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51. To add a lot of color to a room quickly, use red or
green towels, blankets or even scraps of fabric as throws
for your chairs, couch, tables, etc. Large pieces of polar
fleece make great, cuddly throws.
52. Display colored glass ball ornaments or even beads
in bowls instead of hanging them on your tree.
53. Wash and dry half a dozen small jars (it's better if
they're all different sizes and shapes). Fill each jar 2/3
full of water and add a couple of drops of red or green
food coloring to each jar. Stir. Place one sprig of evergreen
in each jar and display the jars in a group on a table or
line them up in a row on a shelf or window sill.
54. Use children's bath crayons (for coloring in the bathtub)
to draw Christmas decorations on your mirrors and windows.
55. Spray paint the outside of large, clean coffee cans
with gold, red or green paint and use them as cookie cannisters.
Once painted, you can decorate further by using decoupage
medium to glue Christmas card cutouts to the cans, or use
a hot glue gun to attach small plastic or wooden ornaments,
tinsel, garland, whole spices etc.
56. Using a small brush, paint the tips of pine cones with
gold craft paint. Place on a rack or piece of waxed paper
to dry. Display cones in bowls or vases or attach a ribbon
and hang them on your tree.
57. Create an easy wall hanging using a piece of sheet
music for a Christmas carol. Cut a piece of red poster board
a few inches larger than the sheet music and glue the music
to the center of the poster board. Use a hot glue gun to
glue a small sprig of artificial holly to the top right-hand
corner of the sheet music.
58. Spruce up plain red or green bath towels with Christmas
ribbon attached using a hot glue gun or ironed on with fusible
web.
59. Create an inexpensive set of Christmas glassware. Purchase
a set of glasses or mugs and paint holly leaves and berries
on the outside of each glass or mug using red and green
glass paint.
60. Dress up your dinner table: cover the table with a
plain red, green or white tablecloth and sprinkle with red,
green or gold cut-outs from your party decorations store.
Or, make your own cuts out with specially shaped hole punches
and solid colored wrapping paper.
61. Turn an old blanket chest into a treasure chest. Place
the chest on the floor against a wall and open the lid (prop
the lid up securely if it's prone to closing by itself).
Line the inside of the chest with fiber fill to create the
illusion of snow. Drape strings of beads and white indoor
Christmas lights over the chest. Fill the chest with wrapped
presents or wrapped empty boxes. Sprinkle with gold-wrapped
chocolate coins.
62. Create personalized gingerbread men as place cards
for your dining table. Use colored icing to decorate each
gingerbread man with a guest's hair color and usual clothing.
Using icing to print each person's name across the chest
of the gingerbread man.
63. Paint a terra cotta flower pot gold using craft paint.
Let paint dry. Glue on plastic or glass "gems".
Let glue dry. Pipe white glue in a circle around the perimeter
of each "gem". While the glue is still wet, sprinkle
on gold sparkles. Let glue dry. Fill pots with flowers,
nuts or candy.
64. Create an eclectic centerpiece using a large glass
plate. Place a collection of containers on the plate. Use
small bowls, vases, candle holders, flower pots, clean ash
trays, etc. Fill each container with a different type of
nut or candy.
65. Purchase inexpensive plain lampshades for your lamps.
Use a hot glue gun to attach fabric bows (in Christmas prints)
to the shades.
66. Place 1/2 cup of whole cloves on a plate. Apply white
glue to the outside of a small terra cotta flower pot. Roll
the pot in the cloves so that the outside of the pot is
completely covered with cloves. You may have to press more
cloves onto the pot in places. Let the glue dry. Tie a red
ribbon around the outside of the pot - knot the ribbon.
Tie three cinnamon sticks into the ribbon (knot the ribbon
around the sticks). Tie the ends of the ribbon into a bow.
Use the pot as a flower pot or fill it with potpourri.
67. Trim door frames, window frames and the edges of mirrors
with Christmas garland (secure with tape).
68. Decorate with mittens, gloves, touques and scarves.
String jute cord from one end of a room to another and clip
knit items to the cord with clothes pins.
69. Purchase small bells from your craft store. Tie each
bell to a piece of ribbon between 6" and 18" in
length. Gather all of the ribbons together and knot together
at the top. Drape the bells over a door knob so that they
ring when someone enters or exits.
70. Poinsettias are a beautiful way to add Christmas color
to a room. But don't just stop at one. Create a stunning
display using at least six plants - all different sizes.
Group them together, larger plants in the back. Tie a large
gold fabric ribbon around the whole group of pots. Sprinkle
the plants with gold glitter.
71. Wrap a large empty coffee can in Christmas wrapping
paper (leave the top open). Place on the floor, add some
water and fill with evergreen branches. This looks wonderful
on its own, or you can hang ornaments from the branches.
72. Replace your usual curtain valence with a large piece
of Christmas print fabric, draped over your curtain rod.
73. Tie bows around door knobs. One of the most simple
christmas decorations.
74. Create an easy wreath. Tear Christmas print fabric
into strips (or use ribbon, instead). Wrap a styrofoam wreath
with the fabric or ribbon. Hang the wreath as is, or hot
glue Christmas picks, ornaments, nuts, candies, etc. to
it.
75. Wrap a table in Christmas wrapping paper.
76. Purchase cork place mats or coasters, Christmas print
stamps and red/green/gold stamp pads. Then, stamp shapes
onto your coasters and place mats. You can even stamp shapes
onto your table cloths and napkins.
77. Cut pictures of people and objects from Christmas cards.
Glue each object to a magnet sheet. Cut the pictures out
of the magnet sheet. Stick the magnets to your fridge. Visitors
can arrange your magnets into scenes.
78. Put some color into your bathroom. Display red and
green glycerin soaps, bath gels and oils.
79. Use florist wire to wire Christmas picks to railings,
banisters and door knobs.
80. Make a snowman. Better yet, make a whole snow family
or even a whole snow village!
81. Wrap your front door in plain white paper and decorate
with a large bow. Place red and green pens by the front
door and have guest sign the door as they leave your home.
82. Purchase inexpensive white bathroom accessories (soap
dish, toothbrush holder, garbage can, etc.). Paint holly
leaves and red berries on the accessories using craft paints.
Or, use a hot glue gun to attach bows, sequins, beads, buttons,
etc.
83. Cut pictures from Christmas cards and pin them to your
curtains or bedspread.
84. Create an red and green display in your kitchen using
a collection standard food items. Jars of olives, sun dried
tomatoes, pickles, red peppers, cans with red or green labels.
85. Quick wreath: Use a glue gun to attach nuts or wrapped
candies to a styrofoam wreath. Attach a large red ribbon.
86. Paint nuts gold with craft paint (use a variety of
nuts of different shape). Line a large bowl or basket with
Christmas greenery (artificial or real), fill the bowl wit
oranges, apples and the gold nuts. Add a large red bow.
87. Display a large collection of photos from Christmases
past. This makes a sensational conversation piece. Use a
collection of odd frames or create frames using colored
cardboard or craft foam. Instead of displaying each picture
individually, you can create a collage. Use a large piece
of red craft foam. Cut photos into interesting shapes (just
cut around what's important in the photos). Glue the photos
to the foam, overlapping them and leaving a 1" - 2"
border of red foam showing. Cut holly leaves from green
craft foam. Glue three leaves to each corner of the red
foam frame. Cut small circles from left-over red foam (these
are the holly berries). Glue them next to the holly leaves.
88. Make a Christmas bedspread. Trim the edges of a large
piece of red polar fleece with pinking shears. Stitch a
collection of mittens to one side of the fleece.
89. Put a Christmas screen saver on your computer.
90. Paint Christmas stars or bells on the outside of your
bathtub or on your shower curtain using washable children's
soap crayons.
91. Place a plate full of wrapped Christmas baking by the
front door as parting gifts for guests.
92. Remove your mugs from their cup hooks and hang Christmas
ornaments in their place. You can do the same thing with
spoon racks or key racks.
93. Shred colored paper and use it to line a basket. Fill
the basket with red and green scented votive candles.
94. Decorate with giant cookies. Mix up your favorite sugar
cookie or gingerbread cookie recipe. Roll out the dough.
Instead of cutting into small cookies, cut out one tree
shaped cookie using a knife. Don't bother using a pattern.
A hand-cut shape has more charm. Transfer to a cookie sheet
and bake. Cool. Cover with icing made of confectioner's
sugar, green food coloring and water (no butter). While
the icing is still wet, decorate your tree with peppermint
candies, M&M's, jujubes, etc. Let the icing set. Your
giant cookie can be displayed on a plate or you can wrap
up a box in colored foil wrap and glue your cookie to the
front of the box with dollops of icing. The box can be displayed
lying down or standing on end.
95. Make a fresh flower garland using red carnations. You'll
need a few dozen carnations. Cut the stems off just below
the bud. String a length of double thread on a needle (make
the thread as long as the garland you want to make). String
the buds together by pushing the needle through the bud
and out the top of the flower. Tie the ends of the garland
together, if you wish. This garland should be stored in
the fridge.
96. Make simple Christmas puppets. Cut Santas, angels,
snowmen, etc. from old Christmas cards. Paint craft stick
red or green. Attach one cut-out to each stick using tape.
The kids can play with these or, you can display them in
a vase or a bowl. Just fill the vase or bowl with beads,
nuts, candies, etc. and stick the puppets' sticks into the
bowl.
97. Wrap your plant pots in red or green foil wrap. You
don't even have to remove the plants first. This one of
the most simple christmas decorations, but its nice.
98. Create a display by your front door with unused boots.
Assemble a group of boots and fill them with wrapped gifts
or empty boxes.
99. Purchase an inexpensive glass vase (or better yet,
three or four vases). "Paint" the vase with white
glue and roll in red or green sparkles. Use the vase to
display a large collection of white or red carnations.
100. To create an easy Christmas card display, purchase
a large red bow that has a vertical ribbon attached. Hang
the bow and ribbon and pin Christmas cards to the ribbon,
starting near the top.
101. Paint fruit such as apples and pears with egg white
and roll in gold sparkles. Air dry on a rack and display
in a basket along with nuts.
Reprinted with permission from Make-Stuff.com
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