Halloween Flowers Make The Holiday More

Article Presented by:
Wesley Berry, AAF

Halloween is an ancient holiday with many traditions. Children dress in costumes representing the latest characters to hit the big screen or in classic movie-monster garb. Adults throw costume parties with fabulously spooky decorations or gorgeous orange and black themes. It's all a great deal of fun, but one thing Halloween isn't is a holiday that's usually associated with flowers-but it should be!

Halloween began among the Celts who lived Ireland, Northern France, and the UK 2,000 years ago. At that time, they celebrated the New Year on November 1. Since the beginning of autumn was so often associated with death due to the withering of the fields after harvest and the long, dark, cold winter ahead, the Celts believed that as the end of the old year began to blur into the new one, so to did the lines between the world of the living and the world of the dead become fuzzy. They felt that on October 31 the ghosts of the departed returned to earth and committed all sorts of tricks and evil deeds.

As part of the celebration, Celtic druids built enormous bonfires on which were sacrificed animals and crops. As part of the ceremony, the Celts wore costumes of animal heads and pelts, which lead to today's tradition of donning costumes.

Sometime before the 800s, Christianity began to spread throughout Celtic lands and the Celtic traditions were replaced by Christian ones. November 1 was changed from the New Year to All Saints' Day when saints and martyrs were honored. All Saints' Day was also referred to as All-hallows or All-hallowmas, thus today's name for the holiday-Halloween.

Halloween parties still involve costumes and spooky traditions, but to make the décor even more spectacular, party throwers should consider using flowers as an integral part of the decorations. Some ways in which flowers can be used at a Halloween party are:

Use orange, yellow, and red flower petals to decorate a buffet table. Sprinkle them liberally among themed dishes.

Place a fall bouquet near the entry of the party to welcome guests.

Give each guest a black or orange carnation as they arrive. Attach a spooky holiday greeting to each message. If you'd like to give a door prize, mark one stem as the winner.

Float large orange-colored blossoms in the punch bowl.

Hollow out a pumpkin and use it as a container for a beautiful flower arrangement.

Your local florist is likely to have many more fantastic Halloween flower ideas. If you're planning a party, be sure to talk to your florist ahead of time so that appropriate flowers are available on the party date. Your florist will also be able to suggest many flower varieties available in traditional Halloween colors.


About the Author:
Wesley Berry is member of the American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) and President of Wesley Berry Flowers, a successful multi-million dollar floral business that was established in 1946. As a major sponsor of local-library.com and Localschoolfinder.com, Wesley Berry has worked hard on behalf of improving literacy. Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the web at www.800wesleys.com.

13 Easy and Inexpensive Fall Decorating Ideas

Article Presented by:
Julie Lohmeier

Autumn provides a bounty of decorating ideas. No need to decorate for fall with cheap, plastic, fake items when the real thing is inexpensive, more tasteful, and easily creates a beautiful fall ambiance in your home. Here are 13 ideas that you can easily do.

1. Use a taller pumpkin as a vase for fresh flowers. Clean out the guts and seeds and use the pumpkin to arrange your flowers. Taller ones work well, but so will squatty pumpkins if you cut your flower stems short.

2. Make topiary out of a foam form (conical shapes always work well) and hot glue a variety of large seeds – acorns, walnuts, pinecones – to the form. Completely cover the foam. Easy and makes a wonderful piece for any table or countertop.

3. Pick brightly colored fallen leaves. Rub a good moisturizer onto the front and back of the leaves and let dry. This helps the leaves keep their color and avoid curling. Once dry, scatter the leaves on a table, around a centerpiece, or on a fireplace mantle.

4. Fill a tall vase or extra-large brandy snifter with a variety of colorful miniature pumpkins and gourds.

5. Make a centerpiece using pie pumpkins, gourds, and leaves. Vary the sizes and colors of these squashes and fill in the gaps with leaves, mini pumpkins, and gourds.

6. Arrange large pumpkins in a group (odd numbers work best) or on stairs. Carve or paint designs or messages on the pumpkins. For example, I saw white pumpkins used on stair treads, each with a letter spelling "Welcome".

7. Carve a small hole, one inch deep in miniature pumpkins for use as taper candle holders.

8. If you have a tiered cake or serving plate, arrange pumpkins, gourds, or squash on each tier. Use a pie pumpkin or turban squash (looks like two placed one on top of the other) on the top level. Use smaller ones, even miniatures, as well as leaves and nuts on the other tiers.

9. Cut a branch for a tree. Place lengthwise on a table. Nest miniature gourds, pumpkins, leaves, nuts, and votive candles among the smaller branches. (Whenever you bring branches in from outdoors, spray insect repellent on the branch outside before you cut it. Let it stay outside for a day or two. Then bring into the garage or on a porch for another day or two until the smell is gone.)

10. Soften a three-wick candle by blowing a hairdryer on it until the wax is soft. Then press small colored leaves into the softened wax to add a fall touch.

11. Take tall corn stalks and attach to porch columns or mailbox or even trees with a large fall colored ribbon. Further accent with pumpkins or mums around the base.

12. Cut long branches with colored leaves still attached (see instructions above to prevent bringing bugs into your home). Place in a tall vase or an umbrella stand. Be sure the branches are proportionate to the vase or stand.

13. Use potted mums to replace your summer flowers in flower beds, on porches, near fireplace hearths, in corner of rooms – this classic never goes out of style. To give added height within a group, place one potted mum on a miniature straw bale.

Using the natural beauty of fall nature, you can easily and inexpensively decorate your home for the changing season.


About the Author:
Julie Lohmeier is the veteran of numerous home remodeling and building projects. From working hands on and doing much of the work herself to hiring contractors and construction managers, she has seen the entire spectrum of home improvement. She shares her remodeling tips, home decorating ideas, and other various rants at http://www.myhomeredux.com. Subscribe to her free newsletter.

@copyright 2006, Julie Lohmeier, www.myhomeredux.com Use this report in its entirety with proper acknowledgement and copyright.

Harry Potter's Magic Can't Save The Home Building Industry...Or Florist's Stock In Landscaping And Bedding Plants

Article Presented by:
Wesley Berry, AAF

In fictional wizard Harry Potter's world it's possible to magic up almost anything-a tent that's ten times the size inside as it appears from the outside, a home where dishes do themselves and potatoes are peeled by an unmanned knife, and schools with staircases that move all on their own. But, it would seem that turning around the slump in the housing market would take some magic even more powerful than the boy wizard's.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) expects the number of buyers interested in purchasing newly built homes to drop sharply. In fact, in numbers released by NAHB, the confidence of homebuilders took such a dive that it hit a 15-year low. Coinciding with the confidence drop was a seven-point drop in the NAHB/Wells Fargo housing market index. These significant falls in numbers points to the fact that most builders view the current housing market as a poor one.

According to NAHB, the index peaked at 72 in June of 2005, which makes the current 32-point index look pretty meager. In fact, NAHB has watched the index drop steadily every month since the 2005 high. "It's the fastest decline in the 21-year history of the index, which has had a fairly good record of predicting the number of new homes started," says NAHB.

The reason for the index's drop, says NAHB's chief economic analyst David Seiders, is that more people are canceling orders for newly built homes while more and more new and existing homes become available. Seiders says, "These factors are largely the result of an increasing number of potential buyers adopting a 'wait and see' attitude because of uncertainty about where the housing market is headed."

What does all this mean for florists and their customers? Well, for those florists who stocked up on bedding plants and other landscaping items, it means they'll have a more difficult time selling their goods because of a drop in demand. While that's not great news for florists, it may turn out to be fantastic news for customers as florists lower prices to reduce inventory. Let's face it, bedding plants and bushes can only live so long in containers, so they must be sold and planted within a certain time period to ensure quality. As a result, it's likely we'll see some really good sales popping up in the months to come. So, though there's no Harry Potter like magic in the housing industry, there just may be some sales that seem like magic coming up for floral customers interested in adding a little color and spark to their landscaping plans.


About the Author:
Wesley Berry is member of the American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) and President of Wesley Berry Flowers, a successful multi-million dollar floral business that was established in 1946. He is also the Headmaster of the Professional Florists' Institute, a floral design school located in Michigan. Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the web at http://www.800wesleys.com.

Halloween Flowers Make The Holiday More

Article Presented by:
Wesley Berry, AAF

Halloween is an ancient holiday with many traditions. Children dress in costumes representing the latest characters to hit the big screen or in classic movie-monster garb. Adults throw costume parties with fabulously spooky decorations or gorgeous orange and black themes. It's all a great deal of fun, but one thing Halloween isn't is a holiday that's usually associated with flowers-but it should be!

Halloween began among the Celts who lived Ireland, Northern France, and the UK 2,000 years ago. At that time, they celebrated the New Year on November 1. Since the beginning of autumn was so often associated with death due to the withering of the fields after harvest and the long, dark, cold winter ahead, the Celts believed that as the end of the old year began to blur into the new one, so to did the lines between the world of the living and the world of the dead become fuzzy. They felt that on October 31 the ghosts of the departed returned to earth and committed all sorts of tricks and evil deeds.

As part of the celebration, Celtic druids built enormous bonfires on which were sacrificed animals and crops. As part of the ceremony, the Celts wore costumes of animal heads and pelts, which lead to today's tradition of donning costumes.

Sometime before the 800s, Christianity began to spread throughout Celtic lands and the Celtic traditions were replaced by Christian ones. November 1 was changed from the New Year to All Saints' Day when saints and martyrs were honored. All Saints' Day was also referred to as All-hallows or All-hallowmas, thus today's name for the holiday-Halloween.

Halloween parties still involve costumes and spooky traditions, but to make the décor even more spectacular, party throwers should consider using flowers as an integral part of the decorations. Some ways in which flowers can be used at a Halloween party are:

Use orange, yellow, and red flower petals to decorate a buffet table. Sprinkle them liberally among themed dishes.

Place a fall bouquet near the entry of the party to welcome guests.

Give each guest a black or orange carnation as they arrive. Attach a spooky holiday greeting to each message. If you'd like to give a door prize, mark one stem as the winner.

Float large orange-colored blossoms in the punch bowl.

Hollow out a pumpkin and use it as a container for a beautiful flower arrangement.

Your local florist is likely to have many more fantastic Halloween flower ideas. If you're planning a party, be sure to talk to your florist ahead of time so that appropriate flowers are available on the party date. Your florist will also be able to suggest many flower varieties available in traditional Halloween colors.


About the Author:
Wesley Berry is member of the American Academy of Floriculture (AAF) and President of Wesley Berry Flowers, a successful multi-million dollar floral business that was established in 1946. He is also the Headmaster of the Professional Florists' Institute, a floral design school located in Michigan. Visit Wesley Berry Flowers on the web at http://www.800wesleys.com.