Monday, December 6, 2010

Holiday Decorating Tips

I'm no Martha Stewart but I do enjoy decorating for the holidays (maybe a little too much), so I thought I'd share a few of my tips:

Cranberries and Tea Lights Fill a pretty glass bowl with a bag of cranberries. Add water and place little tea lights on top. The cranberries and candles will float. This makes a unique, pretty centerpiece or nice countertop decoration.

Decorative Ribbons I go to the Dollar Store and buy rolls and rolls of pretty ribbon with wire edges (so it's bendable). I get red, green, gold, silver, and pretty designs. Then, I tie bows on candlesticks, topiaries, mirrors and most of the Christmas packages (it's much prettier than a stick-on bow). I also decorate the Christmas trees with pieces of long winding ribbons.

Large Flocked and Glittery Poinsettias A great way to fill in holes on Christmas trees is to take long-stemmed flowers (white, red, gold or whatever you prefer) and simply stick them into the tree (the long stem will be hidden and no wire is needed). It's beautiful to use several of them and much faster than hanging ornaments. (I use ornaments, too.)

Winter Potpourri I fill large glass hurricane candle holders with potpourri. Sometimes I'll separate a bag and use a portion of it as a base around the candle. Right now, our winter potpourri mix is so strong that it has some unattractive plastic wrap on top because we were getting headaches!

Care to share any of your decorating tips? Do you enjoy decorating for the holidays or remember traditions from when you were a kid?

4 comments:

  1. Wow. You do go all out. I put up three trees inside and decorate the outside a bit. But that's it. I used to do more, but the kids are all gone, so it doesn't seem worth it anymore.

    You need to post some pics on here.

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  2. Beth
    Wonderful ideas. I am sure it is very beautiful.
    I don't do any decorating. One year my Christmas
    apple Ornaments I had put in a lovely green bowl, never got put away. So they are my year round decorative piece.

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  3. Shirley, three trees--that's a lot! We don't decorate the outside but should. I bet your house is pretty. (I decorate two and 1/4 trees--the 1/4 is a small, tabletop tree!)

    Jan, I keep some decorations out as my winter decorations so they don't all go back up in the attic at once. That way, it's more manageable. Your apple ornaments in a green bowl sound lovely.

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  4. Beth, I love to decorate at Christmas. I'm really having problems getting into it here. In IL I had the 1883 Victorian that saw decorations everywhere LOL I have 1/3 of the space here but want all my decorations.

    The one I've managed to do new here is my snowman bathroom. I have snowball candle bowls that sit on the sink and the bank of the potty. I've made a snowman printed valance over the window and snowmen and snowflakes are everywhere! In the evening with just the white lights on, it's quiet restful - like a gentle winter snowfall. :-) I'll bring pics in Jan. if I can make it. (weather permitting)

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