Quick and Easy Holiday Decorating 101

I love to decorate and present beautiful spaces in my home during the holidays. This year found me with little to no time to fully engage in decorating. With three jobs and the on-going development of my my upcoming web site, I had to employ guerrilla warfare and whiz-bang the house with pretties. It became "drive-by decorating" and actually turned out well.

The photos show some of the decorating"quickies." The side board had a runner from TJ Maxx that featured quilted velvet squares in jewel tones-which was my color palette this year. So having chosen the color, I selected the theme of fruit. So I gathered all the "sugar-dusted" faux fruit I've collected, with an emphasis on pomegranates (juicy and red!). I placed some fruit in two clear glass containers and put more in the repurposed lampbase with glass fixture I made last summer. To bring it together, I placed a small red sugared berried wreath at the base with a small fruited garland.

The dining table centerpiece was completed in less than ten minutes. I took a faux green wreath (about 18"), placed it flat on the table (yes, wreaths don't always have to go on the walls) and studded it evenly with sugared fruit picks (found at Michael's and JoAnn Etc. for a song). No need to glue as I don't have high winds or boisterous children/teenagers living at home. Then to add a different texture for emphasis, I tucked in small jewel-tone glass ball ornaments. The glass mosaic vase with candle placed inside was the finishing touch. Using the fruit on the dining table and nearby sideboard made for a oordinated look and both were completed in less than one hour..... next!

The arrangement in the hall corner went even faster. The large ceramic planter was already in place (has been waiting to be turned into a water feature). Out of storage, I grabbed the 3' tall red velvet tree (found at a garage sale) and generously placed faux evergreen boughs at the base. I then tucked stems of red silk poinsettias and peonies into the boughs. For sparkle, I added some lime green glittered picks. Again, no glue, no foam blocks.....just place and push.


Decorating on the fly is perfectly fine and it works. Yes, there are times when thoughtful consideration is in order, but one happily finds that the end results speak for themselves and
look just as wonderful. Yes, I will admit I have many of the pieces to pull together but with a little imagination and creatively looking at what one already has, vignettes and color palettes can be easily and quickly pulled together. We need to give ourselves permission to think simply and to ask the question, "how else can this be done?" It can be a great deal of fun and bring tremendous satisfaction. Try it.

Some tablescapes I have created can be found on my website: www.tigerlilysattic.com.

Hand-Crafted Holiday Ornaments

I am in high production gear in my studio getting ready for a local art show (Christmas in the Country) on Bainbridge Island, WA the first weekend of December. Along with necklaces, fabric flowers, up-cycled clothing, I will be featuring tree ornaments. Here is a small sampling of some of the ornaments.

The hearts and fairy ornaments were altered because they seemed to need some embellishment.

The darling red glass heart ornaments were charming just as they are, but not much escapes being glittered this time of the year. Using a squeeze bottle of liquid red glitter, I added a few drops on each heart. The secret to success when using this product is to not touch it and to let thoroughly dry.

The fairy ornaments were found unadorned from a chain store in the Christmas section. And while cute as is, they cried out for being gussied-up. I added a paper crown with drops of glitter, a small foam ball (like the kind in bean-bag chairs), a gathered doily skirt, and a belt of vintage tinsel.

The green wreaths were made from some unidentified green garland found at a wholesale floral supplier. It looked like small plastic garland was sprayed with tiny green foam balls. When I saw it I knew it would make a great wreath. I circled two lengths together and then wound another length around the two holding everything together. The wreaths measure about 5" in diameter and several would look delightful hanging in a kitchen window or clustered in a corner hanging with red ribbon in different lengths. I added a small stem of faux red berries and a red satin bow.
Smaller versions could be used as package toppers then hung on the tree as ornaments. ornament.

I have a tendency to look at things and wonder "what else can be done with this?" In a previous post, I mentioned using the hook caps from broken glass ornaments as a crown. It's just a matter of looking at things from another viewpoint. The ornaments shown in this post are examples of what one can do with simply working with what is already there by adding simple embellishments, like a doily for a skirt. And the beauty is, it doesn't require much product or time.

Just look and ask yourself the question, "What else?"