Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Home Décor For the Holidays

Getting our home ready for the holidays is such a special treat. Unpacking all of our beloved decorations and displaying them part of the holiday ritual in many homes.  Local Color Flowers and Once Upon A  Table: Vintage China for Hire is happy to share some of our favorite holiday home décor ideas with you this season. Special thanks to Stacy Bauer Photography for these amazing photos!

Local_Color_Flowers_Christmas-7Our favorite way to welcome guests into our home is with a welcoming wreath.  A wreath on your door is the first sign that Christmas has arrived. This wreath is in tones of blues and silvers to represent the cold of winter.  It’s filled with locally grown evergreens, dried flowers and pine cones.

 

Can’t you just feel it? Walking in from the cold to a warm and cozy home filled with your friends and family .  Mantles are a wonderful focal point in any home that has one.  Take care to give it some extra attention during the holidays by adding some of your favorite seasonal decorations.  Here we have a trio of wooden trees from Hannah's Ideas in Wood, milk glass votives, vintage Santa sled from Once Upon a Table and some natural elements foraged from the yard.

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There are lots of ways to use natural elements in decoration. These natural placemats were easy to make and add a bit of the outdoors to you celebration. 

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It’s likely the bar will be a gathering spot this holiday season. Don’t forget to dress it up with flowers, fancy glasses and sweet holiday décor.

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Don't forget to add a little holiday cheer to the powder room.  Pair your favorite soap with a few of your favorite flowers.  Our friends at Plant Masters are multi-talented.  Not only to they grow flowers year round, they also make soups in a rainbow of colors and fragrances.  The pretty celadon colored soup dish is from  Once Upon a Table Vintage.  

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Sharing a meal with folks you love is one of the best parts of the holiday. Candles and garland are a simple, beautiful way to decorate your table. Of course, this is the time of year to bring out the fancy china.  This burgundy banded china from Once Upon a Table is a perfect addition to any holiday table.

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Once the decorating is complete, it’s time to celebrate! Hoping you and your loved ones have a happy holiday! Much love from everyone at Local Color Flowers, Once Upon a Table and Stacy Bauer Photography!

To see more photos of our Holiday Décor photoshoot, click here!

Friday, December 12, 2014

The Holly and The Ivy: The Original Holiday Décor

butterbee-butterbee-0026By Irene Donnelly

During the recent wreath making classes hosted by Local Color Flowers, I noticed that the holly hardly ever gets used.  Of all the evergreens we pre-cut and offer to students, the holly is rarely touched.  It must be the thorns that deters them.  Students tend to lean toward magnolia, cedars, firs and berries but as folklore has it, the most commonly used holiday decorations were holly and ivy.

PrintBringing holly and ivy indoors dates back to the 4th century when Pagan people would celebrate the winter solstice or the “return of the sun”.  It was considered bad luck to bring these evergreens indoors before the solstice (December 21st/22nd) and equally bad luck to leave them up past the twelfth day of Christmas, (January 6th, also known as Epiphany).  The hardiness of both plants was believed to ward of evil spirits and protect the household through the winter, as well as provide homes for faeries and spirits wishing to escape the cold.  These greens would give people hope and reassurance that Spring would eventually return.

According to folklore it was said that whichever plant, holly or ivy, made it’s way into the home first would predict whether the husband or the wife would run the household the following year.   Holly having associations with masculinity and ivy with femininity.  In Roman times wreaths of holly and ivy were given to newlyweds as a token of good will and good luck for the future.

As Christianity spread through Europe, pagan traditions were reluctantly incorporated along side Christian celebrations.  The ancient symbolism of both holly and ivy were altered to conform to new Christian beliefs so that people could continue to deck their halls without being damned.  While holly formerly symbolized  “protection and good will” it began to take on new meanings.  The leaves and berries would symbolize the crown of thrones worn by Jesus and the drops of blood that was spilt.  Ivy on the other hand held it’s original symbolism as representing “eternal life”. 

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As time when on, holly and ivy remained the predominate evergreens in holiday decor throughout Europe and the New World. Every establishment from churches, houses, bars and schools would be decorated.  The tradition of trimming interiors grew to decorating front doors and streets.  Cards and wrapping paper use holly and ivy as a symbol of the season and there are a number of carols that incorporate the plants into their lyrics.  In fact, holly was the favored decoration for celebrating Christmas until the 1800’s when “Prince Albert popularized the Christmas Tree”.

All symbolism and tradition aside, the only green plants around my home right now are holly and ivy.  Even though I am a nut for symbolism, I think it is possible that people just used what was available, abundant and beautiful in December to decorate their homes.  I can’t think of another time of year where people emphatically decorate their homes with plants.  I guess their is some magic to it after all.

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In a couple of weeks I will defiantly celebrate the return of the Sun and longer days by decorating my home with a tree, a wreath and perhaps some garland.  I’ll fold in a little Christianity and a whisper of Santa Claus and I’ll be sure to make it all disappear by January 6th.  I hope to find more people reaching for holly and ivy in our upcoming  holiday centerpieces class and open studio sessions!  Now to get rid of those pumpkins. ;)

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Introducing….Open Studio Sessions at Local Color Flowers!

We’re so excited to announce our new Open Studio Sessions! Drop by our studio for some informal design time. During our Open Studio Sessions, students can choose their own individual floral project to work on, while instructors guide, share ideas and help as needed. This is an opportunity for self directed design and creation. This is not a formal class.
Join Us!
  • Wednesday, December 10th from 5-8pm
  • Saturday, December 13th from Noon-3pm
  • Thursday, December 18th from 10am-1pm
For our dates in December, come make your own holiday wreath, wreath in progressswag and/or garland. We'll provide a wide variety of floral elements including locally grown evergreens, branches, seed pods, berries and more! We'll also provide all the tools, supplies and decorations you'll need.
If you don’t have time to stay, but would like to pick up supplies for some at home design, we’ll have evergreens, branches, berries and more for sale during our open studio time.
13379178784_06fb4ab1dd_zPay when you arrive, $25 for swags, $50 for wreaths, $10 per 1ft of garland. Please arrive no later than one hour before the end time listed.
Bring a friend! Bring a snack/drink! Bring your creativity! We’re looking forward to seeing you! Questions?  Email us at info@locoflo.com