Easy ways to make an impact with your entryway

1. Use intense color. Try painting the walls of your entryway a bold color, such as chartreuse, turquoise, or honeysuckle. Choose a color that makes you feel comfortable and happy, and it is likely to make your guests feel the same way.
2. Maximize your space. We like using mobiles to add decor in particularly tight spots. Not only do mobiles take advantage of rarely used overhead space, but they are also a perfect way to decorate if you have a small entryway without room for a table or other furniture.
3. Add seasonal touches. Adding seasonal elements from your garden creates a nice transitional flow between the indoors and the outdoors for your entryway. In the summer, place some snipped Lilies or Coneflowers in the playful Jacks Vase. For spring, the Glass Bird Vases are perfect for little Pincushion flowers, or one brilliant Peony blossom. Tall ornamental grasses and Chocolate Cosmos pair beautifully with the Roost Glass Reed Vase in the fall. It’s easy to arrange flowers in a vase, so adding seasonal elements is something anyone can achieve quickly.
4. Create juxtaposition. Unexpected pairings really help to create visual interest. Try hanging a cluster of Roost Recycled Bottle Lanterns, a hard and rustic element, above an earthenware bowl of Irish moss, a soft and earthy element. Or, place a few of the Roost Lucie Hanging Votives next to a small fountain or goldfish bowl.
5. Keep things in proportion. In a small area, you can add light and the illusion of space by adding a mirror to one wall. If your space is large but lacks architectural interest, try adding a decorative wall shelf to the wall that faces you when you first step through the door.
6. Play with ambient light. Ambient light makes everything look softened and oh-so-welcoming. This makes the entryway a great place for some candlelight. Try a pretty row of the Poppy Candles and Recycled Plates along a shelf, or a Glass Tealight Log on a narrow console table.

Click to see all the decorative accessories for your entryway mentioned in this post.

Image from the I Heart Shabby Chic blog

One of our favorite parts about Halloween is decorating our home and garden. While we love store-bought decorations such as rubber bats and plastic skulls, this year we’ve renewed our commitment to be kinder to the Earth and use less plastic. So instead of rushing out to purchase Halloween decorations that are both made of and packaged in plastic, we’ll be creating our own super cool decorations from items we can find in our house and our backyard. After all aren’t real, natural and earthy elements just more scary looking than an inflatable ghost anyway? We think so.

Green Halloween Decorating Ideas

1. Spooky Skeletons. You know what’s spookier than some store bought bones made of cardboard or plastic? Real ones! Try looking around your backyard for exo-skeletons of cicadas. Because cicadas molt, they leave behind a “skin” that is an exact replica of their body. You are likely to find them along wooden fence posts, or clinging to the bark of trees in your backyard or in wooded areas. The exo-skeletons can easily be hooked onto the petals of a flower arrangement to make it ultra creepy.

You can also preserve and display other skeletons such as chicken bones and crab shells. To thoroughly clean them, soak them for one week in a solution of Dawn dish soap and water. Drain them, then soak them in a solution of 50% water and 50% hydrogen peroxide. (Do this in a garage or laundry room because it’s a bit stinky.) Remove the bones and let them air dry for 24 hours. The bones will then be clean, degreased, and white washed. They’ll look totally spooky arranged in a tall, clear vase on a fireplace mantle.

2. Eerie Moss. We love the idea of using natural moss from the backyard to create Halloween decorations. If you live in a temperate climate, you can find Irish moss growing in great green clumps in cool, shaded areas. If you find moss growing on concrete or rocks, you can easily peel it up in one sheet and carry it home with you to place it in a planter or terrarium. If you live in a warm Southern climate, you can instead look for Spanish moss, which is an air plant with a distinct green-gray color that drips down from tree branches. Take a look at this cool do-it-yourself Spanish Moss Wreath at Our House On Pender.

Our favorite use for moss, whether Irish or Spanish, is to place it in a Roost Hanging Terrarium for an awesomely eerie look. Check out our mini graveyard post from last year– so cool!

3. Recycled Paper Spiderwebs. Isn’t this a great idea from Vanessa Valencia at Green Halloween? It’s something that would be a really fun craft for kids, too. You could use any kind of paper you would like to make these, such as old newspapers, junk mail, or the extra sheets of computer paper that your printer spits out every now and then. Our favorite is the “spookified snowflake” pattern. While Vanessa used sparkly glitter to decorate hers, you could also brush on diluted black tea for an aged look, or you could apply “blood” splatters with beet juice. Alternately, you can also try this easy make-it-yourself spiderweb from Planet Green with cotton balls and hairspray.

4. Terrifying Turnip Lanterns. According to Waverly at Living in Season, children in Ireland and Scotland long ago would set out “souling” with turnip lanterns. Check out her blog for directions on how to make your own carved turnip lantern. If you have a kitchen full of harvest from your fall garden, you can also find other neat ways to use root vegetables as Halloween decor, such as carving beets or rutabagas, or making a “Kail-Runt Torch” by sticking a candle into the hollowed out stem of a cabbage. Make sure to light up your lanterns with candles made of beeswax, soy, or vegetable oil based wax, as these are all cleaner burning and more earth friendly than paraffin.

5. Hair-Raising Toilet Paper Tube Creatures. This just might be the easiest, cheapest and most fun Halloween craft to do with kids. It’s scary creatures made out of recycled toilet paper and paper towel tubes! The only other supplies you will need to make these are some water based paints and paint brushes. Take a look at the OhDeeDoh for their “Where the Wild Things Are” inspired designs. Awesome! This would make a fun activity for kids at a Halloween party, and the finished product can be arranged on a cake stand to make an interesting center piece, or lined up along a window sill. You could even thread some string through them and create a fun Halloween mobile on an old coat hanger.

For other green Halloween decorating ideas, check out this blog from One Part Sunshine. And don’t forget, sometimes the best decorating ideas are right in your backyard. An arrangement of fallen leaves, gnarled branches and acorns from your backyard is just right for October!

Flower frogs are simple structures, traditionally made of glass, metal or ceramic materials, to support single flower arrangements. If you are quick to envision the common craft fair find– a spiky metal platform surrounded by earth-toned ceramic– we have something more stylish in mind for you. Before we discovered Roost’s Flower Frogs and Glass Vases, we thought frogs were tacky, with no place in the modern home. But the Roost Flower Frogs actually feature the metal architectural supports and geometric shapes that are often found in modern designs. Regardless of your style, floral frogs make arranging flowers fun and simple. Anyone can use one!

Flowers to Use for a Frog Arrangement

You can use any kind of cut flowers you like for a floral frog arrangement. You may also want to gather some greens, depending on what you want the overall look to be. Some great autumn flowers that we like are:

What tools do I need to arrange flowers in a frog?

You will need your frog, of course! We would recommend selecting one of the Roost Flower Frog and Glass Vase sets, because this way you will know for sure that the frog will fit your glass vase perfectly. Plus, you can choose from four shapes: large square, medium cylinder, small cylinder, or small square. The only other tool you will need is a pair of sharp shears or a knife to cut the flower stems. It is important that the blade is nice and sharp so that you do not damage or crush the flower stems.

Tips for arranging flowers with a frog

• Have a general shape for your arrangement in mind before you begin. Do you want the flower arrangement to be tall or short? In the shape of a pyramid, column, or ball?
• Once you have decided on the shape of your arrangement, cut the stems of your flowers to fit it. Cut them carefully and cleanly under water. Then, arrange the stems so that the blooms are facing outwards.
• Use the largest type of flower or foliage at the bottom of your arrangement.
• If you are working with flowers that have thin stems, such as asters, you may want to first cluster a few stems together before adding them to your frog. If needed, you can bundle together the base of the stems with a bit of ribbon or a small rubber band.
• Arrange all of your flower stems first, then go back and fill in the spaces with greens, foliage, or ornamental grasses.

How do I maintain my floral frog arrangement?

To maintain your floral frog arrangement, you will need to add fresh water to the vase every couple days. If the water becomes cloudy, empty it entirely, wash out the vase, and add new. Because some blooms will last longer than others, you can also pull out dead flowers and add new ones as needed. The frog will make it very easy to pull out individual stems and replace them.

Remember, the arrangement does not necessarily need to look like it was done by a professional.  You can group flowers together in your frog to mimic how they grow in nature, or cluster flowers together as you wish they would grow in your garden. Don’t be afraid to have fun and experiment. Nature isn’t perfect!

Image source: theLENNOXX

Every year there is an obvious change that occurs outside in our gardens and backyards during the early fall season. Seed pods and berries are starting to emerge on flowers and shrubs, while pumpkins and squash are nearly ready for harvest. The air is tinged with coolness, and the days are growing significantly shorter as the birds begin to migrate South. As your outdoor garden and patio space naturally makes this transition, your indoor decor and entertaining scheme should shift as well. The fall home is about warmth and coziness; we think of spicy aromas and dim, ambient lighting.

Transition Your Home Decor from Summer to Fall

Add mood lighting: With the daylight hours turning shorter and shorter every day, it’s time to strategically place some nice ambient lighting around the house. Mood lighting is the easiest and most effective way to cast a certain warm, friendly tone in your home, whether it is for you alone or for guests, or even a large dinner party. For a small space, such as a bathroom sink or a fireplace mantel, we love the Roost Pinecone Tealights. They’re easy to place and quite cute. For a larger space, such as a dining table centerpiece or an end table, we choose the Roost Recycled Bottle Lanterns. This fall, we are going to place a cluster of the lanterns inside our fireplace and fill them with white votive candles for a romantic glow.

Savor some autumn scents: Conventional aerosol air fresheners can be filled with all sorts of chemicals and synthetic fragrances. Blech. For a nice, cozy autumn scent that fills your home, try an easy and natural home fragrance instead. Place a small saucepan on your stove with a cup of apple cider and a cup of water. Toss in a tablespoon of ground cinnamon and a few cloves, and bring this to a simmer on your stove. As it simmers, it will fill your home with a warm, spicy apple pie scent.

Earth tones are easy: (Anyone get the 80s movie title reference there? Bonus points if you do!) During the summer, we are all inclined to fill our homes with breezy fabrics such as lightweight cotton and silk, and bright colors such as yellow, coral and turquoise. For fall, replace these home accents with darker earth toned ones. For example, if you have a neutral colored couch, add throw pillows in dark orange, olive green and deep aubergine. If your summer white curtains are still hanging, replace them with heavier, thermal ones in a dark clay red or earthy brown. Check out these photos from Hooked on Houses to see how a few strategically placed fall earth tones can really work well with any interior decorating scheme. Still feeling unsure of how to change a room’s color scheme to reflect the season? Watch this quick video from Apartment Therapy on Easily Changeable Color.

Decorate with natural accents: There are so many cool and interesting things you can find outdoors in the fall to decorate your home. Take a leisurely stroll around your block or in a local park to go for a little treasure hunt. A basket or galvanized tub filled with twigs and firewood looks pretty in an entryway or next to the fireplace. A ceramic bowl or vase can be piled high with branches of colorful leaves, or guards and pumpkins. Long stems of pussywillows or goldenrod would look gorgeous clustered in a Roost Copenhagen Carafe & Terrarium.

Prepare your dining room for dinner parties: During the summer, your most frequently used dining area is probably the patio and the grill, while your kitchen and your dining room take a hiatus. Now it’s time to bring some life back into your dining room and get it ready for fall dinner parties. Add cushioned seat covers to your dining room chairs in order to soften the look of the room, and a tablecloth or table runner. For a look that says “welcome, come sit down” definitely add your mood lighting to this room, and “stage” the table with your favorite serving dishes. For more ideas on how to transition your dining room from summer to fall, look to House Dressing and Centsational Girl for inspiration.

Garden sculpture image from Front Garden Home Design

Why should you bother using decorative items outdoors in your yard and garden? Because it is an awesome way to personalize your space. As Real Simple points out in its June issue, garden ornaments should be added for the same reason that you would add colorful pillows on your sofa or framed photos on a wall– to add personality and polish. Obviously, we’re not talking about bearded gnomes or gray cement geese.

Our Six Favorite Garden Ornaments and How To Place Them

Modern Glass Hummingbird Feeders We just love ornaments that are both decorative and functional. These cylindrical Modern Glass Hummingbird Feeders fit that bill perfectly. Filled with red and pink nectar and hung at varying heights from a tree branch, they almost look like stained glass. You can even choose from small, medium, large, or extra large to create a whole array of sizes. Plus, they attract beautiful little hummingbirds. What could be prettier in a garden than that?

Galvanized Metal Garden Planters We love using galvanized metal and iron in our garden. It looks cool even after it is weathered, and creates an interesting contrast between the hard, industrial metal planter and the softness of the plants within. We dig these nice worn in planters from Folkcity on Etsy. For a newer, shinier metal look, check out this steel tub from Urban Garden Solutions. And any time that you use a tub as a planter, make sure to first drill a couple holes in the bottom to allow for water drainage.

Modern Solar Lanterns We love that these Modern Solar Lanterns look like they are made of delicately folded paper, but they’re not! They’re actually made of plastic sheeting and have stainless steel hardware – perfect for outdoor use. Wouldn’t they look awesome hanging in a cluster from a gazebo ceiling, or even from the branches of a tree overhanging a picnic table?

You can put them pretty much anywhere you’d like because there are no electrical cords to connect. Just a solar panel that is fed by a rechargeable AAA battery. Select from three different motifs to fit your decor: mineral, modern white, or pearl. These modern solar lanterns look perfect at an outdoor wedding reception. So chic!

Rusted Agapanthus Stems Here we go again- we just can’t resist galvanized metal! This time it’s popping up in a fun little flower shape. This Rusted Agapanthus Stem from Terrain is a really versatile garden ornament. You can place it among your mums for a surprising little juxtaposition, or even tuck it into a bouquet and display it in a vase indoors. The key is to place one, or cluster in an odd number, in a spot that you want to draw attention to. If you’d rather go a little bolder with the metal look, try this Tractor Orb Sculpture instead, and place it in a corner where you want people to look. It’s made in the USA from tractor and farm implements that are no longer in use. Neat!

Roost Utopia Bird Feeders Have you ever seen such pretty bird feeders before? Neither have we! Roost Utopia Bird Feeders really catch the sunlight during the day and just sparkle away. Plus, we love how multi-functional they are. Of course they provide food for our little feathered buddies, but they also can serve purely as decoration if you clean out the food and hang some dripping Spanish Moss from them. Or, for an evening garden party, try placing a little tealight candle inside each one. Try hanging either shape, Egg or Orb, from a low hanging tree branch or patio eave. If you fill it with bird seed, remember that bird droppings will be inevitable, and don’t hang it over your living space.

Ceramic Garden Stools Have an annoying little shady spot in your yard where you just can’t get anything to grow? A great way to conceal it is with a ceramic garden stool, like this groovy splatter paint one by Michael Jones, available at Artful Home. Or, for a more tranquil look, try this Zen Garden Seat from Expressions. Breath in, breath out. Oooommmm….. We dig ceramic stools because they are both pretty and functional. Plus, in the winter time, you can bring them indoors to serve as a little table or bedstand. For tips on how to use your stool inside your home, check out this photo collection from Apartment Therapy Chicago.

Studiopatro Tea Towels: Eat & Spoon Set $42

In 2009, San Francisco designer and art director Christina Weber introduced a line of bold, geometrically printed tea towels under the name Studiopatró. This means that for two years, we have been discovering more and more excellent ways to use them! Certainly not just for drying off clean dishes, Studiopatró towels are a versatile and modern addition to any kitchen. Here are our six favorite ways to use them.

(1) As an apron.

Here you can see how the Facade Tea Towel in orange can be easily used as an apron. All you have to do is tuck it into your belt. When you’re entertaining guests, you can easily keep your pants dry and clean during food prep, then pull the tea towel right off when you’re ready to party. Ta-da!

(2) As a wine cozy.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Gifting a plain bottle of wine is boring. To dress it up, wrap the bottle in a Live, Love, Eat tea towel and tie it at the top with a piece of twine or ribbon. Not only does this look pretty, but if you are headed to a dinner party, it will keep the chilled wine from sweating and dripping on you on the car ride over. Once the wine has been drunk, your hostess will have a much more lasting gift to use in her kitchen.

(3) As a salad spinner.

Conventionally marketed salad spinners are not very practical; they’re bulky and cumbersome. Instead of a salad spinner, just try using a clean City Tea Towel. Simply lay the towel out on your counter, rinse your salad greens, then place them in the center of the towel. Fold the four corners into the center, and grip them with your hand so that you are holding the salad greens in a bundle. Then, lift the towel above your head and give it a few twirls. This will “spin” the water off your greens, and right into the absorbent tea towel.

(4) As gift wrap.

Colored paper wrapping paper is so passé. All that paper is simply ripped off and thrown in the trash; how seriously un-eco friendly! For a much more creative and green alternative, wrap your gifts in tea towels. Here you can see that a tea towel makes excellent gift wrap for a potted plant. We also love the idea of wrapping a cookbook in a tea towel to make the perfect hostess gift, or housewarming present. Gifts in jars, such as caramel sauce or candles, can be easily wrapped and rolled in a tea towel to make a pretty cylindrical shape.

(5) As a potholder.

This is an excellent and attractive way to transport food to a potluck, or protect the surface of your wood dining table from heat and drips. Lay your casserole dish or dutch oven on the center of the tea towel, then tuck the ends into the handles. Voila.

(6) As table art.

Tea towels can create instant easy table art for your dining room. Use them as table runners, place mats, or even napkins. Since Studiopatró′s designs are bold yet simple, they will work well with nearly any decorating scheme, and the rest of your tablescape can remain simple and understated. We love the use of tea towels in this photo–super elegant.

Bird wallpaper by Emma Thomas. Image from Apartment Therapy.

We admit it – each year by about February, we get a touch of the post-holiday blues. After all of our beautiful holiday wreaths and baubles are packed and stowed away in Rubbermaids, our homes just tend to look considerably less colorful. Then, inevitably, we start to get the decorating itch.

So what to do to add a touch of color and brightness to our homes, when it is still cold, icy, and blustery outside? A modern bird motif is the perfect way to add life to your home, as well as to transition into the approaching spring season.

Add Bird Décor to Your Home in a Way that Says Cool, Chic, and Modern

Pick Some Foolproof Bird Accessories

What do we mean by “foolproof?” We mean, look for items that will match with any color scheme, and go in any room. Our favorite foolproof accessories are these Roost Glass Bird Tealights. They are simple and elegant, and add a touch of sparkle to any room when lit with a tealight. Their sleek design and crystal clear glass allows them to match absolutely anything. They look lovely as part of a formal dinner table setting, as the centerpiece on a coffee table, or resting delicately on a bookshelf or fireplace mantle. They even look pretty in the kitchen- try perching them atop a pretty cake stand on your counter or atop a cabinet. For another option, check out the Roost Bird Candles. In both ivory and cream, these candles will match any decorating scheme, and create a cheery, nature-inspired look in any spot you place them.

Create Inexpensive Wall Prints

A fun way to create unique and inexpensive wall prints is to frame bird print stationery or notecards. We really like the vibrant colors in these bird note cards from Notepolish Paperie. And aren’t these greeting cards from Urban Bird Designs super fun? For a large print, place your favorite piece of stationery on a color copier and enlarge it. Or for small prints that make a large impact, frame and hang several small prints in an arrangement together on one wall. Not sure how to arrange a cluster of little frames on a big wall?

Tips for Arranging Framed Photos on a Wall

1. Lay a large piece of butcher paper out on your floor or a table surface.
2. Arrange the framed prints on top of the paper. Switch ‘em and move ‘em around as much as you like. When you find an arrangement that speaks to you, trace the frames onto the paper.
3. Set the frames aside, lift up the paper, and tape it to your desired wall.
4. Nail your picture hangers or nails right through the paper in accordance with the traced frame outlines. When you’re finished, tear the paper down, and all of your picture hangers are ready to be used in your desired figuration. Ta-da!

Pack A Punch with  Bird Wall Paper

You may think of wall paper as an 80s trend, but wall paper has totally made a comeback, and it’s new and improved. The wallpaper of the 21st century comes in all kinds of rich colors and textures, and it is an awesome way to create a saturated and luxurious effect in any room. We like the idea of papering just one wall of a room as a statement, or wallpapering a whole dining room to create a warm and welcoming “sit and enjoy yourself” feel.

The Victorians loved using pheasants, peacocks, and other elaborate birds in their textiles, so lots of wallpaper prints are reflect this vintage vibe. We love these fabulous designs from Louise Body and Osborne & Little.

Go all Hitchcock-ian

We totally dig this idea because it combines the ideas of using some foolproof bird accessories with using major statement-making bird wallpaper. How cool would it be to evoke this Hitchcock vibe in a room in your house? Trove, a design company in Chicago, designs funky wallpapers such as this eerie, yet uber chic, “Indi” bird print. Our idea? With Indi up a wall, hang the Bird Cage Mobile from the ceiling, and scatter a few elegant Glass Bird Vases across a table or shelf. Fill the vases with some gnarled branches. Or, for an interesting juxtaposition, fill them with cheery blooms. Voila! Now that is a statement room.

More Modern Bird Décor Inspiration

Take a look at this bedroom design by Copy Cat Chic, and this little girl’s bedroom by Remodelaholic. We love bird mobiles and Apartment Therapy does too! In fact, we have 4 different great ones from which to choose in our selection of merchandise for Bird Lovers.

Many people may think that pink is a hard color to pull off in fashion and decorating. But the trick here is to not over-think it. In actuality, honeysuckle is a color that is complementary to nearly all skin tones for both men and women, and is much more mature looking than pastel or baby pink. The rosy tone can also be incorporated easily into an indoor or outdoor decorating scheme. Here are some ideas for how you can add a splash of honeysuckle to your life in 2011.

BCBGeneration Estrella Pump

In your wardrobe:

Look for honeysuckle colored shrugs, sweaters, blouses, and shirts. When worn near the face, honeysuckle brings a hint of warmth to lips and cheeks, and casts a favorable glow. Plus, it has sort of a vintage, Mad Men-ish appeal. If you are more into neutrals, try warming up your basic closet staples with a honeysuckle colored scarf, necklace, tie, purse, or pair of shoes. This is a great way to add a pop of color to any outfit. Try wearing honeysuckle any time you want to appear approachable and confident, whether that is at a party where you will be meeting new people, or at a job interview. These Estrella Pumps made by BCBGeneration are pretty va-va-va-voom. We also love this organic jersey cotton infinity scarf by EcoKaren, and these natural agate stone earrings by CayennePeppy.

Image from LivingEtc

In your home:

If you’re looking for an easy and inexpensive way to brighten up your home, just paint a wall honeysuckle with Pantone’s eco-friendly low VOC paint. We doubt you’ll be able to walk past it without feeling cheery. We like the idea of painting a hallway or just one wall of the family room in this shade. We also dig these super chic ideas from Apartment Therapy, where they focused on making small spaces pop with honeysuckle accessories. One of the key points they make here is that with this bright coraly shade, it is not necessary to be all matchy-matchy. Honeysuckle accents go well with neutrals in your home, such as black, white, and navy. But they also look fabulous with other brights such as lime green and bright orange. You can liven up an otherwise cool-toned bathroom with a honeysuckle chair, such as this one at LivingEtc. Or, add a burst of color to your kitchen with our Four Seasons Tea Towel in Fall.

Honeysuckle image from the What's Up! blog

In Your Garden:

What better way to celebrate the color honeysuckle than by planting honeysuckle in your garden? Honeysuckle is a climbing plant, so it is a good idea to position it near a trellis, archway, wall, or fence. It also is very attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies because of its super sweet fragrance. There are several varieties of honeysuckle from which you can choose, but for this distinct bright pinky red shade, you’ll want to select Coral Honeysuckle seeds. This evergreen variety is hardy to zones 4-10. Other beautiful bright rosy colored blossoms include Coral Bells, Gerbera Daisies, striking (up to three feet tall) Starfighter Oriental Lilies, Pink Elephant Lobelias, and Fuschia Magic Vanda Orchids.

So don’t be shy. Go ahead and add a burst of honeysuckle to your life. Its positive energy and cheery vibe are perfect for 2011. For more inspiration, check out these pinky ideas from Get Going Girl and Mod Vintage Life.

Roost Hanging Terrarium

“Siiigggghh.” Yes, we admit it. We’re enamoured with our Roost Recycled Glass Hanging Terrariums, and we fully intend to gaze upon them with delight all year round. You can enjoy your own Roost Recycled Glass Terrarium (in the small size, or large, or both) all year round, too.

Check them out! Not only are they eco-friendly because they are made of recycled glass, but they also quite literally redefine the term “hanging planter.” Their design is so simple and elegant- we think they create a look that is entirely clean and uncluttered, while still being positively eye-catching.

Tips for All-year Hanging Terrarium Use

Fall

If you read our blog “Time to Spook-ify Your Garden For Halloween,” then you know that we consider the entire month of October to be Halloween Month. And this year, we have the the dang coolest idea for Halloween decor. We are going to turn our Roost Hanging Terrariums into mini hanging graveyards. We got the idea from L. Brandt in Utah, who sells these awesome Terrarium Decor Headstone Picks in her Etsy shop. They are going to look just perfect stuck into some Spanish Moss. Spooktacular!

Winter

For wintertime, when our gardens are brown and gray, we love the idea of adding a splash of vibrant green to our homes. We think that Club Moss is just the plant to get the job done. Club Moss, or Lycopodium clavatum, thrives in cooler temperatures and low to moderate light. So it can handle the chilly temps and gray days that winter tends to bring. It also grows well with plenty of air circulation, so the open design of the hanging terrarium will really allow it to flourish. We can’t wait to see how this creeping plant looks as it crawls down and out of the terrarium opening, creating a pretty waterfall of foliage. What a way to brighten up a winter day!

Spring

When winter transitions to spring, we turn our thoughts to all things flowery and refreshing. It’s time to shed heavy winter wear and replace it with all things light and airy. This makes it the perfect time to plant an air plant. Air plants, also known as Tillansias, don’t require soil to grow. We’ve seen many a person do a double take at a hanging air plant- they’re a bit unexpected in a terrarium, and definitely turn the glass bubble into a gorgeous piece of modern art. Try placing a mini purple Aeranthos in the small Roost terrarium, or a brightly colored Concolor Paucifolia in the large one.

Summer

“Summa, summa, summa tiiiiime…” We all know that summer brings warmer temps and plenty of sunlight, so it’s time to plant something in your Roost Hanging Terrarium that will thrive in these conditions. For summer, try planting an Earth Star, Flame Violet, or Golden Pothos. Each of these does well in bright, plentiful indirect sunlight and warm, humid conditions. For a little summery twist, why not try adding in some pretty aqua colored marbles, or some sea shells from your vacation?

10 Steps to Plant in Your Roost Recycled Glass Hanging Terrarium

Photo from the Life in Robin's Nest blog

Here at aHa! Modern Living, Halloween is without a doubt our most favorite holiday. Rather than just one night of costumed revelry, we recognize Halloween as a month-long celebration of spooky, scary merriment. As far as we are concerned, October might as well be simply and appropriately renamed “Halloween Month.”

Around mid-Halloween Month each year, we start to see lawn and garden decorations popping up around our neighborhood. One of the most popular in recent years has been the large inflatable nylon yard scenes and creatures. Down the street from us, one of our neighbors has added a giant inflatable black cat to her front yard, and it bobs and dips in the chilly Halloween Month breeze as we drive past it each morning. We can’t help but feel that this lawn decoration is… well… a little bit lame. Why add what looks like a huge inflated trash bag when there is so much natural spooky-ness to be tapped into in your lawn and garden? We feel that the focus in a Halloween-inspired yard should be the yard itself, not an eight foot tall fake cat.

When it comes to Halloween yard and garden decorations, you don’t need to add nylon to your yard to get the desired creepy effect. Instead, use the natural elements of your yard to create an eerie Halloween scene. The effect will be entrancing, not cheesy or garish.

Here are our tips for spook-ifying your garden

Use death. Every fall, the majority of your plants start to die back. And really, what’s more naturally spooky than death? To create a chilling vibe in your garden, hold off on removing browned grasses and your plants’ and flowers’ seed heads. Roses leave threatening bare thorns, and without the petals, the Lilac Halo flower leaves just a spiky seed head. Zebra Grass, which is pictured at the left, sprouts feathery brown seed stalk tops, which sway in the wind and create an eerie effect. Most of your perennials do need to be cut back in the fall, but you can wait to do this until after the first frost. So let your dead foliage stick around for Halloween Month.

Highlight scary plants. We usually think of plants and flowers as being delicate, colorful, and beautiful. But there are some plants out there that are downright ominous, like this Carrion Lily. Check out our blog, Halloween Inspired Horticultural Wonders, for the full line up of scary garden plants. Or, pick up a copy of Black Plants by Paul Bonine to see a total of 75 mysteriously dark plant species. Place these plants strategically for the desired spooky effect. For example, plant them in high traffic areas such as right next to your back door, in pots around your patio, or in hanging planters around your front porch.

Use simple decorations strategically. We hope we didn’t start off by giving you the impression that we’re against Halloween decorations, because we’re certainly not. We just think there’s a right way and a wrong way to do them, and for genuine spookiness, we think simplicity rules. To add a supernatural effect to your garden, hang Roost Utopia Bird Feeders dripping with Spanish Moss. Or place a row of potted succulents, in spiky and bulbous shapes, in a row along a garden wall. The Retro Owl Mobile hung from the ceiling of your front porch, draped with torn coffee-stained cheese cloth and spiders, will greet guests wisely. Use decorations that work with and enhance your natural fall landscape, not detract from it.

Attract creepy wildlife. Sure, fake spiders can give you a little shock. But the real thing? So much spookier. If you’ve got a garden, then you probably already realize that you have plenty of things that attract critters to your yard. While every other time of year you may see this as a nuisance, try to change your attitude during Halloween month, and welcome all things creepy and crawly. Spearmint, salvia, and phlox will all attract lots of bugs, which in turn attract bats. A small puddle and some rocks, or an overturned cracked terra cotta pot, will attract frogs and toads. You can lure large birds, such as crows, blackbirds, and ravens with hearty seeds such as whole corn, and sunflower seeds and peanuts that are in the shell. Make sure to also select a feeder with a nice wide opening, such as the Perch Lunchbox Bird Feeder. Your yard will soon be filled with the distinct spooky “caw” of the crow.

How do you spook-ify your yard for Halloween Month?