Showing posts with label decorations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decorations. Show all posts

The Winter Solstice Celebrations With Meditations, Decorations & Incense

Author: Yuri // Category: , , , , ,
Once again the Western World prepares to celebrate the Winter Solstice, which usually falls around the 21st December.





This is a magical time of the year and throughout the ages of mankind religions have gravitated toward this date to hold major ceremonies, celebrations and sacred observations.





Our modern age strangely sees us returning to the age-old customs of noting and paying respect to the sacred cycles of nature and the part we play in it, for we are intrinsically tied to these cycles of nature whether we like to admit it or not, influenced by the stages of the moon with its ebb and flow of energy. The sun ' the life giver ' marks the days of death and decay back into regeneration and growth. None of us that live on this planet can escape Mother Nature, the Goddess and her womb, or Father Time, the God and his creation of all life from the elements. Light and dark, all is one, all religion, all life blessed be!





RETURN OF THE SUN/SON!





Winter Solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It marks the gradual return of the sun and signifies birth when new seeds of life will spring forth. Similarly, Christianity uses this time of year to mark the birth of the son, signifying life eternal for all who partake of the light and become the body of Christ.





A good way to remember this special Solstice is, as the hours of daylight grow, so too, we can let our inner light of understanding, love and intuitions grow. Allowing both the dark and the light to resonate within us, for it is part of us and we can practice new beginnings of unity, compassion, empathy and global love.





PREPARE FOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE





Spend the Solstice in candlelight, meditation, reflection and look forward to new dawn. Prepare some seasonal incense and an appropriate meditation for the magical night of dreams ahead. Decorate your home with the colors of winter; white to represent the winter snow, dark green winter foliage, red winter berries and fruits, gold to represent the returning energy of the sun and silver for the delicate frost that settles all around at this cold time of year. A Winter Solstice incense blend:





Fill A heatproof bowl with about an inch of sand or salt. Metals, stone & ceramics are ideal that have feet to hold them safely above a surface, or you can buy purpose made incense burners. Beware of hot ash falling when the incense burns, keep safe. Prepare by crushing the ingredients together.





CITRUS SOLSTICE





1 tbsp dried Orange Peel, 1 tbsp dried Grapefruit Peel, 1 tbsp dried Lemon Peel, 1 tbsp dried Tangerine Peel, 1 tsp Orange extract, 1 tsp Lemon extract.





WINTER SOLSTICE





One part Pine Needles, One part Cinnamon, One part Apple Rine, One part Myrrh, One part Frankincense





Experiment and find a blend you like!





SEVEN REFLECTIONS WINTER SOLSTICE MEDITATION;





There is an Old Russian divination that took place on the evening of Winter Solstice where - usually a young lady - would set up two mirrors and two candles into a position that they would reflect each other. One should then peer into one of the mirrors and seek the seventh reflection, where she would catch a glimpse of her future or her one true love!





Find a comfortable place where you are least likely to be disturbed. Get your mirrors and candles ready, be sure to position them facing each other with the candles reflecting in each - use a stable, fireproof surface. Please take care that you cannot fall into the mirrors or candles as meditation can have a very hypnotic effect! Position them safely & far enough away.





You should sit facing the mirrors so that you can see into either mirror with the reflection of the other, if in a chair sit with your feet flat on the floor or sit in your usual meditation position. Do not hunch your back but sit upright and relaxed with your hands resting on your thighs. Start the sound session.





First, concentrate yourself fully on the following breathing technique (do this about five - ten times, you don't have to count ' do what feels right);





Take in a deep, slow breath, fill your lungs, expand your abdomen, hold for a few seconds then very slowly breathe out, try to take about twice as long to breathe out.





Now begin to look into one of the mirrors, whichever one is up to you, search for the seventh reflection. After a while the image may change in the mirror, other faces may be seen or other images. Allow your mind to go along with the experience and always write the details in a diary immediately afterwards - this is for later reflection and things may make sense later that were not obvious at the time.





THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION MEDITATION





Before beginning the meditation, read the following reading I personally got during meditation regarding 'THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION' and try to understand the message contained within.





"Every negative word, deed, glance, thought, and action will come back to you. It is the indisputable law, the law of attraction. If you play with it, study this in earnest, you will find it, without doubt, to be true.





Imaging you are communicating with the physical world via a mirror. The person who stares back at you is the equivalent of every other person in the world. Frown at the person in the mirror, the person frowns back at you. Become angry at the person, see what comes back to you, look at the anger on that face and look into the eyes. How does that make you feel ' good? Bad? Imagine a child being confronted with that face, those eyes, that anger. Imagine if that small child was you!





Smile and you receive the same, laugh and the image laughs with you. This is how we create our world, by reflection. This is a warning so don't discard it. Keep it with you and discover it!





But what if you are a child? You didn't yet throw anything into the water to cause a ripple. You were born in innocence! No! You chose to be a victim for a short time. You agreed in your ancient wisdom to become the effect of a cause and those who peer into the mirror will see you. Your reflection will call to action better judgment, better discernment and a better future for all."





NOW, get your mirror ready and find a comfortable place where you are least likely to be disturbed. You should sit in a chair facing the mirror with your feet flat on the floor. Do not hunch your back but sit upright and relaxed with your hands resting on your thighs. Start the sound session.





First, concentrate yourself fully on the following breathing technique (do this about five - ten times, you don't have to count ' do what feels right);





Take in a deep, slow breath, fill your lungs, expand your abdomen, hold for a few seconds then very slowly breathe out, try to take about twice as long to breathe out. Keep your breathing deep and regular and begin to stare at your reflection in the mirror, focusing on your eyes. Imagine that every other person in the world reflects the image that stares back at you.





Notice the expression, smiles, frowns, anger, study what comes back at you through the mirror.





Now allow yourself to absorb the powerful sounds and simply stare at the mirror. After a while the image may change, other faces may be seen or other images. Allow your mind to go along with the experience and write the details in a diary immediately afterwards Allow yourself to adjust when your meditation finishes and drink a fresh glass of water.






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Victorian Christmas Decorations

Author: Yuri // Category: , ,
Lush and lavish are the key concepts in Victorian Christmas decorations. Rich colors, luxurious fabrics, and splendidly over-the-top embellishments make this style the epitome of sumptuous holiday elegance.
The Victorian period (1837-1901) was known for strict rules of behavior that regulated everything from ettiquette to morality, but the styles, fashions, and tastes of the day were anything but Puritanical. In both Europe and the US a burgeoning middle class were enjoying the economic effects of the industrial revolution, and they reveled in displaying their newfound affluence.
In an era when even everyday items were often ornately decorated, the holiday season was an annual explosion of color, shine, and exuberant rococo profusion. Here are some tips for giving an Victorian air to your holiday decor.

Use color to set the mood

The Victorians loved color and used it everywhere, sometimes in combinations that we would find surprising today. But very bright shades (including the fire engine red and apple green that we associate with Christmas now) were seldom seen in the decorations of the era. Colors that are typical of the period include deep gem tones of red, blue, green, and purple, along with shades of gold and cream.
Suggestion: try decorating your tree with ornaments in deep gem tones, and replace bright tinsel garland with swaths of broad burgundy red ribbon. Add accents with cream-colored bows and shiny gold balls or figurines.
Suggestion: if you don't care for deep tones, try going with pastel theme. While not as historically accurate, light shades of dusty pink or blue mixed with cream and ecru and highlighted with plenty of gold can create a breathtaking period look. Strings of pearly beads make a dazzling accent to a pastel holiday theme.
Lots of greenery wherever you look
Boughs of pine and other greenery were a basic component of holiday decor during the period. Carefully arranged with fruit, flowers, candles, and ornaments or woven into garlands, greenery was everywhere.
Suggestion: hang pine garlands wherever you can - festooned on staircases, surrounding doorways, and draped over mirrors and mantlepieces. Weave broad ribbon, silky fabric, or thick gold decorative rope through the branches and decorate with bows, flowers, figurines, ornaments, and tiny wrapped packages.
Suggestion: strictly speaking, electric Christmas lights aren't really part of period holiday decor. But they're very much in keeping with the decorating spirit of the era, and using slightly gold-tinted mini lights creates a warm glow reminiscent of candlelight.

When in doubt, embellish!

The Victorians had a real "more is better" ethic about decorating, particularly when it came to decorative ornamentation. The question was rarely "which one should I use?" but rather, "How many can I fit into the space?" This is particularly true of the holiday decor of the period.

Suggestion:
to capture the mood of the era, go lavish with everything and decorate everywhere. Don't stop with hanging the garlands and decorating the tree. Make arrangements with flowers, candles, ornaments, ribbon and greenery on tables, mantles, piano tops, shelves; every flat surface is eligible. And don't think in terms of "either or" - think "both and" instead. When you're creating an arrangement, use bows and ornaments and fruit. Or pearls, flowers, and lace. Or bows, ornaments, fruit, pearls, flowers, and - well, you get the picture.




Love vintage decorating themes, but don't have a big budget for buying pricey antique ornaments? No problem. Find our how you can create the look of any era, including the warm and simple elegance of Folk Art Christmas decor and jazzy retro Christmas style, without breaking the bank.

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Five Ways To Achieve The Look of Victorian Christmas Decorations

Author: Yuri // Category: , , ,
1. Use lots of greenery. Natural greenery like boughs of pine and fir played a major role in Victorian holiday decor - in fact, holiday parties centered around "the hanging of the greens" were a standard of the day.  Pine and fir are traditional holiday greenery, and branches of shiny, long lasting magnolia and laurel leaves look lovely on their own or in combinations.



Love vintage decorating themes, but don't have a big budget for buying pricey antique ornaments? No problem. Visit Vintage Christmas Decorations to find our how you can create the look of any era, including the jazzy retro Christmas style, without breaking the bank.

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Christmas Colors: Use Color to Emphasize Your Vintage Christmas Decorations

Author: Yuri // Category: , , , ,
Christmas Colors: Use Color to Emphasize Your Vintage Christmas Decorations
When you think of Christmas colors, do you see bright red and green? Don't stop there! Using some non-traditional colors can really enhance a vintage Christmas decoration theme.
For a Victorian look, think in terms of jewel tones. Intense and vibrant or deep and regal, rich shades of red, blue, green, mustard gold, and purple all work beautifully in period decor.
The Victorians loved color and used it everywhere, so don't be shy. And don't worry about using colors together! In fact, fabrics with a period-type print like a dark multi-color paisley make a superb addition; try layering them over a tablecloth or draping under an arrangement of greens.
Single-color themes can also be very effective. Consider using various shades of reds ranging from dusty pink to deep burgundy, or try the range of purples from pale lilac to deep plum.
Pale pastels, though less historically accurate, work very well in Victorian period holiday decor. For a truly dramatic theme dripping with elegance and sophistication, try using only shades of white, ecru, and cream. Highlighted with lush greenery, ropes of craft-store pearls and plenty of both gold and silver tone metallics, an all-white theme can be absolutelty breathtaking.
Whatever colors you choose, don't forget the bling. Shiny metalic trims, delicate filigree ornaments, gilt ribbons, strings of gold craft beads, you name it - if it ads glitter and shine, it can be a great accent in a Victorian-themed decor.
To establish a rustic decorating theme, look for natural tones: the warm hues of wood, the the deep green of fir and pine, vibrant apple and cranberry reds, and the gold of a crackling fire.
Neutral fabrics like linen or even burlap make a great foundation for simple arrangements of greens, fruit, and candles. But a cheery red or green gingham check can be a great accent, perhaps topped with a basket of fragrant pine cones.
Keep metalics to a minimum for authentic rustic style, but a few gleaming brass or pewter accents are great.
If a retro Christmas is your style, color is key and the brighter, the better! The authentic holidays prints of the postwar period features bright, intense reds and greens in bold graphic prints. For a real fifties vintage look, don't go over the top with metalics, but add plenty of sparkle with shiny glass ornaments and strands of silver tinsel. And big, bright multi-color lights are guaranteed to give a retro style to your tree.
However if sixties chic is what you crave, get creative with color. Go for clear, bright tones, and don't stop with red and green. Yellow, lime, turquoise, and magenta can be part of your theme, and don't forget to accent with white, black, and silver.




Love vintage decorating themes, but don't have a big budget for buying pricey antique ornaments? No problem. Find our how you can create the look of any era, including the lavish luxury of Victorian Christmas decorations and jazzy retro Christmas style, without breaking the bank.

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Making Christmas decorations on a shoestring budget

Author: Yuri // Category: , , , ,
A lot of people to get their Christmas decorations from the attic as soon likely to appear in December. You can really go to town with decorations and there is a large market for them, so if you want to spend too much money on jewelry accessories and lightning, but it is possible. For many of us, but Christmas is a time when we need to see our expenses only way we can afford to buy Christmas presents dozens. Well, this is the good news you can do to brightenYour home and make it the perfect Christmas with handmade decorations and materials you probably already at home.



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Make Your Own Natural Christmas Decorations

Author: Yuri // Category: , ,

Go Green this Christmas Season. Reduce the impact of your own "carbon footprint."

If you had visited Williamsburg Colonial Village this season or past Christmas seasons, you will marvel at what people can do with natural plant materials, without artificial plastic imported objects.

Pine Apples

You can put history at your front door by duplicating a traditional colonial wreath. There are lots of ways to do it. It is all up to your imagination and artistry.

You can easily construct your own with a grape vine wreath cage filled with floral foam and attach sprigs of greenery collected from your own backyard.

During colonial times, life was difficult. People then did not have a lot of material things. But they were ingenious. Using preserved plant material and any kind of fruit they had on hand, they fashioned beautiful, eye-catching Christmas decorations for their homes.

Wreaths and swags were made with what was growing in their back yard.

They used dried pods of okra, cotton pods, oyster shells, dried flowers from their own garden, sprigs of magnolia, boxwood, holly, pine, pine cones, and any other kind of greenery they had growing. They also embellished their wreaths with fresh pineapples, apples, oranges, and pomegranates; all made without artificial sprays, scent or color paint.

Fresh fruit was chosen for its color brilliance as well as its keeping quality when exposed to the harsh winter weather. All these are artistically wired onto a sturdy frame laden with greenery and dried native flowers. Why the pineapple, a tropical fruit, is used in their traditional wreath is a whole different story. You can find that in publications from Colonial Wiliamsburg.

Make Your Own Natural Christmas Decorations

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Luau Party - Here Are Some Great Luau Party Ideas For Games, Food and Decorations

Author: Yuri // Category: ,

A Luau party can be a lot of fun for a group of adults that want to get together for a festive, tropical-island themed event.  The Luau party makes a great theme for birthday parties.  Here are some great luau party ideas including suggestions for games, food , invitations and decorations. 

Invitations

Pine Apples

Decide first whether you want to buy pre-made invitations or  if you want to make your own.  If you are using pre-made invitations, be sure to choose designs with bright colors, or large flowers.  Some recognizable Hawaiian icons are hula dancers, leis, and palm trees.  Personalize the envelopes with a custom designed postage stamp!  If you want to get creative, try to find some Hawaiian postcards and mail to your guests and write all of the details of the party on the blank side. 

You can also try to create an image of airline tickets and write on the outside "You've just won 2 free tickets!" and fill in the information like this:  destination: YOUR HOUSE arrival time: PARTY START TIME departure time:  PARTY END TIME.

Another creative idea is to write the party details on a beach ball, deflate the ball, and mail to your guests with instructions to blow up the ball for more details.

You can also attach an index card to a lei with party information written on it, and mail the lei to your guests with instructions to wear it to the party!

Decorations

Options for decorations at a luau are endless.  For an outdoor party, set tiki torches around the party area.  It is convenient to get torches that burn citronella oil to keep mosquitoes at bay.  Buy real or silk orchids and hibiscus flowers and scatter them around the venue.  Make your own surfboards from Styrofoam board.

Trim tables with grass skirts and place shell candles and coconuts on them.  Try to find an old surfboard to use as a table.  Be absolutely certain there are enough leis at the party for everyone.  Find real, cardboard, or inflatable palm trees.  Blow up some beach balls and place them around the room or patio.  Whatever it is, think bright and bountiful color!

Games

The first game anyone thinks about at a luau is the limbo.  You can buy inflatable limbo sets or real bamboo sets, but it's simple enough to find a long flat stick or board and two people willing to hold up either end.  Crank up the Don Ho and see how low you can go!

Another inexpensive yet fun and hilarious game is who can "hula" the longest.  Hula HOOPING of course!  Without authentic hula dancers at the party, engage your guests with this timeless contest and see who still has it.  Offer prizes for the longest hula-er and the guest who can hula with the most hoops.

Pineapple bowling will be a favorite.  Use coconuts to knock down pineapple "pins".  Ula Maika is a traditional Hawaiian game similar to horseshoes with two sticks as the posts and small stones as the horseshoes.  See who can make it closer to the sticks with the stones. If room permits, set up a volleyball net and play some beach volleyball.

Food

Luau in Hawaiian means "great feast."  Set up the food at the party in buffet style.  You can ask your local butcher to butterfly a whole pig, and just throw it on the barbeque.  Serve pineapple ham.  Fresh tropical fruit salad with pineapple, mango, papaya and watermelon in a large hollowed out watermelon with be pleasing to the palate as well as the eyes.  Haupia, a coconut pudding  is a tantalizing sweet treat.  Serve tropical drinks out of coconuts halves.  Try Mai Tai, Pina Coladas, or a tropical punch with fresh fruit pieces in it.

Cake

The cake can be as simple or magnificent as you like. Bake a circular cake and decorate it like a beach ball.  You can also try your hand at carving out a cake by baking a rectangular cake and cutting it down to look like a ukulele.  Use decorators icing to complete the picture.  A simple pineapple upside down cake will tantalize your guests.  Add a colorful splash with cherries on top.

To go for the wow factor, make a "Volcano" cake by making a simple chocolate Bundt cake and carefully placing a piece of dry ice in the middle to simulate the smoke.  Mix orange and red food coloring with white icing and drizzle along the sides to look like lava.

Luau Party - Here Are Some Great Luau Party Ideas For Games, Food and Decorations

If you are planning a 50th birthday party it can be a challenge to come up with creative theme ideas. Take a look here for some really memorable 50th birthday party ideas. If you are trying to decide what gift to get the person that has everything here is where you will find help at 50th Birthday Gift Ideas

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A Thanksgiving Day: How to get a table with decorations

Author: Yuri // Category: ,
Decorate the Thanksgiving table includes a table with the leaves fall and investment colored pumpkins feed, pumpkins, apples and pine cones on the board. Get ideas with central table, as with the help of Turkey itself, anEvent coordinator in this free video on holiday. Expert: Lori Randall Contact: www.SimplyDevineEvents.com Bio: Lori Randall is based simply divine Events After working as a producer of events in Tampa, Florida, General Manager Corporate Affairs, tens ofthroughout the country and across the country. Directed by: Christopher Rokosz

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