
Elegant Front Porch
What to do when you’ve invited 24 girlfriends over for a ”naughty or nice” sit-down dinner party? Call San Jose floral designer Jose Ibarra to come up with special Christmas decor, inside and out.

Pinecones with Pewter Ribbons
He started with the front entrance way of this Willow Glen home — a house he also decorated for Thanksgiving. While most folks feel pretty relieved to get a decent wreath on the door, Jose takes it up a notch by creating a whole natural scene — with a little sparkle — to welcome guests. He started with bare branches arching over the front doorway. With his secret — a $1.99 can of fake snow or flocking from Walgreen’s drug store — he sprayed sugar pine cones (the tall, skinny ones) with just a hint of winter. He tied the cones to the branches with burlap and pewter double satin ribbon. They dangle over the doorway.
“The homeowner wanted elegant,” he said, “but not overstated.”
Inside, he set a long narrow table and cascaded 200 dark red roses — three different kinds — down the center. You’ll find no vases here. Instead, he cut the stems off the roses and effectively tossed them onto the table. He added green orchids as well.

Roses and Orchids
He tried to “reinvent the idea of simple,” he said. “Not over the top, but new and different.”

Here’s the complete slideshow:

When Lookiloos asked Vicki what she had in mind for Thanksgiving, she not only set anbeautiful vignette for a holiday buffet using all natural foliage from friendly neighbors, she also shared her tips for creating vintage-inspired party favors. They’re snack cones, actually, she said, that can be filled with popcorn, candy or sweet potato chips that guests can enjoy during the party, then take home as a keepsake.





For the Shefflers’ table, while he celebrated the Asian inspiration by using wooden Geisha statuettes and delicate orchids, he honed in on a simple yet whimsical concept: Chinese take-out.
2. Add tall, wispy orchids in clear glass or simple vases to add height.















































