Holiday Home: Start You Amaryllis Bulbs Now For Christmas Blooms!

If you want to have some beautiful Amaryllis blooms for this year's Christmas season, start growing them now. I love having fresh or live floral in my home rather than silk or faux. These little wonders which are easy to grow - pack a huge decorative punch and create just the right ambiance for a beautifully dressed Holiday Home. 

Amaryllis Centerpiece (photo: Country Living)

You can buy Amaryllis bulbs in a nice little kit, complete with soil and a pot, or if you have just a bit of a green thumb - buy loose bulbs which you can plant collectively in a large vase or bowl.  You can purchase the kits at any home improvement store and bulbs at a garden center. A collection of bulbs will create a lovely centerpiece or entry statement maker. A single bloom is lovely on a counter, mantle or part of a tablescape. When to start? Below is a planting and bloom guide to help you determine when to get indoor gardening.

Amaryllis Bloom Chart (photo: Source)

I added a few more pictures to get you inspired to get a bit of dirt under your nails and celebrate the season with Amaryllis.

Amaryllis Tablescape (photo: Southern Living)

Amaryllis in Mercury Glass Vase (photo: BH&G)

I too started a Pin Board on Pinterest with more ideas: AMARYLLIS CHRISTMAS

A Home Styling Lesson in Choosing Bedside Lighting

It is my occupation and duty as your interior stylist to point your home styling indiscretions. You will thank me profusely when the errors are corrected.  

5 Christmas Decor Re-Organizing Tips

It's time to pack it all up, retrieve those boxes and containers to wrap, pack and store our Christmas decor. With a little preparation and by gathering of a few key items - you save yourself lots of extra work next December when its time to bring it all out again.  

1.  Pack Christmas decor up by room/area in a tote or box and label the container with the room.  Next year, all  your holiday decorating items will be organized room-by-room, area-by-area and will ease the decorating process - (mantel tote may contain stockings, stocking holders, mantel garland and mantle accessories).  No more sorting through all your items to figure out where it all goes.

2. Store Christmas Wreaths in clear plastic bags from the dry cleaners and hang on a 3-M Command hook in your storage area or on the back of a storage door..  Easy to access, dust free and the clear plastic allows you to see what wreaths are in the bags.

3. Recycle your eggs cartons, cardboard drink holders and plastic fruit containers to put your Christmas Ornaments away in. These containers are great since they are free and were designed to hold breakables to begin with.  Place them in totes and label the outside of the container.

4. Christmas lights are easy to pack by winding from your palm to your elbow and tying with a Velcro tie/strap in the middle.  This will prevent lights from getting tangled together by having loops on the ends of the lights.

5. As you are putting your items away, go through and donate any Christmas decor you no longer use or care for to your local charity.  It saves you from hauling it up or down from storage and taking up precious storage space.

Falling for Your Kitchen - Styling tips for a new season

The kitchen is the most utilized and meaningful room in a household. It is the hub for family tasks and used for food preparation, household management, and of course entertaining. It is indeed the heart of any home. No matter how many rooms you have dedicated for entertainment, everyone always ends up in the kitchen! With the kids back in school, a cool nip in the air, fall kicks off our major holiday season - in fact, we can celebrate right through the New Year. Now is a great time to get your kitchen "party readied," and organized for easy maneuvering during the holiday rush, and a seasonally updated..

Need a Color Lift? - Pick a wall if daring - pick them all. Paint it a seasonal color - Ben Moore's Baby Turtle #514, Burnt Sienna #1196, or Sherwin William's Library Pewter SW0038, or Studio Blue-Green SW0047.  It's just paint, and is the easiest and cheapest change you can make.

Counter Tops - Swap out a tired canister set with a new revision; there are loads to choose from (If you're not a gourmet cook, store pens, notepads, takeout menus inside.) They add needed color and design. Large platters on plate stands are good-looking in unused dark corners or grouped on walls. Extra-large clear glass canisters are conversation makers when layered with dried beans, nuts or black, yellow and white dried popcorn. A kitchen must is a sassy new set of dish towels, seasonal kitchen candles, and a hand soap/lotion set in scents of spiced apple, pumpkin or caramel.

Tell a Story with your Floral - A whimsical floral whether store or home made adds a bit of seasonal flair to any table. Create a mini-container garden by abundantly grouping those adorable "mini" annuals and petite ivy or a bountiful arrangement with faux fall veggies, dried pods, leaves and vines.

Smart Cook Organization - An easy way to organize is to create stations within your kitchen. Love to bake? Set aside two cabinets and counter space solely used for baking (near the oven of course) filled with baking essentials such as pans, small appliances, spices and other baking staples. Task clustering such as this will help you to stay on task during the busy holiday rush.

Get your Party Started - Love to entertain, but don't have a Butler's Pantry? Convert your little used desk area into an entertainment station.

• Replace wood panels of upper cabinet with glass, adding lighting, and glass shelves - store glasses and decorative bottles.
• Line desk drawer with felt, and hold bar essentials and serving pieces.
• Add a tension rod with shirred fabric for extra storage to the knee hole space, or find the perfectly sized rolling cart.

Space Game - Use a Lazy Susan cabinet for a "Party Pantry." Store food products, Beverages, paper goods. and china that can be used to throw a soiree at moment's notice. If you're even luckier to have an unused closet. super size it and linens, vases, and decor all in one neat place.

No matter how large or small your kitchen, whether you're a gourmet cook or take-out type, every kitchen needs a seasonal boost and should be readied for family, friends and favorite holiday celebrates in style.