the best floral items to fit your holiday

I'm sure last week wore you out a bit on the recipe front, so now it's time to switch modes. I hope you enjoyed Brian's guest gift guide yesterday; there will be more of those as the holiday season trundles on. In the meantime, i'd like to share some imparted knowledge. I recently started working at a small floral shop and have had the privilege of watching some very creative folks at work each day. Sometimes I get lucky and they teach me a thing or two, like how to tie a bow with red velvet ribbon, an item that screams holiday no matter what you apply it to, or how to make a mistletoe orb without actually having mistletoe (hint: boxwood and christmas tree trimmings). You can get pine cones the size of your face from the west coast. Did you know that spruce needles are poisonous so you should use fir branches to make wreaths because they won't irritate your skin as much? I didn't, and in order to impart some of my gleaned floral knowledge to you (and a few long-time personal opinions), I've created this handy educational chart on the best floral supplies for all you DIYers out there to help you decorate for the holidays. Enjoy!-hil