New Years Eve Party Decor

Shimmer And Shine With 2 Great New Year's Eve Party Ideas

Are you looking for some clever decorating ideas to dress up your New Year's Eve table? Are your plans for New Year's Eve formal, casual or intimate? Below you'll find 2 Entertaining Ideas that will make your party guests feel extra special.

Party Idea 1
If you are having a seated dinner party, you can make the party favors the center of attention.  Glass vases and glass hurricanes can hold some of the party favors in the center: noise makers, blowers, masks, poppers and streamers. Display the party favors on your table for guests to grab and chose from.  It's fun, so let the party begin!

Party Idea 2
Pictured above is a bar buffet which is a great plan of attack for large gatherings. Set a dramatic scene by using items of black and white with splashes of silver. Peel and stick numbers are available at your local craft store. The balloons then adhere easily to the wall by using double-stick tape. Get ready for the New Years Eve Countdown!

A simple way to keep track of your guests drinking glasses is to add peel and stick numbers.

Styling for Wayfair by Karin Lidbeck; Photos by Joe Keller

www.lidbeckbrent.com

Which one of these ideas from Wayfair works best for you? For more information, go to The Wayfair Idea Lounge at: www.wayfair.com 

1 Day Countdown- Wishing You a Merry Christmas

Friends, Family And Joy

This holiday season, I do hope that your home is filled with joy and that you have plenty time to do the things you love with family and friends. Each Christmas season is unique providing family traditions that make it our own.  It is my favorite season, a time of creativity and celebration. 

 W hich ever way we choose to celebrate this time of year- whether baking, crafting, entertaining, gifting, volunteering or simply reflecting, it's when we express love and gratitude, provide forgiveness and patience and happily give and help others. This is a good time to express our appreciation for the amazing world we live in.

I've had fun sharing a few special Holiday projects with you on my 25 day countdown to Christmas.

I hope this wonderful Christmas Holiday has wrapped itself around you and embraced you with all that you had wished it to be- today, tomorrow and the coming New Year.

                         

   Styled for Country Living Magazine.  Photos by Tria Giovan

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2 Day Countdown- Create Your Very Own White Christmas

Let It Snow!

Who doesn't hope to wake up to a snowy White Christmas? For most of us it will be just a dream. However, you can create your very own White Christmas morning using ornamental snowflakes available in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials.

                           Styled for Christmas Idea Magazine-2010; Photo by Michael Partenio

You can create a snow-filled holiday by taking an empty small, medium or large frame and add a variety of appropriately proportioned snowflakes to create this snowy-art-project.  You can choose from  plenty of snowflake ornaments available in local department stores, Christmas shops and garden centers.

1- Using white thread or fishing line, hang the snowflakes in the frame by stapling, taping or tacking the thread to the top of the frame on the back side.

2- The easiest way to add the flakes is to lay the frame face down on the floor and tie your lines to the top of each snowflake.

3- Lay the snowflake face down positioned inside the frame where you want it to appear view from the front. Pull the line up to the top and secure.

Now you have a White Christmas Snowflake frame to wake up to!

3 Day Countdown: Ornamental Holiday Cranberry Rings Kids Can Make On Their Own!

Holiday Hustle And Bustle 

When busy with holiday chores, you can create projects to keep little hands busy as their excitement grows. 

It's a great idea!

Photo by Michael Partenio

The little cranberry ring ornament pictured above is simple for kids to make. When completed, they will enjoy helping to decorate the family tree with their very own creation! 

 1  In your favorite place to gather and create, provide a roll of green garden wire next to a large bowl of beautiful fresh seasonal cranberries.

 2  Pre-cut several 12" lengths of wire or have the kids cut their own.

 3  String cranberries onto the wire and then twist the wire together at the top. Place each ornament onto your tree as you make them!

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5 Day Countdown: Winter Wonderland Inspired Table

 Your invitation to Christmas dinner served on this glamorous holiday table is happily accepted.

 This pretty holiday table creation is the inspiration of our Wayfair.com holiday photo-shoot: a Winter Wonderland with herds of silver reindeer, a forest of white feather trees and small garden spruces.

 

 Creating a winter scene is easy when starting with a palate of white and silver. A perfect base for setting down the centerpiece of snowy white trees and reindeer is a white linen tablecloth with a sheer silvery runner laid above. Included in the mix are bits of silver pine cones, mercury glass votives, silver candles and glassware which add the sparkle of glistening snow.

 Now add a red natural accent: little pretty splashes of holly berries nestled in silver votives.

 Plain white dinner plates are made special when accented with festive red holiday plates placed on top. You can use a simple, new table cloth with your best chinaware or dress up your table with an elaborate, dazzling display just like the Wayfair table pictured above. 

 The dining table is where we all come together. It's a special gathering place for family and friends where they'll tell stories, laugh and enjoy the glorious food received. Setting a unique holiday table will enhance this festive atmosphere and add to the dining experience for one and all.

All Photos Courtesy of Joe Keller

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Whether your plan is simple or grand, I wish you a wonderful Christmas Day. My thoughts along with the prayers of our Country will be with the families in Newtown, CT, the lives lost and those who's lives have been drastically changed.  Their holiday season will forever be changed.  I hope that the love and support  that has been pouring in from around the World will help with their healing. 

Click link below for great Wayfair Holiday Decorating Ideas and Products:

www.wayfair.com/idealounge

6 day Countdown - Creative Holiday Wrapping

One of my favorite materials to wrap presents with is old fashioned brown parcel paper. It's a sturdy, durable paper that doesn't rip easily. You can find brown parcel paper easily in supermarkets, hardware and stationery stores at 1/4 the cost of the more traditional paper available. Save your  pretty fabric and upholstery trims for decorative embellishments.

 How pretty brown paper appears mixed with red and silver touches! 

Photo by Michael Partenio

Using brown paper allows your decorative touch to take center stage. Favorite pretty ribbons mixed with cuttings from your garden create a traditional Christmas look inspired by nature.

Fasten kumquats and dried fruit slices into the pretty mix of naturals.

Photo by Michael Partenio

My good friend and creative inspiration, Joanne Palmisano, author of  'Salvage Secrets' and www.salvagsecretsblog.com, loves the salvage concept and uses brown paper bags for her holiday wrapping.  Joanne adds paper doilies and found objects to create hand-made stencils for a personal touch. 

How wonderful this snow-flake pattern appears against the brown paper!  

Photo: courtesy of salvagesecrets.com; photo by Joanne Palmisano

Wrapping Christmas presents may not be your favorite event, but creating your very own wrapping paper will make it memorable and fun!

http://www.salvagesecretsblog.com/p/book.html

Joanne Palmisano

Author of Salvage Secrets

Published by W.W. Norton & Company New York * London

7 day Countdown: Painted Holiday Carnations

Peppermint Holiday Carnations You Can Make Yourself 

One of my favorite holiday flowers are peppermint carnations, the pretty white carnation with a red fringe.  A few years ago while styling a photo shoot, discovered that these beautiful holiday flowers were difficult to find.

The situation forced me to be creative, and I simply made them myself!

Here's how you can make them too:

1- Purchase a bouquet of white carnations, a 1" flat tipped brush and some red acrylic paint.

2- Dip your brush in a bowl of red acrylic craft paint; remove excess paint.

3- Hold flower stem over the kitchen sink and lightly brush the tops edges only to create the effect.  Place the flower down for 5 minutes to dry.

4- Cut bottom tip of stem to refresh and place in water. Make your arrangement as usual!

In the 4 easy steps above, you will recreate beautiful Peppermint Carnations which will last for weeks.