Vases and Candle Holders

A porcelain vase is a great decorative item in your home.  They really add detail to the overall theme in your home.  You can have several vases in your home with different designs.  You can flower designs, animal designs and even the Last Supper painted on the vase.  They come in different sizes as well so you can really have an assortment of vases.

And if you really love to have flowers in your home, you can arrange them in your vases.  You can really spruce up your home and make it cozier with beautiful flowers.  And porcelain vases are easy to maintain.  Their designs will not wash of or fade away.  Just make sure that you don’t break them.

If you want to add a decorative touch in your home, you can buy a hanging candleholder.  It is a unique way of having candles in your home.  Instead of your candles just sitting on the table, they can be hanging from your walls or ceilings.

There are different designs available so you can easily find holders that will match your home’s décor.  You can have heart shaped holders, star shaped holders and other more fun shapes.  Some have stands where you can hang several candles.  If you want a more exotic look, you can have Moroccan style hanging lanterns.  The light from the candles gives a warm glow in your home.  Just remember not to leave any lighted candle unattended.

Ceramic Vase

Finally, take care of your flowers every day and remove wilted flowers so they do not contaminate the rest. It is recommended that you change the water daily but if you are too busy to do so, replacing the water every two or three days is fine. Make sure you add the preservative each time you change the water. You can also re-cut the stem for improved water absorption.

Taking care of cut flowers is not very difficult as long as you take the steps mentioned above. It does not take much time but you will see the benefits for many days to come.

Before putting the flowers in the vase, remove all the leaves that might be submerged in the water. Leaves have the tendency to decay when submerged underwater and when these leaves rot, they poison the water and shorten the vase life of your flowers. Arrange the flowers in any way you desire, but make sure you do not overcrowd the vase. If the bouquet is too large or the arrangement seems too tight, divide them into two and place them in separate vases. Once you’re satisfied with your floral arrangement, keep the vase in a cool spot away from direct sunlight to avoid rapid respiration. Respiration is the process wherein living organisms age. It is helpful to note that flowers generally have a higher respiration rate than most agricultural crop. The lower the temperature of the room they are placed in, the longer the flowers will last. However, if the flowers are subjected to temperatures below zero degrees, their internal cells can get easily damaged and dry out the flowers. If you want your bouquet to decorate an air-conditioned room, make sure the temperature is not too cold.

You just purchased or received a breathtaking delivery of flowers from that special person or friend and now you’re probably thinking about how to make their firm petals and vibrant colors last for as long as possible. Here’s how you can prolong the freshness, beauty, charm and make your cut flowers last much longer. Be sure to place your flowers into a vase of water quickly.

First, remove the flowers from the packaging, hold the stems “underwater,” and cut the stem at a 45-degree angle using a “sharp knife.” Cutting the flower at this angle allows the stem to have a greater surface area for water consumption. Do not use scissors to cut the stems and do not crush the stems either; this will damage the tips and block the flower’s water intake.

Next, prepare the vase of your choice and be sure the water and vase are clean. Kill any bacteria or algae that formed in the vase by cleaning the inside with bleach. If your florist does not include preservatives with the flower delivery, fill the vase with lukewarm water and add a floral preservative. You can either buy preservatives from your florist or make on your own. To make your own preservatives, mix lemon with a very small amount of bleach, or a teaspoon of sugar with a few drops of bleach. Take note that using homemade concoctions might not be as effective as professional cut flower food because they don’t contain the complex mixture of preservatives and nutrients flowers need to survive.

The soft glow of a flickering candle flame is simply one of the most delightful and enchanting things that I can imagine. The candle glow is so delicate yet so powerful in its ability to create light, warmth, and a romantic ambiance. With the use of small candle lamps, or even a simple candle placed on an elegant votive candleholder could make your wedding something truly unique and memorable. You can have hundreds of candles all over and just have your wedding reception entirely lightened up by these candle lights.

The soft and subtle light will make your wedding one of the most tranquil celebrations that your guests have ever had the pleasure of attending. The best part about using candles is that they make great wedding favors too. Your guests can take these candles home with them as a souvenir to what they shared with you at your wedding.

One very interesting accessory used by a home décor enthusiast is the vase. Vases have a unique history. In the beginning, vases were made out of stone and were used merely for practical pursuits. Pottery vases seem to have been first used during the Persian Empire. Archaeologists have found bits and pieces of vases and have put them together to form the original vase shape. Then there were the Greeks who were one of the first to put decorative embellishments on their vases. Vases have truly come a long way from the original stone vase, to the modern vases that we see today.

Among the most delightful and recognizable of styles of pottery are the Tang horses and tomb figures. Moreover, Tang potters made another contribution of much greater significance in ceramic history. It is their discovery of the thin white translucent ware known as porcelain. These items are made with white china so thin that its translucent form, it makes a ringing sound when struck.  From there porcelain vases have emerged and now considered as one of the most valuable pieces of pottery.

Decorate Your Home With Window Treatment. Here are some great Tips

1. MINIMAL IS IN
“Strip away heavy window coverings and replace them with simple shades,” says Nash. “Younger buyers in particular are into a streamlined look. And no one seems to want a lot of fabric.”

One path to less fabric is using an upholstered cornice, says Pelley, or a flap valance like the Ace three-piece set from Swags Galore.

2. LIGHTEN UP
“Not enough natural light in the kitchen is a deterrent to buyers,” says Pelley. “Pleated shades offer a privacy treatment and still allow plenty of light.”

Just one example of an attractive pleated shade is the Smith + Noble version, available in tones ranging from Whitecap to Lilac, in subtle stripes and a tropical-looking pattern. It even comes in versions suitable for skylights or arched windows.

Provenance woven wood shades from Hunter Douglas

3. PICK CURRENT COLORS
If you’re using fabric, make sure it’s in a contemporary tone.

“The terra cotta shades, with persimmons, peaches and oranges are very ‘in’ mixed with greens, blacks and golds,” says Pelley. “You can also mix cotton fabric prints, either within a treatment or coordinating a print in the valance or cornice with another print on the cushion tie seats or place mats.”

If your kitchen is particularly tiny, then light, cool colors can make it look larger and brighter, while dark, warm colors can make an oversized kitchen more inviting.

4. TRY SOME TEXTURE
Another hot trend to get buyers enthusiastic about your kitchen is Roman shades made of rattan, bamboo or other natural fibers, says Pelley: “They add visual interest with their texture, but still roll up smoothly like the Roman shades of old.”

5. SOFTEN DIRECT LIGHT
Too much direct sunlight is also an issue in kitchens, says Pelley, since it makes it hot and unpleasant to work in. Simple wood blinds or woven wood shades, like the Provenance sold by Hunter Douglas, will filter the light without looking too heavy.

London Shade from Smith + Noble

6. CONSIDER SOME CURVES
“There are typically lots of straight lines in the kitchen — the cabinets, the appliances, the counters —everything is straight or square,” says Pelley. “It’s a good idea to add a window treatment with soft curves to open the space up, especially in a small kitchen.”

Decorating your windows will go very nicely with your other decor like your pictures or decorative vases.

Rose

The roses are charming, but very sophisticated and pretentious flowers too. There are some tricks to prolong the rose’s life:

· It would be good, if it’s any possibility, to be conserved in a cold place, even the fridge, but not near the other products, for a few hours, after bought them.

Cut the stem at a very sharp angle under the water and than let the water to flow over the stems for 3 minutes.

Soften the base of the stem into mint oil before put in the vase.

· Add some lemon drops into flower’s water or a little salt.

· Introduce the roses till flower in a tall and full of water vase than leave them in a dark cold place even for 24 hours.

· For bacteria to be destroyed, add a drop of disinfecting substance in flowers water.

· The roses need to stay in tall vases, filled with warm water.

· You have to change the water daily.

Tulip

The tulip’s availability, as a cut flower, is from 8 to 10 days. The tulip doesn’t bear the water privation and the warmth. For a better hydration, you need to cut the white base of the stem under the water and put it in a cold, without draught space, into cold and fresh water. To maintain the water’s freshness and the flower’s natural colors, attach some small branches of Tuia. You can also put a metal coin. To avoid the tulip’s declension, you have to fill the vase with water or to wrap the flower into a paper, because the stem will turn towards the light.

Lily

The punks of the lily have their different opening phase, that the flower lives in water more than 1, maybe 2 weeks. For a long availability, you got to avert the full-blown flower’s stamens, before the pollen will spot the petals, fading them. To prolong the lily’s life, add in the water a spoon of white vinegar (it applies to the gladioluses, anemones too).

Chrysanthemum

The chrysanthemum is one of the most resistant cut flower and it will decorate your house for a long time, more than 2 weeks. By hybridization, the chrysanthemum has a several numbers of petals, multiple colors, forms and sizes. For the best hydration, you’ll smash or cut the stem at a very sharp angle, eliminate the base leafs of the stem. A bouquet of chrysanthemum flowers has to be disposed in a large vase, so the flowers will not be crowded. You need to change frequently the water in the vase and powder the flowers with water, because the chrysanthemum loves the humidity.

Orchid

The orchids will decorate your
place for 1 or 2 weeks, maybe more, if you offer them the best conditions. It’s
important for you to know that the orchid, being an exotic flower, prefer a 26
degrees temperature. After gathering, the flowers have to be left in a cold space (10-15 degrees) for a couple of hours. Than put them in capacious vases. To refresh the orchids you’ll cut the stem and than put it in a boiled water,
so the flowers will resist more. Keep them away from the draught, smoking or hot vapors (this is also a practice for the anthurium cut flower).

Daffodil

The daffodil cut flowers can resist from 4 to 8 days, if they are carefully attended. Their stems excrete a
viscous substance which is speeding up the blight process. Therefore you’ll follow this practice: cut the stem at a very sharp angle 2 inches below the end, than pass it through the fire or leave it for a while in warm water, for the pest substance to be eliminated. You can use a combination of vinegar and salt to clean the daffodil’s vase.

Carnation

The carnation is a very resistant flower and is usually used in the arrangements that have no water supply. Some cultures consider the carnation a funeral flower, maybe for its resistance. It’s important for it to be cut between the stem nodules for the best hydration. The carnations love the fresh water and the sweetmeat, thus put some sugar in the water. You can also add some lemon drops.

Daisy

It’s very alike the chrysanthemum, therefore the scientific name is Chrysanthemum leucantheum. Daisy is a resistant cut flower, though it’s fragility. As the best care, cut
the stem till the green part, put it in tall vase, filled just for 3 quarts with water and add a drop of whitening substance.

Anemone

Depend of the type of flower, the anemone will resist between 5 and 8 days, maybe more, if it’s well attended. The stem has to be cut at a sharp angle. This flower prefer the cold water and the cold spaces, that you can get them into the fridge, for 1-2 hours, in a separated compartment, before their placement in water. Just like the anemones, the flowers with a fragile stem (freesia, for example), have to be doused till the flower.

Lily-of-the-valley

This flower will not resist more than 4-5 days since the gather and that so under a good care. You have to put it in fresh and not very cold water as soon as you can.

Crocus

The crocus’s cut flower doesn’t resist much time, just 3-4 days. As a bulb root flower, like the tulip, iris, daffodil etc, it loves the cold water, changed every day. The warm water speeds up the flourish. Is good that the white area from the stem’s base to be cut, because only the green part will absorb the water. You’ll get the crocus in small vases filled at 3 quarter with water.

Iris

Being tall, the iris cut flowers will be disposed in big vases filled a half with water. They love the cold fresh water, so change it ones at 2 days.

Dahlia

The availability of the dahlia is about 6 to 10 days. To maintain fresh the dahlia you have to follow those instructions: introduce the base of the stem in boiled water and keep them there till the water cooling or till the base becomes black; than you’ll cut the boiled side and finally put them into cold water.

Lilac

Though it’s a shrub, lilac is one of the most popular spring flower. To keep them long, you have to avert the leafs and smash the base of the stem, for a better hydration, than introduce it in boiled water. Don’t you forget that the lilac love the warm water and the sunlight. As a trick, you can put a little of sugar in the water.

Peony

The peony will be as fresh as the beginning into the vase from 7 to 10 days. The cut flowers are conserved in a cold place for 24 hours without water and thereafter you’ll cut 1 centimeter from the stem and put them in vases filled of warm water.

Gerbera

The gerberas, as well as the tulip, usually inflect their stem. There are some simple tricks for not to happen: prick the stem just under the flower, to get out the air deterrent the flower hydration or fill of water the empty stem and keep it with the flower turned downward overnight.

Poppy

It’s a not resistant flower. Although it’s a wild flower, the poppy is a fragile one, but loved for its full of passion color. As well as daffodil, the poppy’s stem excretes a pernicious substance that has to be eliminated. You could pass the stem through the fire or leave it in boiled water for 30 seconds, after you cut the stem 2 inches below the end.

Sunflower

This is a long life flower. As a cut flower, it last 6-12 days, but it’s a wonderful dry flower. There is a trick to avoid the blight: add in flower’s water 2% of liquid detergent.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your candles and candle holders:

• Keep your candle away from drafts. Drafty areas will cause the wick to dance back and forth. Smoke will then emit from the wick and could cause soot stains on your candle holders.
• Cut the wick of the candle to 1/8 of an inch before lighting and allow the candle to burn long enough so that the hot wax extends to touch the candleholder on all sides. By doing this the candle will burn down evenly and maximize the length of time your candle will burn. Make sure to cut the wick every time you light your candle. 
•  It is always important to use the appropriate size candle for that particular candle holder. For example, never burn a votive candle in a candle warmer holder. This can cause some holders to break

• from the excess heat.
•  Do not ever use anything that wasn’t meant to be a candleholder to burn a candle in/on. Again, this could cause breakage or even explosion.
• Burn candles down as much as possible to eliminate the need to rid your candleholders of excess melted wax. 
• Remember that the longer you let melted candles sit in a holder, the more difficult it will be to remove the wax.
• To avoid that and as soon as you notice that the candle has burned down to a point that you won’t burn it anymore, snuff the wick and allow the wax to become solid. 
• Place the holder in the freezer. Placing the cup/holder upside down is ideal.
• After about 10-15 minutes you should be able to take the holder out, give the holder a little smack on the bottom with the palm of your hand and the candle should pop right out.
• If it does not pop out and/or if you have waited a while before trying to take the wax out of your holder, take a wax scraper or a butter knife and begin to cut into the candle in a straight line. Before you have gotten halfway down, the candle should pop right out. 
• In order to maximize your candles you should always read the labels! Burning a pillar candle is very different from burning a candle that is contained in a glass jar. 
• Also remember to keep candles out of the reach of pets and children. Wax isn’t easily removed from some surfaces and fires that could result from misuse can be disastrous!

Making a floral arrangement in a vase can either be simple or fancy vase, depending on the kind of arrangement you want to have. 
 

Vase

Instructions
Things you will need:
• Vase
• Mixture of  artificial & live flowers
• Floral foam
• Flower life extender
• Baby’s breath
• Stem of leaves
• Step: 1:
Once you have decided on the type of arrangement you can go and buy your supplies. Choose flowers with buds that are slightly open and colors that complement each other and match your home décor.
• Step 2:
Place the fresh flowers in a tall vase so you can measure the length you need. If they are too tall, place the stems in water and cut them under the water at an angle. To avoid cutting the stems too short, cut a little at a time and then test the height to the desired length. Remove leaves that will be under the water
• Step 3:
Soak your floral foam until it has soaked up some water. Fill your vase half way with water and put the life extender and mix well. Cut the floral foam to fit snugly into the vase near the top. Stick the flowers into the vase in the foam. Put the taller, bigger flowers on the inside and work outwards to the front. Arrange the baby breath throughout, then place your leaf stems in the back, as well as, draping some over the side. This will add a simple fresh flower arrangement. Make sure the flowers are taller than the green leafs. By using lots of small blooming stems and green fillers, it will look fuller and more balanced. Keep the foam damp.
• Step 4:
If your vase is more shallow and wide, place the greens around and into the foam. Then cut some flowers taller than the greens. Or another arrangement us to use long green stems out both the sides. Stick in taller flowers center to front. Play around. Try different arrangements so you can get the correct look.
• Step 5:
Extend the life or your cut flowers with flower preservative mixed into the water. Add fresh room temperature water each day clip the stems before reinserting. Remove all wilted or rotten leaves and petals to control the growth of bacteria
• Step 6:
You can do the same thing with artificial flowers as you did with the fresh flowers. Still use the foam to hold the flowers but do not wet the foam. Again play with different arrangements to achieve the best look.