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Holiday Decorating

Holidays 2007

HOLIDAY HOW-TO:

Decorate like a design pro Reinvent your light show Deck the halls DIY-style Create a card worth keeping Shine the spotlight on holiday collectibles

Imagine, Create, Enjoy!


Let do-it-yourself ideas be your guide to holiday dcor

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Holiday Decorating

| 2007

Holiday Decorating

2007
In This Issue:

Fetch those boxes stuffed with tinsel and bulbs, untangle the mini lights and warm up the cocoa its time to turn your house into a winter wonderland. Prepare for the most wonderful time of the year by incorporating your favorite holiday icons throughout your home. Tis the season to be jolly!

Handmade, Heartfelt: How We Deck The Halls Now


Reinvent your holiday home with DIY decorations for every room

Welcome to Your Holiday Home


More intimate than outdoor lights that scream down the block, front-door decorations invite guests in with a hint of the holiday dcor style yet to come

Get the LED Out


Reinvent your light show this holiday season with energy-efficient LED lights

Showcase Your Collections


Tis the season for collectors. Holidays come but once a year, so heres how to collect and decorate in style

Tips From the Top


Holiday decorating doesnt have to be a challenge. Heres how to make it fun, memorable and beautiful from holiday pros who know their way around a tree

All Shades of Green


No need to choose theres room in your home for both real and artificial greenery. Heres how to spice up your holiday dcor

Not Your Grandmas Holiday Cards


Holiday cards are developing into an art, going beyond mere greetings, becoming part of holiday dcor with music, photos, pop-ups and more

Holiday Bookshelf
How-to Holiday: Festive ideas for spreading holiday cheer throughout your home

Stocking Stuffers
Stop dreaming of a red-and-green Christmas ... Show me the tree ... DIY holiday decoration idea: Family photo mobile 2007 Content That Works All Rights Reserved contact us at 866-6CONTENT or CONTENTTHATWORKS.com for licensing information.

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Holiday Decorating

| 2007

How We Deck The Halls Now


Reinvent your holiday home with DIYdecorations for every room
BY MARY K.FONS
CTW Features tangible thing of beauty. And some people wanted a career that meant something to them, hence the upsurge in DIY culture. Michelle Dortch is owner of Chel Domestic Goodies, a Chicago business she founded to capitalize on her talent for crafting. Dortch believes that handmade crafts dont have to mean that every last component has to be made from scratch. When it comes to [DIY] decorating, its about the combination of what you find at retail and what you create with your own hands. The easy stuff is what you pick up what you create really speaks about who you are, the care that is behind the craft and how it is customized for your home. A lot of us tend to over-decorate for the holidays, then wonder why we get depressed when it all has to be put away says Freligh. Dont try to use everything every year, no matter what your family says. For Freligh, do it yourself means having total freedom to decorate in the way that best fits you and your home. Instead of trying to copy displays from stores or magazines, take ideas from them and incor-

Handmade, Heartfelt:

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hether its a popsiclestick reindeer, a cotton ball snowman, or a milk-carton dreidel, being a kid around the holidays means a lot of handmade holiday crafts. But why should the kids have all the fun? Making my own holiday decorations makes me think of how joyful Christmas was when I was younger, says Shelley Yankus, co-owner of Atlantas RELICboutique. It is so easy to become Grinch-like around Christmas as an adult. Listening to some Christmas music, creating a decoration from scratch, and feeling a little slice of the happiness I enjoyed as a child is good for my soul. This idea of sitting down for some do-it-yourself decorating especially around the holidays has been gaining ground in the past few years. I think art and music in general blossomed and took on new meaning and importance after 9/11, Yankus says. More people wanted to create art; to unwind after working a 9to-5 job, to de-stress, to create a

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Holiday Decorating

Betty Crockers Happy Holidays Gingerbread House


Prep Time: 2 hr 30 min Start to Finish: 3 hr
porate them into your homes style and your familys personality. Use colors that go with your current decor instead of trying to make everything red and green. She adds that a creative DIY decorator can find uses for items that arent necessarily labeled holiday in the back of the hall closet. Use hobbies as a basis for holiday dcor. Bring on the quilts, dolls, bears and toy collections that you dont have out yearround. Displaying beloved knickknacks alongside hand-made crafts will quickly turn your home into a haven of holiday warmth. There is such a great reward mentally and visually in making something with your hands, says Dortch. We are so timedeprived, rushing here, running there when we take the time to sit and learn to knit or take a sewing class, we learn how to create something magical for ourselves. [Its] a reward for hectic lifestyles. Dortch says one of the crafts she will always make time for during the crazy holiday season is her faux fireplace. To create this DIY holiday decoration, Dortch suggests buying a pack of pre-cut fireplace wood from the grocery store. Bundle up four to five pieces with natural-colored string. Get one strand
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of your white Christmas lights and wrap it around the wood bundle, leaving enough of the strand to plug it in. Put it in your fireplace if you have one, or set it on top of a table or in front of your tree. Plug her in and presto! You have a faux fireplace! Decorations that also delight ones sense of smell like gingerbread houses or candy-cane creations are easy to create and

Gingerbread
1 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups full-flavor molasses 2/3 cup cold water 7 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Assorted candies

Grease two 9-inch square pans and two 15 x 10 x 1-inch rectangular pans. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, shortening and molasses until well blended. Stir in cold water. Stir in flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, allspice, cloves and cinnamon until well blended. Divide dough into three equal pieces. Press one piece in each rectangular pan. Divide remaining piece of dough in half; press in square pans. 2. Bake one rectangular pan at a time, then both squares together, about 15 minutes or until no indentation remains when theyre touched in the center. Cool 5 minutes; turn each pan upside down onto large cutting surface. Cut off any rough edges. Immediately cut one rectangle into back and front pieces (including holes for windows and door), and cut other rectangle in half for side pieces. Cut one square into trim and shutters; cut extra square

into gingerbread people, or save for another use. Cool completely, about 25 minutes. 3. In medium bowl, beat all frosting ingredients except food colors until smooth enough to spread, beating in additional milk if necessary. Leave most of frosting white; remove and tint small amounts of frosting with food colors for decorating. 4. Cover cardboard or serving platter with foil. Use frosting to stand front piece of house on cardboard. Attach one side to front, then one back to side, using frosting. Attach back pieces together at center with frosting. Attach remaining side to house. Attach trim along roof of house; attach door and shutters to door and window openings, using frosting. Fill any gaps with frosting and small gingerbread pieces if desired. Decorate house using remaining frosting and assorted candies, as desired.

Frosting
6 cups powdered sugar 1 cup shortening 1/3 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup milk Red, green and yellow food color, as desired 1. Heat oven to 350F.

leave a lasting impression. I love making orange and clove pomanders, Yankus says. You can create tons of different designs or spell out words with the cloves. They look great when grouped together in a bowl as a centerpiece or hung from ribbons in windows. The way they smell is

absolutely amazing, and theyre better than candles because you dont have to remember to blow them out! Going DIY this season means thinking green, too. Reappropriating old decorations and using natural embellishments looks fabulous and cuts the environment a break, too. The biggest advantage to using natural materials in decor is the scent, especially real pine and eucalyptus, says Freligh. Group [old ornaments] in baskets, buckets, wooden boxes, or glass bowls. Theyll work as conversa-

tion pieces. I like to see folks open their cupboards and use found objects to add to their dcor. Look for red caps, plaid blankets, mittens, grandmas old plates etc. Drape them, hang them on a hook, stick them in a basket or group candles on them. And if your finished product looks a little, well, homemade, thats a good thing. I dont think there is such a thing as a holiday decorating no-no, Yankus says. I think people should decorate in whatever style makes them happiest. After all, arent the houses that are totally covered in lights and Santa paraphernalia the most fun to drive by? Theyre horribly wonderful.
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Holiday Decorating
Images courtesy of Jeld-Wen

| 2007

Keep it simple: Creative door decorations help share holiday cheer and your personal style. the front doors livened up spirits of passersby in the dead of winter. Doorway decorations connect to the human spirit. Wreaths in particular have long symbolized lifes triumph over the forces of winter. Swags hold religious significance for Christians. Nowadays, theyre a way to celebrate the season regardless of your religion, Linsley says. A front door, after all, is the entry to your world. Make it warm and joyful with options that range from a few ribbons, a twist on traditional wreaths or an elaborate garland arrangement that drapes around the entire doorframe. Think creatively about the natural resources that may surround you, along with the overall theme of your indoor holiday dcor. While developing ideas, representatives at Jeld-Wen, Klamath Falls, Ore., recommend that you clean the door. Mix one teaspoon of a gentle cleanser, such as baby shampoo, with a gallon of water. Dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. Then, treat your door as a canvas.

Welcome to Your Holiday Home


More intimate than outdoor lights that scream down the block, front-door decorations invite guests in with a hint of the holiday dcor style yet to come

BY PATRICIA V.RIVERA
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eslie Linsley cant imagine a winter without enjoying decorations on her front door that in some way reflect the holiday cheer. Even when she is pressed for time, she will cut some branches from holly bushes in her front yard and tie a red bow around the collection. Its just way too easy and it makes such a difference, says Linsley, a Nantucket, Mass., shop owner and author of dozens of dcor books, including A Nantucket Christmas (Bulfinch, 2006). Long ago, before front lawns became North Pole light sceneries, the colorful decorations on

Simple charm
Think simple but enchanting like doves. A sole felt dove can reflect the peaceful holiday spirit. More daring souls can create dove-shaped wreaths out of wire frame. Or do as Linsley does at her own home: Gather some fresh greens, band them together and place the creation on the front door. The secret to transforming a simple arrangement into something beautiful lies in the ribbon, Linsley says.

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Holiday Decorating

Since you need so little of it, splurge and find the nicest ribbon available, she says. She prefers a thicker, red, weaved ribbon. Swags can be made in less than one hour by wiring three or four branches of varying lengths. They can hold all sorts of goodies like cones, ribbons, candy, ball ornaments, etc.

Evergreen balls also look classic on a front door. Insert boxwood twigs in a plastic foam ball and later trim it with mistletoe or holly. Floral design instructor Richard Bedsole, founder of the American Institute of Floral Arts, Atlanta, loves tradition as much as he adores playing with new ideas. He suggests finding an eye-

catching oversized Christmas stocking. Hang it alone or stuff it with bubble wrap, foam peanuts or recycled plastic bags. Cut thick Styrofoam sheets and push them down until tight and round at the top. Then insert stems from artificial poinsettias (natural ones wilt as soon as they are cut), holly berries, bows and anything else
Image courtesy of Richard Bedsole

that comes to mind. Be sure to cascade the goodies over the front to hide the stuffing and foam.

The additional use of reed balls also holding battery-operated candles become small luminaries on the walkway as well to add to the festive look, she says.
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Regional in nature
The prospects with wreaths are endless. Often, they incorporate the bounties of the region. In the South, magnolia wreaths are extremely popular. In the Northeast, sea lovers use scallop shells on foam wreaths and then fill it in with greenery. Linsley shares in her book, A Nantucket Christmas, another regional tradition: a cranberry wreath. She inserts fresh cranberries to the wreathform with a long pin stuck through the center of each berry. The cranberries should be tightly packed circles to cover the entire front of the form. Leave the back bare, as it will be placed against the front door. Then hang with a loop of monofilament or fishing line. Susie Buchanan, an artist for Jeld-Wen, says that curvy Southwest architecture often lends itself to using garland that drapes around the doorway in the form of an arch. She crafts it from individual clustered bundles of madrona foliage wired together and over laid onto a floral thick green rope. Decorative elements that are glued into the garland include natural wrapped birch cones, which double as holders for battery-operated candles. Green moss can cushion the lights. To enhance the presentation for guests and family, place more candles in the entryway.

Traditional Greetings
Richard Bedsole, the chief instructor at The American Institute of Floral Arts in Atlanta, finds few wreaths as traditional as the Williamsburg-style holiday wreath. The colorful fruit placed in eye-pleasing symmetry also provides a wonderful fragrance of evergreen and citrus. He starts with a 16-inch wire frame with a 22-inch diameter. He uses fruit in sets of three except for lemons; the six lemons distribute the color and serve as a strategic weight in spots. Other fruit selected: fresh red and green apples, green pears, bright orange tangerines and cranberries. Small pineapples may also be used. Place the fruit in a pattern directly on the top or front side of the wreath. His pattern features a red apple between a green apple and a green pear to break up the color. He alternates the orange tangerine placement with the red apple. He clocks the lemons by placing them in a circular pattern. The only way to attach heavy fruit to this wreath frame is with wire. Use an 18-inch, 21-gauge wire, cut a sharp point on one end of the wire with a pair of wire cutters. Push the sharp end through the piece of fruit directly in the center and through the middle. Lay the fruit on the face of the wreath and pull the wire around the wire frame of the wreath and cinch down (but not too tight, otherwise the wire will rip through the fruit). Twist the wire in the back around the wired wreath frame until it is secure. Push the This Williamsburg-style holiday ends of the wire wreath provides a colorful and back into the sweet-smelling welcome. evergreen so that it wont scratch the surface on which it is resting. Follow this process for each piece of fruit carefully and strategically. Use one bag of fresh cranberries to string them together with a monofilament (fishing line) and a needle. Once you have one long string of berries or several shorter strings, wrap the strung cranberries around each piece of fruit, or simply establish an attractive pattern of your own creation. Using the same monofilament-type line, cut several pieces to wrap it around the string of the strung cranberries and feed it through the front of the wreath around the cranberry string and through the evergreen. Tie it in the back of the wreath around the frame. This will secure the cranberry string and prevent them from falling loose around the fruit. Use a very strong metal hanger to secure the wreath to the door. Enjoy for several weeks.
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Holiday Decorating

| 2007
IStockphoto

Get The

Out
Reinvent your light show this holiday season with energy-efficient LED lights
BY LISA BERTAGNOLI
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LED
now uses LED lights instead of traditional incandescent bulbs. Weve heard comments that theyre more attractive and classier than the traditional lights, says Dave Perella, executive director of the Gatlinburg Dept. of Tourism. Light-emitting diodes have been around for about 30 years, and until recently have been best known for supplying the light for the numbers on digital Holiday spirit, inside and out: LED lights bring holiday dcor into sharper focus anywhere you want to spread seasonal cheer.

Image courtesy of Gatlinburg Department of Tourism

very year, Gatlinburg, Tenn., goes all-out during the holidays, festooning downtown trees, lamp posts and storefronts with millions of glittering, colored lights. This coming holiday season, the lights will look even more dazzling than they have in years past. Thats because Gatlinburg

alarm clocks and the displays on televisions, DVD players, stereos and other appliances. In the last five years though, technology has created LED light bright enough, and polychromatic

enough, to work as holiday lights. They used to be just indicators, and now they are illuminators, says Jordon Papanier, marketing manager at Ledtron-

ics, a Torrance, Calif.-based manufacturer of LED holiday lights. For homeowners, theres good news, and not-so-good news, when it comes to using LED lights during the holidays.

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Holiday Decorating

The good news, especially for environmentally minded homeowners, is that LED lights use 70 to 90 percent less energy than their predecessors. A string of incandescent holiday lights consumes 157.5 watts an hour, while the same string of LED lights uses 12.5 watts per hour,

Perella says. Their construction a semiconductor chip encased in epoxy, compared to an incandescent lights thin shell of glass around a delicate filament also gives them a long life. In fact, LED lights last 50,000 to 100,000

Tree Tips
Butterball offers bewildered cooks help at Thanksgiving, and now theres a hotline for holiday decorators whove found themselves tangled in lights. Ulta Lit Tree Company, a Glenview, Ill.based lighting company, has launched its holiday hotline: 1-888ULTA-LIT. Early-bird decorators can call the hotline from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CST) weekdays before Thanksgiving; it will be open seven days a week beginning the day after Thanksgiving. Operators will be equipped to help callers repair holiday lights. Meanwhile, follow these tips from John DeCosmo, president of Ulta Lit, for a sparkling, brilliantly lit holiday tree.
Make sure the wire between the lights doesnt show. To do this, position a bulb at the end of the branch. Wrap excess wire down that branch, then up the next branch until you get to the tip. Position the bulb, and repeat. DeCosmo says lighting experts use strands with at least six inches of wire between bulbs to achieve this affect. If using incandescent bulbs, work over a carpet to minimize breakage. Plug in the lights before putting them on the tree. This way, you can see if any lights are out, and you can also keep track of how well youre covering the tree. Use strings of light. Resist the temptation to throw a net of lights over your tree. Theyre designed for outdoor use, and wont adequately light your indoor tree. Use enough lights. The rule of thumb is at least 100 lights per foot. So, a 7-foot tree needs, at minimum, 700 lights. Top down or bottom up? It doesnt matter, DeCosmo says. But, put on the lights before festooning the tree with ornaments, tinsel or garland. Be safe: If you have a real tree, turn off the lights before bed and before leaving the house. And remember to water the tree religiously: A dry tree is a dangerous tree.
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hours, compared to 2,000 for a traditional bulb. (In other words, chances are you wont pull LEDs out of storage, only to find that half of the lights have expired over the summer.) Less energy and longer lives mean that LED lights are costeffective, especially for homeowners who love to use lots of lights. Another benefit: Because they use less energy, the lights are cool to the touch, and therefore safer. LED lights are weatherproof, and perform well both inside and outside. Outside, they look better if theres not a lot of competition from landscape lighting or streetlights. Inside, use them the same way youd use a string of incandescent lights. The lights can be somewhat difficult to find, and theyre more expensive than old-fashioned incandescent lights. LED holiday lights can cost up to $30 a strand, compared to $6 or $7 for traditional lights. And, Papanier cautions, you get what you pay for: Less expensive LED strings feature red and yellow bulbs, not the more costly greens and blues.
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Image courtesy of Ledtronics

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Holiday Decorating

| 2007

BY KATE SULLIVAN
CTW Features

hen mixing holiday season and sentiment, traditional decorating rules get buried in the snow. Come holiday time, the scrooge gets nostalgic and the spendthrift start splurging suddenly purchasing one more Mr. and Mrs. Claus set becomes a no-brainer. The holidays bring out the collector in all of us, tempting us to splurge on extras Christmas trees throughout the house, a menorah collection bright enough to light up the block, snow globes as far as the eye can see. In the spirit of

Collections
Tis the season for collectors. Holidays come but once a year, so heres how to collect and decorate in style
ily traditions and fond memories grow with each generation. Tim Shanahan, of Chicago, remembers how the collection of holiday Hummel figurines displayed at his grandmothers joy and festivity, tis the season to let go of reason. What makes holiday time special to all are the rituals associated with getting ready for the season. Festive collectibles reinforce famhouse kicked off the seasons festivities. Evoking fond memories, her legend lives on in the pack of porcelain pieces. Each year someone would give her a new one. We would add it to the table

Showcase Your

in the living room that quickly became the centerpiece for our Christmas celebration. Part owner of the Hummel Gift Shop of New Springfield, Ohio, Fran Mays experience in the holiday-collectible market spans 30 years. For her, sentiment drives the seasons business. People start a collection and continue for years to come. Parents begin one for their children so when the kids are grown and move out, they can begin to decorate their own home at the holidays while also keeping childhood memories in the mix. May recommends beginning a collection when a child is born, and adding to it with each birthday. From Lladro bell ornaments to Department 56 holiday villages, May watches designer collections grow year after year and looks forward to her visits from her annual shoppers. When it comes to shining the spotlight on your seasons best, its about mixing your personal style with your collections. You can deck the halls and parade pieces throughout a home or dedicate an entire section of the living room for a display, like the Shanahans Hummel family. May recommends going to a store to observe their set-ups. Are they showcased in a cabinet or taking center stage in the foyer? Customers get inspired when they see different ways they can display their holiday favorites. May and her team even have a wall of pictures that customers have sent in with their home displays, encouraging others to expand their decorating designer minds. For younger generations, the idea of holiday collectibles may feel like something more for the ghost of Christmas Past. But May sees the modern day consumer

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Holiday Decorating

Image courtesy of Martha Stewart Collection, exclusively at Macys

Create a DIY Collection


On a budget or just particularly crafty? No reason to steer clear of creating your own collectibles. Become one of Santas elves with a few easy do-it-yourself decorating tips.

Multiple Wreaths
Go beyond the front door and bring the classic welcoming indoors. Celebrate diversity with a variety of the round regular. Traditional evergreen, pinecone, gold, silver or metallic balls or wood highlighted with bows and ribbons will add seasonal sentiment with minimal effort.

Pinecones
Large and small, dip edges of the cones in colored glitter. Keep it classic by choosing one color, like silver or gold to give your home a glow. Line pinecones up and down a solid red, green or blue table runner in your dining room for an instant centerpiece upgrade. Or toss them in a large solid-colored mixing bowl, adorn with a big, luscious holiday ribbon and display in the foyer.

Silver Balls
The beginning of a tradition: All collections start off with one treasured item. Find your holiday gold be it a mini tinsel-laced tree, a jolly snowman or a gingerbread house and let your imagination run wild. catching on. While our grandmothers still love the Hummel figurines, its the young newlyweds that are buying up the more affordable holiday villages and Snowbabies from Department 56. Whether you have a single Santa head or a village of little ones, heres how to call attention to your collectibles. of a toy train circling the town? Not ready to build the community? Starting with one piece on a fireplace mantle or in the foyer makes for a scene worth celebrating. Add a twist to the traditional Silver Bells jingle and use silver balls instead. Most craft stores will have plain metallic balls of all sizes. Toss in vases, votives, bowls and baskets this is one easy way to say happy holidays across the faith borders.
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Let There be Light


Not sure of which collection to commit to? No worries. Candles create festivity in any household with minimum effort. Choose one color or color palette and display candles throughout your home. In groups of three or as a solitary pillar, these candles will unify a home. Highlight with evergreens, holly or poinsettias.

Hide and Seek


Pick one theme, from Santas or ornaments to bells or candles, and keep this idea consistent though out the household. Many designers, like Lladro and Royal Dalton, create an ornament or figure of the year entirely dedicated for the holiday season. Combine homemade creations, like the Santa that your third-grader made in art class, with a timeless piece. This is a great way to incorporate treasures from the past with new modern ones.

The Village People


An easy way to go holiday is to start with a village collection. Most festive villages share common themes like snow-covered miniature buildings with bundled-up characters straight out of anything from the Victorian period through the early 1900s. And who can forget the classic image

Let the Spirit Move You


Keep the meaning of the holidays present in your home with subtle yet classic holiday highlights. Multiple menorah sets illuminated throughout a home

bring light to the season. Think beyond windowsills and use tables, china cabinets and bookshelves. Collectible dreidels also call attention to the meaning of Hanukkah while conjuring up a celebratory mood. Nativity scenes will inspire the spirit of Christmas to come to life. If ever there is a time to be above the top, spilling over with joy, tis the holiday season. Say it loud, share the cheer and display your familys holiday spirit. Start collecting the memories.
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Holiday Decorating
Extravagant and over-thetop: A life-size angel is perched above the entrance to Walt Disney Worlds World Showcase in Epcot.

| 2007
Image courtesy of Walt Disney World

Holiday decorating doesnt have to be a challenge. Heres how to make it fun, memorable and beautiful from holiday pros who know their way around a tree
BY CHUCK ROSS
CTW Features two 44-foot trees are erected in the malls main entrance. And the facilitys 7-acre indoor park, a favorite family gathering spot, features 400 live trees decked out in 750,000 lights. He says a similarly focused approach also can be successful in home-decorating efforts. I think its important to prioritize your rooms, he says. If you design by creating little vignettes, youll be able to provide more impact than by spreading [decorations] all over the place.

TOP

TIPS FROM THE

f the idea of holiday decorating fills you with dread, try putting yourself in Brett Beaudettes boots. As head visual designer for the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., hes faced with hanging enough lights, wreaths and ornaments to make the 4.2-million-square-foot facility feel warm and festive. And then there are the Christmas trees more than 400 of them, two of which top out at 44 feet tall. Despite the impressive statistics, however, Beaudette faces many of the same challenges homeowners experience when planning his holiday displays just on a slightly larger scale. He and other holiday decorating experts say any successful design, large or small, is built on the same basic principles of scale, color and creativity.

Have a Holiday Theme


Creating a theme for your decorating plans is another idea professionals promote. As with Beaudettes vignette idea, a unifying concept gives even modest home displays a professional sheen. For Barneys New York, the annual holiday theme becomes a governing backdrop to all the retailers marketing efforts during this time of year. The holiday theme impacts so much of what we do at Barneys the shopping bag, catalog, merchandise that we need to plan, plan, plan, says Simon Doonan, Barneys creative director and the mastermind behind the stores famous window displays. The ideas come from the zeitgeist I try to zero in on whats in the air.

Focus Your Efforts


Beaudette approaches his annual decorating duty with military precision a natural for him, since this Army Ranger also is a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. For maximum efficiency, he concentrates his teams efforts on areas where theyll make the biggest punch. For example, the

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Holiday Decorating

One-track mind: Its okay to have tunnel vision when planning your holiday dcor. In fact, its almost preferable. Choose a theme and stay true, whether its traditional trees and lights, a town celebration complete with toy soldiers or the life and times of Andy Warhol. Clockwise: the foyer of the New York Palace Hotel, part of the dcor at Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom and a Barneys New York holiday window.
Image courtesy of Rick Barroso / Barneys New York

Image courtesy of American Christmas

Image courtesy of Walt Disney World

ative officer of Bronx, N.Y.-based American Christmas, Fritzel oversees holiday designs across the country for such customers as Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales, and suggests thinking of your decorations as jewelry for your home. I dont want the decorations to steal the focus, he says. I want to add an ambience. In a way, a familys decorations are their Christmas card to their guests. When determining the scale of any single decoration, Fritzel considers how close a viewer will be when admiring the piece. So, large and simple makes sense for outdoor decorations, which will probably be seen at a distance, while intricate details make more sense with interior tabletop displays.

Packing it up
Storing holiday decorations can be a chore, even when you have a 54,000-sq.-ft. warehouse at your disposal. Lisa Borotkanics, Walt Disney Worlds holiday services managers, has some tips for keeping decorations safe and easy to find next year.
Dont store plastic foliage in attics or sheds that can overheat because the plastic can melt in the summer heat. Stuff ribbons and bows with tissue paper to help them keep their shape when packed, so you can spend less time getting them ready to go next year. Be sure to store painted glass ornaments in dry, well-ventilated locations moisture can cause the paint to crack. Print out labels identifying the contents of every box you pack, so you dont have to open them all next year to find a favorite collection or tree-topping star.
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Pros at Home
So how do these professionals tackle their own holiday decorating? Doonan, whos already thinking about Barneys 2008 plans, prefers simplicity. He plants two ornaments from Las Vegas Liberace Museum on his mantle still in their original boxes and calls his efforts finished. Both Borotkanics and Fritzel prefer traditional approaches, with the Disney designer favoring a keepsake theme and Fritzel opting for a tree filled with European hand-blown glass ornaments. Beaudette has spent several holidays on duty overseas in fact, hell be spending this Christmas on base in North Carolina before heading back to Iraq in January. He often must take a more creative approach to the seasons decor. He may take some ribbing from his fellow sol-

This year, the air, itself, has caught Doonans attention, so Barneys plans will focus on environmental concerns. The designer was mum about many details, but noted that a certain sleigh-bearer will figure prominently in displays. We have a giant reindeer made out of tin cans, Doonan divulges. Rudolph the Recycling Reindeer! Few places understand the value of a theme as well as Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. There, designers come up with

separate plans for every park area and resort property. For example, Christmas in the Pirates of the Caribbean area takes on a distinctly dark tone, with black Christmas trees covered in bags of coins and telescopes. We just wondered, What would a Christmas tree look like for a pirate? says Lisa Borotkanics, Walt Disney Worlds manager of holiday services. It would carry all the treasure they had found.

How Much is too Much?


One question home decorators often ponder is, just how much is too much this time of year? Kent Fritzel says this is really a matter of personal taste. As chief cre-

diers, but he still makes sure to bring some holiday cheer wherever he may be stationed. I tell people, you can laugh all you want, but Ive still got the best-looking foxhole in Iraq.
CTW Features

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Holiday Decorating
Greenery real or not adds a welcoming warmth and a touch of character to holiday dcor.

| 2007
iStockphoto

No need to choose theres room in your home for both real and artificial greenery. Heres how to spice up your holiday decor
BY PAIGE BOWIE
CTW Features

All Shades of

Green

othing conveys the holidays like festive greenery. But while real evergreen trees, pine bough swags and mistletoe kissing balls are all great in theory, the cost and maintenance arent terribly practical. The ideal is always fresh cuttings, said Kathy Peterson, a do-it-yourself expert and author of Kathy Petersons Great Outdoor Decorating Makeovers: Easy, Elegant Transformations on a Limited Budget, (WatsonGuptill , 2004). But its not always affordable. Lets face it, its expensive. And, of course, it doesnt last. The alternative is artificial greens, but they have drawbacks, too. They can look fake, Peterson says. Even though there are some great new artificial plants out there, they sometimes still do have a cheesy look. On the other hand, artificial greenery is less expensive and will last much longer than real greenery, leaving you to enjoy it all season, says design coordinator Kelly Edwards of HGTVs Design on a Dime. Sometimes if you buy the right things, they can last season after season. Dont write off the fake stuff as hopelessly unattractive, either, urges Debbie Terrell, a floral designer for

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iStockphoto

2007 |

Holiday Decorating

Michaels Stores Inc., Hurst, Texas. There are different levels of quality [determined] by your price point, but its come a long way. Todays selection is much more diverse and realistic than the types of things most people associate with artificial greenery. Bear in mind, too, that people generally have more tolerance for artificial greenery during the holiday season. They understand that its a special time of year, so theyre more geared for that, Terrell says. And its sort of an investment, because you can use it again. To warm up artificial greens, Terrell suggests adding to them. That accomplishes two things: The greenery looks prettier, and its obscured a little so its not as obvious that its fake. She likes adding ornaments, ribbon and silk florals. A lot of times people have a hard time figuring out how to attach [greenery] to the mantel, Terrell says. There are the 3M adhesive hook strips you can hook garland on. Or use suction cups. Attach ornament clips to the garland to fasten the enhancements. That makes it really easy. If you dont want the hassle of

adding to garland, another option is to buy pre-lit greenery, an outgrowth of popular pre-lit artificial trees. Choose from traditional light bulbs or fiber optic lights that fade and move along the length of the piece. Your decorating effort should start with a homes entrance, Edwards says. Always have a warm welcome. A wreath on the door or a staircase and mantel decorated with garland

Always have a warm door welcome.A wreath on the


or a staircase and mantel decorated with garland is a wonderful touch.

inexpensive berry stems and insert them in the plant. That adds color, texture and height. Additional hybrids include adding artificial berries to a live wreath, or mixing artificial garlands on a fireplace mantel with fresh flowers. They dont necessarily have to be poinsettias, Peterson says. It can be carnations or roses, which are great because they arent really expensive and come in all kinds of different colors. You can also insert fresh-cut greens and pinecones in artifiGet crafty with a quick DIY project cial plants. Pine is great for that. You get a beautiful look 1. Attach (3) 3-M Hooks to mantle top. One centered, one on each end. and you get the is a wonderful touch, scent, too, which is 2. Drape garland across mantle as shown above, secure to 3-M Hooks. she says. Wreaths or such a great way to green garland on a warm up a house, 3. Embellish garland with favorite ribbon, floral, ornaments, berries, mantel or a staircase Peterson says. vines, butterfly clips, tassels, fruit sprays, etc. All above have been decorated with holiRemember, attached to the garland using ornament clips. day berries or even some of those natartificial fruit can ural addendums bring in that cozy, could be free for 1. Attach 3-M Hook to wall at desired height. homey feeling. the taking in your Speaking of fruit, own back yard, says 2. Secure wreath to 3-M Hook. I mean, at one time Edwards. this was a plant, Grab some 3. Embellish wreath with ribbon, floral, ornaments, berries, vines, right? Making a branches, give butterfly clips, fruit sprays, an angel, or whatever you desire. All above mistletoe out of fake them a light coat of have been secured to wreath using ornament clips. baby lemons or white and glitter oranges with cranspray paint and put CTW Features berries and limes them in a vase on sprinkled in, can add your mantel or a nice splash of color and will ery are mutually exclusive. You table, she says. They are a great draw your eye up to a very intercan always cheat a little and mix way to add height to any piece. esting work of art. Topiaries it up, she says. It really fools Or if youre in need of some made of fruit, too, always make the eye if you dont overdo it and color, holly branches are simple interesting centerpieces. just fill in. Its phenomenal. and stunning, and you can swap Author Peterson doesnt Poinsettias are always poputhe real for the fake. CTW Features believe real and artificial greenlar at Christmas. Get some very

Festive on the Fly


Garland

Wreath

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Image courtesy of Michaels Stores Inc.

Holiday Decorating

| 2007

Holiday Cards
BY SALLY FARHAT KASSAB
CTW Features

Not Your Grandmas


Getty Images

More Upscale and Modern


Traditional snowmen, Santas and Christmas trees are still popular, but the designs are changing. Santa is getting more sophisticated-looking than the big bushy beard, says Sarah Stefany, the manager for content strategy for VistaPrint, a custom graphicdesign company. Hes coming into modern times. Theres really this elegance and sophistication to cards en masse. Catherine Breer, founder of Maine-based Annie-Catherine, which creates cards, calendars and paintings, says some givers are moving away from traditional cards. Their cards offer a modern twist on old favorites, such as a snowman throwing a peace sign and messages such as hip holidays and groovy new year.

Purple, Anyone?
Sure, most cards are still red and green. But theres a surge in new shades that dont necessarily scream Christmas. For example, one of Shutterflys new photo cards comes in icy blue with white snowflakes. That light blue is one of the new hot colors, according to Stefany. Eggplant purple is also a new color I [am seeing] on a lot of

cards. she says. The traditional reds and greens are becoming lighter shades, and even going into pinks and limes. I saw a lot of nature, earth-tone colors like orange and brown, silver and gold. Kerry Amidon, marketing director of card maker Checkerboard in West Boylston, Mass., said the newest designs are inspired by runway fashions. For example, this season we are going to see a lot of black-and-

white cards and metallics, as opposed to the traditional redand-green cards with wreaths or snowmen.

More Personalized
California special effects expert Howard Gersh became known for his computer-made holiday cards. One year, he and his family were a rock band. Another year, they sat in a one-horse open sleigh. Other cards featured them in a scene with 3-D dinosaurs.

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Image courtesy of Staples Inc.

-mail may be all the rage, but people are still sending cards this holiday season: 2 million, to be exact. But that doesnt mean things havent changed. Cards just keep getting better: more creative, fun and personal. If youre thinking about doing something new this year, perhaps some of these trends will inspire you. Heres whats new in the holiday card world.

Holiday cards are developing into an art, going beyond mere greetings, becoming part of holiday dcor with music, photos, pop-ups and more

The cards became so popular that he quit his job in films to open his own card company, Its A Keeper Cards. Hell tell you how to pose, then you choose from templates or have him create the cards for you. If youre more of a do-itCards for the yourself person, keeping: consider pickSpread holiday ing up a cardcheer spiked making kit. with personalKellie Engleity, from pophardt, spokesups to music woman for and special Close to My effects to hand- Heart in Pleasmade. ant Grove, Utah, says those are selling well. They come with a preprinted card base, coordinating stickers, ribbon, and other embellishments. Mike Hogan of Columbus, Ohio really wanted to be unique. I decided to send a How to Make a Holiday Wreath greeting card, Hogan says. I took a photo of one of the live holiday wreaths I made, which I used as the photo. I included directions on how to make a holiday wreath. People loved it. There are even new twists on getting younger children involved. Paul Marciano, Ph.D., founder of Coloring Card Company, invented Christmas cards made for kids to color on. The idea started when he asked his godchild if she received his card. The girl proudly showed him that she had colored all over it. The idea of Coloring Cards was born.

2007 |

Holiday Decorating

Materials
Blue lightweight paper, 7 x 11 1/2 inches 2 pieces of dark blue card, 7 x 3 1/8 inches

the centerfold. Crease this edge with the bone folder. Turn the paper over, fold the other short edge to the centre fold and press with the bone folder.

Step 5
Using the glaze pens, add a carrot-shaped nose in orange, and eyes, mouth and buttons in black. Use the brown pen to draw in stick arms. Cut a scarf shape from two pieces of patterned paper. Leave the pen marks to dry.

Photos Galore
With the reign of digital photos, its no wonder that people are sending more photo cards. At first, we expected photo cards to be a nice trend that would last several years, says Lynn Byrne, president of card maker Cooper and Oliver in Ridgewood, N.J. But the demand is growing every year, with photos becoming an expectation on the part of recipients. I have heard more than once, When I open a card without a photo, I think, Whats the point? Everyone wants to see how everyones kids are growing, even if they live just down the street. Sending pictures is more convenient than ever, if you use the computer. With CVS, for example, you upload photos and

completely at home: The Post-it Photo Card Kit, for example, includes software and sticky photo paper to print out the cards. Recipients can peel and stick the card anywhere on the fridge, a wall or mirror. For something really unique, allPopart makes vintage illustrations and silhouettes out of your pictures by hand. Ana Sanchez, co-founder of the Hollywod, Fla.based company, says celebrites such as Uma Thurman and Tori Spelling are clients.

Blue card, 8 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches Scrap of patterned paper Acrylic paint pearl white, sapphire blue (optional) Glaze pens orange, black, brown Sponge dauber or small piece of clean sponge Bone folder Glue stick Saucer Metal ruler or clear plastic rectangular tearing template

Step 3
Rub a glue stick along one of the shorter edges of the blue paper and then attach to one of the pieces of dark blue card. Attach the other piece of dark blue card to the other end of the paper, blue side facing outward.

Step 6
For a torn effect, a clear plastic rectangular template was used as an alternative to a metal ruler, as this allows you to tear all four edges easily. Position the clear template over the snowman, hold firmly in place with one hand and tear the paper along the edges of the template with the other hand. If the template is smaller than your image, just move it down as you tear. Glue the

DIY Holiday Cheer


Personalize your holiday greetings with creativity and charm that your friends and family will want to showcase in their homes. Elizabeth Moad shares her DIY recipes and the results in her new book Quick & Clever Christmas Cards: 100 Fast & Festive Cards & Tags (David & Charles, 2007). Heres a quick how-to sure to warm hearts.

Step 4
Place a small amount of white acrylic paint on a clean, plain saucer. With a sponge

Step 1
Fold the blue lightweight paper in half. With the flat edge of a bone folder, press along the fold to make a sharp crease. (You may want to write your letter before folding the paper.)

Flat No More
Staples sells pop-up cards by C.R. Gibson Company, ranging from a snow globe to a chilling penguin pattern. And forget the plain card now a big trend is embellishments: Fabric, crystals, beads and foils.It makes a handmade unique look, and is a gift in and of itself. Anything thats individual or unique becomes more valuable, says Barbara Miller, spokeswoman for the Greeting Card Association. Letterpress stationery, which is made by hand with old-fashioned type, is enjoying a renaissance even though the cards may cost $3 or $4 apiece.

Step 2
Fold back one short edge to

dauber or piece of sponge, pick up small amounts of the paint and gently dab in the center of the blue card to create three rounds, building up the shape from the center outward. Practice on scrap paper first to gauge how much paint is needed on the dauber or sponge. Leave the paint to dry according to the manufacturers instructions.

Image courtesy of Annie-Catherine

snowman panel to the front dark blue card.

And Dont Forget the Music


design your card online, then go to your local store to pick them up within hours. Shutterfly will stamp and mail them for you. If youre old fashioned and want to slide in a photo yourself, youre not alone: Nine percent of holiday cards sold every year have photo inserts. Or, just use your own printer and do them This season, American Greetings is offering new lines of song, sound and light cards. They play tunes like Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas and Santa Baby, cards featuring lights fit for the most festive house and even offerings with holiday sounds, like Santa bellowing Ho, Ho, Ho, and dogs barking Jingle bells.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


While Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and other holiday cards are selling, 98 percent of all cards are Christmas cards, Miller says. The two most popular sayings? Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year and Seasons Greetings. There is lots of tradition in Christmas cards, Miller says. They may be more sophisticated, and have shorter sentiments inside, but as a whole, there is still a very traditional feeling of Christmas, and thats reflected in

the way we portray it and express it.


CTW Features

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Images courtesy of 2007, David & Charles, a division of F+W Publications, Inc.

Holiday Decorating

| 2007

Show Me The Tree!


Redefine how your home reflects the holiday season starting with your Christmas tree
Image courtesy of Show me Decorating

Your Christmas tree doesnt have to look like the boxes of ornaments, garland and lights fell directly out of your attic onto it. But no worries you are not destined to relive the dcor of holidays past. Theres still time to avoid Christmas tree clutter and embrace your holiday home dcor, courtesy of holiday-decorating entrepreneurs Becky McCraney and Kathy Harrison.

StopDreaming of a Red-and-Green Christmas


This holiday season, unwrap some new hues
Red and green. Stop believing those are the only color options for holiday decorating. Go for hues that exude a wintry feel without kitsch or commonality.

The Midland, Texas-based sisters have owned Miss Cayces Christmas Store since 1984 and just released a DVD detailing the path to tree-trimming bliss: Show Me Decorating: Recipe for Holiday Tree Trimming. Here are their words of ribbon-strung wisdom. Mary M. Murphey

Stop being dull.


Go for some shine. Opulence is another theme for this winter, with gold as the heart of the look, accented by bronzy tones, says Lamb. Metallic makes everything feel rich and warm, she says.

10 Steps to YOUR Perfect Christmas Tree


1. Determine the desired location in your home to place the tree. Measure ceiling and available floor space to determine what size tree you need. 2. Decide whether you would like a fresh tree or a Permanent Pre-lit tree that come in a variety of sizes and shapes, from pencil thin to slim and very full to fat, and are set up in minutes. 3. If you picked a permanent pre-lit tree, put together the stand, shape and fluff each section, plug in the lights and enjoy. For a fresh tree, light the tree from bottom to top working from the back of the branches out to the tips and back to the trunk and cross over to the next branch. 4. Choose a theme such as gingerbread in red and white with candy delights, or you may want to match your home dcor with rich jewel tones for elegance, or feature a special collection or family favorites and have a traditional red and green Christmas. 5. Select ribbons for bows to match, starting at the top use a diamond pattern to place on your tree. 6. Fill in the diamonds with large-sized Christmas balls to coordinate. 7. Place permanent floral, leaf sprays or berries through out the tree to enhance the theme or color scheme. 8. Now add the ornaments (new or family favorites). Timothy R. Schulte 9. Ice the tree with garland. 10. Enjoy all the compliments from family and friends!
CTW Features

Stop going green (and red).


Go white instead. The Arctic trend white, white and more white is carrying on the snow-and-ice trend that has become popular for the holidays, says Michelle Lamb, editor of The Trend Curve, a bimonthly newsletter for whats hot in color, pattern and design. Hints of blues and grays add color accents to this icy theme. Santa? Replace him with a penguin. Arctic has been all over the box office March of the Penguins, Happy Feet and boxoffice success is just one factor that pushes a trend.

Stop being bland.


Go for some spice. Like spicy colors burnished acorn, cider gold, toasted brown, nutmeg glow winter colors are very warm, says Lamb. This includes mixing and matching, such as combining different-textured surfaces, or bright metallics alongside ones that are slightly less shiny.

Stop being scared.


Consumers are so much more sophisticated, says Lamb. There are many more opportunities to explore color beyond [the traditional]. However, if its those classic colors that are desired, Lamb suggests using them in layers. Use the other sides of the colors brights and deeps to give them a different look and feel. Go for it.
CTW Features

Stop thinking everything has to go on the tree.


Go to the table. These holiday color trends are spectacular for tablescapes or runners, says Lamb. And the Arctic trend is great for themebased accessories, she adds. In everything, from candles to table linens, its really pretty broad.

2007 Content That Works All Rights Reserved contact us at 866-6CONTENT or CONTENTTHATWORKS.com for licensing information.

2007 |

Holiday Decorating
DIYHOLIDAY DECORATION IDEA:

How-to Holiday
Festive ideas for spreading holiday cheer throughout your home
Home for the Holidays: Creative Ideas for Making the Holidays Memorable by Heidi Tyline King (Gold Street Press, 2007) $25 Christmas Merrymaking by Barbara Kissinger (Pelican Publishing Company, 2007) $19.95 A Cozy Quilted Christmas: 90 Designs, 17Projects to Decorate Your Home by Kim Schaefer (C&T Publishing, 2007) $28.95 Kwanzaa: From Holiday to Everyday by Maitefa Angaza (Dafina, 2007) $14 Holiday Hero: A Mans Manual for Holiday Lighting by Brad Finkle (Chronicle Books, 2007) $9.95 Spirit of the Holidays: Decorating and Gift Project Guide by Shady Oak Press (Shady Oak Press, 2007) $14.95 Simply Sparkling Christmas Beading by Dorothy Wood (David & Charles Publisher, 2007) $19.99

Family Photo Mobile


Supplies:
-A sturdy stick (at least a foot long) -Photos -Scissors -Colored yarn -Hole punch -Construction paper (optional) -Hammer and nail

Instructions:
Get out that old box of family photos that youve been meaning to go through for years. Find pictures with Santa, New Years Eve party shots, and any other photos that remind you of holiday seasons past. Trim the photos into interesting shapes (or glue them onto pieces of construction paper for quick frames.) Punch a hole in the top of each photo. Thread yarn through the hole and tie the other end onto the stick. Repeat with as many photos as you like, making sure that the photos hang at varying lengths. Select a good place for the mobile, such as the corner of a wide doorway, a window, or a hanging lamp. If installing in a doorway, hammer a nail into the wood and then tie the mobile up to the nail with a piece of string. If hanging from a light, simply tie a piece of string to the light and then to the other end to the mobile. Enjoy a great conversation piece and a slice of holiday family history. Mary Fons CTW Features

Holly Jolly Christmas in Plastic Canvas by Bobbie Matela (DRG/The Needlecraft Shop, 2007) $24.95 Holiday Paper Crafts from Japan: 17 Easy Projects to BrightenYour Holiday Season

by Robertta A. Uhl (Tuttle Publishing, 2007) $16.95 Creativity with Flowers: Christmas: Creativity with Flowers by Per Benjamin (Stichting Kunstboek, 2007) $45

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