The Maben Garden Club program for November featured Melissa Walker, the new owner of Friendly Florist in Maben, as she decorated a $20 Christmas tree from a local store with bows, balls and bling.
To begin, she handed each person at the meeting three fairly long pieces of glittery ribbon and a long piece of wire, and taught us how to make lopsided bows to begin the decorations for the tree.
After this was accomplished she began to tie the bows all over the tree, which can be seen finished in the accompanying photo. She then strung three glittery Christmas balls together on a wire and attached these clusters to the tree. She then stuck in bronzed feathers all over the tree and ended with a topping of several gold bling spikes. The result was striking.
Next, Melissa decorated a wreath that she first "fluffed" so that the branches stood out in a natural way. She then attached a white center wooden circle with an iconic "Shop Maben" red truck with a Christmas tree in the back to the inner circle of the Wreath. She then proceeded to make a huge bow with four different types of ribbon including a wide strip with the red truck motif and another of wide solid green combined with others of plaid. This bow was attached to the bottom of the wreath.
Then she wove other strips of ribbon around and through the branches. She then demonstrated how to add Christmas balls and other touches to make it complete. She has hung this wreath on the door of her new business, which is in the same building as the former Friendly Florist in Maben on our Main Street, which is Second Avenue.
Melissa and the other merchants in Maben are getting ready for a big day on Dec. 4 starting at 10 a.m., when vendors will come and set up to sell their Christmas goodies and homemade items, etc., in booths along Webster Street in front of Grantiques and Two Blonds and One Brunette clothing store and along Second Avenue. Be sure to come shop at the Christmas Market and visit Melissa in her beautiful new shop.
