Holiday Decorations Archives

Celebrating Grandparents Day

September 8, 2017

Being a grandparent is the best excuse to be a kid again! At least one afternoon a week I plan some type of creative activity to do with my granddaughter Juliette – watercolor painting, calligraphy, planting a fairy garden, and one of my all time favorites – coloring! According to Digital Trends website, adult coloring books are the latest, and definitely least techy, method that people are choosing to help relax! In the past few weeks anywhere from four to eight of the top 20 best selling books on Amazon are coloring books!

Holiday Decorations

DIY Red, White & Blue Floral
4th of July Crafts

June 28, 2017

Fourth of July celebrations (and decorations) are the best! Whether you’re celebrating America’s birthday with friends and family on the beach or in your backyard, here are some easy ways to add little patriotic touches of red, white and blue with these fun DIY floral 4th of July decoration ideas!

DIY Mason Jar American Flag Vase

Seriously, is there anything you can’t do with a few mason jars? I took three small, clear mason jars and painted them in a stars and stripes tribute to Old Glory. One stem of blue hydrangea in each and you have a beautiful, fun, inexpensive centerpiece. You could paint a couple more while you’re at it and use them to hold cutlery or straws, or even tea lights, creating a festive look for evening festivities.

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day Wine Tasting

May 9, 2017

A Unique Mother’s Day Activity to Wow Mom

Spring is here and Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Have you started to think about how you can show mom just how much you love her and how special she is? Hosting a Mother’s Day wine tasting is a fun way to spend time with mom for you to enjoy the holiday together!

The planning and preparation can be as much fun as the event itself! Getting together with a few of your and moms friends to plan a Mother Daughter Wine Tasting party, makes for a great girls day and for a guaranteed good time. In addition to the mother/daughter ideas, a Mother’s Day wine tasting for the whole family (21 and older of course!), can be equally as fun!

A rustic, natural Napa Valley-inspired wine tasting can make for the perfect setting to incorporate so many of the most popular trends: burlap, chalkboard, mason jars, monograms and Made in America.

Holiday Decorations, Mother's Day

Tea and Flowers for Mother’s Day

May 1, 2017

Flowers and tea sets go together like mothers and daughters: Individually they are each beautiful, but together they are even better, bringing out the best in each other! I was so excited to see that 1-800 Flowers is offering this lovely new tea set, designed by the equally stunning supermodel and mom Miranda Kerr, in their Mother’s Day Collection, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!

Miranda created this set, exclusively for Royal Albert, in her bestselling “Friendship” pattern. The fact that everyone’s best friend is their mom makes this the perfect arrangement for a Mother’s Day celebration. Both the teapot and the bouquet feature lush magenta peonies and fluttering butterflies. Adding to the English garden vibe of the bouquet are roses, spray roses, and bupleurum. See what I mean about the “better together” thing? You can take the tea time theme in all different directions. Just find some great mix and match containers and see where they take you. Continue Reading…

Holiday Decorations, How-To's, Mother's Day

DIY Mother’s Day Craft: How to Make a Floral Hot Air Balloon for Mom

May 1, 2017

Mom does so much for the family throughout the year: No matter how long her to-do list is, you know you can always count on her for anything. Because she means so much, let her sit back and enjoy herself on Mother’s Day, and show her how appreciated she is. Treating your mom to a nice brunch is the best way to make her feel like a queen bee: Since you’ve already taken care of everything, Mom doesn’t have to lift a finger. To make her day even more special, pick a fun and truly original theme for your luncheon: hot air balloons!

This beautiful hot air balloon arrangement adds a whimsical take-me-away touch to any Mother’s Day table setting. As soon as she sits down, Mom will feel like she’s floating among the clouds without a care in the world! This Mother’s Day craft is really simple to make, so you can make a big, loving statement with minimal effort. Here’s how to make a floral hot air balloon for Mom on Mother’s Day! Continue Reading…

Easter, Holiday Decorations, Julie's Blog

Some-bunny Loves Carrots

April 14, 2017

Tulips and Carrots for Easter Decorations

Carrots and bunnies go together like peanut butter and chocolate, which was my inspiration for these four fantastic Easter DIYs. Whether you’re attending an Easter celebration or hosting one, these creative ways to keep all of your bunnies happy this Easter season are sure to WOW!

Bloomin’ Carrot Bouquet with Orange Tulips

Tulips are one of my favorite flowers, and we are in prime tulip season! They are so easy to arrange. Just give each stem a fresh cut to the length you need for your container and remove the excess leaves. Make sure that the container is totally clean and filled with fresh, cool water before arranging your tulips.

Speaking of the vessel you use to display your tulips – what bunny wouldn’t love this carrot vase! For this carrot vase I used one bag of pre-peeled mini carrots, a rubber band, and a lowball glass.
Continue Reading…

Christmas & Holidays

DIY Santa Hat Holiday Treats & Crafts

December 19, 2016

Learn how to make Santa’s hat out of strawberries and flowers!

Everyone loves Santa and everyone loves Santa’s hat! Put one on and it’s an instant party! Anyone can wear one – young or old, big or little, animal or human! Don’t believe me? Check out our truly original Santa Paws a-DOG-able and see for yourself!

I decided to have a little fun with Santa’s hat and make one entirely out of fresh flowers to complement the mini hats that we made out of fresh strawberries. These are great ideas that are so easy and will make you look like quite the “hostess with the mostess” at your holiday brunch for the girls! Include a little spiked peppermint hot chocolate and let the merriment begin!
Continue Reading…

Christmas & Holidays, Holiday Decorations

DIY Tabletop Christmas Tree & Decoration Ideas

December 13, 2016

I love Christmas! And I love decorating Christmas trees. The main tree in my home tends to be pretty traditional, changing only slightly from year to year, with new ornaments added here and there. So what I want to talk about is the beauty and versatility of fresh tabletop Christmas trees. These beautiful arrangements are usually handcrafted by your local florist and make great gifts. As a matter of fact, the Holiday Flower Tree^® has been a best seller since it was first introduced by 1-800-Flowers over 15 years ago!!

If you have a little time and want to get creative, these trees are pretty easy to make. The basic instructions are the same for whatever size tree you want. The smaller the tree, the faster and easier it will be to construct, of course. Petite trees are so sweet and can be tucked into so many unexpected spots. Larger trees, on the other hand, allow you to create a completely custom look based on your choice of container, decorations and color scheme.

Holiday Decorations

Thanksgiving Centerpieces and Table Decoration Ideas

November 21, 2016

Think of your tabletop as a blank canvas on which you will create your “tablescape” art. You choose your mediums as any artist would—your surface, linens, flowers and candles. The layering of colors and textures, adding personal touches, all play a part in the delight and ambiance that a beautifully designed table brings to a special occasion. Go as big or as simple as you want! This is your masterpiece, and should represent you and tell the story that you want told.

Let’s start with simple! Here are a few easy, creative and inexpensive ideas that I hope will provide some inspiration to get you started on your tablescape art.

Fresh Flower Wreath Centerpiece

Wreaths are one of my favorite design styles for a more traditional centerpiece. Having the center of the wreath open provides endless opportunities for additional personalization. Here I used a beautiful amber Fenton glass vase as a candleholder. I think the amber glow is the perfect complement to the rich hues of the seasonal flowers in the wreath.

When creating a fresh floral wreath I like to use flowers that air-dry nicely. Using flowers such as the varieties featured in this photo can extend the “life” of your centerpiece by weeks.

Some varieties of hydrangeas dry better than others. The variety that dries the best and is featured in the wreath pictured above is known as an “antique hydrangea”. It is typically soft moss green with burgundy edging and works beautifully with all of the rich colors of autumn.

This wreath is all about the vibrant and saturated colors of the season. In order to create the perfect backdrop for this intensity I chose to keep everything else very neutral. A burlap table runner on a natural wood farm table and wooden chargers holding amber depression glass plates let this centerpiece take center stage!

How to Make your Flower Wreath Centerpiece:

Holiday Decorations

It’s Dad’s Turn to be
the Guest of Honor

May 25, 2016

Celebrate Dad with a Father’s Day Beer Tasting

We received such great feedback on our Wine Tasting for Mom event that I thought, why not plan something similar for Dad? This time we’re going with a beer tasting event in dad’s honor!

Thanks to an increasing appreciation for quality beer production, there are new breweries popping up all over the country. There’s a good chance that there’s one right in your neighborhood or close by. If possible, hosting your Father’s Day event right at the brewery can add a unique feel and make it more fun for everyone. Leaving the beer to the experts gives you more time to focus on the decorations and the fun details that make Dad feel loved and honored for all he does!

I reached out to Gretchen Schmidhausier, a friend of my sister, who recently fulfilled a lifelong dream and opened a microbrewery in her hometown of Neptune City, New Jersey, on the Jersey Shore. The Little Dog Brewing Company was named after Gretchen’s dog Quincy, a basenji, who is also the face of the brand!

Older Posts

Holiday Decorations

DIY Mason Jar American Flag Vase

A Unique Mother’s Day Activity to Wow Mom

Bloomin’ Carrot Bouquet with Orange Tulips

Learn how to make Santa’s hat out of strawberries and flowers!

Fresh Flower Wreath Centerpiece

How to Make your Flower Wreath Centerpiece:

Celebrate Dad with a Father’s Day Beer Tasting

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