Project

Miniature Christmas Tree Mantel Display

The talented floral-design team Putnam & Putnam created this festive display for our cover — that's also easy to make. They used a mix of vintage trees found on eBay and Martha Stewart Living's new bottlebrush trees, available exclusively at the Home Decorators Collection ($49 for a set of 3, homedecorators.com).

Photography: Christopher Testani

Source: Martha Stewart

Introduction

"Sprinkling snow as a finishing touch really brings this wonderland to life," says Michael Putnam, the creative mastermind behind this magical scene.

materials

Plastic sheet or tray

Clump moss

Small ferns

Bottlebrush trees (in a variety of colors and sizes)

Ball ornaments

Fake snow

steps

Place a layer of plastic down or use a tray to protect the mantel.
Cover tray or plastic with mounds of clump moss.
Tuck ferns into moss, breaking up the plants so they’re not too large but keep as much of the soil and roots intact as possible.
Insert bottlebrush trees into moss.
Embellish with ball ornaments and sprinkle with fake snow.
Sprinkle with fake snow.