Local Living
Home for the Holidays: Easy Ideas to Turn Your House Into a Winter Wonderland
You don't have to be a professional decorator — or spend a lot of money — to add cheer to your home.
Last week, I decorated a beautiful wreath for the Festival of Trees in downtown Joliet. The annual event helps support the Rialto Square Theatre and I was very happy to help however I could. My initial concept was to make a three-dimensional modern wreath by stacking wreaths or mirrors on top of each other. But when I got to the craft store, that concept fizzled. Instead, I went with a classic red, green and silver color scheme and anchored the wreath with a giant metal candy cane. Then, drawing inspiration from the book "An Elf on the Shelf," I fastened an elf to my wreath. I was very proud of the resulting product. Then, at the opening-night gala, it seemed all the other wreaths were decorated by professional florists and designers. …
Sharon Peck
8:41 pm on Thursday, December 9, 2010
Each year about this time, I replace the pictures in a set of five frames that hang in my foyer. Instead of landscapes, the frames now showcase the holiday covers of past issues of Country Home magazine. Each issue features a different illustration of Santa, which makes them the perfect -- and inexpensive -- Christmas decoration. What a nice welcome to my holiday visitors! This year, I added a … more ›