My Holiday Decorating Inspiration

 My Holiday Decorating Inspiration 

INSPIRE

"Dear Tonia,  

Thank you for creating a beautiful tree and making our rooms feel so festive and comfortable. You took our old decorations and added a new twist! You are so creative, we could tell you love to decorate for the holidays. Sincere thanks for making our home special for us this holiday season!"  The Johnson Family

We all have fond memories of a special Christmas, one that makes you smile and your heart feel cozy. Here's a glimpse of how Innovative Interiors Holiday Decorating was created. 

~ My passion....One cold December day in the beautiful NC mountains, another year of our family holiday Christmas traditions. We drive every year to the mountains in NC to spend the weekend shopping, spending time with family-creating memories and yes, scouting the mountain side for the "perfect" Christmas tree. Picture this....While sipping hot chocolate, singing Christmas carols with my family, and riding on a sleigh ride looking for our tree. I had a vision of helping others and decorating...a combination of two passions combined in one. So a passion turned into a holiday decorating career. The visions of lights, trees, ornaments, and garlands danced in my head.  

Really, it's true...the passion for helping others and being creative all in one business, what more could you ask for?  As the owner and designer of Innovative Interiors Holiday decorating, the season to give hope, cheer, and holiday spirit is very important to me. To help others feel good about their surroundings...their home or business. Innovative solutions, being creative and thinking outside the box is what this company is about. Because Christmas is so special to me, I strive to make sure it reflects in the decorating we do for our clients during the holiday season. Each team member at Innovative Interiors Holiday Decorating shares the same passion and festive cheer to create beautiful rooms, events, trees and so on for our clients. Rather you want your home decorated or a business event...we listen to our clients, study your home to capture the vision you imagine your home to be during the holidays, and create a festive holiday event for all your guest to enjoy.  

Living in the Greater Charlotte NC area it has been a delight to provide a holiday decorating service to my clients and new clients. Wishing you a beautiful and festive holiday! May your Christmas and New Year be filled with love, warm wishes, good health and prosperity. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Blessings and Smiles, Tonia Mosteller - Founder of Innovative Interiors Holiday Decorating Charlotte NC

How to Care for Your Christmas Tree

How to Care for Your Farm-Grown Fresh Christmas Tree

After Thanksgiving many of us in Charlotte NC, gather our families and head to the NC mountains for their traditional holiday Christmas tree. 

My husband and I gather our family and we've been doing this for 22 years. Actually he's been doing this tradition with his family since he was a young boy. It's the most wonderful time of year for us, we love traveling to the mountains for the weekend to get our Christmas trees. 

So if you are looking for the perfect Christmas tree and prefer a live tree instead of an artificial here are a few tips provided by National Christmas Tree Association. Enjoy! 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 

from our home to yours!

When a Christmas tree is cut, over half of its weight is water. With proper care, you can maintain the quality of your displayed trees. Below are a number of tips relating to the care of displayed trees:

1. Displaying trees in water in a traditional reservoir type stand is the most effective way of maintaining their freshness and minimizing needle loss problems.
2. Make a fresh cut to remove about a 1/2-inch thick disk of wood from the base of the trunk before putting the tree in the stand. Make the cut perpendicular to the stem axis. Don't cut the trunk at an angle, or into a v-shape, which makes it far more difficult to hold the tree in the stand and also reduces the amount of water available to the tree.
3. Once home, place the tree in water as soon as possible. Most species can go 6 to 8 hours after cutting the trunk and still take up water. Don't bruise the cut surface or get it dirty.
4. If needed, trees can be temporarily stored for several days in a cool location. Place the freshly cut trunk in a bucket that is kept full of water.
5. To display the trees indoors, use a stand with an adequate water holding capacity for the tree. As a general rule, stands should provide 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter. Devices are available that help maintain a constant water level in the stand.
6. Use a stand that fits your tree. Avoid whittling the sides of the trunk down to fit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the most efficient in taking up water and should not be removed.
7. Keep displayed trees away from sources of heat (fireplaces, heaters, heat vents, direct sunlight). Lowering the room temperature will slow the drying process, resulting in less water consumption each day.
8. The temperature of the water used to fill the stand is not important and does not affect water uptake.
9. Check the stand daily to make sure that the level of water does not go below the base of the tree. With many stands, there can still be water in the stand even though the base of the tree is no longer submerged in water.
10. Drilling a hole in the base of the trunk does not improve water uptake.
11. Use of lights that produce low heat, such as miniature lights, will reduce drying of the tree.
12. Always inspect light sets prior to placing them on the tree. If worn, replace with a new set.
13. Do not overload electrical circuits.
14. Always turn off the tree lights when leaving the house or when going to bed.
15. Monitor the tree for freshness. After Christmas or if the tree is dry, remove it from the house.
16. Go to www.realchristmastrees.org and type in your ZIP code to find a recycling program near you.
17. Never burn any part of a Christmas tree in a wood stove or fireplace.

If you get a tree with roots attached, either in a pot or burlap, please read these suggestions:

• The adaptability of the species should be considered. Many species are shipped outside of their natural area and may not be adaptable to other areas. Check with a reliable nursery or extension forester.
• Keep in mind that Living Trees are VERY heavy and bulky. A six foot tall balled and burlapped tree will weigh as much as 250 pounds.
• The tree should be stored in an unheated, sheltered area such as a garage or porch, out of the wind and sun. Do not expose the tree to freezing temperatures at any time.
• The tree will need adequate water. The root ball or soil should be kept slightly damp but not flooded. Wrap the root ball of a balled tree in plastic or place in a tub while it is in the house.
• Live trees may be decorated, but with care. If lights are used, they must not give off any heat.
• Do not remove the tree directly from a warm house out into freezing temperatures. Instead, move to a sheltered area first for several days.
• If the ground is unfrozen, the tree may be replanted. The spot to be dug should be mulched to prevent freezing. Plant as soon as possible.
• Do not remove the burlap and strapping (unless it is plastic). This keeps the root ball solid and secure. In the instance of a plastic cover, cut the cord and roll down the plastic at least half way prior to planting. Tap the tree container of a potted tree and remove prior to planting. Do not attempt to remove soil from the root system. Earth removed from the original hole should be backfilled around the root ball. Mulch heavily over the top of the planted root ball to prevent it from freezing. Water only as needed: a flooded tree may not survive.
• Stake the trees to prevent wind tipping or damage during the first growing season.

Decorating Homes For The Holidays Charlotte NC-SC

Home Decorating in Charlotte NC for the holidays.
During autumn, temperatures fall, days shorten and holidays are approaching, bringing the need to get our homes decorated for the holidays and get organized. Maybe this is why we associate the coming of the season with more family time and wool clothing, rugs, and upholstery keep us warm, as do sweater-knit throws. It's such a busy time of year for us all, we gather our menus, our guest list, Christmas list, mailing out Christmas cards, decorating our homes, shopping and make travel arrangements to celebrate the holidays with our family and friends.

We all know that fireplaces in a room is considered to be a focal point and is a wonderful place to decorate the mantels for the holiday season. A few decorative additions like the magnolia branches on the mantle and the subtle use of branch motifs help change this space from a well appointed room, to a favorably seasonal one. I mentioned in another post mother nature is great source to get decorating materials and is budget friendly because it is free (most of the time). Look at the picture above by adding pine branches, running cedar, green apples and pine-cones you transform this mantel to a beautiful and natural mantel for theholiday season without spending tons of money to decorate. Fire screens protect our homes from any stray embers that spark, and should complement the fireplace, both in style and in scale. A good quality leather chair is a bonus, but any chair that is snug and welcoming can be used, changing the current color to a seasonal hue is easy to do with slip-covers. Add a fluffy pillow and a soft throw into the mix, set it in front of a warm fireplace, and snooze your Sunday away. A cozy fire and soft textiles are essential to autumn nap taking especially after having your holiday feast.

Most people have fond childhood memories of making cookies and having hot chocolate with their parents or siblings during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, so it's no wonder we try in many different ways to recreate these feelings every year. Candles should have spicy or bakery style scents, and simple shapes, what a wonderful way to add a nice fragrance in your home for during the holiday season. Accessories can be as sleek or as artistic as your memories recall them to be, bring out your favorite past holiday family pictures and have them displayed through out your home. I like to add them under a glass table top (this could be a side table, dining table, entrance table or coffee table) displaying events from Thanksgiving through New Years, I make them all black and white matte and cluster them on the table top and gently place the glass top on them. This is a personal, family filled season, so don't let traditional design rules dictate all of your decisions, listen to your heart and create beautiful rooms that fit the lifestyle of your family. Most importantly create beautiful memories with your family and friends.

Home Decorating in Charlotte NC for the holidays. 

We schedule holiday decorating installations between 

November 1st and December 20. 

Blessings and Smiles,

Tonia Mosteller

704.651.8878

Owner/Founder of:

Innovative Interiors

& Innovative Interiors Holiday Decorating



tonia.ihdecorating@gmail.com

Charlotte NC Company providing Affordable Interior Room Redesign - Interior Design - Real Estate Home Staging - Holiday Decorating - Event Decorating to Charlotte NC -SC and surrounding counties.

Photos courtesy of BHG.com