Holiday Decorating Tips for the Busy Woman...
The holidays are upon us and so is the stress and pressure of making
sure everything is perfect for your family and friends. Here are ten
simple tips to decorate for the holidays and still enjoy this time of
year yourself.
Establish a theme...just like decorating your home....have a plan to the
look you want to achieve. This may be a color theme or actual theme such
as teddy bears for a whimsical theme, glittered fruit for a Williamsburg
theme...whatever your heart desires.
Learn to make a florist bow...If you can make a bow you can decorate
anything. Visit your local craft store or floral shop and ask for a
lesson or purchase your bows premade. The key is to find one or two
ribbons that coordinate and use them throughout the room.
Add lighting...Put lighting in unconventional places. A display of
crystal or colored glass stuffed with lights make a great tablescape.
Icicle lighting placed on a tension rod and then wrapped with a tube of
tulle and then tied up to make a balloon shade give you a cloud effect
in windows, particularly lovely at night.
Use candles...Now don't just add them to arrangements and
holders...actually burn them. Simple ideas....use floating candles in
the bathtub in a few inches of water when entertaining....take tapers
and cluster them together in a group of 10 or so and place them in a
piece of Styrofoam or floral oasis glued to a cake plate. Finish off the
look by filling the base with flowers and fruit. The candles when
burning will cause the wax to drip on the adjoining tapers which adds to
the look.
Add color and glitz...At Christmas time...there can never be enough more
is more. Use tall glass containers and fill with inexpensive colored
ornaments for a mixture of color. Bring in a few fresh florals like
poinsettias and place around your home. Wrap your pictures on the wall
with gift wrap using two coordinating patterns.
Buy some great holiday placemats and napkins and hang on a rod using
cafe clips readily available. Fold the napkins into a V and clip to thee
rod with placemats accordion pleated and hung onto the side to give
length to the treatment. This is a un way to change your kitchen windows
and bring the holiday feeling into a room. Change the throw pillows in
your living room/family room with your choice of holiday colors. Or take
your existing pillows and tie on ribbon embellished with floral bows so
your pillows look like gift packages sitting in your sofa.
Add holiday aromas...Bowls of potpourri, fragrance sachets placed in the
furnace vents to circulate the aroma, scented candles. Don't worry about
finding time to bake...buy pre-made cookie logs and bake a few whenever
quest come.
Add holiday centerpieces...using simple items form around your home.
Fill clear glass containers with fresh cranberries, set a pillar candle
in it and then tie a bow around the outside of the container. Place
three of them in varying sizes together.
Another great idea use a large clear glass vase...fill with water about
2/3 of the way, drop a few oranges which will drop to the bottom, float
in some pine boughs and then pour in cranberries which will float at the
top of the water...add a floating candle and voila" a very inexpensive
centerpiece for your table. Add a drop of bleach and change the water
every few days to keep from getting cloudy.
Use your holiday dishes all month...Don't just use them for company...be
good to yourself and your family.
A tree in every room...What a easy way to bring the holiday throughout
the house. A kitchen tree decorated with cookie cutters, cinnamon sticks
and dried fruit slices. Or, how about a dining room tree with a
collection of teacups, sugar and creamers wired to its branches? Add
some dollies, ribbon, baby's breath...viola, a beautiful tree. A
bathroom tree decorated the decorative soaps, bath slats, and tulle.
Greet your guests in the foyer with a tree decorated with small scrolls
rolled up and tied with ribbon. Each one will have a personal sentiment
inside or maybe a gift of your time, i.e. a night of babysitting, dinner
out, etc.
Buy round, glass balls ornaments and remove the metal hanger on the top.
Hot glue four ribbon streamers around the sides so you can hang the
ornaments by the ribbons. Put some water inside and fill with small
fresh flowers and baby's breath, then hang from your chandelier or
Christmas tree. Miniature carnations work great - the size is perfect
and the carnations last a long time.
Add laughter and fun to the season...Don't be afraid to be silly, wear a
Santa hat decorate your car, do something kind every day for someone you
don't know.
Happy Holidays to all!
JoAnne Lenart-Weary - One Day Decorating
Website:
http://www.onedaydecorating.com
http://www.interior-redesign-training.com
E-mail:
joanne@onedaydecorating.com
Read another interior decorating article...
Garden Style
Long winters and cool springs make us crave to be outdoors and in our
gardens once warm weather hits. Extend your garden year-round by
decorating your home in Garden Style.
