Sunday, November 28, 2010

Decking The Halls With Fresh Greens And Flowers


Christmas Inspiration set 1

When it comes to decking the halls at our house, I prefer using fresh greens and flowers of the season. I love how they make the house smell like Christmas!
Just grouping fresh cut greens and plants in ironstone containers gives this mantel an elegant and sophisticated holiday look.

I prefer the earthiness of this mantel though, with the pomegranates, cedar garland and little Christmas trees in rustic pots.

What an interesting mantel display! An asymmetrical arrangement of potted trees and metal obelisks, but what catches my eye is the bowl of white amaryllis on the table. I love having blooming flowers on display for the holidays!

Another inspiration photo to copy, this arrangement of cranberries and white mums is so easy to do, especially at the last minute! No bulbs to deal with here, just a bag of cranberries and a bouquet of flowers. For a more formal centerpiece, I would use white roses!

It takes some planning to have bulbs like amaryllis and narcissus in bloom throughout the holiday. Planting several pots of narcissus in succession in November is recommended. I also look for blooming ones in the grocery and gardening stores.

Last year, the narcissus were magnificent in this urn, an heirloom passed down from Mr. A's mother. Also known as "paperwhites," they smell wonderful!

There were paperwhites in the dining room too, and I tucked cedar and spruce branches amongst the red transferware and green majolica plates. I'll probably end up doing this again!

Also last year, I put red poinsettias in the pine cone urns in the entry. This year though, there will be white ones!

If you like using fresh greens and flowers for your holiday decor too, Costco has beautiful wreaths for $14, and their 25 foot long cedar garlands are a deal at $17. There are also huge poinsettias plants for $15, along with amaryllis bulbs already planted in containers.

Mr. A and I fought the crowds at Costco yesterday and bought our wreath, garlands and poinsettias for the entry urns.
And so the process begins. Today, we are "decking the halls with boughs of cedar!"

Christmas 2009

I'm joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays today. The holidays are just beginning, so be sure to check out all the seasonal inspiration there.

34 comments:

  1. Delores, I love your entry urns!! Yesterday I got a cedar garland and a wreath and some red cyclamen for the porch. Great minds think alike. I got mine at Lowes, it sounds like Costco is a better deal. I will have to check them out!!! I bet your home smells so wonderful!!! Tomorrow is the day I start!! I am pooped today so only resting and blog hopping for me and even the hopping feels exhausting,hehe,Kathysue

    ReplyDelete
  2. PS the picture of your hutch looks like a magazine, I actually thought it was until I read it was YOUR"S!! just beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ohhhhhhhh, this is chock full of inspiration. Thank you!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. so many beautiful images, i can smell all the freshness! looks like tis the season at your house is gearing up, i am still relishing fall foliage and not ready to think red and green... although brown, grn and wht are my personal holiday fav~

    ReplyDelete
  5. Delores great inspiration photos. I sure need some to get started. I am going to get started today. Still love your hutch. My favorite piece of yours.

    ReplyDelete
  6. How beautiful this all looks -- thanks for much great inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I found a lot of inspiration in these mantels. I love to decorate with naturals...lots of greenery and fruit. The third photo of the fireplace is awesome...the fireplace itself! Beautiful.

    I love your entryway. My husband was just at Costco yesterday, I wish I had known of their great buys!

    XO,
    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dearest Delores,

    Indeed, Costco is a very good place to buy those greens and poinsettias!
    Your decorating looks splendid as I am all for 'life' green with Amaryllis and Poinsettias.

    Enjoy your greening this year!

    Mariette's Back to Basics

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think we must all be on the same wavelength this year. My deco's will be much more paired down. Instead of stripping the cupboards and walls and such, and re-hanging mirrors and Christmas prints, etc - I am just gonna be adding little pots of evergreens and small pitchers of greenery. I think the clean-up will be more enjoyable too. :) Hope you are having a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to seeing everything you do for Christmas. Barb

    ReplyDelete
  10. How beautiful and I bet it smells really great! Love the flowers in the cranberries!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Where did those gorgeous pine cone urns come from? I love them! Do you keep them out all year? I would.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Delores, your holiday decor is beautiful! And that urn on your table is breathtaking...what a family treasure! I also love your pine cone entry urns. They are so unusual, I've never seen anything like them and they will be beautiful filled with white poinsettias!

    You have inspired me to get a move on with my own decorating!

    Kat :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Delores, The urn with the paperwhites is beautiful and I love your hutch with the transferware. Gorgeous!
    Hugs,
    Sherry

    ReplyDelete
  14. Little Ms. Style Maker, everything looks so pretty. My paperwhites are planted and I wait... I love them at all stages, not just the flowering. Love all these images.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Everything is gorgeous! You've inspired me with the hutch. Adding my Bordallo Pinheiro leaf plates to my Copeland Spode Tower Pink in the Welsh Dresser as we speak. Thank you for sharing your beautiful designs. Cherry Kay

    ReplyDelete
  16. Love the use of the greens, they are just wonderful. YOur hutch is stunning with the red and green, so pretty. YOur pinecone urns are so different, I LOVE them. Gorgeous. Hugs, Marty

    ReplyDelete
  17. All the pictures are fantastic! I have a very old black urn with the scroll handles that I put paperwhites in, but I am in love with your silver one!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Delores- It looks absolutely stunning...simple and beautiful. I am paring down this year too...simplifying and not going as all out as I have in the past...welll...that's what I am saying now anyway! Great post! hugs- Diana

    ReplyDelete
  19. Delores,
    Lovely seasonal decor! I received my first poinsetta of the season from my daughter~in~law at our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday! Vibrant, gorgeous red a perfect compliment to the Gingerbread in the kitchen! I'll be purchasing the light green for the living room as soon as they are in our stores!
    We share the same green majolica plates. . .mine will debut in the Spring along with my newest "bunny love" find of the Fall Flea Market!
    Thank you for the inspiration to "get in gear" and finish my Christmas decorating this week.
    Fondly,
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  20. Delores -
    I'm inspired by your post yet AGAIN!!! Your paperwhites are very well behaved. Mine stand up nice and tall some years and get very floppy some times. It doesn't seem to matter if they get a lot of sun or not. I'll see what I get this year. I'm holding them back a bit so they will be at their peak for some late December entertaining. Thanks for the beautiful entertainment in your post.
    Linda @ A Toile Tale

    ReplyDelete
  21. Loved seeing all your beautiful decorations - so much inspiration.
    I am scaling down a lot this year.
    Have a great week.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh, how lovely! Happy decorating!

    : )

    Julie M.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love fresh greens. Your mantels look great. I always forget to start the bulbs and then they bloom after Christmas and in the meantime I've purchased plants! I can't wait to see the rest of the decorating. You are very inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Delores, Wonderful inspiration in this post. That urn with the paperwhites looks awesome! Your pinecone urns are so unique. Love those. I've got some paperwhite bulbs in a bag. I need to get them in started! laurie

    ReplyDelete
  25. Beautiful images and photos!!!
    Kisses and regards.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Fantastic pictures and arrangements.
    The Bavarian Christmas linky party is now open-won’t you come and join us at http://dobermans-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2010/11/1st-christmas-linky-party-at-dobermans.html

    ReplyDelete
  27. *** Delores, Delores, Delores... BEAUTIFUL, LOVELY, INSPIRING!!!!

    Here's the latest: The "new" kitchen is now "ALL DONE"~~~ lovvvve it!!! SOOO happy!!!...

    ... nnnd, our new study is being completed right now, as I write, ("lookin' gooood!"), soooo TOMORROW I go for all the greenery, etc for the big dinner here, for 80-100, on Friday night...

    *Your "BEAUTIOUS" posting INSPIRED me as always, but considering that I'm heading out tomorrow for all those greenery purchases, THIS posting ESPECIALLY INSPIRED ME!!! And after seeing your fab hutch (Lordie, that's pretty!)I'm going to put away all the "fallish" Spode "Woodlands", n' replace w/ all my old red n' white Spode, & green majolica (just like yours! "Great minds...?!?!)...(And, can you believe I almost FORGOT I HAD all that pretty "stuff"?!?!?!?!

    Now I'm reeeeally looking forward to Friday's "DO"!!! I think it'll be a nice way to start off the season (and yes, I DID put up three biiig trees... the big frosted one in our bedroom looks sooooo dreamy & ethereal with all the creams/ grays and whites, and I am soooo "happy" ritght now!!!)... "Life is good AND fun", dear pal!!!

    Big hugs,
    Linda *

    ReplyDelete
  28. We always buy our wreaths and garlands at Costco, too! They're such a deal, and I think they get better every year!This year, they have some "fruit" studded into them, which is a pretty little pop of color.

    ReplyDelete
  29. OMG, your hutch is gorgeous! It looks like a picture in a magazine! I don't use real greens, but love the look of them. I have a big 10 foot tree in our living room, a wall tree in the dining room, the kitchen gets decorated, and even the bathrooms! Would love for you to come see me at my blog! I LOOOOOVE Christmas! XO, Pinky

    ReplyDelete
  30. I just adore this post! I wasn't going to stop and comment on everything but, I have to tell you, the photo of the white narcissus is one that I wish that I had taken!!! =]

    ReplyDelete
  31. So sorry to not be visitng sooner, but life is beyond busy. The photos of your home from last year are magnificent. Can't wait to see how you tweek things this year.

    Thank you so much for participating in Seasonal Sundays! I'm glad to be part of your celebration of the season.

    - The Tablescaper

    ReplyDelete
  32. I don't even know how I found my way here but I'm glad I did - what fabulous decorations and inspirations. Your house is made for the holidays - love all your beautiful ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi,

    Only want to say your article is as tonishing. The lucidity in your post is simply spectacular and i can take for granted you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grab your rss feed to keep up to date with succeeding post. Thanks a million and please keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
  34. How nice! I love them! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments! If you have any questions, I will answer them here, so be sure to check back!