Fabulous Festive Decorating Ideas ...for the Holidays

DISCOVERING YOU, December 2009, by Alicja Zajac

Fabulous Festive
Decorating Ideas
...for the Holidays

Inside every girl there lurks a decorator at some level or another just waiting to be set free! A decorator ready to do her magic and transform her own room and, if she can get away with it, the rest of the family home too. So go for it, girl. The holidays are upon us and whether you celebrate Christmas like me, or any other tradition, it’s the perfect time to beautify your environment with lights and sparkles. So dust off that magic wand and abracadabra! ...so to speak :)

Sparkly Glassware
Are you pretty good at drawing straight lines? What about swirls and interesting motifs? Try this: decorate beverage glasses with sparkle glue swirls and designs. It washes off easily by hand and makes the dinner table or buffet look very festive while sparkling in the candlelight. You might even want to add more sparkles from a shaker bottle before the glue dries!

Using Holiday Colours
We all know what the traditional Christmas holiday colours are; red and green of course! Look around the house, find everything that has these colours and decorate with them. Red and green apples - even red and green peppers - will look great in a glass bowl or tall glass vase on the kitchen counter or the dining table. Add a velvet ribbon for an elegant look. Try coring one or more shiny red apples and insert a tall white taper candle for a centerpiece or as a decoration on a side table. What about balls of red and green yarn for a cozy look in a bowl or basket? If you have a fireplace, set the basket near it. Wide scarves can be draped at angles over table corners on top of a white tablecloth or by itself on the table. Red and green velvet or satin ribbon can look sweet tied around candlesticks. After the table is set, strew some holiday sequins elegantly over the table for extra sparkle and shimmer. For a more classy look, choose only red or only green and complement that colour with silver or gold. Want an even classier, icier look? Try all of the above, but in blue and silver instead of red and green. Always my favourite!

Make Your Own Stunning Centerpiece
Dip the pointed tip or one side of some pine cones in white liquid glue that you have mixed with water. Next, shake sparkles over the glue and let the pine cones dry. On a side table, coffee table or in the center of where your family will be dining, arrange some pine branches. Place the sparkly pine cones on top and add velvet or satiny ribbon in your choice of holiday colours. For an added touch, carefully set a pretty dish in the center of the branches and place three or four tea lights on it. Voila, you have created a sparkling work of art! Hint: you can use a mirror tile in place of the dish, or to make your own you can carefully wrap aluminum foil (shiny side up) around the dish, smoothing out the wrinkles with the convex side of a wooden spoon.

Fancy Vase
A tall clear glass jar or vase looks awesome filled with colourful decorative Christmas balls. As you layer the balls, scatter just a few bits of silver tinsel on top of each layer for a sparkly effect. Tie a bow around the neck and it will look lovely on top of a mantle or front and center in the china cabinet. Try also decorating the tips of the ribbon with sparkles.

Have fun with your creations and make your Holiday or Christmas sparkle with JOY during this beautiful and special season! I wish you a Happy Holiday and a very Merry Christmas.

~ Alicja