When it comes to decorating your home and surroundings for the holidays, look to your garden for inspiration and resources. Not only is it green and economical, it is simply awe-inspiring beautiful. Decorating with nature creates a soothing, earthy ambiance. One that is especially comfortable and pleasing for the holidays.

You might be able to reap from your garden and local area: pine cones of all types and sizes, heavenly magnolia leaves fresh or dried, different types of pine boughs, tabletop lemon cypress, rosemary topiary, flowing ivies, bark, nuts of all kinds, whole cranberries, paperwhites, holly branches, oranges, lemons, kumquat fruit and branches, pyracantha with their bright berries, mistletoe sprigs, olive branches, intertwined grapevines, miniature pine trees, dried chili peppers, winter-dormant branches, eucalyptus branches and berries, dried pomegranates, acorns, roses, succulents, and lots more.

Look for inspiration in your garden first. If you don't find everything you would like, look to your neighborhood, your neighbors, retail stores and farmers markets. This time of year in my area the small tabletop trees are readily available and create instant festive appeal. If you can't find "real" everything, your local craft stores can help you mix real and real-like together.

Don't forget the addition of simple accouterments such as holiday ribbons, scented candles, soft lanterns, mulling spice, and a warm cackling fire to complement your festive holiday decorating from your garden.

Quick & Easy Holiday Decorating Tips 1) Fill your candle base with whole hazelnuts as a nice festive decorative base. 2) String whole cranberries on a string to make a garland. 3) Lay magnolia branches on top of your mantle for an earthy holiday appeal. 4) Use a small succulent wreath as a ring for a hurricane with a candle. 5) Make a garland by wiring together pine boughs, and whatever you fancy. 6) Fill an antique dough boy bowl with huge sugar pine cones. 7) Use miniature cypress and juniper as a table centerpiece.

Please share if you decorate for the holidays with elements from your garden. Please comment on any special holiday decorating tips you like to do.

You could say that I'm on a rant about spices. I confess, I love spices. Spices are fun to cook with, give as gifts, and easy to pick up up along your travels. A couple of years ago, I made and holiday-packaged this blackened rub for a garden fundraiser event. It was a big hit.

Everyone enjoys a little something "hand-made from the heart" for the holidays. Why not give a little gift of home-made blackened rub to your mailman, book club, child's teacher, and garden friends. Have you noticed that most gardeners are "foodies" as well. The two seem to go "hand in hand."

Simple spice containers are easy to find at World Market or Crate and Barrel. Reasonably priced spices can be found at Costco, or Smart and Final, if you have one in your area.

I must confess that this is not my original blackened rub recipe, but one that special friends (and fabulouse cooks) adapted, and shared with me. It is none other than the great chef, Paul Prudhomme's Original Blackened Rub with a twist, added chipotle pepper.

Adapted Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Rub 1 1/2 cup Paprika 3/4 cup Kosher Salt 1/4 cup Onion Powder 1/4 cup Garlic Powder 1/4 cup Red Cayenne Pepper 1/2 cup Chipotle Pepper 3 Tablespoons White Pepper 3 Tablespoons Black Pepper 2 Tablespoons Ground Thyme 2 Tablespoons Ground Oregano

Mix throughly all the ingredients, until it is a rich spicy red color. This blackened rub is especially tasty with fish and meats.

This adapted bulk recipe fills approximately 8, 5oz containers. The recipe is so easy, simply repeat it if you have more containers to fill. Purchase holiday 4" x 9" size cellophane bags, pop your filled spice containers in the bag, and tie with a pretty ribbon. If you have time, make a beautiful gift tag, with the recipe included on the back.

Please comment on the home-made "foodie" gifts you like to give at the holidays.

Chances are if you are not cooking this Thanksgiving, you've been invited to share Thanksgiving with family or friends. With the special holiday just days away, it is not too late to put together a small thoughtful gift for the hostess or host.

Chances are the hostess or host who has invited you, is an enthusiastic cook, and enjoys sharing their feast of delectable dishes.

Chances are you might really "wow" them bringing them a simple gift of a well-chosen spice. Chances are your might be invited back real soon.

Start with a small brand new cellophane bag, you can get them at craft stores. Fill the bottom with colored raffia or tissue paper. Choose an outstanding spice, and tie up your bag with a fun fall ribbon. It's a simple gesture, and a gift which captures the spirit of "being thankful."

Choose spices that might be slightly uncommon. A few of my favorites are Ceylon "True" Cinnamon, Coarse Grey Sea Salt, Madras Curry Powder, and Smoked Paprika. You can find special spices at Sur la Table, Home Goods, Marshall's, and even the Dollar Stores.

This gift doubles as a great fall party favor, too. It is simple to do, easy on the budget, sends your guests home with a little memento, and a "thank you" for coming.

Do you have hostess gift ideas to share? Please comment on your favorite spices?

Have you ever walked into some one's home or garden for the first time, and immediately felt at ease, comfortable, with your senses confirming that this room or space is working in unison? Most likely your host or hostess has beautifully incorporated the basic design principles on purpose or unknowingly by instinct. Generally speaking, the best designed and pleasing spaces, rooms, and gardens, are the ones that have evolved over time, adding a little bit at a time. Remember to adhere to the five basic principles of design as you create your space. They are scale and proportion, balance, rhythm, emphasis, and harmony.

Within the rhythm design principle is repetition. Repetition is created by repeating color, pattern, test, light, or form in your space. Do you notice how much better plants look if they are grouped in mass plantings or at least three's or five's? Have you stopped buying singles of this and that unless for a focal setting? Same principle goes for incorporating your personal style into your garden, home, and personal space. Repetition is design.

Repetition is a very easy way to emphasize your style and with elements important to you in your garden. These beautiful time-worn watering cans would not have half as much "punch" dispersed throughout a garden, as they do punctuated spout to spout.

It can be something as simple as watering cans, container pots, vintage garden tools, rocks, Adirondack chairs, birdhouses, bird feeders, sculpture, antique fencing, glass pieces, and collections. Have you ever seen photos of potting tables with all sorts of terracotta pots in various sizes, stacked and piled together? What a fabulous look, "design by default". I spoke earlier this past fall about "what is your garden style". What kinds of things emphasize your garden style? What do you collect, enjoy, and can be repeated?

What have you repeated in your garden, by design or happenstance that works brilliantly? Repeating favorite things in your garden, home, and space, morphs into design and your style.

Narcissus "Golden Dawn" sitting pretty in home-grown oranges in a vintage French market basket. Make this spring arrangement easily and effortlessly. There is something about the citric acid in oranges which will sustain narcissus in bloom for several hours, and I found up to a day or two. Use fresh oranges.

Find fresh narcissus such as "Golden Dawn" which have a stiff stem. Sometimes, fresh cut "Golden Dawn" are sold at flower marts. I have seen narcissus "Golden Dawn" bulbs for sale on the internet. It is a great landscape daffodil, known for its beautiful petite yellow with orange-cup flowers, reblooming ability, and easy naturalization. If you are a fan of sweet peas, and grow them in your garden or have a source, sweet peas may be substituted for narcissus.

Think first, what type of arrangement you would like to create. Some ideas could be something for a table centerpiece, hanging on your front door, off your garden gate, or even by your patio door. Second, find your container. Ideally, you want something that will show off your oranges and and all of your bright spring color. I chose this French market basket, but you could use many containers. Spring is the season for baskets, maybe a charming wicker basket hanging on a front door, would be a good choice. Vintage baguette bread boards, either a single or several arranged across your table, could hold oranges easily for a cheery table centerpiece. Maybe a favorite glass bowl would do, the possibilities are endless

The next few steps are preparing your narcissus for their orange base, and assembling the oranges the in your container. Trim narcissus stems with a fresh diagonal cut, and keep your stems short. Use a pointed object, such as a wooden chopstick or knitting needle, and carefully make a hole deep enough to hold your stem upright in each orange. Insert your narcissus stem into the ready-made hole in the orange, and repeat till all of your oranges are finished. A small precise hole in your orange will keep your orange in tact, and not dripping. Experiment, and put two stems per hole with some of your oranges. You might want to leave some oranges, as I did, and use them as a base for your arrangement.

Try thinking outside of the "bloom" for a special spring occasion.