Wednesday, December 23, 2009

TRIM A TREE

Spice up your home’s holiday attire with fresh ideas and colorful, stylish products. Recruit friends and family to trim the tree and home, and feel the joy of this festive season.


1 CHRISTMAS CLASSIC

CREATE A traditional Christmas tree with shades of red, gold, and green. Here, decorative ornaments are accented with berry branches and gold- and red-dusted pinecones. The redbow tree topper is enhanced with metallic gold spirals and ting tings, tied together with tree wire.

tree (#55986**)
ting tings (#243029**)
metallic gold spirals
(#190417**)
pinecones (#179115**)
berry branches (#140975**)
ornaments** (gold crosses, #179241; assorted, #73303; large gold, #169306; crisscross glitters, #168245)
bow (#15977**)
red ribbon (#241349**)

* Does not include applicable taxes, which vary by market.
**Availability varies by market.




2 WINTER WHITE

A SCHEME OF white, silver, and gold creates the ambience of a gentle dusting of snow reflected in the light. This tree is decorated with silver and gold ornaments, and then crowned with a gold star. A cascading waterfall of silver ribbon completes the look.


tree (#55986**)
gold star (#241346**)
ornaments** (large gold, #169306; medium gold,
#168315; small gold,
#143727; gold ornaments with writing,
#143698; silver angels,
#161077; silver studded balls,
#169956; silver crosses,
#161064; gold glitter balls,
#143750)
silver ribbon (#241353**)
garland (#44744**)

* Does not include applicable taxes, which vary by market.
**Availability varies by market.

A Personal Touch


Looking for ways to spark your holiday decor this year? While your approach is likely anchored in traditions—both your own as well as classic looks you’ve been influenced by —adding new stylish twists can make the season even brighter.

• This year, two key trends can provide inspiration. The most important thing is to have fun and create a look that reflects what the season means to you.

A return to all things natural

Many of us revel in the beauty and simplicity of the outdoors, and it’s especially nice to capture those flavors and quiet colors indoors during crisp winter months. Grapevine, berry sprigs, and pinecones are perfect complements to the warm subtle shine and low-luster sparkle of gold tones mixed with shades of plum and green—just right if you love muted expressions.


A little more flash and dash


Lean into the holiday trend that borrows inspiration from the fashion runway. Experience tactile elegance with textures and materials such as velvet, crystal beading, damask, silk, feathers, and even fur. Create visual excitement in shimmering silver and gold mixed with bolder tones of garnet, spruce, and vivid blue.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Unwind & Design Gift Bags


Here it is, our latest installment of Unwind & Design—your excuse to set aside time for being creative and getting together with friends.Whether you make projects for wedding gifts, baby showers, teacher favors, home decor, or any other reason, the Unwind & Design experience is really about giving a present to yourself. In every issue of this magazine, we’ll provide you with project ideas, instructions, shopping lists, and tips for hosting a project party.You also can go online to find monthly project ideas as well as Unwind & Design extras. Just in time for the holidays—launch your first Unwind & Design party with the gift-bag project shown here.You only need a few materials and good friends to join you. In a short, relaxing time, you and your guests will have personalized wrappings for wine bottles, baked goods, or any small gifts.And you’ll have so much fun that you will want to make Unwind & Design a monthly affair.





Step 1: Cut a 13- x 18-inch piece of drop cloth to fit around a wine or oil bottle. (Adjust the size depending on the item you’re wrapping.)

Step 2: Paint designs or the recipient’s initials on the cloth. (We used tape to box off squares for painting, and felt pads were used as stencils to create polka dots.) Allow paint to dry.

Step 3: Align the top of the bottle with the top edge of the cloth. Fold the bottom
portion of the cloth over the bottom of the bottle.Then fold one side of the cloth, and roll the bottle so that the cloth wraps around it.

Step 4: Cinch the neck of the bottle, and wrap wire around it.Twist the ends of the wire to secure.

Step 5: Curl the ends of the wire if desired.Add accents such as mirror rosettes found in the hardware department, twine, or fan pulls.

canvas drop cloth (#126317)**
copper wire (#62938)**
galvanized wire (#62934)**
twine (#66510)**
paint**
foam brushes**
felt pads (#53406)
masking tape**
mirror rosettes (#61003)
fan pulls (#180508; #75874)

* Approximately half of this cost is for supplies that can be kept in your hostess tool kit. Does not include applicable taxes, which vary by market.

**Add these items to your Unwind & Design hostess tool kit.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Festive Front Doors



1. Elegant Blue

Subtle shimmer creates this look with silver and blue glass balls that decorate the tree branches, garland, and wreath. Frosted snowflakes on the sapphire-colored balls enhance the wintry theme. A beaded silver ornament hanging from the center of the wreath adds a special touch. Silver ribbons outline the trees to make them more visible from the street.

If you love this door, look for Therma-Tru Classic Craft, American Style Collection, available by special order at Lowe’s.

2 (4-foot) pre-lit potted trees (#60598**)
1 pre-lit wreath (#42434**) garland (#44744**)
2 rolls silver ribbon (#241353**)
2 boxes blue, silver, and snowflake ornaments (#33963**)
2 boxes assorted blue and silver ornaments (#7890**) silver studded ball (#169956**)

* Does not include applicable taxes, which vary by market.
**Availability varies by market.


2. Fun Color



Chic and playful decorations put a spin on this holiday display. Glittering glass and sequin-studded balls adorn the wreath and the two trees. Spiraling sprigs (called ting tings) in pink, green, and blue are interspersed throughout the tree branches and around a pre-lit wreath for
added sparkle. Icicle-shaped ornaments on the wreath top off this twinkling scene.

2 (4-foot) pre-lit potted trees (#69653**)
1 pre-lit wreath (#42434**)
6 packages assorted ting tings (pink, green, blue, #243029**)
2 (40-piece) boxes assorted small glitter balls (#173595**)
1 (28-piece) box assorted wish-glass balls (#120951**)
14 sequin-studded balls (pink, blue, purple, #172952**)
3 boxes whimsical glass ornaments (orange and red balls, blue and green drops, #144345**)

* Does not include applicable taxes, which vary by market.

**Availability varies by market.


3.Welcoming Red




Timeless forms and a classic holiday palette of red, green, and gold give these topiaries elegant appeal. Bright glass balls add glimmer from the curb. Faux poinsettias lend a natural touch and will outlast the season. Sprigs of gold beads and a bow made of poinsettia ribbon embellish a ready-made holly wreath, completing this welcoming look.

2 (41/2-foot) potted topiaries (#67386**)
1 (24-inch) holly wreath (#243018**)
20 faux poinsettias (#140945**)
10 red-and-gold beads (#140975**)
1 roll poinsettia wire ribbon (#158815**)
2 boxes assorted balls (red and red with gold trim, #10116**)
2 boxes small gold balls (#73303**)
2 large gold balls (#169306**)

* Does not include applicable taxes, which vary by market.

**Availability varies by market.