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Country Christmas Decorating
by Colleen Moulding
Add a little country charm to your Christmas decorating this year.
Forego the glitz and glam for natural materials, check fabrics and
homemade country style. The beauty of this type of decorating is that
it doesn't have to look perfect. The odd crooked stitch or slightly askew
angel wing just shows that it is homemade and adds to the charm.
Lots of these projects are perfect for children to help with too.
Handmade Cards
The easy way to do this is to buy blank cards and add your own
decoration or make your own by simply making a sharp crease in thin
card. Do this by scoring lightly along a ruler edge with a craft knife on
the inside of the card before folding.
Imagine a 3" square of red and white gingham with frayed or pinked
edges stuck on to the card, topped with a little paper or felt heart or
star, and a red hand written Happy Christmas underneath. Very easy,
Very country, Very, very nice to receive.Or try a scrap of green fabric or
felt cut into a triangle shape to suggest a Christmas tree with a gold star
on the top, or an embroidered or cross stitched initial or Merry Christmas.
Country Tree Decorations
Why not make some simple felt ornaments for the tree? Use cookie
cutters, patterns in children's coloring books or whatever you can find to
make a template, then cut out felt hearts, stars, angels, stockings,
whatever takes your fancy. Cut two identical pieces out of the felt and
one slightly smaller out of wadding/batting to go between the two and give
a slightly padded look. Blanket stitch all the way around the edge in a
contrasting color and add a ribbon for hanging.
If you are handy with a jig saw cut out hearts and stars from thin wood,
then paint and hang with raffia for a homespun look, or even easier make
your ornaments from salt dough. Don't forget to make a hole for hanging before
baking in a very low oven or leaving in a very warm place for a few days
before painting to match your scheme.
If your baubles don't fit in with this new look, pick one color and get
some textured fabric in a bright red perhaps, and cover them, tying with
a bow at the top, or if you want to stick to a natural look try covering
your old baubles with calico and tying with raffia.
More Ideas for the Tree
Make some imitation or real mini parcels by covering matchboxes with
Hessian or gingham and tie with a bow.
Use natural or painted wooden beads, or strings of cranberries or popcorn
to drape the tree instead of tinsel.
Paint and wire on pine cones or real red glossy apples.
Tie on bundles of cinnamon sticks for a fabulous fragrance.
Push cloves into oranges to make aromatic pomanders to place in bowls
or hang from the tree. Make the holes with a nail or small skewer first
to make it easier and much quicker. You don't have to cover the whole
orange, I usually start by tying on a narrow ribbon and then arrange the
cloves in lines two or three deep around the orange in whatever design
takes my fancy.
A batch of gingerbread men probably wouldn't last until Christmas Day
but they would look great for as long as you could keep little (or big!)
hands off them!
Table Toppers
There is a trend towards using a runner down the middle of the table to
take your decorations and candles. This an ideal spot to add a country air
with a red or plaid runner, bowls and platters piled high with fruit and
mince pies, and red or cream candles swirled with ivy. You can then use
plain red place mats underneath your plates, with a napkin on top of the
plate and on top of the napkin the cutlery for that place setting tied
together with a narrow check or tartan ribbon and slightly fanned
out on the napkin. Add natural pine cones holding hand written name
place cards.
Dress up your dining chairs with simple chair back covers, just a
hemmed runner of fabric to drape over the front and back of the dining
chair secured at the sides with ribbon ties. These are perfect for
decorating with ribbons, flowers and fresh foliage on Christmas Day.
Around the house
Make a welcoming display in your hallway with bowls of fresh fruit,
candles, sweets and wreaths. Add huge jugs of rosehips or berries
making a feast for the eyes when visitors arrive.
If you don't have a real fire, use a bank of candles, especially scented
candles, of all different sizes, but the same color, to add a warm glow
to your room. Never leave candles unattended.
Make an herb wreath for the kitchen by wiring on fresh herbs to a
grapevine wreath and adding chilies, bouquet garni, tiny terracotta pots
and a big gingham bow.
Trim your kitchen shelves with red or green felt cut into triangle shapes
and held in place with sticky tack.
For an elegant mantelpiece decoration use green foliage, cream flowers,
cream pillar candles and fresh green grapes.
Add red, green, or tartan wool throws or quilts to the sofa to snuggle
under.
Sprinkle essential oils, orange and cinnamon perhaps, to a bowl of fir
cones, Christmas tree cuttings and dried orange slices for a wonderful
Christmas potpourri.
Decorate a tree in the kitchen with edible delights, cookies, cookie
cutters, candy canes, strings of marshmallows etc.
Bring in the beauty of nature. Line the tops of cupboards and furniture
with evergreen leaves and bright berries. Wind twinkling white lights
around a branch and suspend above a doorway or use as the basis of a
hallway for porch display.
Display candles of different heights in terracotta pots topped with moss.
Add check ribbon bows to dresser drawers and cupboard handles.
Outside Decorating
Gather together any greenery you can find, Christmas tree
cuttings, evergreens from the garden etc. and wire them on to lengths of
rope. These can then be draped around porches, window boxes, or
fences. Add splashes of color with berries, bows, red apples or painted
pine cones.
Candles look lovely outside as long as they are in some kind of container
to protect them from the wind. This is a good way to use up all those
jam jars or baby food jars that collect in your cupboards, left as they are,
or painted with glass paint from a craft store.
You can also turn them into candle lanterns by twisting wire around the
top of the jar and then fashioning a hanging loop from the same piece of
wire.
You can make lanterns from tin cans too by filling them with water and
freezing them, then punching holes in a pattern with a hammer and nail.
Wear gloves and secure the can to the table with a lump of sticky tack
to do this safely. Thread wire through two of the holes and hang with a
tea light or votive candle inside.
Make large twig stars by wiring or tying together six straight twigs of
the same length into two triangles, then wiring one on top of the other to
make a six pointed star. Mini versions of these look good lining a mantle
too, natural or sprayed silver or gold.
Well I hope that these ideas will help you add a little bit of country to
your decorating this year.
What's Related:
Holiday Tabletoppers & Centerpieces
Make Your Own Holiday Cloth Napkins
Outside Country Touches
Country Elegance Holiday Wreath
Elegant Bows for Easy Holiday Decor
Candles for the Holidays
More Frugal Decorating Tips
About the Author:
© Colleen Moulding is owner/editor of All That Women Want
a magazine and web guide for women everywhere. Visit her Christmas
pages where you
can check out Colleen's new Christmas ebook full of decorating and gift
ideas, treats and printable wish lists, place cards and a printable
letter from Santa.
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