pinecones, chestnuts, ivy undaunted by winter’s chill) offers a unifying note, though Norman advises those not regionally blessed with such bounty to head to the local florist or hobby store for creating a tear-shaped twig wreath or amaryllis tree. Norman’s work offers an overall acknowledgment that some regions may still be playing with beach balls when the autumnal “Beech Husk Ball” is on the craft calendar. Holiday nods are given to Christmas tree decor options (hyacinth bulbs and “tiny” poinsettias for the Tannenbaum), Advent table wreaths (hemp rope and traditional greens), and an ivy-wrapped Star of David. The process is aided by a foreword full of equipment suggestions, plus a forest of photos that alone tell the story of wire pinning, joining branches, and softening almost any wood to manipulate into decorative shapes. (Sept.)