This living room featured in the December 2008 issue of Coastal Living is the perfect example of restrained but consistent use of the color red to bring in a festive mood.

I love to decorate my home with live flowers during the holidays.  They bring a warmth and beauty that is difficult to replicate with faux garland and wreaths.  From bright amaryllis to fragrant rosemary, there is a wide variety of choices at hand.  Decorate your own home or give them as a gift.  Either way, you are spreading holiday cheer!

The Single Grand Trumpet® Bordeaux Amaryllis from Jackson & Perkins is classic and the lovely container is a bonus.

Holiday Floral Tips

• Choose live plants instead of cut flowers.  They last a lot longer and require little maintenance.
• Think of the aroma as well as the visual beauty.  Smell is intricately linked to memory and scents such as pine, rosemary and cinnamon are big favorites.
• Go eco-friendly with items that can be planted in your yard once the holidays are over or that are sustainably farmed.  It’s a win-win.
• Choosing one color (red, white, pink) to use throughout the home, has a lot more design impact than a variety of colors.
• Choose some other accessories (pillows, throws, decorative objects) in the same color to tie it all in.

This eco-friendly choice from Organic Bouquet will fill your home with the aroma of a Northwest forest. Made of bay leaf and rosemary.

The gift that keeps on giving. A plant a month from Red Envelope for 6 months.

Small Rosemary bushes are one of my favorites. I have a small forest in my garden.

Nothing smells or swags like fresh garland. Just one strand strategically located (around the front door or on the mantel) adds a lovely touch.

Also, here is a little recipe for Mulling Spices that I use in my own home as well as gifting to others.  Try it today to warm your heart, lift your spirits and usher in the holiday mood. 

Happy Holidays to everyone!

~Lorrie

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Tags: decorating tips, holiday

This entry was posted on Monday, November 24th, 2008 at 12:53 pm and is filed under decorating tips, holiday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.