The use of luminaries to light the path to
your front door, brings a warm, inviting start to your party
before your guests even leave their car.
You can purchase luminaries
at any store that sells holiday decorations. Or you can make
your own by lining coffee cans with different color foils or flame
proof wrappings.
One of the biggest holiday decorating
decisions that you will make is how you will decorate your
tree. White lights or colors? A few strands of large
bulbs or multiple strings of small bulbs? Tinsel or
garland? Coordinated ornaments or an eclectic mix?
Each of these choices will dictate which direction the rest of
your decorations take.
Dipping white bulbs in yellow food coloring will
bring a candlelight ambience to your tree. The many options available
for colored lighting can bring a sense of whimsy and holiday cheer
to your festivities. Whatever you choose, keep in mind that
you do not want your decorations to overpower the feel of the room
or compete with one another. They should function as small
pieces of a holiday puzzle, supporting and
complimentary.
One
of the ways to bring sparkle to your home is to add touches to
everyday items. The photo at left shows a bowl of nuts that
have been mixed with spray painted walnuts in gold and
silver. You can also add glitter to nuts or pinecones by
drizzling them with glue and sprinkling with glitter. Shake
off excess and place in a basket or bowl. This simple idea
will bring some shine into the otherwise undecorated areas of your
home, like a hall table, a desk, etc.
For
a new way of displaying candles, consider adding glitter to a
crystal bowl or mixing shiny decorations into soft glitter to make
a base for tapered candles. Let your imagination run
wild. The holidays are the time to brighten up your standard
decorations and give a lift to your home decor.
Remember
that red and green are not the only colors for the holidays.
You can add touches of almost any color to your home and still
keep the traditional spirit alive. In fact, in choosing
colors for your decorative touches, keep your color wheel tuned
into the hues of your upholstered pieces. Since that sofa
and love seat will remain in your living room through the
holidays, try and find decorative touches that compliment your
furniture instead of clashing.