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!"
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.
PS the picture of your hutch looks like a magazine, I actually thought it was until I read it was YOUR"S!! just beautiful.
Ohhhhhhhh, this is chock full of inspiration. Thank you!!
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.
How beautiful this all looks -- thanks for much great inspiration.
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!
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!
How beautiful and I bet it smells really great! Love the flowers in the cranberries!
Where did those gorgeous pine cone urns come from? I love them! Do you keep them out all year? I would.
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!
Delores, The urn with the paperwhites is beautiful and I love your hutch with the transferware. Gorgeous!
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.
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!!!
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.
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.
Loved seeing all your beautiful decorations - so much inspiration.
I am scaling down a lot this year.
Oh, how lovely! Happy decorating!
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.
*** Delores, Delores, Delores... BEAUTIFUL, LOVELY, INSPIRING!!!!
*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!!!
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.
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.
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!
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How nice! I love them! Thanks for sharing!