Merry Christmas, KGC!!

Oh, by gosh by golly, it's time for mistletoe and holly...

 

Oh Tannenbaum, oh Tannenbaum.....

 

There's just no escaping the joys of horticulture and floral design as we go into this most wonderful time of the year! Not be left out is photography since many of us have been sharing our decorating and arrangements with each other via emails, texts and in person. What fun it has been!

 

Speaking of holiday horticulture, have you r.s.v.p.'d for the December 3^rd fête at the Chestnuts? I'm not sure what will be roasting on the Chestnuts' fire, but I know that a festive time will be had by all. Please be sure to welcome KGC's early Christmas presents, our newest members: Susan Canmann, Cathy Evertsberg, Liz Kohler and Bernadette Tramm. Welcome to our merry band of revelers! We look forward to getting to know you and to many happy years together.

 

I feel like KGC membership is the gift that keeps on giving!  Flower Arranging 201 on February 6 ^th, our Benefit on April 19 ^th and some fun, informative winter and spring programs. I look forward to seeing you on December 3 ^rd ...and into the new year!

 

Wishing you and yours a holly, jolly Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

Always,

November Meeting Recap

 

Our November 15 gathering at Four Finches in Evanston really was a tweet for all!  Owner Sara Wright provided her top 10 tips for beautiful and easy floral arranging, as well as a percentage of the sales on merchandise that members took home.  This was a real win-win event for all who attended.

 

When creating a bouquet, Sarah begins by gathering the greens together.  Then she begins to place the flowers and other strong elements into the mix, with the greens providing structure.

Diane Phillips and Martha Spalding admire an Autumn Plum carnation.

Sarah highly recommends using design blocks, which are larger than Oasis and need no water after the initial long soaking.  The elements in the vase below need no water.

Sarah uses banyan root inside a glass cylinder with paperwhite bulbs.  The roots extend as the flower grows, providing a trellis-like support for the stems.

Cindy Chase and Mary Glerum display two of Sarah's favorite Crystal roses.

New Members!

A warm KGC welcome to our four newest members!

Please add their contact information to your KGC Yearbook, and welcome them when you meet them at one of our events:

Susan Canmann

Mrs. Michael

164 DeWindt Rd.

Winnetka, IL 60093

847/446-4024

847/436-4024 (c)

susancanmann@gmail.com

Liz Kohler

Mrs. Michael

333 Hibbard Rd.

Winnetka, IL 60093

847/441-7454

847/767-8230 (c)

lizkohler@comcast.net

Bernadette Tramm

Mrs. Tom R.

518 Washington Ave.

Wilmette, IL 60091

847/256-3553

847/715-6553 (c)

tramm518@gmail.com

FROM THE FLORAL COMMITTEE ...

 

Take your skills to a new level ...

Thanks to all who attended our GCA Flower Arranging 101B workshop in mid-November. There were such different and interesting modern mass designs created under the direction of Weezie Monroe and Molly Stephan, the Zone XI Flower Arranging Coordinators.

Heather Blackwell & Sharon Hayes watch Molly & Weezie's demonstration.

Donna Keller, Helen Balch, Terri Lorenz & Beth Glass prep their containers.

Donna Keller, Winnetka GC, and her Modern Mass design.	Kirsten Rider and her Modern Mass design.
Modern mass designs are bold in color as well as form, and contain only 4-5 elements.	Contracting shapes of floral elements provide interest without one focal point.

Zone XI Chair Celine Lillie served as a helper along with KGC's Shelley Galloway & Lenore Macdonald.

 

On Tuesday, February 6, we will offer another opportunity to build members' skills by holding GCA Flower Arranging 201: Contemporary Design. Watch your inbox for the registration form and act fast: KGC members will have sign-up priority until December 15; after that, registration will be open to ALL Zone XI GCA members (not just the other five local GCA clubs). You may also click here  for the Registration Form. We have also posted it to the KGC website Members Only page. See you there!

 

Get Inspired...

As a great follow up to Flower Arranging 101, and as a resource during the busy holiday entertaining season, this month I recommend the book, The Flower Chef. This book teaches you everything you need to know about flower arranging including tips on how to buy and care for flowers, how to cut and prepare them, and how to use floral foam, vases, and various other decorative elements in your arrangements. Filled with beautiful photographs and easy-to-follow instructions on how to create over 80 different arrangements, this is the go-to guide to floral design that every flower lover will want to add to their collection - or give as a gift this holiday season.

 

Take a look at Do Yourself Arrangements

 

 

And ... are you familiar with Flower Magazine?

 

                                                        

  

                                                  https://flowermag.com/

 

Their website is a great resource with lot of ideas and how-to's for not only floral ideas, but also interiors and entertaining, including an excellent video tutorial on making a table garland, just as we learned about at our November meeting at Four Finches. Watch it here:

 

https://flowermag.com/thanksgiving-table-centerpiece/

 

 

Get Together ...

                                                                                

                                                                                 --Marty Peterson Shaw                                               

Basic Camera & Composition Techniques led by Lou & Todd Nettlehorst.  Join us at 9:30 a.m. for coffee and introductions.  Lesson to include Lecture, Shooting, Critique and Informational Discussion and hand outs.  Interested?  Email Shelley to get on the KGC interest list.  First 20 to register at the end of January will be enrolled.  Stay tuned for more details.  

Holiday Decorating at Miseracordia

Thoughts for the Holidays...

Choosing eco-friendly gifts is not only possible, it's affordable. Here are some green gift giving ideas will help guide you through your shopping over this Christmas season.  Being gentle on the earth means also giving from a place of generosity and care.

Scale Down

Americans tend to spend hundreds of billions of dollars just during the holiday season.  Just imagine how much of that ends up in the trash within a few months or becomes obsolete. Much of what we give or receive is just not needed or wanted in the first place. Most of us buy out of obligation, without really considering our impact on the environment or our wallets. Shopping for eco-friendly gifts starts with these questions: Who do I really need to buy for? How much do I really need to spend? Do the presents I'm buying have a purpose or meaning?

Buy Local or Don't Buy New

Used, secondhand, vintage, antique...call it what you will.  Some of my very favorite Christmas gifts were items that my mother had in her home and passed on to me as a present.

Handmade and Homemade

Can you paint, crochet or knit, take nice photos, make awesome crafts or display some other talent through your holiday gift giving? Green gift giving doesn't have to include anything complicated. Homemade cookies, cakes, and pies are always appreciated by those wishing to cut back on unnecessary gift giving.

Sustainable Materials

As hard as it may be, eco-friendly gifts should avoid plastics, polyesters, hardwoods or any other non-sustainable materials. Many of these materials are not easily renewable and/or may produce toxins either in their manufacturing or during use. Opt instead for cotton, bamboo, wool, etc.

Educate

Put a spin on green gift giving: Instead of just buying things that are green, try buying things that teach green. Perhaps a vegetable gardening book with a few garden tools, or some shade grown coffee or give someone a class at the  Chicago Botanic Garden.  They have some wonderful youth and adult programs.

 

Give the Gift of Charity

Any impossible-to-buy-for people on your list? Donate money, plant a tree, support their favorite charitable organization in their name. The adults in my family did that last year and it was wonderful -- we learned about each other's favorite charities and there was no wrapping paper clean up!

Give the gift of time

In our busy days of rushing around, maybe just spending an hour with your kids playing cards or visiting older friends at in a nursing home can be a wonderful present.   Our undivided and focused time is often the most precious gift we can give someone. 

And finally  Start them young enjoying our National Parks 
Adventurers, explorers, historians, Junior Rangers, and everyone in between have grown to love the classic  Passport To Your National Park since its introduction in 1986, using the little book to log visits to National Park Service units across the United States.

"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." - Kahlil Gibran

 

In the news....

Plastic-eating caterpillars could save the planet

Rising sea levels threaten $19 billion in real estate across Maryland, study says

How Land Conservation Is Transforming Lives In Pittsburgh

The World's Biggest Killer: Pollution Kills Over 9 Million People Every Year


                                                                                             --Ann Jones 

Many of us were greatly saddened by last summer's passing of former KGC member and dear friend, Karen Miller..
 
We knew her not only through KGC, but during her long and deep commitment to the Junior League of Evanston-North Shore and AJLI, to educating the underserved, through Kenilworth Neighbors, and through her making our community and world a better place. Most important, we knew her as a mother, wife, daughter and friend.
 
She was such an integral part of the community that some of you have requested that KGC members be given the opportunity to do something in her memory. If you would like to participate, please send a check to Kenilworth Garden Club, c/o Diane Phillips, 1230 Colgate, Wilmette 60091,  with a notation "In Memory of Karen Miller". Please remit your donation by December 15, 2017. We plan to cherish her memory with a tree or other planting this spring.

If you missed this invitation, you can either sign-up via the GCA website or simply respond via email, indicating your interest in receiving any or all of these publications. This is a new and easy way to gain valuable information and make the most of your GCA membership.

Dallas Visiting Gardens Trip

April 9 - 14, 2018

For more information, contact Elizabeth Snellings

at bettysnellings@gmail.com

 

SAVE THE DATE

Lake Forest Garden Club

House and Garden Walk - June 20 & 21, 2018

Planting with Purpose

Tickets will be available for purchase on January 8, 2018

at www.lakeforestgc.org

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

  LAKE FOREST GARDEN CLUB

A Founding Member of Garden Club of America

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Many thanks to all who make KGC run like clockwork:

Kelly Chestnut for the excellent Tweet for the Holidays, along with lead hostess Terri Lorenz and her team of Leslie North, Diane Phillips and Kim Piekos;

 

Marty Shaw for coordinating a fun and informative Floral Arranging 101 Part B, and for not missing a beat and organizing Flower Arranging 201;

 

Shelley Galloway & Stacy DeLuca for offering an enlightening summary of the SOS Photography entries and forming a Photography Interest group;

 

Joan Dodson, who with Heather Blackwell, Jeanne Daniel, Barb McDonough, Tina Rice, Carla Stephens and Chris Wiedrich decorated the McAuley Courtyard with holiday decorations and lights;

 

Kim Piekos for taking on the Visiting Gardens Chairmanship;

 

Heather Blackwell and her Nominating Committee, Mary Lois Hakewill, Leslie North and Lenore Macdonald ;

 

Kelly Chestnut and Ann Jones for their help with the Paul Alan Cox Chicago Council of the Garden Club of America program; and,

Chris Wiedrich for all that she does as Communications Chair.