Creating a decorative detail on each dinner plate is an easy and inexpensive way to add a personal touch to your Thanksgiving table. You don’t necessarily need to add a place card, especially if your family is a “first at the table gets their choice of seat” type of family! It is a nice touch though. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices going.

Savory Succulent
This cut succulent looks good enough to eat. Luckily with all of the food you’ll be serving at dinner no one will be tempted to eat it.

Krazy for Kale
This kale is grown to be enjoyed as a cut flower and really makes a statement when placed on a dinner plate. Use one of the leaves as a place card.

The Colors of the Season
Wrap a few sprigs of colorful fall flora and fauna to bring the vibrant colors of the season onto your table. A few leaf shaped cards from craft store (or you can cut them out yourself) are the finishing touch.

Zen Style
Create a sense of peace this Thanksgiving with a Zen inspired holiday table. Keep the look clean and simple with minimal elements. Now let’s mediate on all we have to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving at the Shore
Whether you’re having Thanksgiving at your home on the beach or you just wish you were there, create the mood with sand dollar place cards with a single orchid tucked in for a look that’s simple and elegant.

Picture Perfect Place Settings
Give each guest at your table their own floral arrangement with petite colored bottles holding a single flower. For a truly personal touch attach a special note to each bottle telling that person what you are thankful for about them. Add a copy of a photo of them on the front of the note instead of just writing their name. I particularly like the look of photos from the past. It adds a sweet nostalgic feeling that is perfect for Thanksgiving!

Wreaths can be used in so many different ways to decorate your home and are very easy to make. Here are three options, in three different sizes, using three different bases. Which one are you going to create this Thanksgiving? Maybe you’ll do them all!

Grapevine Chair Wreath
Here’s an unexpected touch for your Thanksgiving table (or chair in this case).

• Start with a 5” grapevine wreath, which you can get at any craft store for under a dollar each.
• Glue a base of autumn leaves, a bit of berries, and assorted foliage such as eucalyptus and magnolia leaves. I used a hot glue gun.
• Attach a cymbidium orchid with a dab of floral adhesive.
• Attach the finished wreath to the back of each chair with a beautiful ribbon that coordinates with table linens.

Magnolia Wreath
Magnolia wreaths have always been popular in the South. However, we northerners are being lured by the dark glossy beauty of the two-tone magnolia leaf (the back of each leaf is brown). Making a wreath using just the leaves with a simple ribbon creates a look that is fresh and sophisticated.

• Start with a pre-made wire base or create your own using heavy-gauge wire.
• Cut the magnolia leaves from the branch.
• Wire small clusters of 3-4 leaves together.
• Wire the individual bunches of leaves onto the wire wreath form, making sure to overlap them so that their stems don’t show.
• Spray your wreath with artist’s fixative or hair spray, and hang it on a wall or door.

Fresh Sunflower Wreath
This wreath is made with a floral foam base and is designed entirely with fresh flowers and foliage. The focal flower is a sunflower, which is perfect this time of year with its chocolate brown center and golden yellow petals.

A fresh flower wreath makes a beautiful centerpiece with a pillar candle and hurricane lamp in the center. Follow these simple steps to create your own fresh flower wreath.

• Thoroughly soak the wreath form.
  
• Create the initial shape by inserting short stems of foliage into the foam.
  
• Add the sunflowers even spaced around the wreath.
  
• Fill in the wreath with the other flowers that you have chosen.
• Fill in any gaps with oak leaves, raffia, and other assorted foliage such as salal leaves or pittisporum.
  

The personal and the décor flowers should complement each other. I suggest having 3 different centerpieces in varying heights instead of having the same centerpiece on every table. It creates a much better rhythm and flow in the room. Various size tables are also nice if your venue can accommodate it. Here are three options that work with the look and feel of the bouquets I have featured so far.

Wreath Centerpiece
I love this fresh flower wreath. Incorporating lots of texture with the pods, berries and kale, make it a feast for the eyes. I particularly like the use of the cut succulent, which is currently one of my current favorite “flowers” to work with this year. An amber glass cylinder and pillar candle in the center of the wreath adds a warm glow to match the warm glow in your hearts on this special day.

Iron Pedestal
This pedestal is adorned with chandelier crystals, candles and has a very romantic feel to it. The green hanging amaranthus is a nice dramatic touch.

Metal Twig Tree
Branches are extremely popular for weddings and special events right now. In this case, I started with a metal twig tree originally designed to display ornaments. I added a few stem of fresh birch branches to give it some visual movement and a more natural fuller shape. The metal branches provide an excellent base for hanging votive candles on and the cymbidium orchids can be strung on the more delicate birch branches. When the lights are turned down and the candles are lit these trees add a magical touch to the room!

There are so many options for flowers and décor for fall weddings that it can be difficult deciding on one theme or direction. Here are just a few combinations to delight and inspire.

Rich Hues and Lots of Texture
Tap into what’s in season in the world of flora and fauna for bouquets and centerpieces that are unique and visually stunning. Adding unexpected natural elements such as grasses, berries and branches adds visual depth to classic wedding flowers such as roses, orchids and hydrangea.

When choosing the classic wedding flowers mentioned above, opt for the rich colors of fall such brown Leondies roses or deep red Black Magic roses. Vanda orchids in burgundy and antique green hydrangeas would are also picture perfect choices.

Adding Color to a Bridal Bouquet
It’s nice to add a little bit of color to the bride’s bouquet in the fall when the rest of the wedding’s color palette is so rich and intense. Here I’ve added subtle touches of soft green with Green Fashion roses, light green hydrangea, seeded eucalyptus, lisianthus and hanging amaranthus.

Personalization – A Hot Trend Right Now!
I’m finding that more and more brides want their flowers to be personal and have a secial or sentimental meaning to them. An easy way to do that with bouquets is to add pieces of jewelry, both to the bouquet and to the stems. In the images below the bride’s grandmother had a fabulous collection of costume jewelry that she had been collecting for many years. We were able to go through the pieces and in some cases take apart bracelets and necklaces (most with broken clasps or missing stones) and add them to the bouquets to create one-of-a-kind bejeweled bouquets that were beyond the bride’s wildest expectations.

COMING UP NEXT – more fall bouquet options and ideas for the reception!

As I’ve said many times that having flowers in your home or office is just plain good for you. It’s such a simple thing to do and yet makes such a difference. Take advantage of the different floral varieties that are available each season. Dahlias will only be around for a little bit longer, so don’t miss out on them. They are so dramatic and visually interesting and come in an array of extraordinary colors. Don’t fuss – just fill a vessel with warm water, snip the ends of the stems, and drop them in.

Happy Fall!!

This original papier-mâché pumpkin from the 1950’s is my favorite Halloween decoration. My mother-in-law gave it to me a few years ago. She finds the best stuff and knows my style to a tee!

With a few cuttings from your fall garden – here I used dahlias and asclepias – this old pumpkin becomes the happiest jack in town!

You can carve more than just a happy faced Jack-o-Lantern into your pumpkins. Why not use these ubiquitous fall orange squash to spell out a special message? I set this vignette up to congratulate my niece and her then fiancé on their engagement.

Sweet Treat Indeed

Who says that a floral arrangement should be just a feast for the eyes? This arrangement not only looks great but satisfies your sweet tooth too. I placed a smaller vase inside of a larger vase and filled the space between the two vases with Halloween M&M’s. Another great seasonal candy choice is candy corn. The arrangement features chartreuse speedier mums and purple statice.

Here’s a “spider tree” that is very simple to make and will look great in a picture window, on a table in the foyer or as a centerpiece for a Halloween party. I started with a store bought tree made from papier-mâché and pipe cleaners. Then I just glued black feathers, green millet and green spider mums to the pipe cleaner branches. I used a floral adhesive for the spider mums and it looked great, without water, for over a week!

If you want to turn the creepy scary up a notch wrap the entire tree with spider webs. These spider webs are so easy to make and can be put almost anywhere. Just take two small pieces of Styrofoam – just about 3” – 4” in size – and put a dollop of hot glue on one of the pieces. Put the two pieces together and slowly pull apart. You will see the spider strings start to form. Take your arms and go around the tree and press the two pieces of Styrofoam together again and then pull apart and bring your hands back around the tree and meet again in the front. Continue to do this until you are satisfied with the amount of spider webs you have created. To remove the spider webs, just spray with a hair dryer and they will melt away!

From now until the end of the year is a crafters dream. From Halloween through Thanksgiving and right into the holiday season, there are more reasons to decorate and create than any other time of the year. So let the creativity begin!

Candy Corn

This ubiquitous Halloween candy was the inspiration for this floral centerpiece. It is made entirely out of carnations with a floral foam base. Since carnations come in so many beautiful colors, including orange and yellow, and are long lasting they were a natural choice for this project.

Remember to check back on a regular basis, because I will be sharing many ideas for decorating, gifting, and creating with flowers for all of the upcoming seasonal celebrations.

I recently attended a luncheon at The Palm Restaurant in New York City where my brother, Jim McCann, CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM was introduced as the newest Brand Ambassador and Spokesperson for this legendary restaurant. Both Jim and Bruce Bozzi Jr., the great grandson of one of the original owners of the restaurant, spoke from their hearts about their respective companies and the synergy between the two businesses. 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and The Palm are about connecting and celebrating everyday occasions and both place a priority on offering their customers unparalleled service.

In addition to launching The Palm Italian Gift Basket, which includes a $50 gift card to The Palm and an assortment of Italian delicacies, Jim’s caricature was unveiled at this event. The Palm has been decorating their walls with caricatures of their loyal customers and well-known celebrities since first opening their doors over 80 years ago!

The luncheon was a lot of fun! I enjoy the beautiful environment, delicious food, and time with friends. I even had my caricature done! I thought I would share some photos from the event and encourage you to have a meal at The Palm. It’s the perfect place to start a tradition or memory of your own. Don’t forget to look for Jim’s caricature on when you visit (it’s in the private dining room)!