LiveWorld Transcripts

joann.com presents

Kathy Lamancusa
Holiday Decorating Ideas

October 12, 2000

Kathy Lamancusa, host of PBS' "At Home with Flowers," shares holiday decorating ideas, with a focus on Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Page 1 of 7

Joann: It's that time of year when we decorate our homes for the holidays. With the leaves falling off the trees, our thoughts turn to getting the house ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving. What better person to guide us with her insight into fresh ideas than Kathy Lamancusa, host of PBS' "At Home with Flowers" and global trend spotter. Today Kathy will give us ideas on Halloween decorations and accenting the table for Thanksgiving. Welcome Kathy!

Kathy: Thank you! It's a pleasure to be here bringing fresh new information to all of you who have joined us here at joann.com.

Applebee: I love wall decorations! How can I make some stylish ones that wont take a lot of talent?

Kathy: Wreaths are probably the quickest and easiest decoration you can make. They're fun because the round shape is already done for you. By selecting flowers that can dominate the wreath, such as our sunflowers, we can add color and create a spectacular design. Simply cut the heads of the flowers (and I use a minimum of five around the circle), and accent around each flower with some beautiful fall leaves. You can finish that in less than fifteen minutes. Another great design for wall decor is to take a bunch of flowers (I also like to use the silk eucalyptus stems) and put them together into a bunch, like you'd hold them in your hand. Wrap the stems with wire, add some ribbon or bow to the top, and hang it on the wall. Quick and easy!

Sheila Girl: Are their any rules to what flowers to use at holiday time? I like dried lavender etc.

Kathy: There are never any rules. I think floral design is best when it utilizes each person's individual tastes. But one rule that you might want to think about is colors. There are colors that are representative of various seasons. For example yellows, oranges, rusts, deep greens for fall and Thanksgiving. Christmas is traditionally red and green. Easter always reminds us of yellow and purple. So you may have some color choices representative of the season. Other than that, there really are no rules. Each person should decide what they like best. And in today's day and age, where all of us have far less time than we would like, things that are quick and easy are more attractive to us. So one of my favorite things to do is to go to the joann.com site and select a basic form. It could be a twig topiary or a swag form, that's already finished and then accent with things I like. You mentioned lavender; so if that's one of your favorites, use it. Just choose the flowers you like best, because flowers remind us of times or people in our lives. You can see that in my book "Flowers are Forever," one of my favorites is the lilac because my grandmother grew it. So I incorporate lilacs into my surroundings whenever possible, because it reminds me of my grandmother. So each person should go with what they like best.

Cherryz Cloud: How can I make some really neat floral gifts to give at holiday time?

Kathy: I think what's special about floral gifts is the reason or memory behind what you're creating. Start with the person that you've giving it to, and think about that person--what they like, what is important to them. Sometimes the person likes wall decor. Maybe they have a beautiful front door to accent. Other times, it can be a surprise basket full of materials. One of my favorite projects to make, which is an excellent gift idea, is to choose a handled basket, and joann.com has many, use dried floral foam, and glue the foam to one half of the inside of the basket. Cover over the foam and the other half of the basket with moss. Then select flowers. For Christmas, I use poinsettias or red roses, any of the holiday flowers. We have a nice selection of specialty holiday projects, such as a family of silver; there are Victorian looks that go into softer tones of peaches and pinks. So choose a theme for your flowers. Take, say, six stems of flowers, then some greenery, like pine or eucalyptus. On the side where there is no foam, place gifts for that person. One of the lines I love to use is the Health and Care products from joann.com--bath salts, bubble bath, lotions--luxurious items anyone would love to have. So choose your favorites, and tuck them into the basket. So you end up with two gifts in one - the items, and the basket as well, with a beautiful design. You can fill the other half with potpourris, fruit, whatever you'd like for the seasons of the year. So it's two gifts in one.

Virtual Mirage: I was wondering if there is anyway to make a really plain room look homier. What are your suggestions?

Kathy: Homey is an interesting thought! When you think about your home, you need to think about what feelings you want to have in any particular room. When you think about the feelings, such as relaxing, color tones that are cooler such as blues and greens should be the start of how you decorate the room. If it's a family room with lots of people and connecting, warm tones are often a better choice because color does psychologically affect us. Once you've made that determination hominess then becomes an aspect of what items will I accent the room with. For example, I love the chenille throws at joann.com because they add a sense of warmth. You can wrap yourself in them, but also lay them across furniture to add color. Candles make a warm homey connection. I love to fill my room with candles! Then as far as floral design, select flowers that will coordinate with the colors and tones you're thinking of. But it's the accent pieces that will add the connectedness to your room. Potpourri baskets add an aroma and stimulate our senses. Any way you can stimulate any of your five senses as you add accents to the room will make the room more connected or homey.

Page 1 of 7