Imagine transforming your home into a Martha Stewart holiday fantasy with a minimum of time and money. You won't need special talent or creativity. In fact, you won't even need Martha.
"The most memorable things about the holidays are colors, scents and textures. The key is to incorporate all three into designs for every room – even the kitchen and bathrooms," one interior designer says. Part of the fun is decorating in places where you least expect it – garlands in the bathroom, holiday bows and holly on outdoor statuary or a wreath on the sport-utility vehicle.
Here are tips on how to create cost-saving decorations:
LIVING AND FAMILY ROOMS
Be adventurous. Think of new uses for old props. Garlands, cut to size, can be used in places other than the banister. Try draping them over windows, along a counter, around kitchen or bathroom faucets or on a wet bar. For larger areas such as a sliding glass door, combine two garlands together to give more texture.
A 6-foot "wispy pine" artificial garlands looks great intertwined with a regular size artificial pine. Add red or burgundy silk poinsettias or white magnolias, gold leaves and a few ornaments for sparkle. Wreaths can be used on doors or walls, but also as centerpiece to hold candles.
• Holiday art. Why not change your art on the walls to reflect the season? Start collecting original holiday watercolors of Old Testament angels or contemporary Santas or Nativity scenes. You can even spruce up a more casual room with vintage holiday advertisements such as Coca-Cola ads. Art doesn't have to go on the wall. It can be set on an easel or propped up in the corner of a wet bar or powder room sink.
• Candles. The more the merrier this time of year. Short and fat, tall and skinny – antique or contemporary, groupings or solo, candles reflect the warmth of the season.
For newlyweds, use heart-shape white Battenburg lace cutouts and a white dove on a green and maroon canvas stocking. Cutout felt pieces and denim stockings make fun theme stockings for everyone from horse-lovers to gardeners. Or using your trusty glue gun, create a sports stocking for a fan.
DINING ROOM
• If you are tired of your china pattern, try decorating plain glass plates using porcelain paint. Paint the back side of the plate. No talent needed here. Using gold paint draw squiggles around the edges or make plaid plates using red and green. Bake in a 300-degree over for 30 minutes. Allow them to cool in oven and plates will be dishwasher safe.
• To individualize place settings, put wired mesh ribbon over the top and sides of each setting. Arrange flatware on the bias, handles in, for a more contemporary look and tie napkins with rich upholstery tassels.
• In a round glass bowl, layer colored ball ornaments and gold and-silver beads for an instant centerpiece. Complete the look by surrounding the bowl with fresh pine bough and matching candles.
KITCHEN
The kitchen is where everyone congregates during the holidays. The secret is to keep decorations light and out of the way of normal traffic.
• For the kitchen’s own special Christmas tree, try a cone-shape rosemary tree, about 18-inches tall.
Decorate with fresh roses. First preserve the flowered by singeing the stem ends of eight, 6-inch-long roses with a match and inserting them into the "tree." This will preserve the roses for up to 10 days out of water. Cover the plastic pot with red and green holiday burlap tied up with ribbon then attaching two satin or velvet bows to the tree top allowing the streamers to hang down. The rosemary will give fragrance to your kitchen and you can snip some off for soups and stews.
BATHROOMS AND POWDER ROOMS
• Make a scented candleholder out of cinnamon sticks to add fragrance. Place two rubber bands around a fat candle and cut 14-inch sticks to fit height of the candle. Insert sticks vertically under the rubber bands until candle is covered. Wrap candles with two ribbons over the rubber bands and then snip bands off.
• Use a wispy pine garland around the faucets. Add balls, pinecones or silk poinsettias and holiday artwork on easels in counter corners.
• Add festive hand towels and soaps.
CREATIVE ORNAMENTS
• Paint glass balls with permanent enamel acrylic paint to get a permanent finish without having to bake them. You don't have to be a painter, just play!
• Revitalize old faded glass balls by using a bucket with cold water and spray paint. Spray the paint on the surface of the water to create film, dip the ball in and take it out. You add instant texture and color to old ornaments.
• For a great childhood keepsake, take acrylic paint and brush it on a child's hand and then have the child cradle a glass ball ornament in his hand creating an imprint. Personalize the ornament with name, age and year using a paint pen.
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