Search Results for: blog decorating your mantel

Decorating With Love

Does your home reflect who you are or who a magazine says you should be? So many times I have left walls and shelves bare more concerned about finding the right decorations than finding decorations that tell you who I am. My home will never be featured in a magazine. Number one it only stays that clean for a minute after it’s done, the rest of the time is sort of messy chaos, in a friendly, happy way. Secondly, what I love, and what’s important to me aren’t necessarily the things other people love. Family is most important to me, … Continue reading →

Creative Christmas Decorating

Do you ever get bored with your holiday decorations? We tend to collect items over the years and we hang on to them, using them over and over. That’s all well and good, but sometimes, they just start to feel tired and boring. We buy new stuff, but we still have all this other stuff around. One good way to use those items you still like but are beginning to tire of is to use them in different ways. A crystal sleigh that normally adorns your bookshelf or mantel filled with shiny ornaments might just make a great candy dish … Continue reading →

Holiday Decorating—Keep It Simple

When it comes to decorating my home for the holidays there is one acronym that always pops in my mind K.I.S.S.—Keep It Simple Stupid. I’m sure you have heard it used in other contexts, but it is appropriately applied to home decorating, especially during the holiday season. Remember: The simpler you keep it, the stronger the message. It may seem like a cop out… a way to get out of stringing dozens of feet worth of lights around your property, hanging garland from the rafters, or framing your living room with hundreds of mini votive candles, but decorating experts agree, … Continue reading →

Decorating Tips For Your Thanksgiving Dinner Table—Part 2

We’re turning the spotlight on the Thanksgiving dinner table. The big feast day is now just five days away. Sure, the table is the place where the holiday bird takes center stage with it’s supporting cast of side dishes, but it’s also where you can show off your decorating prowess, even if you don’t consider yourself in the same league as Martha Stewart. Here are more ways you can add spark to your holiday dinner table: Flower Power Consider skipping the traditional fall gimmicks of pinecones, pumpkins and plastic turkey table toppers and brightening your table with fresh chrysanthemums or … Continue reading →

Quick Decorating Tips For Thanksgiving

Decorating for the holidays can be a tiresome chore. We want our house to look festive and decorative, but it can be costly all the same. It doesn’t have to be! You can do a lot of different things around your home to bring the festivity of the holiday to every corner without breaking the bank each time! The Table: – When decorating your Thanksgiving table, think colors. Browns, yellows, oranges, and reds are what symbolizes the season. – Use food for decorating. Pumpkins, gourds, grapes, pomegranates, apples and other items are perfect for a Thanksgiving table. – Use clusters … Continue reading →

Decorating Tips: Your Fireplace and Mantel

During the spring and summer months they may be two of the most overlooked items in your home. But once winter rolls around the fireplace and mantel become the center of attention. If you have a fireplace then you know–home is where the hearth is. And, with the amount of time friends and family members spend warning their hands and feet by the flames, you are almost guaranteed that they will be looking at your mantel. Long before you haul your Christmas tree indoors your fireplace and mantel can kick-start the holiday season. A mantel may be small (which makes … Continue reading →

The Day After Thanksgiving Part II

All of our Christmas treasures were packed neatly and carefully away last year with anticipation for the Christmas seasons to follow. Inside were coordinating red, green, and gold globes, snowflakes, and bird ornaments; along with strings of lights, festive garlands, personalized stockings, gift boxes, wrapping paper, ribbon, and stocking holders. Given our new and different space and layout, the decorating will require some creative ingenuity. Without a fireplace and mantel, we will have to find a different location to hang the stockings and the garland. Our living room is much smaller so we were mindful not to get a tree … Continue reading →

Cinnamon Pinecone Decoration

One thing I love about this time of year is cinnamon scented pine cones. Just walking into the grocery store smells even better than usual. I always buy several bags. I love to pile them in bowls on the bookshelf and tuck them in little areas to add a wonderful scent. I also put them in on the mantel with the pine garland, they look really pretty and help sweeten up the room. This year I decided to try something a little different. I decided I wanted to hang some of the pinecones instead of just putting them in bowls. … Continue reading →

Kid-Friendly Halloween Decorations Using Acorn Squash

My daughter’s cooking class teacher provided the directions to this next kid-friendly Halloween craft. In fact, she tailored an entire lesson around it. She had the kids decorate acorn squash to look like black cats and then they used the leftovers to make a yummy (and healthy) acorn squash veggie dip. The cooking class is geared towards kids ages 3-5 so keep that in mind when you are getting your children involved. The students did such an incredible job on their acorn squash cats it’s hard to believe that the project only requires a few short steps. All you need … Continue reading →

Elements of Rustic Style

If you are looking for a decorating idea, why not consider the rustic style. It is warm, inviting and cozy. Think of sitting in a plush chair by a crackling fire. And although you can really go high end with rustic style, it also lends itself to budget decorating. Here are some of the guidelines of rustic style as well as some tips on creating this look in your own home. The rustic style should induce a sense of an inspiration from nature and a sense of nostalgia. This style is very timeless and can work the throughout the year, … Continue reading →