Decorating on a budget
BLAME Hollywood. Every Christmas movie they make shows houses decked with holly, lights and a world of shiny baubles. It all looks perfect and there’s just no way anyone can achieve that kind of show without a dedicated team of designers and decorators. Still, when you want to give your home a festive lift, you can achieve a good look with a little effort.
First of all, decide on whether you want to go for family fun or classy decor. The first means a home-made star on the tree, and every item having a personal, meaningful history. It’s messy and nothing matches.
The second means a coordinated look and feel that expresses tour personality as it might appear on Good Housekeeping: tidy, charming and chic.
If you go for family fun, you’ll have plenty of willing helpers to make you ornaments from modelling clay, papier-mâché, beads and other crafts.
To kick-start your workers, have craft sessions starting a month or so before the holidays. Buy modelling clay, paint, coloured paper, glitter, glue and have a blast. Tip: test out your Christmas cookies on your workers.
For chic decor, pick a colour scheme. Red and gold are classic, deep purple and silver is pretty too, or you can choose something that goes with your furniture, like blue and white with pine or orange and gold with walnut.
Buy lights, candles, place settings and lights according to your colour theme. If something doesn’t fit, like your favourite arm chair, buy a throw. Tip: classic batik in Christmas colours can be very pretty and unusual.
Hang your Christmas cards from coloured ribbon, and use coloured gift ribbon to decorate pictures on the walls.
Another Christmas effect is to curl gift ribbons by pulling it over the sharp side of a pair of scissors. Hang a few long strands from the ceiling, and tuck an ornament into the centre.
By hanging bunches, you will add festive colour in hard to reach spots with ease. Tip: white tack can be used to hang light items and won’t leave a mark on white paint.