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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
http://www.interior-redesign-training.com
E-mail:
joanne@onedaydecorating.com
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