Holiday Decorating Ideas

Wether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Yule one thing is universal; the need to decorate for the Holiday parties and guests. I like to change my decor based on the Holiday or season to give my home a bit of the festive spirit and an inviting appeal to my guests, family and friends. I try not to spend much and I tend to reuse items year after year to save a little money that could be used to purchase gifts or pay the bills. My favorite decorations have always been the ones my children or I have made ourselves.

Recolour Faded Fabric Flowers

Food Coloring/Fabric Paint

Sugar/Can of Laundry Starch

I have an abundance of fabric flowers throughout my home, most of my children have allergies and flowering plants tend to aggrevate their symptoms. Fabric flowers tend to fade quickly, especially if they are displayed in direct natural or artificial light. I have found a way to refresh these flowers for re-use year after year and they can be re-coloured easily each season or Holiday.

There are many ways to recolour these flowers but I will give you only two of the methods I use most often; Food Color and Sugar, Fabric paint and Laundry Starch. The first method is the cheapest route, food coloring goes a long way because you only need a few drops per use. Use a glass container that is large enough to hold 1/2 cup of hot water, 1 tsp. of sugar and the few drops of food color that is needed to achieve the result you are looking for. Once you add the sugar and food color to the hot water immerse the bloom of the fabric flower in the concotion for about ten minutes. Take the flower out of the concotion and shake the excess liquid from the fabric (carefull that you do not splash the liquid on surfaces or clothing food color tends to stain), let sit until dry. Repeat this method as many times as you need until the desired color is achieved.

The second method is faster but will cost you a few dollars for the fabric paint which can be purchased at many craft stores, and laundry starch which you will find at most retailers that sell laundry products like detergent, bleach and softners. Add about 2 tbsp of fabric paint to 1/2 cup of hot water and mix well, immerse the bloom of the fabric flower into the liquid and let sit for about 20 minutes or until completely soaked. Take the flower out of the liquid and shake off the excess (once again be carefull not to splash on surfaces and clothing) and set the flower to the side to dry. Once the flower is completely dry, shake the can of laundry starch well and hold it 5 to 6 inches away from the flower bloom. Spray lightly until the bloom is completely covered and set aside to dry. If it appears that the starch has discoloured the bloom in spots, just immerse the bloom once again into the colored liquid and repeat the previous steps.

From Discarded Dress to Table Runner

This little trick is one of my most treasured and creative secrets, I have taken old dresses that I bought to wear during past holidays and have used them to make Table Runners. What you want to do is unseam the entire dress and set the arms, neck and side panels to the side. The body of the dress is often too small to work with as well but the skirt portion usually provides enough material to make a lengthy Table Runner. Cut the remaining fabric into 1 foot by 3 foot sections (if the material is patterned remember to try and keep the pattern as centered as possible). Connect these sections longwise by sewing them together, or you can use seam glue that is bonded once heated (this is usually done with an iron set on medium). That is all there is too this one, you can use the left over material to create cutlery ties; just cut them into 2 by 4 inch strips and tie them around your cutlery before you set the table.

Faux Pax Mantle: Display Your Holiday Cards in Style

I do not have a fireplace in my home but I have always loved the look of the mantle that displays the many cards being delivered daily. I do not have the budget to justify installing a fireplace and I just felt cheated so I came up with a comprimise. I combed my local park for study fallen tree limbs approximately 4 foot long and 2 inches around. It took about five of these and used twine to secure them together side-by-side; you need three of these bundles, one for each side and one for the mantle shelf. Secure them to the wall using eye hooks and more twine (if you have small children secure the tops and bottoms for extra security). Voila a non-functional, eye-appealing mantle to dress up with those Holiday cards. The best part is you can either secure the cards to the limbs with thumb tacks, punch a hole and tie them up with twine or ribbons, or you can just slip them into the crevises and cracks.

When you think about it there are so many ways to save yourself some money on decorating for the Holidays, you never know what will be become the next Family Traditon.