Thursday, July 17, 2008

Easy Decorating Tip for the Craftfully-Challenged

A simple one I learned from my mom:

Doesn’t matter how many ornaments or decorations you have, everything has a greater impact if it’s grouped together with similar items. To that end, I set up all my Santas on a baker’s rack by our fireplace. A good friend collects nativity scenes; she has 15+ from as many different countries. Think angels, snowmen, small Christmas trees. Spread a square of gold or silver tulle on a small card table, set up your collection, and you’ve made a statement.

A more complicated one, but hands-down my kids’ favorite:

At the Wilson house, we set up a Christmas village every year. My boys have been a tremendous help with it because they have the analytical minds. They like planning and laying the groundwork (strings of lights underneath the layer of “snow,” designing city streets and surrounding hills). My daughter likes putting on the finishing touches: the people (ice skaters or carolers), animals (deer feeding in the “woods”), and everything that glitters (sparkling confetti, plugging in the lights). I just asked each of them, and the response was unanimous: They prefer setting up the Christmas village to decorating the tree!

Do you have a favorite decorating tip? If it's an easy one, all the better!

9 comments:

Cathy Messecar said...

Leslie, what a great reminder about grouping and its effectiveness. A Hershey kiss here and there is nothing like a heap in a bowl.

I stack holiday tins in different sizes andcolors on my mantle and use them as perches for a small collection of cloth Santas.

As Karen said in a post, we've been thinking about Christmas for a year while we prepared the manuscript. Sometimes I have to stop and remember that it's still only July. With all this lovely planning with you dear friends, I'm really longing for the holidays, the serenity, the hope, for times with family and experiencing anew the expectation of the Savior.

Christine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Christine said...

I absolutely love Christmas time and love doing all kinds of Christmas crafts. Every winter we make paper snowflakes and hang them with invisible thread from the entryway between the living room and dining room. I plan on making some gifts as well to give to people. I am making my kids new bedding, pillowcases with matching books, a dress up chest, pj's and homemade potpourri sachets for my baskets. I am also planning on making an heirloom tree skirt where you pick out a simple pattern for the top and bottom and then in totally different patterns you trace and cut out the kids handprints and then sew them to the tree skirt and put their name age and the year on them and every year you add new handprints as they get older. I am also planning on making more of my walmart bag christmas wreaths and maybe one out of christmas fabric. I have made a rather large list this year so hopefully it all gets done. Well Merry Early Christmas!

Cathy Messecar said...

A Walmart bag wreath. Do tell us more...CM

Cathy Messecar said...

Christine, I meant to applaud your Christmas aspirations. I so appreciate homemade gifts. Yes, you have a lot planned and good things, too. You must be handy with needle and thread. I hope you are planning to blog and upload photos of your creations...Blessings...Cathy Messecar

Terra said...

Hi Christine and All,
I am in awe of Christine's creative ideas for gifts, and that she plans in advance.
Making pillow cases with matching books is a great idea, and homemade sachets too. I have made sachets with scraps of material and lavender from my garden, so that is an appreciated reminder for me.
Terra

Christine said...

The walmart bag wreaths are very simple. You take a wire hanger and bend it into a circle and then take alot of walmart bags and cut out the white part of the bag (the back) along the seams. Then take the white part and cut it into strips and then take the strips and cut those in half and you will get squares. Take the squares and tie them onto the hanger making sure to pack them tightly. Once the wire is full you just fluff and decorate.

Christine said...

Thankyou I love christmas and I love crafting. As soon as halloween is over and thanksgiving approaches I break out my christmas decorations. I am taking care of my sisters 3 kids now and 2 of my own so if I can save some money here and there then I did a good job. They will get store bought items but if I can make something more durable than the store bought item and make it cheaper then thats what I am gonna do. It takes alot of money to take care of a household of 7 so I need to save where I can. On top of that I just love crafting. I tell everyone that the craft side of my brain is broken and it never shuts off. lol I absolutely love my sewing machine. I would have never been able to afford one but my awesome mother inlaw gave me one she had and I love it. take care cg

Trish Berg said...

Leslie-

Great idea to group things. Never thought of that.

I love snowmen, myself. Living in Ohio, I can leav the snowmen up until the end of February, so the house doesn;t look so bare after the Christmas decorations come down.

Hugs, my friend, Trish
www.TrishBerg.com