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Organize Your Seasonal Home Decorating
by Rachel Paxton
I don't spend a lot of money decorating
my home. Many people don't want to spend the time or money to
decorate with the seasons, but over the years I have learned some ways
to creatively seasonally decorate that have cost little or next to
nothing. Because I work a lot, I don't spend very
much time decorating my home. When I'm updating my home to a new
seasonal theme, I don't spend more than a couple of hours arranging
and rearranging to get a nice seasonal effect. Here are some
of the ways I've learned to organize my seasonal accessories:
- I store my seasonal decorations in
several large stackable Rubbermaid containers: two for Christmas,
one for Easter/spring, and one for autumn/Thanksgiving. When
I'm ready to change themes, I get out the one(s) to put things away
in, dust or otherwise clean the area(s) where the new decorations
will sit, and then get out the new decorations. The storage
containers get put back away, and everything is still organized for
next season. Make sure you mark the containers in some way to
know which one is which. Color coding them buy buying
different colored containers works well.
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- You will inevitably forget to put
something away and stumble across it when you're cleaning another
day. In each bathroom I have a corner of a closet shelf
reserved for miscellaneous seasonal decorations. Or if someone
gives you a seasonal gift you don't have anywhere else to put at the
moment, this is a good place to put it.
If you find the task of re-decorating
your entire home overwhelming, look for certain areas of your home that
would be good for displaying seasonal decorations. In my home the
kitchen, dining room, and living room are the focal areas of our home.
There are certain areas where I concentrate when decorating for the
seasons:
- Kitchen: I don't do a lot of seasonal
decorating in the kitchen, but there are a couple of easy things you
can do to liven it up a little. Seasonal dish cloths and hand
towels are really cute, as well as seasonal floor mats. If you
use the towels for decoration only, like hanging from your oven door
handle, they will still be nice for the next year. Seasonal
refrigerator magnets are also easy to update.
- Dining Area: Our dining room table is
the focal point of our dining room. We have a long oak table
that is great for seasonal decorating. A table runner makes a
nice seasonal addition. I have one made out of Easter fabric
for spring, a floral one for summer, and one of Christmas fabric.
I just need to get one for autumn. You can accessorize with
seasonal place mats, napkins, and napkin rings. These you can
make yourself or pick up at yard sales or clearance sales
off-season. I also like to decorate the center of the table
for the season. A lot of times I will use a vase of seasonal
flowers. For autumn I have a vase of artificial fall foliage.
I accent the vase with Indian corn, gourds, and artificial fall
leaves.
- Living Room: The main areas of the
living room I concentrate on are the fireplace mantel and hearth, a
corner curio shelf, and the entertainment center. I lay a
garland across the top of the entertainment center that can be
changed with the seasons: fall foliage for autumn, flowers for
spring and summer, and evergreens for winter. On the shelves
of the entertainment center and the curio shelves I rotate my
seasonal knickknacks. The last place I decorate is the top of
the piano. Sometimes I just decorate with houseplants and
photographs, but it is also a great place to showcase collections,
like my angels at Christmas or my bunny village in the spring.
I also have a piece of fabric draped over the piano that I can
change with the seasons.
- Other: Window clings are great for any
season. Door wreaths can also be rotated any time of year.
My grapevine wreath goes up in the autumn and is soon replaced by my
Christmas wreath. You could have one for every season.
Although I don't have one yet, a lot of people have seasonal flags
or banners displayed outside of the house. These you could buy
or make yourself.
These are just ideas to get in the mood
of seasonal decorating. Learning to bring the outdoors indoors can be
fun--there are many easy, inexpensive ways you can change the look of
your home to get in tune with the seasons.
Copyright 2002. Rachel Paxton
About the Author:
Rachel Paxton is
a freelance writer and mom helping other moms to organize their families
and their lives. For other organizing hints visit Organized-Mom.com
or sign up for her newsletter by sending a blank e-mail message to Organized-Mom-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
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