The DÔEN Scrapbook
Sparkle & Shine
The forthcoming holiday season is a truly special and all-too-fleeting time, full of communal traditions, joyous celebrations, and candlelit evenings that we look forward to and cherish year after year. See below for a few of the ways that we’re savoring each moment of festive magic.
A FESTIVE FEELING
Songs of warmth to enliven festive gatherings. {Listen here}
Traditions, New and Old
Ringing in the holiday season with passed-down traditions and favorite new discoveries.
Decoupage Ornaments
We recently spent an evening making decoupage ornaments with cuttings from our favorite magazines (we used World of Interiors and National Geographic). Easy to make, and endlessly customizable —these charming creations make for the best gifts. All you need is some plain wooden ornaments, Modge Podge, and paper cuttings of your choosing.
Paperwhites
One of our favorite rituals is planting paperwhite bulbs indoors. Watching them grow and bloom through the season never loses its wonder—and they make thoughtful gifts for green-thumbed friends.
Handmade Garlands
Whether strung from dried oranges or paper chain links, a simple garland brings instant festivity to the home.
In the Kitchen
We always find time spent in the kitchen with loved ones lends itself to the sweetest memories.
Vintage Nutcracker
We love buying fresh nuts at the farmers market this time of year and keeping them in a bowl for guests to enjoy. Search on Etsy for vintage nutcrackers of all shapes and sizes.
Marzipan
These sweet almond-paste delicacies, so often molded into whimsical shapes, have forever held a place in our hearts. We recently discovered how easy and fun it is to make your own marzipan at home, coloring with creative ingredients (matcha, beet powder, or with natural food coloring)—a fantastic activity for kids and adults alike.
Mulling Spices
Simmering a big pot of mulling spices on the stove is one of our favorite ways to add an instant touch of festivity to any holiday gathering. Our friend Amy Blessing makes her own fragrant blend with a couple of cinnamon sticks, a tablespoon each of whole cloves, allspice berries, and star anise, plus a few dried orange slices or strips of orange rind.
Image Credits
{“Doe and Two Fawns” by Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait (1882) // “Acanthus Leaves,” n.a. (16th-17th century) // “Cremorne Gardens, No. 2” by James McNeill Whistler (ca. 1870-80) // “The Lewitha” by John Dillwyn Llewelyn (1853-56) // “Madame Georges Charpentier (Marguerite-Louise Lemonnier, 1848-1904) and Her Children, Georgette-Berthe (1872-1945) and Paul-Emile-Charles (1875-1895)” by Auguste Renoir (1878) // “The Boulevard of Montmartre on a Winter Morning” by Camille Pissarro (1897) // “Still life with fruit and flowers” by Catherine Duchemin (c. 1630-1698) // “Ice skating on Lake Chelan, Washington, ca. 1900,” n.a. (c. 1900) // “The Marsh” by Anton Mauve (c. 1885-88) // “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, from the New Years 1890 series (N227) issued by Kinney Bros.” By Kinney Brothers Tobacco Company (1889-90) // “Iris” by Wilhelm Weimar (c. 1857-1917) // “Tall meadow rue. Nature’s garden,” n.a. (1927)}
