Christmas wrapping paper comes in so many beautiful designs today, it seems almost a shame to use it for wrapping paper alone when it will only be torn up and thrown away on Christmas morning.© Doityourself.com 2006
Colored Glass Balls
Embellish standard colored holiday balls with a variety of special touches. For example, spray ornaments with glitter paints or frosty coatings, glue on glitter or craft store jewels, attach braids or ribbons, or use stickers, craft paints, or ribbons to add personality.
Snowflake Tree
Remember the folded paper snowflakes you made in elementary school? Revisit the past and create these simple, yet sweet, decorations with your kids. Make them large, medium, and small, and then iron flat. Leave them pristine white or embellish with clear or silver glitter. On your tree, add some cotton batting to the branches for a snowy effect.
Glittered
Use paint brushes to paint glue onto the ornament in a pattern or the letters of a name, then sprinkle with ultra-fine glitter. Let dry completely before using. Or, dot glue onto an ornament with a round pencil eraser and add glitter for a dotted look.
Romantic Tree
Do you have a collection of grandma’s doilies or lace hankies sitting unused in a box somewhere? Dig them out and make little sachet-style ornaments. Simply fill the centers with a handful of batting and tie up gently with little satin ribbons that can loop over tree branches. Next, look in the bargain bin at the fabric store for bolts of lace edging that might be used as a tree garland or tied around packages. Finally, underscore the romantic theme with craft store wooden hearts that can be painted red and attached to the tree with velvet ribbon bows.
Anyone for Tea Tree
Get out an unused silver or china tea set and attach the cups to their saucers using dabs of tacky wax or white floral clay. A ribbon or a wire through the teacup handle will allow you to hang the cups on a Christmas tree. Next, nestle and hang silver creamers or sugar bowls, tongs, spoons, or even teapots into sturdy branches. Finish up by hanging pretty tea bags still in their colorful wrappers.
Peppermint Candy Tree
Warehouse stores make it easy (and cheap) to buy candy in bulk. Create a peppermint tree extravaganza using candy canes as ornaments and gluing together the cellophane wrappers (end-to-end) of wrapped peppermint balls for a unique garland. Flat wooden shapes can also be used as a backing for hot-glued candy decorations such as red hots, peppermint sticks, or mint disks. Keep these longer by spraying them with a clear sealer so humidity won’t affect the candy.
Origami
Fold origami shapes for your tree and hang with loops of thin gold cording. Choose paper colors and shapes in a theme, or go wild and make each one unique. Or, try making larger and smaller versions of the same fold for a harmonious overall look.
Toy Trees
Tiny toys look wonderful on a Christmas tree. Mix them up using an assortment of toys from your own kids, from garage sales, or thrift stores. For a collected look, go with one theme such as dolls, bears, or trucks. Wire heavier items to the sturdiest branches, then hang lightweight items by colorful ribbons or raffia loops. Not enough to cover the tree? Fill in with plain glass balls, garlands, or bows. This is also a fun idea for a small tree in a child's room.
Read on for more ideas for DIY Christmas ornaments.
By Lee Dobbins
Whenever you make the decision to redecorate a room, it can take days and weeks before you actually decide on the color and a design you're happy with. Decorating a girl's bedroom, however, opens up even more problems, especially if the girl in question is a teenager. Thankfully, there are a lot of ways that you can make the often-thankless task of girls bedroom design easier.
If you're the parent of a young girl, then the first thing you should do is discuss her ideas. Although it's your house, it is her bedroom after all, and she still needs to feel comfortable in what is essentially her haven. So if she likes a lot of cuddly toys, incorporate soft cushions into the final bedroom design. Work the color scheme around her favorite posters, whether it's of bands or celebrities, so that you have an all-encompassing mix of your choice and hers.
It's also a great idea to work with what she already has in her bedroom. Remember, this room is the equivalent of a comfort room for the girl, so any new bedroom design should try having a happy mix of the old and the new. Simply spruce up existing furniture with little touches here and there. If she has a favorite dresser or desk, for instance, use of stencils to transfer various shapes onto the frame can make a huge difference in appearance. A little board for writing notes or simply doodling on can be a good personalized addition.
ONe thing you need to be careful about with girls bedroom design is when the girl is slightly older. Like anyone, a girl will change her mind as to what she likes one moment to the next, especially if she's approaching her teenage years. That fairy-themed design that you initially helped her make may not seem as cute and adorable now that she's turning into a young woman, so make sure that any design you settle on for a girl's bedroom is reasonably future-proof.
A good approach is to make the room fairly neutral, and then changes can be made along the way. Making any design temporary or easily changeable is relatively easy, yet can still add a touch of style to the overall feel. Rugs are a good way of filling a room yet are also easy to remove should they need to be. Drapes and furniture throws are another excellent method of changing the look of a girl's bedroom, but their very design also means they can be changed quickly and effortlessly for a different look altogether.
At the end of the day, as with any room, redecorating a girl's bedroom can be a strenuous and time-consuming project. However, with just a little forward planning and discussion of ideas, girls bedroom design can be a pleasant task for both parent and daughter.
Lee Dobbins writes for Look4Decor - Home Decorating Style where you can learn how to decorate your home and get more bedroom decorating tips.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins
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Make a statement. Philippe Starck designed the Kong series for a Chinese restaurant in Paris. Inspired by the furniture of Versailles, these chairs will add an element of panache to your bar. Place one at the head of your dining table and be King. Price: $995 - 1,085 .jpg)
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Modloft - Greene Daybed. The exclusive Greene daybed. Escape the mundane with this glamorous daybed. Supple leatherette, gentle tufting and strong lines are supported by sleek chrome metal legs. Seat depth is 35". Available in white or black leatherette. Designed in Denmark. Simple assembly.
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Unless your kids are rather more...subdued...than I was as a tyke, they love bold colors, fun shapes, and exciting graphics. What they probably don't love so much--because let's face it, that part of sleeping where you're not conscious, and therefore not capable of actually enjoying things like running, jumping, and climbing trees--is bedtime. If only a company like TrueModern would come up with some way of uniting children's love of bright things with your love of kids sleeping at night...Price: $199 Src link
Unless your kids are rather more...subdued...than I was as a tyke, they love bold colors, fun shapes, and exciting graphics. What they probably don't love so much--because let's face it, that part of sleeping where you're not conscious, and therefore not capable of actually enjoying things like running, jumping, and climbing trees--is bedtime. If only a company like TrueModern would come up with some way of uniting children's love of bright things with your love of kids sleeping at night...Price: $199 
Ornamentation is for wusses! Handles and drawer pulls are admissions of aesthetic weakness! Strong lines and subtly different shades of bamboo veneer make the Tau Bed at least as attractive as any decorated furniture we've seen, and far more pleasing to militant minimalists. Price: $1,400 - 2,200