Home Decor

Decorating your home for the holidays is a festive and beautiful way to entertain guest for Christmas. When we think of decorating for Christmas we mainly focus on the front yard or the living area of the home, but what about the back porch. You don't have to spend a lot of time and money decorating the back porch of your home for the Christmas Holiday Season.

Decorations of any kind are perfect for decorating your back porch for the Christmas holiday season. Recycle any old decorations that have since been replaced with updated items. There is no reason to throw them into a landfill when there is a perfectly good back porch to decorate for Christmas.

First, begin with a string of lights for the handrail; make sure they are long enough to go from one end to the other. Before you hang them get a length of garland, any type of garland is fine just so long as it flame retardant. Lights radiate heat and may cause a fire if you do not make sure the materials you use are 100% compatible. Be sure the lights are recommended for outdoor use.

Take the Garland and the string of lights. Intertwine them to mask the wire in between the lights. If you use metallic garland, the lights reflect off the mirror like finish making for a beautiful display. Creating this magical combination is not only beautiful, it is a bargain. For intertwined garland and light combinations purchased ready-made will cost you more than twice as much as making your own.

If you porch has an overhang ceiling, using a set of white ice cycles will brighten up the entire back porch and provide your guests with a safe and comfortable place to get some fresh air. Brighten up your outdoor furniture with a few plastic disposable Christmas Holiday tablecloths you can use twisty ties that come with most garbage or sandwich bags or zip ties.

Wreaths and small potted tabletop evergreen trees are available in most supermarkets and garden centers. Placing potted evergreens in the corners of the porch is very festive. Purchasing baby trees is great for the environment too. When the potted trees out grow their pots, you can transplant them to your yard in the spring and because they are evergreen trees you can leave them out on the back porch all winter.

Decorating the outside door of your back porch to resemble a gift wrapped package for the Christmas Holiday Season is the perfect way to brighten up the back entrance to your home.

You will need two plastic disposable tablecloths that are different in color. Using solid colors is best for doors because you can visualize the full effect of the decoration from near or far away. This lets your neighbors enjoy your decorations as well.

Begin by trimming the plastic disposable tablecloth to fit the entire door. Using removable double sided tape is the best way to hang your tablecloth without damaging the door. Use enough double sticky tape to adhere the tablecloth securely. Once you have the door covered you will need to cut the second table cloth into strips long enough to run the height of the door from top to bottom and a strip that will be placed horizontally from left to right both intersecting in the center of the door. This will resemble a lower case letter t creating a ribbon effect, just like on a Christmas gift.

Now your door is looking like a gift wrapped present for sure. The remainder of the tablecloth that you used for the ribbon on your door can be wrapped in long loops and tied together in the center, kind of like the way you would wind a long extension cord for storage, to create a bow for the center of your gift wrapped Christmas package door. Attach the bow with double sided tape and/or zip ties and twisty ties.

Top this entire look off with another string of garland and lights intertwined together and hang them around the outside of the door frame. Be sure that the lights are far enough away from the edges of the door that when you open and close the door they will not get caught up in the door or cause a safety hazard for foot traffic in and out of the home.

Always remember, safety first, be sure to avoid running extension cords where people can trip and fall. Be sure to purchase lights that are safe for outdoor use. Lights that are not specifically designed for outdoor lighting can short out and cause a fire. Be sure to read all the manufacturers instructions and warnings before using any electrical equipment or incorporating different types of decorations.

Note: Christmas Holiday lights, garland, plastic disposable tablecloths, double sticky tape and zip ties can be purchased in your local dollar store.

When you are finished decorating your back porch for the Christmas Holiday Season, sit back and enjoy your festive space with friends and family.

Happy Holidays.

How many times have you decorated for the holidays and left out the stairway and/or railing, whether it is the steps leading to your front, back or side door or the main staircase inside your home the staircase is the only way to maneuver hour home.

There are safety issues that come to mind when it comes to stairs and clutter, so you may want to factor in all the potential downsides to actually placing decorations on the steps themselves. Unless your staircase is wide enough to accommodate people of all shapes and sizes without the decorations blocking a clear path I don't suggest you place anything on the steps themselves.

Instead, you can swag ribbon or garland from the top to the bottom of the railing. Swagging is very easy to do. First you need to measure your railing and add enough extra length to your actual length to allow for swagging.

Swags should be even in length so be sure to get enough materials to create the look you are going for. You can connect your swag with an array of hooks and clips that are available at your local hardware store choose the one that is right for you. I prefer to use the self adhesive kind that is removable and reusable.

You can mask the hooks and clips with your materials by bunching at the clip section of decorations. I like to use natural evergreen branches for the steps outside of the house; it stays fresh from the cold and smells nice as ascend the stairway.

If you would like to incorporate light into your decorating scheme I suggest you purchase a set that is battery operated to prevent unsightly wires from being seen. Self contained wiring is safety on stairways than using and extension cord.

Run the lights around the garland but be sure the garland is flame retardant, any item that is not flame retardant may catch fire from excessive heat, so know the materials you are working with before you incorporate your decorations.

Christmas wouldn't be a winter holiday without bows, bows are inviting and festive. Clip some bows in between the swags to also assist in camouflaging any clips or hooks you may be using to attach your Christmas Holiday decorations to the railing.

At the bottom of the staircase your hand rail should have a main focal point. I place a very large bow here and let the ribbon from the bow hang all the way down till it is just about to touch the floor. Remember to be careful not to block the stairs where people could fall or trip.

If your steps are wide enough to put a potted plant there are many holiday flowers and plants that can withstand the cold weather so take a trip to your local garden center for some life plants and flowers.

No matter how you decide to decorate your home this Christmas holiday season. Don't forget about your staircase. Bringing the decorations above eye level will help to make your holiday decorations bigger and more beautiful than ever. A railing adorned with beautiful Christmas decorations is appealing to the eye and fills your heart with warm feelings of family.

I hope this guide on how to decorate stairways and railings for the Christmas holiday season assists stairways and railings all over the world to become festive and beautiful. Happy Decorating and remember safety first, you can decorate safe and beautiful all at the same time.

Creating a Christmas holiday centerpiece with candles is fun and easy. All you need to achieve a unique look of your own is confidence and a small amount of cash. The size of your centerpiece is determined by the size of your table, if you will be adding a leaf to your table be sure to set it up before you start to create your centerpiece to acquire an accurate measurement.

When mapping out your Christmas holiday centerpiece allow for plenty of room to accommodate all your serving bowls, platters, dishes, glassware and silverware.

Everything you need is available at your local craft supply store. Many discount dollar stores supply these items too. Shop around to get the best deal you can find.

Start off with a large candle sitting on a candle base large enough to accommodate the candle you are using. Be sure that the candle holder you choose is specifically designed for holding candles, most sections on the store you purchase candles have the bases displayed close by.

Around the base of the candle use flame retardant natural looking tree garland or holly with a wire center. The wire makes it easier to form around the base of the candle. If you prefer to purchase a wreath to place around the candle be sure it is flame retardant.

Decorative Christmas Holiday Ribbon is a nice touch for the centerpiece, any style and color will do nicely. Make bows out of the ribbon. The size of the bow is determined by the size of your centerpiece. The bows function is an accent to the candle and the wreath.

One large bow with flowing ribbon in the center of the piece is appropriate. Use a hot melt glue gun to attach your bows to the wreath. All local Crafting supply stores carry hot melt glue guns. Follow all instructions and warning labels for your hot melt glue gun before using.

When applying hot melted glue only use enough glue as you need, don't over glue your project. Too much glue will cause your project to look unnatural. Be sure to use a test piece of scrap materials you don't plan on using for your finished centerpiece to work out any kinks you may run across during production to determine the amount of glue needed to create the desired effect.

Other accessories can be added to your wreath to create a unique Christmas Centerpiece. Purchase small ornaments and remove the hardware or stings from the small ornament and using the hot melt glue gun adhere the desired ornaments to the wreath. Adding too many accessories to your wreath will take away from the candle theme so don't get carried away.

Don't glue the candle to the candle base, if you need to replace the candle when it has burnt down you can easily do so with no hassles at all.

Once you have completed your candle light it up and enjoy your accomplishment. Do not leave children or pets unattended with an open flame.

If you Christmas Holiday festivities will provide a children's table, you can create a smaller centerpiece to accommodate that table as well. Many stores sell fireless candles that are battery operated, just the perfect touch for your children's table.

No matter what the occasion may be, candle centerpieces are a beautiful addition to any holiday table décor.

To create a wonderfully cheerful atmosphere in your home or office during the holidays there is one easy solution and if you get the supplies at the local discount store it will only cost a few dollars to do it right and make it look great.

Turn your wall art into beautiful floating presents. Most homes and offices are covered with frames of either art, photographs or awards. Simply wrap these items as presents and complete the look with a bow and some ribbon.

By doing this will create the effect of floating presents on all the walls of your home or office. You can even wrap freestanding frames; it works the same way and creates the same effect.

All you will need for this project is assorted rolls of festive holiday wrapping paper, a few spools of festive holiday ribbon with matching bows, removable adhesive tape and scissors.

Clear a workspace large enough to accommodate the frame and wrapping paper.

Place a soft thick towel or blanket on the work surface to prevent any framed work from being damaged.

Remove the frame from the wall and with the wrapping paper open with printed side facing down rest the frame face side down on the wrapping paper.

Trim the paper enough to cover the entire face of the frame with enough length to wrap around the back of the frame to be taped out of sight. Taping first left and right side then top and bottom side. Doing this will prevent the corners from bunching up and looking messy.

Cut a long enough piece of ribbon so that it will go around the frame from left to right with enough length to wrap around to the back and be tacked down with tape.

Cut a long enough piece of ribbon so that it will go around the frame from the top to bottom with enough length to wrap around to the back and be tacked down with tape.

Once the ribbon is affixed to the frame, turn it over and in the center where the two ribbons meet tape a bow.

The frame is now a festive present decoration for your wall that most people will find delightful and fun. There are many frames so have fun with it and I'm sure you will find that all of the rooms in your home or office will be decorated in a short amount of time but with a great amount of love and imagination.

This decorating idea is great for any holiday, birthday or festive calibration, so let your imagination take your decorating to a higher level and have fun.