Will Your Home be Ready for the Holidays?

Holiday decorating can be as simple as using items you already have and mixing in signs of the season.

Cleveland, OH (PRWEB) August 19, 2006 -- The holidays will be here faster than you know it. This wonderful season presents several special decorating issues for homeowners. We all want our homes to be warm and inviting places for friends and family to make new memories. In addition, we have entertaining and holiday decorating to do. It can be a very hectic time. But holiday decorating can be made simpler with some quick tips. Cleveland, Ohio interior decorator, Suzanne Cox-Hudson, of whatalovelyhome.com offers these tips to making holiday decorating magic:

1.    If you decorate for the holiday season, you have a dizzying array of options! To make it easier, try to establish a theme that runs thru the first floor of the house. Your theme can be as simple as a color combination. Or you could alternate themes from room to room. Either way, group like items together for greatest impact.

2.    Mix seasonal items with others that aren't so obviously holiday items. A collection of antique toys displayed on a red velvet table runner would make a great holiday vignette. Or use a simple glass bowl or wire basket and fill it with Christmas cards or shiny ornaments. Pile up the kids’ wagon with presents (or even empty wrapped boxes). For a homey touch, use a wash tub or old laundry basket to collect toys, games, presents, books, or a collection of mittens and scarves.

3.    Deepen your color palette and add texture. Hang darker art and to use more richly-colored fabrics and accessories if you have them. Buy or bring out of storage rich chenille throws, velvet drapes, or knitted sweater-style pillows.

4.    Bring the signs of the season indoors... preserved leaves, pinecones, berries, gourds, and nuts are all great fall and winter accents.

5.    Don’t forget your sense of smell. Pleasant memories are often tied to specific scents. Add potpourri to subtly suggest the season at hand.

6.    Select plenty of large-scale accents when you shop. Most people purchase too many little accessories. Large scale items are appropriate for entry and hall tables, mantles, and centerpieces. Too many small items can feel like clutter.

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