Tag Archives: contemporary

How to Decorate With Clever Recycled Flower Vases

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If you really want to liven up a home during the winter months then be sure to have plenty of flowered plants around. Flowers in recycled items that are used as pots are a trendy and eco-savvy way to keep your home blooming with cheer.

For an elegant tall vase cut the top of off a metal olive oil can using a can opener and then place some white poinsettias in it. It is simple to keep the poinsettias in their original tiny pots and just tuck them inside the can. These cans have pleasant looking retro labels as well as a beautiful gold metal color that allows them to be used as holders for your favorite blossoms all year long.

You can also use old china chafing and serving dishes as the foundation for potted plants. Tiny pink hellebores and African violets look amazing potted in this type of antique dish. Blue and white or red and white china, the type that is so plentiful at flea markets, is perfect for this purpose.

For a look that tells others that you care about recycling try wrapping a shoe box in newsprint and then placing potted plants inside. A large paper lilly looks great in this type of home-made planter. The old fashioned method of applying layers of Aqua-Tec and tissue paper to a box to make it look fancy is also very contemporary looking.

You can take any type of pot or package and wind rope, ribbon or fabric remnants around it to create a planter. Simply wrap the carton or box with the fabric the same way you would a present and tie a bow in front. This type of planter makes a very clever and attractive gift.

Old garden pots or even metal cans are easily spraypainted gold, white or silver. These look nice decorated with cords of pearls, stickers or cut-out letters from the craft store.

Old china is another option. Many plants look great simply potted inside an old China teapot. Small ceramic expresso c ups also make charming small planters for succulent plants and small cactuses.

You can find things that can be used in an eco-concious way to make planters everywhere in yoru home and in your yard. Anything that was once a vessel can be turned into one and this includes old Jell-O molds, copper pots and grocery packaging. Old newspapers, wrapping paper and fabric scraps can also be used to decorate these planters.

Decorating for Christmas in the New Retro Style

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The new retro style is an updated version of the traditional retro styles from the fifties through the seventies only the result is less corny and kitschy. AS a color scheme for linens, wreathes and glass globes for your tree you should use colors such as bright pink, china blue, chartreuse, cream and gold with glitter. Style wise you should thing of using simple Scandinavian designs. Decorate your tree with animal cookies and garlands made of cranberries and popcorn.

Instead of a nativity scene, holiday village scenes should also be a part of your decor. Instead of heavy Christmas cakes Christmas puddings are the way to go. Dried blueberries and cherries, gingerbread cookies and homemade cranberry chutney are also contemporary but have a vintage style feel.

Christmas trees are not artificial any more. I try to get a real spruce or balsam that looks a bit like a bottle brush tree and then decorate it with clumps of think silver mirrored tinsels. Vintage glass ornament and tiny clear white lights that do not blink are also part of this new retro look. White wooden Christmas decoration and white porcelain decorations also add a unique touch to both the tree and mantelpiece. Any type of stylized white porcelain Christmas tree piece is considered to be very hip for Christmas 2011.

Instead of eggnog contemporary retro enthusiasts are serving Gingertinis and Crantinis at their Christmas cocktail parties. Flower centerpieces are created from Rannunculus and berries rather than poinsettias. White fake apples look nice on a tree or as a centerpiece. Hang large gold acorns and gold deer antlers on the mantelpiece or near your front door.

Presents are wrapped in recycled wrapping papers and card tags are made from recycled cards. Pom poms and shiny trims and ribbons look eco-savvy under the trees. Eco bags are also the latest trend when it comes to packaging Christmas gifts as is wrapping gifts in bows made from strands of cheap fake pearls. You can also dress up your gifts with white and gold ornaments. Some vintage loving hosts go as far to decorate their serving plates and cocktail glasses with small white Christmas decorations.

Another retro fad is for Kleenex boxes with vintage reindeer or snowman patterns on them. It is also nice to make bouquets of white roses and pine cones and set them around the room. These are not only pleasing décor accents they are nice too look at.