Hide Your Hose in a Pot

Curb Appeal, Garden Spaces, Outdoor Decor, Pin Inspiration, Store

Let’s just admit it, garden hoses are not attractive. And neither are those plastic little garden hose holders you attach to your home or sit on your porch.

Wondering how to keep your hose close, yet hidden? How about a hose pot from Good Directions. These new products we are including in our summer catalog are a great decorative element too. You can even store other outdoor things such as firewood in them.

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Boot Trays – 4 Ways

Before & After, Outdoor Decor, Pin Inspiration, Store

Entry ways are the fastest spot in a home to get cluttered. Everyone comes in the door and feels the urge to drop any and everything! One way to combat entry way clutter is with a boot tray!

A new addition to our outdoor living products are these copper boot trays from Good Directions. The three different patterns are sure to match your home, now it’s just figuring out how to use it! There are four ways to use Boot Trays, read on to find out!

1. Use a boot tray for shoes. Obviously this isn’t rocket science, the main reason you’d use a boot tray is for shoes and an occasional umbrella.

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2. Add pebbles to a boot tray. This is a simple way to add a more natural element to your home, it also allows the dirt and water to sink to the bottom of the boot tray. It’s best to rinse it out occasionally.

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3. Use a boot tray for plants. Position the boot tray on a dresser or ledge and create a mini garden in your home. What’s great is the tray will catch all the water that runs out from the bottom of the flower pots when you water them.

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4. Use a boot tray to simplify your pet’s food, water and toys. This will keep Fluffy’s eating area tiddy – also easy for clean-up! PS why do dogs and cats always spill their food?

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Tropical Oasis

Beautiful Outdoors, Garden Spaces, Pin Inspiration

A warm front is coming! Though it’s not in the actual physical form, more like a virtual warm front is heading your way with these tropical oasis photos. What else is there to do on a blistery cold day other than look at pictures of warm destinations and their gorgeous tropical plants.

Here’s what we’ve been daydreaming of…

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Planting a tropical plant such as a Fiddle Leaf Tree or Elephant Ear are a sure way to bring the tropical oasis inside during the cold winter months. 56d64eb9fae20afc7e40f0458683e1cc

Want to go tropical too? Check out our Pinterest board filled with these and more tropical ideas to temporarily escape the winter blues.

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Perfect Entryway

Curb Appeal, Outdoor Decor, Pin Inspiration, Store

Looking for some change in your home, but don’t know where to start? Well how about your entryway – inside and outside! This is the perfect way to impress your guests and family as it is the first thing they see when first stepping foot into your home. It doesn’t take much to turn your front door and entryway from a stark and dull space to an inviting place for everyone who comes to your home!

Here are some great ideas and items you can use to spruce up your entryway, making that great and lasting impression on your guests!

lights Light the way – As people walk up to your entrance you want to be sure that they can visibly get to it so make sure to light up your walkway as well as your entryway! You have several options: chandeliers, sconces, lanterns, etc. Willard and May has a great selection of different lanterns and lighting options to help brighten up your entryway!

knock Knock Away – When people arrive at your front door give them something fun to knock on your door with! Willard and May have some great door knockers! Go check them out!

doormats Stomp the Ground – To keep all the dirt from tracking into your house, make sure to have a doormat to catch all the debris keeping your house tiding and clean! Check out some of the Willard & May Doormats!

bootrack Keep it Clean _ It’s a great idea to have storage for shoes so be sure to have a shoe rack to keep everything organized! Check out Willard & May’s Boot Rack and Scraper!

star-hook Hook it Up – It’s a great idea to have hooks for your guests coats so be sure to have plenty! Check out Willard & May’s Star Iron Hooks! (Source: Pinterest)

stool-chair Set it Down – Make sure you have a stool, table, bench, or chair to have nearby making the space look cozier and lets taking off those boots so much easier! Check out Willard & May’s Stool/Table! (Source: Kapstok)

chalkboard To Do List – Use Willard & May’s Organization Chalkboard to write down whatever you may need to remember! This great chalkboard is great indoors and outdoors!

key-hider Locked Out, Keep it Hidden – Hide your house key in a fun way with these great Animal Key Holders from Willard & May!

By creating a functional entryway, you will make your life less chaotic and become organized with style! Check out the rest of our great items to create the perfect entryway at Willard & May! We’d love to hear what you think or what you’ve done to spruce up your entryway or let us know your ideas in the comments below!

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The Sweetheart’s Guide

Gifts, Pin Inspiration, Store, Weekend DIY

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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. That slightly annoying, yet awesome holiday! It lets you eat as much chocolate as you want, bake up something sweet and celebrate LOVE! That means it’s time to start thinking about what to get your sweetie (or you can always treat yourself)!

Thinking of what to get that special someone can be tough because of course it has to top last years gift! So to help you out, we’ve got some great ideas for that special someone in your life! If you’re single that doesn’t mean you and your friends can’t exchange gifts :)

Here are a few quick and easy gifts to treat your sweetie:

Breakfast in bed, is always a good start to Valentine’s Day! Who doesn’t love breakfast in bed? It’s a no brainer, that is simple, sweet, and tasty! Our serving trays are perfect for this!
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(Source: La Vie En Mode)

Bake up something sweet and cook their favorite meal! One way to a man’s heart is with food, so why not bake up some goodies to go along with his favorite meal! Or even better make the meal together! martha

(Source:Martha Stewart)

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(Source: Las Recetas de la Felicidad)

One of the most common gifts for Valentine’s Day are flowers. Why not change it up? Instead of getting a bouquet of flowers for your sweetie, treat them to one of our Amaryllis Flower Kits that can last a lot longer than a normal bouquet of flowers!

valentines-dayYou can find these styles of flower kits and many others at willardandmay.com [1. Amaryllis Red Lion in Red Polka Dot Pot, 2. Amaryllis Red Lion in White Polka Dot Pot, 3. Red Sparkle Chilled Hyacinth Grow Kit, 4. White Sparkle Chilled Hyacinth Grow Kit, 5. Chilled Hyacinth Grow Kit, 6. Amaryllis in Woven Sea Grass Gift Kit, 7. Raspberry Amaryllis in Dark Sea Grass Planter.]

We hope you find our sweetheart’s guide full of Valentine’s Day ideas helpful! You can check out more great Valentine’s Day gifts at Willard & May. We’d love to hear what you think or what you’ve done to treat your sweetie or let us know your ideas to pamper your loved ones in the comments below!

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Gift Wrapping 101

Gifts, Outdoor Decor, Outdoor Party, Pin Inspiration

With Thanksgiving over and whether you did your Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping or not you need to start wrapping all those gifts you bought for all the special people in your life. Whether you are an early bird and already finished your holiday shopping or just getting started and are cutting it close to the big day, use these great tips for wrapping the perfect present!

  • Use fun wrapping paper
  • Use bows, string, ribbon, cinnamon sticks & any other fun type of embellishment
  • Add Fun gift tags – make your own (like we did), find some print outs online or buy some
  • Be creative & don’t be afraid to try something new
  • Pretty wrapping doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, so don’t let it be
  • To make things easier, buy a box for those hard to wrap gifts
  • Wrap gift cards in a unique way – music gift card with ear buds, coffee card in travel mug, Willard & May gift cards in any of our planters or other gifts
  • Drink hot cocoa and crank up the Christmas tunes while wrapping gifts

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Haven’t found that gift yet for that hard to buy person, well you’re just in luck as we have gift cards that are sure be the perfect gift they’ll love! With an added bonus that it’s easy and wrap free!

We’d love to hear what you think, let us know your creative gift wrapping ideas this season!

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Winter’s Latest Holiday Trends!

Before & After, Gifts, Pin Inspiration, Store, Weekend DIY

This Holiday season make sure you’re up to date on the latest trends! You won’t want to miss these great ideas for your Holiday parties and celebrations! Spoiler Alert: You will definitely be seeing a lot of winter terrariums this season!

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So if you want to be trendy during this Holiday season, follow our tips, decide which ones you like the most and incorporate them into your home! You’ll be sure to have the trendiest decor, that people will be talking about! Find some of these items at Willard & May!

We’d love to hear what you think, let us know your favorite trend this season and how you’re incorporating them into your Holiday festivities this season!

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Amaryllis Autumn Decor

Gardening, Gifts, Pin Inspiration, Store, Weekend DIY

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Amaryllis are truly a one of a kind flower. They are one of the easiest bulbs to bring bloom and can be grown indoors or outdoors for an extended period of time. Its botanical name is Hippeastrum, so don’t be fooled if you come across that name. Amaryllis come in a variety of shades of red, pink, salmon, orange and white. Some can be striped or multicolored. Amaryllis are the perfect way to brighten up any cold day.

Here at Willard & May we treat each pot as if it were a small garden or tiny yard. One amaryllis in a single pot can look a bit lonely, but when staged in groupings or massed in one pot, they are dramatic. To ensure flowering we like to stagger the plantings.

Here are a few quick tips on amaryllis:

  • Planting Period: October – end of April
  • Flowering Period: Late November – end of June
  • Flowering Time: 6-10 weeks
  • Larger bulbs produce more flowers
  • Always store un-planted bulbs in a cool place between 40-50 degrees F and out of sunlight to prevent them from pre-mature growth
  • Plant bulb up to its neck
  • Use a nutritious compost when planting

During the holidays amaryllis are a great accent in your home decor. Use some of our ideas for showcasing your amaryllis. Take a look at how we like to showcase the beautiful amaryllis in the fall!

  • Set a potted amaryllis inside a holiday wreath with accents of berries, beads, pumpkins or pine cones for an instant and easy centerpiece
  • Showcase your amaryllis in an entryway to create a warm holiday welcome to your guests as they enter your home
  • Add cut amaryllis blooms to a tall, clear vase filled with cranberries, pine cones, acorns, etc., in the base for a colorful bouquet, perfect for a centerpiece or a great accent to a mantle
  • Add greenery and candles around your vase or pot of amaryllis for a simple and easy centerpiece

IMG_5073-1 IMG_5017-2 (Source: Willard & May, Photo Credit: Stephanie Osiecki)

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The possibilities are endless, this colorful flower is sure to be a great part of your celebration. You can find these amaryllis bulbs at Willard & May + receive FREE shipping on amaryllis!

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Fall Essentials

Beautiful Outdoors, Outdoor Decor, Pin Inspiration

‘Tis the season of crisp air, chunky sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin carving, and so much more! Now is the time to start your fall decorating. Use our fall essentials and ultimate fall guide to spruce up your place to have the perfect fall decor this season!

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Now it’s your turn to show us how you celebrate autumn around your house!

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Freebie: Football Party Print Outs!

Gifts, Outdoor Party, Pin Inspiration, Weekend DIY

With football season in full swing we want to make sure you are all geared up for a great football party (even if your team doesn’t end up winning)! Of course if you’re serving cupcakes (which who wouldn’t?), it’s great to have something fun to finish them off! So we designed some football themed cupcake toppers & if you aren’t into cupcakes as much as we are, there are also labels and bunting flags to create the perfect football party!

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If you would like to download these FREE killer print outs, please sign up for our email list and the print outs will be made available to you!

Check out more great items at Willard & May! We would love to see how you use our football print outs! Let us know and comment in the section below!

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