Lights, Garland, and Ornaments OH MY!

Hello and good evening to you my friends! I thank you all for being so patient as I work to get my posts up for you today! My life has been a little crazy lately between starting my new job, doing some housework, and of course making preparations for my Christmas decorating. Yeah, I haven't put up a tree yet, lights, or anything up yet- but I'm not exactly behind schedule. When I do have everything up and ready, I'll be posting pictures to share my decorating ideas with you. However, just because I'm behind on my personal decorating plans, doesn't mean I can't help you with yours!

Out of all the holidays in the year, Christmas seems to be the one holiday that's like a competition and is easily becoming more commercial each year. People, no matter how you celebrate Christmas just please keep it pleasant and don't over do yourself! In my personal opinion, the best decorating comes from people who plan ahead of time as to what strategies they'd like to take, and I also appreciate the people who really pay close attention to detail to make their Christmas decorations look tasteful and elegant. Now, just so there's no confusion, I'm not say your tree or lights should look like something out of "Better Homes and Gardens", but you don't have to fill the yard with every tacky Christmas decoration you can find! If you are finding yourself this week getting out your Christmas decor items, I'd like to offer some suggestions to help keep your decor style simple, pretty, and festive!

Lights

Ok, first lets talk about lights. For many years now I've seen a lot of people struggle with the phenomenon of hanging Christmas lights around their house, trees, bushes, etc. The key with lights is to know how many strands you own, the colors, which ones flash, etc. I suggest keeping some kind of record sheet so you know exactly what you have in the way of lights, and also note of spare bulbs you may keep as well. It's so easy to be frustrated with hanging up lights, so keeping a good inventory of your current stash of decorating lights can be helpful and productive! It's also important to that you separate your indoor lights from the outdoor lights. You don't want to cause a fire and also be mindful of lights that can trigger power surges, not just in your house, but your whole neighborhood. I've seen it happen before! Now if you need some ideas on using your Christmas lights, I suggest wrapping them around porches, fences, archways, or even garages! When I was little we used to outline our living room windows with the lights- now I just stick to the bushes! The picture below is an example of my light decorating skills from last year, using a few strands of lights and two candle lights for the porch:

Garlands and Wreaths

Within the next week or two I'm planning to demonstrate a special DIY project for designing your own decorative wreaths and garlands. For now, I'd like to suggest that you browse the "pre-made" selection at your local stores and retail outlets. This will give you an idea of classic professional designs, as well as pieces you do like or do not want to incorporate in your decorative designs. In my past experience, it tends to be more personalized (and less expensive) when you purchase your own basic wreath and garland sets, then find all the trimmings to decorate them with. If you chose to go this route, I highly recommend visiting crafty or even thrift stores for bargains on items like jingle bells, ribbon, or other smaller pieces to add to your artistic work. Another common idea is to incorporate additional Christmas lights into your wreaths and garlands, this is fine as long as you do so safely. Scented pine cones are also another unique idea because they not only serve as great air fresheners, but it can also help give your home the warm, cozy aroma effect when inviting guests over- just be mindful about allergies, and don't use anything with too strong of a scent! Often times this can lead to headaches or other uncomfortable sensations, so if you must use scented items be sure to pick something that won't knock others out! 

Ornaments

Ahh, ornaments, the very essence of Christmas decorating! Let me tell you that shatter-proof ornaments are just about the best innovative idea to come around in awhile. I first noticed these last year at Walmart in the big bulk packs where you get a set of about 20 variety ornaments. These ornaments are great for trees that have a lot of LKI (Little Kid Impact) and you don't want to risk have damaged ornaments everywhere. Personally, because the designs on these ornaments tend to be a bit "generic", I'd say these would be good for the trees that are meant for visual decoration. This means, no presents underneath, or specialty ornaments- just a basic design for show off. Now for your main Christmas Tree, you know the one filled with "Baby's First Christmas", your dog's picture, and the classic Rudolph ornaments, I think the best way to keep it looking fresh and revived to keep your tree "fluffed". If you have an artificial Christmas tree, take care to keep the branches from being bunched together and getting tangled with other various branches. I have a 6.5ft Pre-Lit Christmas tree, and I make sure that each branch has been well spread out before adding any of our family ornaments to it. If you have a real tree on the other hand, take proper care in keeping the tree fresh with plenty of water and make sure it doesn't dry out before Christmas day. Your ornaments should be kept clean, and check to make sure that none are broken, cracked, or have other issues. Taking good care of your ornaments, in addition to your tree, can save a lot of time and money down the road should you need repairs. 

Overall, my main message in this post is to be prepared ahead of time, by properly going through your decorations and keeping a good inventory of things so you know what you'll need in order to decorate! The items that you can add personalization to, make sure you think creative thoughts about the kind of design you're going for- a theme? color? sparkle? Whatever your taste is, it always helps to have a game plan in the world of design and decor! 

If you've got some of your own decorating tips and ideas to share, please do so by commenting on this post below! There'll be many more great Christmas ideas to come as we get closer to the 25th, be sure to check back for more updates! Also, the Christmas Pinterest Board will be avaliable soon and be sure to watch for "The 12 Days of The Creative Cabana" starting on December 13th! Don't miss out on these great ideas to come. Until next time, have a great night everyone! 

*All images used in this post EXCEPT for the photo with the candles and lights on the bushes, were gathered from Google Images. The remaining photograph is my own personal picture taken from my home. I would also like to add that I do not "Better Homes and Gardens" or any other pop culture icons referenced in this post. All views stated are that of my own. No Copyright Infringement Intended.