Christmas decorating ideas
Posted 8 December 10Christmas at your house this year? Here are some ideas to brighten up every corner of your house!
1. Draw from the existing colours of your dining room for your table setting. Start with a crisp white cloth and mix-and-match white and silver tableware with exquisite long-stemmed glasses. French-navy
or black placemats and votives in your colour of choice, down the length of the table, will make your whole setting ping. Dress up your dining chairs with wide ribbon, baubles and real or faux roses.
2. Even though you might be planning an informal Christmas get-together, you can still create a sense of occasion by taking the time to set a casual yet smart table. Pick a cool colour scheme of blue and white and arrange your plates and napkins in a stack. For a bit of Christmas cheer, tie alternate cutlery bundles with narrow claret-coloured ribbon, and create a simple but effective centrepiece using ivy from the garden. Scatter a few tea lights here and there and you’re done.
3. Arrange a warm seasonal welcome from the minute your guests step inside the front door. Set up a small Christmas tree on your hall table and, using lengths of pretty coloured ribbons, suspend baubles from the banisters. Choose ornaments that pick up on the colour scheme of your entrance hall.
4. Layer white on white – crockery, tableware and accessories – for an elegant Christmas table. Sprinkle a smattering of silver stars over the table to liven up the proceedings. And, surprise guests with a memento of the occasion; a small gift, wrapped, of course, in a pearlescent white paper. And, for an inviting atmosphere? Four lit candles, encircled with silver curling ribbon.
5. Create an inviting glow with different tones of gold, silver and champagne.
In a ceramic serving dish – rectangular or round – nestle smallish frosted baubles around a couple of candles with a subtle metallic sheen. And, in case you get an attack of the nibbles, fill the gaps with peanuts in their shells. Don’t go out and buy a dish; you probably have something suitable in your kitchen cupboard.
6. Christmas is a time when unexpected visitors drop by. Have a selection of sweets, nuts and shortbread biscuits, in an assortment of bowls and platters, ready for guests to enjoy. Arrange them in the midst of exquisitely wrapped gifts, and platters of baubles in colours true to an overall scheme of champagne, silver and gold. Add a hint of black and white for grown-up elegance.
7. Glam up your Christmas dining table with a lovely candlelit centrepiece. It will infuse the entire room, not just the table, with atmosphere. Float pale gold candles and flower heads in a lovely glass bowl, and you’ll create a low centrepiece, essential for the free flow of animated conversation across the table.
8. Indulge your desire for opulence. Swathe greenery around an open doorway. Attach pretty baubles and beautiful beaded ornaments to fine ribbon or cord and suspend them from the greenery. Varying the length of the ribbon stops the display from looking overly contrived. For maximum impact, choose a seasonal colour scheme of metallic jewel-bright colours and stick with it. Luckily, we are spoilt for choice as there is an unbelievable array of decorations available to buy.
9. Be a wrap artist! Choose plain red or white paper and tie a red or silver length
of plain or star tinsel around your present. Scrunch the ends together, or use them to fashion a heart or to tie a bow. Less is definitely more for these sparkly wraps.
10. Simple white plates look wonderful when enhanced by nature-inspired decorations. Using a shade similar to your napkin, tie fine organza ribbon in a bow around the napkin. Slide a sprig of berries or a cutting of your favourite flower – scented, of course – under the ribbon. Get set to enjoy the accolades.
11. String letter beads onto lengths of narrow ribbon, then tie around your napkins. Spell out seasons’ greetings, or the names of your guests, and they will double as unique place cards. Perch a tiny but exquisite novelty bird on a ribbon tail at each setting and you’ll melt the heart of every invitee.
12. Christmas is your excuse to decorate every available surface. It’s also an opportunity to showcase your home’s architectural features. In front of a window, set up an attractive seasonal display consisting of dried willow or twigs from which you dangle pretty baubles. Give the display a classic feel with a symmetrical arrangement of creamy roses and tea lights either side of it.
A bay window is ideal but not essential as any window will naturally act
as a frame for your arrangement.
13. Treat yourself to a Christmas tree as white as snow. It’s the perfect backdrop for a collection of frosted pastel baubles in baby blue, lilac and the palest of pinks. With twinkling white-flex fairy lights tucked in among the branches, it’s a style any little – or big – girl will love.
14. Light up your mantelpiece with candles and seasonal shimmer in a modern scheme of silver, pink and purple. To make similar glittery tea-light holders, coat several glass votives with PVA glue. While still wet, and working over a bowl
or plate, rotate each votive as you sprinkle fine glitter or glitter beads onto the surface. Shake off excess glitter and let dry before arranging.
15. Pretty wrapping, bands of ribbon and a few sparkly baubles can transform inexpensive boxes into irresistible gift packages. Gather cords and ribbons in gloriously girly colours, in a variety of widths and materials, then go to town
adding the final flourish to your gift.
16. You don’t have to go without a Christmas tree just because a traditional tree doesn’t appeal. For an understated, thoroughly modern ‘tree’, arrange a bunch of eucalyptus branches, with long, long stems, in an extra-tall glass vase. Strip the lower stems of leaves, especially below the water line, and your ‘tree’ will outlast the festive season. Swing baubles in soft purple, lavender and pink shades from the branches, and pile your beautifully wrapped presents below for all to enjoy.
17. Hang a garland of festive lights in front of a mirror and you’ll double their impact. From lanterns to flowers, choose from the latest styles to brighten your home. And be crafty; recycle jam jars and tumblers, in two uniform sizes, as tea-light holders. Coat them with transparent glass paint in colours of your choice and they’ll be unrecognisable. Decorate a few with beads, and fashion wire handles for the others. All that is left to do is to line them up on your mantelpiece
or side table.
18. Make your gift wrapping as exciting as the presents inside. Select an array
of papers unified by colour and pattern. Become creative with ribbons and ‘bow’ dazzle the gift and, better still, the recipient. There’s no need for fancy bows
when working with rich, vibrant shades, as here, where the simpler the ribbon decoration, the better.
19. Fuschia fabric napkins look fabulous secured with finely crafted beaded napkin rings that look as precious as jewellery. Be on the lookout for similar tasselled and flower-shaped beauties that will set your festive table apart
from the rest.
20. Turn your doors into a gallery for your greeting cards. Cut a length or two of wide ribbon to size and secure to the door with drawing pins or adhesive Velcro. Space the cards evenly down the length of each ribbon, using sticky dots or paper clips to attach them.
21. Break with tradition and set the scene for a memorable meal with a vivid colour scheme of fuchsia, aubergine and splashes of purple and ruby-red. Sheath your table with a deep-red piece of hemmed fabric. Lay a hot-pink runner down the length of the table. Hot-pink seat pads will keep guests from wriggling about, while classic white crockery keeps the focus well and truly on the colourful accessories.
au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/craft-decorating/ideas/article/-/5823864/christmas-at-home/
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