Holiday Centerpieces

The holidays are all about family, love & food! Whether you are hosting a Christmas party or just having close family and friends over for a holiday dinner, the decor is important. We are giving you some ideas of how to incorporate food into fun holiday centerpieces.

{1} Cranberries: Cranberries are a big part of the whole holiday season! These little fruits are easy to incorporate into recipes as well as decor. A simple DIY centerpiece is to place a bunch of cranberries into a large clear vase, add water and then add whatever you like! We recommend adding floating candles or winter greenery to make this an especially festive piece.

{2} Gingerbread Tree: Just like the gingerbread houses we all used to make growing up, these little creations are festive & impressive. Stack gingerbread cookie cutouts by putting frosting in the middle to help them stand up! Then sprinkle with powdered sugar to create a snowy look.

{3} Candy Canes Galore: Candy canes are the classic Christmas treat, and there are so many ways to incorporate them into your holiday home decor! Stick candy canes in your Christmas floral arrangements, or use them to create a festive vase!

{4} Sugared Fruit: This is another easy DIY holiday centerpiece. Pick up some of your favorite fruit, make them “sugared,” and arrange them onto your favorite platter or bowl.

{5} Oranges & Cloves: A classic look that doubles as a wonderful holiday home scent is oranges with cloves. You can easily make a centerpiece with these by arranging them on a cake plate or in a decorative bowl.  

 

Designer Inspired Holiday Home Decor

This year, we have been inspired by some of our favorite designers when it comes to decorating our homes for the holiday season!

{1} Mackenzie Childs: Incorporating this country chic home designer into your holidays will take lots of black & white in the form of checkered prints.  Think ribbons and ornaments in this print.   We recommend a bright red for an accent color!

{2} Betsy Johnson:  This holiday decor style is for the fun-loving decorators out there! To achieve a holiday home that Betsy herself would approve of, add lots of feathers! Put them in your centerpieces, or have them displayed on your Christmas tree! We also recommend bright & unique ornaments to tie this look all together.

{3} Kate Spade: Where playful meets sophistication will be your home this holiday season. Make your mantle Kate Spade inspired by adding bright colors to your holiday garland, like hot print, teal, or lime, and accenting with metallics like ornaments or candle votives. Use these decorations to surround a cheeky, festive graphic quote that will have all your guests smiling.

 

{4} Vera Wang: Elegant & simple decor is how we describe our Vera Wang Christmas. Lots of black & white decorations, with added in glamour, like a pearl garland.

{5} Tommy Hilfiger: Go for a vintage, country theme with inspiration from Tommy. Imagine red plaid ribbons tied around the tree or balsam garland, and use antlers as accents when you can!

Holiday Office Gifting

It’s about that time of year to plan your holiday gifts! This week, we have some great ideas that you can use for holiday office gifts!

{1} Centerpiece:  Give your clients, employees, or vendors the gift of holiday spirit with a beautiful centerpiece! There are many varieties to perfectly fit the likes of your recipient.

{2} Homemade Goodies:  Homemade holiday goodies are a great way to show someone appreciation this time of year. Maybe you have a new recipe you want to try out, or a family secret that is looked forward to every year. Use holiday themed packages and tags for the gifting!

{3} Gift Basket:  Another way to personalize your office gifts this season is with a gift basket. Try one full of cookies for that sweet-tooth someone, or a gourmet basket filled with fruit and cheese.

{4} Mason Jar Gifts:  A twist on the gift basket alternatives, on a smaller DIY scale is a mason jar filled gift! Add some little treats, such as nice office supplies or materials for a mini at-home spa.

{5} Poinsettia: A true Christmas classic is the poinsettia. They make a wonderful gift as they are a perfect decoration all season long!

 

Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece Designs

Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the Holiday Season where the focus is on food, family and friends. As we gather to celebrate our family traditions here are a few easy, on trend holiday centerpiece tips.

Metallic is very hot in fashion right now! As it influences home decor, you will see gold, silver and copper trickle into more accent pieces.  Spray natural or faux pumpkins, gourds and pine cones with Gold Medal finish by Design Master paint. Accent with gold berry sprays and votive candles to add holiday luster for your Thanksgiving table.

 

Monochromatic designs in orange are a bold way to celebrate the Holiday. Autumn shades are traditionally expressed in a combination of orange, gold and red tones. Designing with several shades of the same color provides a dynamic and fresh statement. Accent with kale, succulents and fresh orange produce for the perfect harvest table.

 

White is right …for the Holidays, when you provide the best setting. If you’re a fan of black and white, don’t be afraid of using your go to colors for the holiday. Arrange your favorite votive candles and small accent pieces with a few all white bouquets and touches of grey. A geometric or chevron table runner can really add to this show stopping and elegant table design.

 

Large single blooms such as sunflowers provide the perfect focal flower for  your Thanksgiving table. Arrange in small pots that offer dual use for place cards and favors for your guests to take home. Depending on your decor, you could dress these up in ceramic pots or small glass cubes for a more sophisticated look or keep it rustic chic in metal or clay.

This post is also featured in Democrat & Chronicle’s herRochester blog! Check it out here: http://blogs.democratandchronicle.com/her-community/?p=16168

Spooky Flowers

Just in time for Halloween, we want to share our ideas with you on how to make a spooky bouquet!

{1} Vintage Vase: Instead of your usual glass vase, use an old vintage bottle, preferably with an old label still on it! If not, you can also print out an old poison bottle graphic and still give it that vintage feel. Use this for your Halloween inspired flowers that are sure to wow your guests this season.

{2} Dried Flowers: Use dried flowers and herbs to create an arrangement that will be beautiful yet eerie. Perfect Halloween decor!

{3} Forensic Flowers: Here is a cool DIY idea for the Halloween lover – try “blood splatter” roses! Simply take white roses, and add drops of red paint or even nail polish to create a creepy Halloween bouquet.

{4} Spooky Add Ons: A super easy way to a make an eerie Halloween bouquet is to take flowers in dark shades like deep oranges, purples and reds, and use some scary additives! Try artificial spider webs or branches to help achieve the perfect Halloween look.

 

 

{5} Black Flowers: You may only see them on rare occasions, but black flowers do exist! This year, add black calla lilies  to your arrangement for a naturally spooky feel.

Anniversary Flowers

Looking for a fresh way to celebrate your anniversary this year? Try incorporating beautiful flowers into your special day. It will surely make this year another memorable one.

{1} Send Her Flowers at Work.  Just because you both may have to work on your anniversary, doesn’t mean you can’t still make it special! Send  flowers at work! The surprise and attention is bound to make anyone feel loved!

{2} Decorate The Dinner Table. Whether your making a delicious home cooked meal, or going out to your favorite restaurant, make the meal extra special with a floral centerpiece.  The decorated table surly will bring a smile to your loved ones face.

{3} Red Rose Bubble Bath.  Maybe you just need to unwind this anniversary.  Create a romantic bubble bath with floating red rose petals, calming music, and some chilled wine.

{4} Something Sweet. Cake, cupcakes, or anything to get the sweet tooth going can be adorned with flowers.  It’s the perfect finishing touch to really make the dessert extra special, for your special day!

Gifts For The Graduate

Graduation is a big step in life! Help them cerebrate with a gift on their graduation night, or at their party later this summer.  Here are some ideas:

{1} Arm Bouquet: A beautiful bouquet of flowers is a perfect gift for a graduation. You can present it to the graduate right after the ceremony.  For an added touch, consider incorporating the graduate’s school colors into the bouquet.

{2} Cookie Bouquet: Some graduates may be more interested in food than flowers. So why not make get them something sweet?  A cookie bouquet filled with an assortment of cookie types might be just the thing to put a smile on their face!

{3} Essentials Gift Basket: Whether it be graduation from high school or college, they all need those few things to help start their next step in life. Essentials for a college dorm room could be perfect for a high school grad. As for a college grad, what better than a basket full of office supplies to start off their new career!

 

 

Father’s Day In A Basket

Father’s Day is almost here! Have you gotten your dad something yet? Gift baskets are the perfect gift with endless possibilities. Personalize it to fit just your dad.

{1} Favorite Sports Team Basket: Whether it be football or hockey, no dad could turn down some new game day apparel! Think about adding some of their favorite couch-gating essentials, such as, snacks and soda!

{2} Gourmet Cheese Basket: Does dad like the finer things in life? Give him the gift of gourmet cheese. Add a kind of cheese he has never had, you never know he might just love it! Oh, and add some crackers & sausage too!

{3} Golf Basket: Four! Treat your dad to a day on the golf course this father’s day. Add some new golf balls and tees, and maybe a new golf shirt! He’ll be sure to love it!

{4} Coffee Basket: Wake up your dad this Father’s day with a basket full of his favorite morning essential, coffee! From coffee beans to K-Cups, every dad needs that little bit of caffeine in the morning. You could even think about adding a mug, it could become his new favorite!

{5} Boy’s Night Basket: Every dad needs a break once in awhile! Help him out this Father’s day by giving him the gift of a basket full of all everything he will need for a boy’s night! Cards, poker chips, pretzels, popcorn, candy; doesn’t get much better than that!

Easter Surprises. Unexpected Decor For The Holiday.

With Easter just a hop, skip, and jump aways, decorating for guests is definitely on the mind.  Of course flowers are always our “go-to”, but don’t feel limited to all floral pieces.  Easter and spring in general are a great time to play with alternative add-ins for decorating your home!

{1} Sweet Treats.  With baskets full of brightly colored candies, we’re so inspired by sweet ad-ins for floral designs.  Think jelly beans, bunny peeps, or chocolate foiled eggs.

{2} Succulent Surprises.  For a modern twist on traditional Easter floral displays, add in succulents.  These structured, fleshy blooms are perfect for tucking into floral pieces, or simply standing alone.  Our favorite look is succulents tucked into dyed eggs, just like above!

{3} Grasses Galore.  Spring is finally here (we hope), so showcasing something as simple as grasses might be just the perfect touch.  Wheat grass pared with colorful spring flowers, placed in spring inspired vases, or paired with easter staples like colored eggs with make for a beautiful Easter display.

{4} Veggie-tastic.  Go beyond the traditional norms of floral design and add in some unexpected elements.  Vegetables like radishes, carrots, and lettuce are perfect to keep guests looking twice at your unique design.

{5} Mossy Must Haves.  Moss covered pieces are perfect for subtle touches of easter and spring.  Covering spheres or your favorite Easter shapes in moss is a trend savvy touch to your holiday home decor.

St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Facts

Shamrock plants are a huge hit in the store this time of year.  Customers are looking to bring spring into the home, and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with this holiday staple.  So before you grab a plant for yourself, we wanted to share some fun facts about these green beauties:

{1} There is actually no such thing as a Shamrock plant.  Shamrocks are clovers and are often identified as the White Clover or Trifolium Repens.  It’s also known as Oxalis.

{2} Shamrock’s have three leaves, but one out of about every 10,000 has four leaves.  This is why four-leaf clovers are considered “lucky”.

{3} St. Patrick used the shamrock to identify the Holy Trinity, but many see the leaves representing hope, faith, and love.  If there is a fourth leaf, it’s for luck.

{4} The word shamrock comes from the Irish word seamróg or seamair óg, meaning “little clover”.

{5} Irish couples will include shamrocks in their wedding flowers, like bouquets and boutonniere’s, for good luck.