I love summer in Rochester and the profusion of natural colorful options available to brighten my home.

One specific way I take advantage of the season's offerings is to provide a welcoming experience the moment guests park in the driveway.  They are greeted by a sanctuary of color, waterfalls, and birds in a natural soothing setting.

Another tenet I live by is to bring the indoors outside as a great way to entertain guests and to provide a place for clients to relax. It feels especially wonderful to soak up the outdoors after a long Rochester winter.

Happy mid-summer to you all and I hope to see you soon to leave you feeling beautiful inside and out.

When decorating my home for Christmas, I really tend to decorate more for the winter season. I always buy a fresh arrangement (like the one at upper left from Kittelberger Florist) knowing it will last 6 – 8 weeks.

Watering Tip: When watering dense arrangements like this one, place a few ice cubes at the base and they will slowly melt to keep the soil moist!

Another idea is this wreath (center) with the ribbon embroidered with my last name initial on it. It was given to me from my friend Sandy—what a great gift idea!  Pick out ribbon for all your friends and add a boxwood wreath from the public market! The ribbon can be used year after year…another gift that goes well beyond the holidays.

Finally, a holiday bulb that you can literally watch grow—the Amaryllis (upper right). My friend Sarah has started waxing her own (so that they don’t require watering) and collects glass vases throughout the year at tag sales. She puts together beautiful arrangements as gifts for her friends and family. [On a side note Trader Joe’s always seems to have the most economical bulbs and the hardest color to find (white).]

I hope these ideas extend the joy of the holiday season in your home. Fondly, Wendy

P.S. If you have a special home holiday decorating tip you'd like to share, I'd love to hear about it!