Christmas Decorating - Throw pillows

My final Christmas decorating idea is to add festive throw pillows to your family room or living room.  This is an easy way to add holiday spirit in unexpected places.  Decorating for the holidays can be done in layers taking advantage of all the surfaces in your home.

The family room shown in these pictures, I have added green and red pillows on a neutral sofa.  The pillows have a satin sheen to them which gives the room a subtle festive look.  The colors coordinate with the room's color scheme which makes it possible to put the pillows out early in the holiday season and you don't need to put them away until well after the new year.

 

The leather sofa in this picture has a hint of the holidays with a brown and green pillow and a red throw behind it. The petals on this pillow has a lot of texture and adds interest to this dark sofa.  All the pillows above were purchased at TJ Maxx in the pillow section not the holiday section.  I searched for the colors I wanted to use, not what the store deemed holiday decor.

I have included some other pillow designs to help you choose the right pillows for your holiday design.  The beaded white pillow adds sparkle and shine.  The red, green and brown pillows are a more contemporary options.  Have a great holiday season.

Dotty Wyman is the principal designer at www.dottywymandesigns.com.

Christmas Decorating - playful window

When decorating for the holidays you want everything to look perfect, but don't forget to have a little fun.  I have created a simple treatment for this kitchen's box window that everyone will enjoy, especially the kids. 

These handmade inspired plush decorations look great grouped off to one side of the window looking at a simple pine tree. Each of the three characters I put together has similar colors, but they are not exactly the same. The reindeer came from a different collection and it adds some interest and keeps the grouping from looking like it is a matched set. Also, notice each of the characters is a different height. Grouped decorations always seem to work better when each has a different height.  The little Christmas tree off to the left fills the remaining space of the large window sill.

Another idea for this group of characters is to put them on your fireplace.  You could put the trio on either end of the mantel and hang your stocking in the center.  Adding some burlap fabric, gathered up in places would add to the rustic feel of this decoration as well.

Keeping things simple keeps the stress away.  These whimsical decorations make me smile every time I look at them.  I guess that's why I put them on my kitchen window.  They were not expensive and very accessible.  The characters are at T.J. Maxx and I got the tree at Target.

Have fun.





Dotty Wyman is the principal designer at www.dottywymandesigns.com.

Christmas Decorating - Table Center Piece

The holiday season is here and we are all pulling out our decorations from last year.  Some things we like and other items we vowed not to use again.  I thought I would give you a few of my ideas for holiday decorating over the next week. 

One of the easiest ways to decorate the kitchen or dining room is to add a center piece to your table.  Actually, you cold do it on a large coffee table too.  This provides a lot of holiday impact for the room without lots of little things that clutter.  Everyone's eye is drawn to your center piece.  In the picture above, I have arranged 3 large, but varied sizes of urns on a velvet throw for a dining room table.  The urns have the look of mercury glass that is chipping away from the sides to give them an aged look and a little sparkle.  The velvet throw has beads sewn to the edges, also giving them a little glitter.  I have gathered up the throw to create a circle of fabric around the urns in the center.  This creates some movement and places for the light to reflect and it also allows you to see your table

  

Once you have found one or three objects (always good to work in odd numbers) and some type of fabric, throw, table cloth, etc... you can create your center piece in a few minutes.  Place the throw on the table and center it flat.  Now arrange the objects in the center of the table, most likely in a triangular shape (if using three things).  Finally, push the sides of the throw/fabric toward the center without covering the bases of the decorative pieces.  This creates the crinkles and folds of the fabric and your center piece is complete. 

Finding items to create the center piece can be a challenge, but just keep your eyes open.  The objects you select do not need to be in the Christmas section of the store.  They just need to have a little shimmer or shine and be large.  The throw or fabric could be what makes the center piece more appropriate for the holidays.  Also, try using items you already own and mix them with velvet or silk.  The urns I selected are from Christmas Tree Shop and the velvet throw is from Pier 1.  Try to experiment and have a good time.  Remember it is only temporary.

Dotty Wyman is the principal designer at www.dottywymandesigns.com.