Interior Design Musings

Decorating for Christmas doesn’t have to include days of glue guns, glitter, and ribbons to give your home a warm and thoughtful touch (unless you just love that stuff—then craft away!). Take a step back and think of simple things you can do to spice up your holiday decor. A quick and easy item I like to keep handy for Christmas decorating is colored glass pebbles in jewel tones. Paired with richly colored candles, these small additions scattered down the middle of a dinner table will add glitter and sparkle. When the holidays are over, they store easily and can be used in vases of flowers.

Throwing an informal dinner party during the holidays is a great way to get friends and family together to enjoy each other in this busy time of year. Liven up your Christmas dinner table with some creative holiday place card holders. A simple way to create festive and functional table Christmas decor is to take a few colorful Christmas tree ball decorations and write your guests names on them in craft paint or with a sharpie. Tie a ribbon around a cloth napkin, lace the ribbon through the Christmas ball hanger and tie with a bow. Place each napkin with a personalized Christmas ornament on each plate.

Customize each Christmas decoration by using different colors, different shapes, and adding extra decoration like glitter or sequins. When everyone goes home, send them home with their unique reminder of your Christmas dinner party!

For those of you that want the look without the hassle, Crate and Barrel has come out with a cute and festive Christmas Decoration place card holder with the same basic look, pictured right.

Ottomans are a great multi-functional way to add extra seating, foot rests, and style to a living room. One of my favorite additions to a room is a unique, eye catching ottoman upholstered in a bright, funky material.

Here’s a design tip- get a unique look by salvaging an antique ottoman and reupholstering it in a contrasting, modern fabric for a fun and playful focal point!

Line your table with Holiday cheer! Make the table unique to your style and environment by taking a few glass vases, bowls or jars and lining them down the middle of your table. Fill each with a different holiday ingredient that will add color and texture to your table. Here’s some ideas: cranberries, pinecones, walnuts, twigs, cinnamon sticks, or other materials that evoke feelings of fall.

Special Design Tip: Set out specialty stationary and pen, and have friends and family member write down what they are thankful for and add the notes to the center vessel. Have each family member pull a note out of the bowl on Thanksgiving and read them aloud!

Remember fall decorating is fun! Have a great time with it and you can’t go wrong.

Chalkboard paint is fun and functional! A great place to use chalkboard paint is while decorating a childs bedroom. Here’s an inexpensive idea for doing just that. Take a childs craft table from a secondhand store thats seen better days and give it new life by painting it with chalkboard paint. The table now becomes a creative and fun furniture addition you don’t have to worry about getting ruined by creative little artists!

Babies minds, skills, and imaginations are developing everyday. The baby nursery is where it all begins. If you are looking for a fun and unique decor idea for babies room, play with the lighting. Try a Monorail - a ceiling suspending lighting system - with specialty pendants. I just love the Parachute man from Tech Lighting! The parachute lights up with a soft glow as the imaginary parachuter holds a low voltage spot light to accent family photos or artwork on the walls. The extra fun part– lighting fixtres can be changed and updated as Baby grows into his room.

The air is crisp, the leaves are rich in color, and your table setting is . . . bland. No worries, fall décor is easy and fun! Fall is full of delicious and pleasant scents and colors; think pumpkin pie, fresh baked cookies, and cool, fresh breezes. By emulating these smells and colors, you will bring the comfort of autumn into your home. Here’s a quick and easy idea to brighten up your table! If you are expecting dinner guests, create a visual conversation starter and an original votive out of some household groceries. Grab some fresh, colorful apples (I like using several different colors of greens, oranges, and reds), and cut out a hole in the top big enough to set in a tea light. Set the apple votives in a row down your table for a colorful, and delicious scented dinner accent!

**Tip** Stand the apple up before cutting the hole to verify which way it will lean.