December 3, 2007

Early in December, Roman women celebrated secret rituals to the goddess Bona Dea ("the Good Goddess"), a patron of mothers, fertility and healing. For more about Bona Dea, scroll down in today's entry from Wilson's Almanac

Simple natural decorations to make

Twig candleholders: Create an inverted tepee shape from several twigs. Spread the bottom ends, bind with twine about a third of the way up, then sand or trim the bottom ends until the bunch stands flat and level. Slide small glass votive candles to rest on the bound bunch.

Twig chandelier: A bunch of 10-15 larger twigs can be bound together around a string of mini-lights and hung upside-down as a chandelier. String the lights through the twigs; you may need to anchor them with monofilament for stability Beautiful also if you spray-paint the twigs white or gold first.

Twig garlands If you know how to make a garland, you can do the same with twigs. Beautiful decorated with pinecones, hung with mini-lights or adorned with small chandelier crystals or star ornaments.

Or from HGTV, instructions for a glittery snowflake twig wreath

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