Decorating inside the house

So you’ve thought about it and have decided you want to turn the INSIDE of your home into a fantasyland for Christmas. That’s wonderful!

Where do I start, what can I do, do I have the right materials, and how much will it cost? All these questions and many more will come to mind once you decide to take the leap into the indoor decorating world. Be careful, decorating your home on the inside can become as addicting as creating that awe-inspiring show that you have outside.

Envision your dream. What areas or rooms do you want to decorate? Some folks go all out, covering every single available space in every single room. Others chose just one or two rooms, possibly the family room or living room, the foyer, or yes, even the kitchen. There is no right or wrong answer. Make the choice based on what you and your family will enjoy. Don’t forget to consider the time involved. We don’t want anyone to ruin the holidays by creating too much stress.

You have the where, now let’s consider the what. I always find it very helpful to have a theme. Don’t panic, this part is easy. Chose a color scheme, red, green and white are always good, but there are so many other options available to you in today’s products. Maybe you collect Santa’s, how about a Santa themed room? Do you go crazy for all the old style nativities and just can’t resist buying everyone you see? Now you can create a beautiful display using them. How about an indoor candy land, winter wonderland, or even re-create a room from the past, 1950’s anyone? I’ve done rooms with all of these themes, in the traditional red, green, and white; purple, gold and white; blues; pinks; silver and gold; and even teal. Don’t limit yourself on color. Think about your favorite color combinations. When you are out and about, which displays in the mall and local stores really catch your eye? If you absolutely hate purple, it isn’t the right choice for you. The bottom line is you should go with what you and your family like.

You have your location and theme. Now what decorations do you have on hand, do you want to or better yet, in this economy, can you spare the extra money to purchase a bunch of new items to make your vision come true?
Take an inventory. Do you want to go over-the-top? That’s fine, but it takes a lot of time and decorations to do this, so maybe this year, you will start smaller. Just like we all do for the outside display, hit those wonderful after Christmas sales. You might even get some great ideas using the volumes of ornaments that all of the stores have left. Think out of the box. You just walked into a store that has tons of the blown glass ornaments in every color you can imagine. You can really make that tree fabulous by using these inexpensive ornaments as fillers on your tree or trees. They work great on those open spaces closer to the trunk and reflect the light beautifully, without blowing the budget. Save all those wonderful and often times expensive ornaments for the outer branches.
Or maybe you have too many ornaments for your tree. Don’t despair. You can still use them. Make a wreath, a tabletop tree, a candy cane, or a star for the door, window, or just about anywhere you can hang or sit a decoration. You’ve all seen these items for sale in the store, but if you are like me, you won’t buy what you can make. Those plain glass ornaments come in several sizes and colors and are usually on sale after the holidays for 25-75 cents a box. Pick your color or combination of colors and sizes and go for it. You will have fun telling your friends that you made it yourself and can even involve your children or grandchildren in the process. Most of these projects can be found on the Internet and are very simple to do. These colorful little baubles can also be added to garland around the mantle, down the staircase, or even the hanging light fixtures to add a bit of the holiday spirit. Just don’t hang them on a ceiling fan, believe me it doesn’t work. I have a friend who did just that, with the intention of never turning on the fan but forgot to tell her husband. He walked into the room, flipped the switch and was bombarded with flying ornaments. NOT A GOOD THING!! Very funny, but it sure was a mess cleaning it up.

Okay, you either don’t have the time or the inclination to make something with these, so you think you should pass, right? Take the easy way out, find a nice looking bowl, dish or jar, pick your favorite colors, put a small set of lights in it, add some greenery if you like and then add the ornaments. It’s beautiful and sooooo easy to do. No plug near the location? Leave out the lights and the other lights in the room will reflect off your ornaments and make everything sparkle. Be careful how you stack them if you don’t want ornaments rolling all over the place. It doesn’t take many to get a great affect and these can make an impact in any room of the house. Use a jar filled with the small ones, add the lights, and you have a new night light for the little ones bedroom or even the bathroom.

Now I’ve got you thinking, at least I hope I do. Get busy, it’s July already. We’ll explore so much more over the coming months. As Chuck always says, “Stay tuned”. Happy decorating.

From the July 2009 edition of PlanetChristmas Magazine

by Marilyn Caron