----- Original Message ----- From: "Spring" <[email protected] There are presents to wrap, pies to bake and stockings to hang, but you still want to make time to deck the halls. Try a few small touches and simple decorating ideas guaranteed to bring joy-not stress-to your holiday season. 1. Don't let your favorite holiday storybooks gather dust while tucked away on a shelf. Instead use them to bring out the child in your holiday decorating. Every year I buy at least one Christmas book to add to our family collection, sometimes classics like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a reprint of the original Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or a new book destined to become classic, such as Olive, the Other Reindeer. These literary accents look great displayed across the length of a mantel, arranged on a coffee table ready for reading, as a centerpiece on a dining table, gathered together in a basket by the end of the couch or placed under the tree. Mix in a few vintage toys or ornaments, and it's a guaranteed recipe for capturing the spirit of the season and recalling childhood memories. 2. Make a festive candle chandelier to crown your holiday table. An inexpensive, large square frame makes a perfect base. Add candle cups at the midpoint on each side, then completely cover the frame with lemon leaves or other greenery hot glued in place. Hang the frame with lengths of ribbon securely fastened to each corner of the frame with nails or staples. Add bows at the ceiling and corners of the frame. Remember to never leave burning candles unattended. 3. Dress up your holiday place settings with some sparkling whimsical touches. Stitch beads, baubles or charms to dangle from each corner of napkins. Instead of rolling up napkins into a napkin ring, add a little intrigue by gathering them up around a party favor and tying them up with a bright ribbons. Place the wrapped favor on the center of the dinner plate or tuck it into a wine glass, letting the beads and charms dangle over the edge. 4. Inexpensive cone-shaped wire tomato cages can be used in a variety of ways with a touch of imagination for holiday decorating. With little effort, they can become spectacular topiaries to be set outside or inside at your entryway to welcome your guests. Start by turning the tomato cage upside down on top of a large pot or urn, then cover it with greens, add mini lights and twine ribbon or tulle from top to bottom. Another option would be to use the same idea to create a centerpiece for a table, using a smaller tomato cage. Or try lining a walkway with large cages stuck in the ground upright like baskets and fill them with greens and lights. 5. Do you have too many ornaments to fit on one tree? Highlight special collections or use the leftovers throughout the house in small festive groups. Showcase a collection of small glass ornaments by placing them in the bottom of large, tall clear vases to surround and hold a taper candle. Or gather your favorite ornaments, tying each separately to the end of long pieces of ribbon. Attach the other end of the ribbons to the top of a window frame about 2" to 3" apart so the ornaments are displayed as they hang in front of the window. Finally, write the guest's name and the year in gold or silver paint marker on a simple colored-glass ornament and tie a ribbon bow on top to use as a place card. 6. Near your entryway door, set out a tree covered with bright, inexpensive toys and candy. This is sure to delight and enchant the small children who might come and go during the holidays, especially when you let them select a prize from the tree branches. The toy section of dollar stores is one of the best places to shop for packages of wonderful eye-catching fun that will inexpensively load the tree. Another option is to fill a very large, clear jar to the brim with toy prizes and candy galore. 7. How quickly the years seem to go by. This season, build a new tradition designed to savor the holidays past. Gather and display photos from family holidays spent together, creating a way for your guests to reminisce. Children will love listening to the oral histories, past traditions and priceless memories that they can then make their own. Continue the tradition by adding a disposable camera to each place setting so relatives can snap a new supply of photos. Instead of a name card, set the table with a favorite picture of each guest in a frame that they can take home as a table favor. 8. Instead of a tablecloth, use sheets of cotton Christmas batting glittered to mimic snow. Stockings are great for holding silverware-personalize each stocking with paint markers in silver or gold. You can also make red flannel covers designed to look like Santa hats to slip over the back of each dining chair. Just trim the bottom edge of the cover in white faux fur, letting the top edge gradually come to a point, and then drape the excess over the back of the chair. Top it with a white fur ball. 9. Quickly dress up your table for holiday fun with a few of these touches guaranteed to be easy. Simple things add a lot-such as tying Christmas trinkets onto the stems of wine glasses with ribbons or tying a jingle bell onto the handle of your dessert spoons. Interesting napkin rings can be made from inexpensive beaded bracelets, wired strands of miniature fruit or strips cut from old Christmas cards stapled into a ring. Photocopy sheets of favorite Christmas music to use as place mats to encourage guest to sing along. You could also layer clippings from real evergreens to peek out from under the edge of a charger plate. 10. Not just for wrapping packages, holiday ribbons can add shimmer throughout your home. Tie ribbons around the top of lamp shades, twine them up bed posts and stair railings, drape ribbon to cascade across the arms of chandeliers or trim your tree with swirls of ribbons. For extra fun on a special party night, tie a small wrapped gift to one end of each length of ribbon and tuck it into the boughs of the tree. To the other end add a gift tag penned with a guest's name. Before the end of the evening, hand each guest the end of the ribbon with their name attached and let them follow the twisting and turning ribbon trail until each finds the end of the ribbon-and the surprise! 11. If you love the look of naturals and evergreens, give your mantel a non-traditional makeover that can be changed to fit the season. Cover the mantel with a coat of lush, green sheet moss. Cut sheets of lightweight cardboard to fit mantel sides and top. Attach pieces of sheet moss to the cardboard with hot glue. Tack the moss-covered cardboard onto the mantel with brads. Fill in any holes along the edges with moss. For Thanksgiving, the mantle is a rich background to display colorful fall foliage. At Christmastime, create the magic of an elfin cottage amidst a forest of miniature trees, or a Christmas village. When spring rolls around, display Easter eggs tucked into the deep green moss surrounded by baskets filled with grass. 12. Set the mood by greeting your guests with a festive message hung on the door or front gate. Choose one of your favorite holiday greetings such as "Noel," "Happy Holidays," or "Cheer." First, style block letters from lengths of twigs. Lay them out on a painted board and then secure them in place with small brads. Hang the plaque surrounded by evergreens and berries. 13. Chicken wire can be used to make quick and easy outdoor lawn decorations. Form a length of chicken wire into a cone shape (think of a topiary) and wire the loose edges to hold the shape. Spray the wire form white. Twine the form with strands of lights on white wires. Remember to stake the topiary forms in place so they don't blow away in the wind. Smaller versions of the tree could be used to decorate inside, placed on an entry way table in front of a mirror to reflect the lights. 14. Dress up a window by filling it with lengths of brightly-colored Christmas ribbons each tipped with a bell. Choose ribbons with various widths and colors, cutting pieces to fit the inside length of the window. Attach each piece of ribbon to the inside top of the window frame, spacing them an inch to two inches apart. Let the loose ends drape down in front of the open window. Tie a bell or a favorite ornament to each ribbon to finish the ends. 15. Grab a cup of cocoa and think back to those simple Christmas projects you did as a child. With a nostalgic eye, you can create wonderful projects to do with the whole family. Join colorful strips of paper together to make paper chains, make swags of popcorn and cranberries, form wonderful chains of people holding hands cut from folded strips of paper, or decorate cookies to hang on the tree. These are simple decorations from inexpensive materials, but the time spent together is priceless. 16. Check your local garden shop for topiary forms in large, interesting shapes. Use the wire topiary form as the base for a festive centerpiece. Set the form firmly into a terra-cotta pot. Brush the outside of the pot with a wash of gold paint. Cover the frame with fall leaves, lemon leaves, evergreens or other preserved naturals and secure them with floral wire. For Thanksgiving, pheasant feathers could be added to the foliage. At Christmastime, hang glittering ornaments from the wires. At each holiday place setting use a small terra-cotta pot brushed with gold, then line the center with greens and nestle a special ornament or treat in each pot as a party favor for your guests. 17. When decorating outside, don't ignore the window boxes. Fill them with dramatic winter arrangements. Wire groups of greens together. Make groups of decorative elements such as pine cones, branches of berries, twigs or shiny ornaments and wire them together. Fill the box, letting some of the greenery drape over the front edges. To hold the arrangement in place, fill in the bottom of the box with stones or sand around the wired stems. 18. Children's toys make great decorating accessories for Christmas. Gather the stray presents and contain them in a doll buggy or a child's wagon next to the tree. You could also use the wagon, placed conveniently by the front door, to hold extra gifts for unexpected holiday visitors. A toy train can make a great centerpiece for a buffet, while the open box cars hold items like napkins, silverware and breadsticks. Mount several doll size chairs onto a wall and use them like shelves to display holiday collectibles. Pull out a few of your favorite well loved toys and stack them under the tree. 19. Adding candles and miniature lights can enhance the festivities. Instead of burning logs in your fireplace, fill the fireplace with various sizes of pillar candles. Set taller candles in the back or set some of the candles on top of bricks like risers. Here's another quick ideastand a taper in the middle of a clear glass jar, filling the jar about halfway with brightly-colored Christmas candy to hold it in place. For a centerpiece, place shiny glass ornaments in a large clear bowl intertwined with a set of battery powered lights. Be sure to place the battery pack so it is accessible. 20. Nothing brings wintertime to mind more quickly than the sound of sleigh bells. Use antique or reproduction brass sleigh bells tied with ribbon as a napkin ring. Other quick ideas for napkin rings include small pinecones wired into a ring, peppermint twist candy rings, or a candle in a Victorian style candle clip which can be clipped onto a folded napkin and set upright on the table. 21. For a special Christmas party activity, let your guests make gingerbread-people ornaments to decorate. For the adventuresome types, prepare rolled out cookie dough ready for the cookie cutters and let the guests design their own ornaments from beginning to end. If you're short on time, you can simplify the process by having a stack of prebaked cookies awaiting decoration. Guests of all ages will have fun creating their own personal gingerbread folk to take home. 22. For a dramatic effect at a dinner party, softly swag sheets of inexpensive muslin from nails on the walls around the room. Light the fabric from behind with hanging strands of Italian Christmas lights, and the room will simply glow with atmosphere. 23. How about decorating a piece of furniture that you pull out just for the holiday celebration? Decoupage the surface of an old chair with holiday wrapping paper or sheets of Christmas music. Set it in a special spot by the entryway and use it to hold a bowl of candy or small gifts for special visitors or surprise guests. 24. Create an elegant designer table setting quickly and inexpensively with metallic paint markers. Write in gold, copper, or silver on the outer surfaces of clear glass goblets and around the edges of clear glass plates. Avoid writing in areas that come into contact with food. Have fun with your designsinscribe guests' names on the pieces, quote snippets from your favorite holiday song, or just scribble random designs. It will look impressive no matter what you do. 25. Decorate a lamp shade to use just for the holidays. Stencil a holiday motif around the top and bottom edge of a plain white shade. With a pin, pierce small holes around the holiday shapes or use an artist's knife to cut out certain shapes or to make small slits in the paper. The holes and slits will let the light shine through, enhancing the decorative border when the lamp is lit. 26. Cover the bulbs of a small chandelier with gathered fabric shade covers made from Christmas taffeta, festive tulle, or elegant moire satin. Drape swags of evergreens, chains of cranberries, or streams of ribbons across the arms of the chandelier and tie shiny ornaments onto the swag to hang brightly below. 27. Are you running out of room to display your favorite holiday collectibles? Add a simple wooden shelf with decorative wooden brackets above a doorway or at the bottom of a window as a wide ledge. Large home centers carry all sorts of premade shelving and brackets. 28. Buy inexpensive metal window screen and incorporate it into shimmering New Year's decor. Cut large squares of screen to cover glass votive holders. Center the votive holder on the square and bend the excess screen up to encase it in soft folds of metal wire mesh. The candle light will glimmer on the metal folds. Cut a long piece of screen to use as a table runner. Wearing gloves, crush the screen together then unfold it to leave some of the wrinkles. Twine Italian lights down the center of the table, then top the lights with the layer of crushed screen. For a shining centerpiece, fill a large glass bowl with silver ornaments and strips of screen, then set a candle in the middle. Or try wrapping strips of screen into evergreen swags to use around windows, mantels, and outdoor decorating. 29. For a whimsical statement, exchange the finial on top of a lamp for one with a holiday theme. If you can't find one that you like, make your own. Purchase a new finial and use it as a base. Enhance it with plastic clay, Christmas jewelry, evergreen sprays and berries, or small bows. If your lamp has a pull chain, add a special touch there by tying on a small brass sleigh bell, a sparkling beaded earring, or a vintage gift tag. 30. Transform your window sill into a mini forest scene. Purchase several small live trees, and either re-pot the trees into attractive containers, hot-glue moss to the existing containers, or wrap the containers in burlap sacks. Place a layer of moss onto the window sill, then scatter some red berries atop. Add a fence made of cinnamon sticks, and hang a cookie cutter moon and stars from ribbons above the trees to finish the look. 31. For a festive centerpiece, tie a small cascade of fresh evergreens, sprigs of herbs, and holiday florals onto a bottle of wine or champagne. Decorate the stems of your wineglasses with smaller cascades. Tie larger swags with ribbon to chair backs to complete the look. 32. Update plain table linens with removable holiday designs. Purchase holiday fabric with easy to cut out motifs. Adhere fabric to Instant Stick and Hold for Fabric, a repositionable sheet adhesive product from Coats and Clark. Cut out designs, remove backing, and apply to napkins and table linens. The decorations will stay in place and are temporary unless ironed in place. Use the same set of linens for every holiday by changing the fabric cutouts to fit each event. 33. Make a rustic and inexpensive centerpiece with different size shopping bags. Fold the top edges over about 2" and roll several more times to create a firm edge. The bag will look almost like an open bowl. Arrange bags and fill with nuts, dried and fresh fruits, and cookies. Tie twisted gold cording or strands of raffia around the bag just below the folded edge. 34. Cover the tabletop with inexpensive mirror tiles. Create a winter wonderland centerpiece with bare branches and twigs sprayed white and highlighted with silver. Hang crystals and clear strands of beads from the chandelier with silver ribbons. Soften the look by lightly dusting the mirrored tabletop and arrangement with spray snow. When spraying, protect other surfaces with newspapers or plastic. Set the table with clear glassware. Bundle the silverware into a napkin and tie with a silver ribbon and a crystal. 35. Pull together an eye-catching centerpiece from Christmas items you have around the house. Gift wrap both the tops and bottoms of lidded boxes in shiny or brightly colored paper. Arrange the open boxes in the center of the table. Line with colored tissue paper and fill with glass ornaments intertwined with battery operated lights. Rest the lids in place as if they had just been lifted off the boxes; hold in place with double stick tape. Tuck crumpled tissue paper around the bottoms of the boxes and under the lids. Add ribbon and bows. For place cards, write your guests' names on colored glass ornaments and set in center of dinner plates. 36. Use color copies of photographs of favorite holiday moments to create a very special tablecloth using a photo transfer medium called Picture This by Plaid. Add new photo memories with every holiday. Have guests sign the tablecloth with a paint pen or permanent marker. Be sure to write the date and identify the partygoers in the photos. 37. For extra seating at big family dinners, paint yard sale chairs in bright holiday colors. Using rub-on letters protected by a sealer or stencils and paint, personalize each chair with the guest's name on the chair back or seat. Surround each name with stenciled or painted holiday motif's or decoupage gift wrap scraps. 38. Serve up a new tradition for your holiday meals. Create festive family dinnerware with pieces found at a local ceramic studio or shop. Shop staff can help you choose the unfinished pieces, glazes, designs, and help with the firing. It is an investment in time, yet fairly inexpensive when compared to the cost of traditional holiday dinner sets. Each member of the family can make their own special place setting or you can paint the dishes to mix and match. Pick simple and common styles; it will make it easier to add pieces to the set and replace those that may break. 39. Add holiday-patterned ready-made or stitched-yourself seat and back cushions to your dining room chairs. Dress them up with appliqués and trim. These are quick-change accessories that can really make a room sparkle. 40. Fill the center of your table with a summer harvest. Jars of home canned vegetables and fruits such as beans, tomatoes, and corn have beautiful color. Stack them beside jars of homemade preserves, apple butter, and jellies. If you don't can, purchase homemade items at farm stands and bazaars. Cover the lids with scraps of calico and gingham tied in place with ribbons, raffia, or twine. Mix in baskets of fresh fruit. Set votive candles on top of a few canned items. The light will reflect off the glass and make the colors look warm and inviting.