Cut apart two 18″ grapevine wreaths and untangle them to make a long twig garland. Starting at bottom left side of doorframe; attach siding clips or sticky hooks, spaced periodically around door frame. When finished, tie on grapevine garland up, over and down your doorway. You may need to use pipe cleaners or small wires to attach it to the clips. Add a strand of orange/amber lights to grapevine garland and intersperse fall leaves to give the garland a natural look. The effect is breathtaking especially in the evening. On the ground surrounding your urns nestle gourds, pumpkins & Indian corn with small hay bales.

If you have ferns or potted plants outside, simply nestle in pumpkins, gourds, and cat tails for a quick & easy fall look. A fall bow is a nice added touch.

Get the children involved by painting rocks. Simply gather rocks of various sizes. For pumpkins, paint them with orange craft paint, let dry and use permanent black markers to draw on silly or scary pumpkin faces. For ghosts, find long slim rocks and paint them white. Don’t forget to give them goofy or eerie black eyes. Have each child sign and date the bottom of their creation. Scatter your completed rocks throughout the yard, next to your mailbox & by the front door for a spooky effect. This is a very cheap craft to do with the kids each year and a great way to express their creativity!

If you have access to corn shocks simply poke a garden shovel into the ground, this will act as the base to which you tie your corn shocks to. A pretty fall bow or jute string will keep the corn shocks together and from blowing away. Place corn shocks at the end of your driveway, near a garden arbor, or anywhere you want a focal point. Surround shocks with pumpkins, gourds & hay bales. A scarecrow nestled near the shocks looks fabulous & adds interest.

I love to add old wooden wheels, a rustic garden tiller and an assortment of weathered watering cans throughout my yard for added character & texture this time of year. Light up the night sky by hanging lanterns in small tress & bushes. For added convenience & safety use battery operated candles. Stoke your outdoor fire pit, make some hot chocolate and gather with friends & family as snuggle under old wool blankets reminiscing over days gone by…..ahhh the perfect way to end the day and celebrate God’s Bounty!

Stay at home wife & mother with over 17 years experience in interior decorating. I am an Independent Consultant with Taste of Home Entertaining…a party plan business which allows me to stay at home with my 3 children while feeding the need to contribute to the family finances AND expressing my creativity! Previous owner of A Touch of Country in Grundy Center, Iowa for 14 years, a unique home furnishings & gift store. I love to help others create a feeling of welcome, comfort & beauty in homes all across America.

Visit my website at http://www.nataliemeester.tohe.com or email me at nataliemeester@yahoo.com for more information on how I can help you create the home of your dreams!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Meester

When decorating your house in a pleasant and warm manner, you can make it a much more inviting place you would like to be. Home decorations can either be year round or temporary depending on the next holiday or what time of year it might be. If your willing to follow just a few easy directions and tips to decorating your home, you can choose the simple things from the store and be able to fully decorate your home in a way that will impress everyone who visits and comes inside. So please go on to find out how you can do this, even though you may think theres no way I can do this.

Most important, you shouldn’t try to decorate your house using anything that is too outrageous and obnoxious. Get things that will go together with things you already have , but rather than things that will stick out above the decorating job that you have already done on the room in your home. This could include choosing decorations of a similar color that will go well with the décor, or have a similar pattern. Unless you are decorating for a shower party or special occasion, it is a good idea to stay away from bright colors that are more outstanding to the eye.

Seasonal or holiday decorations may be difficult to pull off, since most of the time there isn’t a specific color or pattern to represent the current time of year. In the seasons that do, like fall, January, and spring, your choices are fairly clear cut. You can choose the regular patterns that have come to represent that time of year, and put them into whatever you do. During the Halloween season, you can use whatever decoration you already have, but put in pumpkins . It will give your guest and passer byes a sense of your true decorating skills when you manage to keep seasonal decorations up without looking like this is your first time decorating.

If you are stumped and can’t decide what kind of decorations to use, you can check out other resources such as pictures of rooms decorated by professionals. You can find these in magazines and books as well as on the internet. You may not be into decorating your room in the same way as they do it, but you will for sure be able to get some good ideas from these options. Once you have the general idea outlined, you can head to a craft store or hobby store to find the materials you need to make your dreams happen. Have Fun with it, enjoy the experience and let your mind wander, you may just come up with some great ideas.

Author: G.Wadel
Find More Great Decorating Tips At:

http://my-marketing-tips.com/decorations

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_Wadel

Early flag designs were used as symbols and primarily used in warfare to signal a particular strategy or to signal specific battalions to charge into battle. It slowly evolved into country pride where the logo of a country would be sewn onto a flag. Today, there are several uses for flags and the possibilities are endless.

You can buy seasonal banners or decorative banners for either your garden, inside your home or even just to display proudly outside your home. In many cases, you can also have your flag customized for your business, or your own personal needs. How about your favorite sports team? Get a flag to show that you support them or your alma mater. Whatever it is, there’s definitely something for everyone.

With Halloween and Thanksgiving not far away, people are buying Halloween banners to prepare for the trick or treaters or Thanksgiving banners to celebrate that special day.

Flags are fun to have around. It’s more than just cloth. There is plenty of symbolism behind it so don’t fail to look around for the flag or design that you can be proud of.

Find More Information:

Thanksgiving Banners

Seasonal Banners [http://www.heartlandflagpoles.com/Seasonal-Flags/Banner-Flags]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jerry_Buss

The problem is, with the rest of the holidays coming up, how are you supposed to find time to give your home the deep cleaning it really needs? Your Thanksgiving dinner will take extra time – not just its cooking, but also with all of the extra trips to the grocery store and warehouse club store (Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale Club, etc.). The falling leaves will remind you of the changing seasons, but then you will need to make sure they are raked up.

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or whatever winter holiday will be bringing more guests to your home, but even more need to prepare. Adding shopping for gifts to your list, let alone all of the decorating that seems to go with these holidays, leaves you with even less time.

You will most likely just find yourself running ragged just to get everything done on your list, but what the holidays are really about is spending time with your loved ones. Even though you just want to find that time together and some things on your list may get pushed to the side, you want your family to come to a clean house.

Housekeeping, however, can be the one activity that can take the most amount of your time if you want to get everything sparkling clean (something that can be of utmost importance if you have a finicky mother-in-law coming to visit). Also, most people do not like to take the time that is necessary to clean every nook and cranny of your home.

It is time to give yourself a present: hire a cleaning service or a maid to clean your house for you. Most areas have both professional cleaning companies and independent maids who will make your home spotless, for a fee. Be sure to find a housekeeper who is not only in your price range, but also someone you can trust. Referrals from friends and reviews on local search websites (aka, Yelp) are recommended.

Get a skilled San Diego maid from a San Diego housekeeper company you can trust. Clean Freak Cleaning Services offers affordable San Diego housekeeping.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=AC_Kolva

What would fall home decorating be without pumpkins? Whether they are real or fake, you can find pumpkins in all shapes, sizes and designs to be used indoors or outdoors.
By the way, pumpkin carving dates back to the late 1800’s when European immigrants to the New World saw how plentiful pumpkins were and started hollowing out jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins instead of using their traditional turnips!

Pumpkins can be used in traditional fall floral arrangements and work very well in cornucopias. Another home decorating idea for pumpkins is to use them to create topiaries. Pumpkins can be used throughout the entire fall season including Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Wreaths and floral arrangements are a marvelous way to add the colors of the fall season to your home and one of the easiest ways to set the mood in a room. This is a basic home decorating tip to keep in mind any season of the year. Incorporate the beautiful fall shades of yellow, orange, red and warm brown into your floral arrangements to bring a touch of nature indoors.

Items that can be used to create a wreath or a floral arrangement include dried or silk flowers, berries, seasonal fruit, pinecones, ribbons, bows, pumpkins, evergreen twigs, and dried grasses. A visit to a craft store will give you more than enough home decorating ideas to get you started.

A home decorating tip for using candles in your home décor is to place them in empty bottles. Select bottles and jars with interesting shapes and colors which will hold tapers or votives. It’s a great way to add fall color to your décor.

According to one online source, Halloween spending is second only to Christmas. This is in large part due to the popularity of Halloween décor both inside and outside the house. Whether you go all out and decorate for Halloween or just use home decorating ideas for the fall season in general, at least add a special touch to your home with fall colors.

To help keep your home organized, download a free copy of the ebook “The Essential Guide to Organizing Your Home”. This ebook has many practical, easy-to-use tips to make home organization a reality. Click here for your free download.

Lynn Cressy is the owner of Lynn’s Home Decor, which was created out of a love for decorating and shopping for home decor. There you will find seasonal decor, shabby chic furniture, shabby chic home decor and wrought iron furniture and home decor as well as country home decor and interior decorating ideas.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynn_Cressy

An interesting way to come up with ideas for costumes is to keep a trunk or box somewhere handy and fill it with miscellaneous items. This can help spark the imagination. For instance, load it up with old clothing, fabric of varying lengths, pantyhose, fashion accessories, artificial flowers, pipe cleaners and other craft supplies, aluminum foil, yarn, old sheets or curtains, etc. Nearly anything can be used. Instead of traditional Halloween bags for candy, use other items related to your costume and store them in the ‘imagination box.’ For example, you can implement items such as old pocketbooks, pillowcases, garbage bags, baskets, doctor’s bags, small backpacks, or even diaper bags.

Ever since my kids were old enough to participate in trick-or-treating activities, I have made their costumes. Once Halloween approaches, I begin asking them what they would like to be. Then I scour the house and our box of goodies to find whatever I might already have on hand, making a list of the items with which I need. Generally, these few items can be purchased at the local thrift shop or dollar store so there usually isn’t too much money invested in the project.

For safety reasons, I prefer to use make-up or face paint as opposed to masks. You can easily make your own out of food coloring and corn starch. This is not only safer than using masks, but it’s also cheaper, easier to apply, and comes off just as easily with mild soap and water. A simple cream can be made with one part corn starch and two parts food coloring to create the desired shade for your costume. Apply to the face with your fingers just like foundation. And with a few drops of red food coloring and a little corn syrup, you have home-made blood for those ghoulish costumes.

One year my daughter went as a witch. It isn’t as difficult as you might think to come up with creative ways of putting this outfit together. In fact, they can be as easy or difficult as you can handle. For the witch ensemble, I simply used a tattered black dress and a witch’s hat my daughter already had. I mixed up some green face paint and added a wart with an eyeliner pencil. For her hair, I used some fiery, red-orange yarn that I attached to the hat with Velcro. Add a small broom and there you go.

Another year, she was a butterfly. The butterfly was fashioned together by cutting a pair of wings out of some cardboard, which I decorated with multi-colored pieces of felt (you can also use aluminum foil and decorate with sequins, glitter, etc.). The body of the butterfly consisted of nothing more than a black sweat suit; however, a dark-colored leotard should work just as well. Wings can be attached in whatever way is easiest for you. They can be sewn onto the back of the sweatshirt or fastened with elastic bands fitted around the child’s arms. You could also try using Velcro for felt-covered wings. This not only sticks to the felt but to the shirt as well. Add an antennae headband and, if desired, some face paint. The headband can either be purchased from the dollar store for a couple bucks or put together yourself using an ordinary black headband with black pipe cleaners attached.

I transformed my son into a lively jack-in-the-box one year. This idea came about through my own childhood memories. My mother also made a lot of our costumes growing up. Aluminum foil would incredibly become a tiara, a wand, or antennas. Lacy curtains would suddenly become flowing gowns. Her creativity was amazing, and one costume in particular stood out above all others–a kitchen table. She had taken a simple cardboard box, cut out a hole in the bottom, and slipped it right over my head. After draping a tablecloth over the box, my protruding head became the centerpiece with a carefully placed ‘hat’ made from a pair of pantyhose and artificial flowers.

And from this kitchen table costume, another one was born–the jack-in-the-box. It uses the same ‘box’ concept and originality. I simply took a box, decorated it, and attached it to my son with suspenders (can use elastic as well). On one side of the box I fashioned a handle. He wore dark sweatpants and a regular long-sleeved shirt that I attached ruffles to. I painted his face to mimic that of a joker.

A few years back, my kids decided that they wanted their costumes to match. We looked around the house and soon enough found ourselves with a cowboy and an Indian. For the cowboy, my son donned a cowboy hat and boots, a western shirt, blue jeans and a denim jacket. All of which we already had. To accessorize the look, I tied (loosely) a red bandana around his neck and fastened the holster (complete with toy guns) around his waist. Once again, these were items that we already had on hand.

My daughter, of course, was the Indian. Her costume was also something we had just lying around. I took an old brown pillowcase and cut a v-neck hole in the bottom that was large enough for my daughter’s head to fit through. I then cut two more holes in either side for her arms. I hand-stitched designs around both the neck line and bottom of the ‘dress’ and with a pair of scissors, I carefully cut slits along the edges to give it a frilly look. If you don’t sew, that’s ok; you can easily use fabric paint to decorate the dress instead. To set off the dress, my daughter wore braided pigtails with a feathered headband around her forehead. The only item I purchased for this was a pair of moccasin slippers from the dollar store. To hold all their candy, my son carried a pillowcase ‘loot bag’ while my daughter used an old harvest basket lined with an orange towel.

Ever had the option of dressing up for work with the most original taking first prize? This one worked for me. Once again, I borrowed the idea from my mother, giving it my own twist–a tomato plant. For this costume, I wore a dark green leotard with green hose and slippers. I found a dark green table skirt and simply cut out holes to allow me to both slip it over my head and run my arms through. I pinned some green artificial leaves onto the leotard and table skirt along with little tomatoes made from Styrofoam balls that were painted red and topped off with green stems (you can also use tomato pin cushions found in craft stores). I finished it off with a green beret full of leaves. By the way, I took the prize.

I have found balloons to be quite useful for costumes; however, they should only be applied to those of older children or adults. Once again, safety is important and balloons tend to pop easily and small children can accidentally try to eat the balloon pieces. Balloons are inexpensive and come in a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. You can create one-of-a-kind costumes with hardly any work involved. Imagine a bunch of grapes (like that from Fruit-of-the-Loom). Choose a purple sweat suit or leotard and attach purple balloons carefully with small safety pins. Add some ivy vines and top it off with a matching hat full of ivy leaves. This could also be used for other berries as well with appropriate colored sweats and balloons. For instance, you could try raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries.

Then again, why not go out as Mr. Bubble? Wear white and use some white balloons to instantaneously become soap suds. Accessorize with a scrub brush and a hat or bag made up of bath materials such as sponges and empty shampoo, bubble bath, or soap containers. When you apply balloons to any costume, however, try not to put any on the backside. This could make it difficult to sit down.

Other interesting costume ideas might include a scarecrow using denim bib overalls, a plaid or flannel shirt, rope or twine for belt, a straw hat, gloves and boots. Stuff all the pockets with straw. Turn an old sheet into a ghost. Create a hobo from some old clothes and add a hat. Paint the face with a five o’clock shadow and fashion an old hankie to a stick. What’s autumn without leaves? Use a dark-colored sweat suit (with hood) and pin silk leaves all over it. Walk around carrying a rake and gather candy in a leaf bag.

Remember, a little imagination can go a long way; and best of all, it’s free to use.

This article was written by Nikki Phipps and was sponsored by DareToScare.com and the Dare To Scare Halloween Costume Search Engine [http://www.daretoscare.com]. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a live link back to [http://www.daretoscare.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nikki_Phipps

The function and utility of the room plays an important part in selection of treatment procedure for its windows. In case of windows with glass, the best thing would be to put up mini blades next to the window for controlling light entering the room. Those looking for style can hang fabric panels for introducing both color and style for the windows. In case of a child’s room, it is better to employ simple window treatment procedures.

Selecting curtain rods for window treatment options

There is a need to decide on the exact function of the rod before purchasing the same for window treatment requirements. The rod can be used for privacy option or as a decorative element and therefore its purpose needs to be ascertained before purchasing the same. Some other functions for these curtain rods can be to hold tab top drapes or rod pocket panels.

There is a need to find out the size and scale of the rod for windows of the room. In case of tiny rooms, it would be best to include smaller and delicate curtain rods. However, bigger rooms with large windows should have rods that can support the weight of curtains used for the window. The color of these rods should be able to match the wall color so that they can disappear from direct view of those entering the room.

Understanding window treatment options is a big step towards improving décor of your room. Every room has its own requirements and therefore treatment works out in the best possible manner if certain conventional guidelines are followed.

*In case the sun beats down on your windows all through the day, it would be useful to use dark shades for controlling sun light. However, in such a case you will need to compromise on your outside viewing options. In order to cut down on direct sunlight and still enjoy open expanse of glass the best thing would be to get your windows tinted. The tinting film works in an effective manner to cut down damaging UV rays thereby preventing effects of fading or fabric breakdown.

*In case of privacy requirements, it is important to make use of café curtains for covering the bottom portion of the room window or making use of shutters. Blinds can also be an effective solution for privacy of the room. While covering bottom portion of the window might not offer complete privacy, it does enough to secure the room from outside peeping activities. Keeping the top portion open allows outside view from inside the room. Making use of pretty stained glass that allows protection from outside while offering complete view can be another effective option.

There are a lot of ways to decorate for Halloween. with some people concentrating on witches and monsters and others concentrating on graveyard sites and zombies. We like to take a ride around town and look at all of the great decorating ideas. We have seen desolate graveyards recreated in front yards. with scary sounds and fog creeping along the ground. Use your imagination and it is scarily real. especially since you can’t see the fog machines and the amplifying systems! I also like the houses that have gigantic spider webs strung across the porch. and flashing orange lights. Usually the houses that are the most decorated are the best ones to take the kids for trick or treats. These families really get into the “spirit” of things. so you can be sure they will have good treats.

There are some real diehards who decorate their houses inside and out in the Halloween theme. and even turn their homes into haunted houses. You can tell they must get a lot of enjoyment out of a project like that. because it sure is a lot of work. Most people just decorate to entertain their neighbors and for the trick or treating kids that stop by. It’s a shame that so many parents don’t let their children go trick or treating any more because of some of the dangers. Just a few crazy people spoiled a fun holiday for everyone.

If you are into Halloween decorating. you will not believe the amount of things you can buy today. If money were no object. you could really go wild. Party stores that sell monsters. fog machines. gravestones or just about anything else. And if that’s not enough. there is an even greater selection on the internet. New weird stuff. or the old classics that we know from our childhoods. If you can think it up. you can get it.

Andrew Caxton is a reliable journalist who has published more articles on this issue for http://www.home-decorating-reviews.com He provides tips and advice about halloween as well as on the decorating at halloween decoration

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Caxton

How To Decorate Your Coffee Table For Halloween

The first thing you need to do is find a cover for your table. Now you can go to the mall or a store like Target and see if they have any table cloths that are Halloween themed and you can use that as a cover or you can make your own.

If you make your own then you should go to the fabric store and pick out a nice orange or brown colored (dark colors) piece of cloth to use as the cover. Then you can pick some more cloth of whichever color that you didn’t choose to make shapes out of that you can emboss onto the cover. This is where it gets fun. You can cut the cloth you bought for embossing into any Halloween inspired designs like pumpkins, cats, ghosts, or witches on broom sticks. Then once you have all of the embossing done finish off the covers ends with a sewing machine.

Next you need a centerpiece. This is my favorite part. You can make a distinctive centerpiece by using either candles or something else. You can go to the store and buy statues that you can arrange of ghosts, gouls, and monsters or you can build your own out of different materials. Since it’s fall during Halloween you can use a foam ring and fake leaves with a brown or orange candle as a centerpiece.

Learn more about choosing, purchasing, and finding the best coffee table for your living spaces at Perfect Coffee Tables.com which talks specifically about cheap coffee table.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=W._P._Allen

One of the first things that you have to keep in mind is the overall theme and intent of Halloween outdoor decorations. These decorations can be scary, or simply represent the fall season. The choice is yours.

One of the most basic Halloween yard decorations are the fantastic pumpkins that are common to the fall season. You can line your yard with basic pumpkins, or with a little bit of work, you can carve the Halloween pumpkins in order to create ones that reflect the “spooky” Halloween theme.

Many individuals may simply take a bunch of pumpkins and line and stack them in one section or corner of the yard. If you elect to decorate in this manner, you may choose to throw in some hay for an added dramatic effect.

In addition to pumpkins, you can use hay and even an assortment of carefully cultivated gourds in order to create an outstanding visual effect this Halloween. If you really want to make things interesting, then you should consider mixing up all of these items and creating a spectacular scene that will be very attractive to others!

The next Halloween yard decorations I will discuss are scarecrows. Believe it or not, these handy little items can be really practical when it comes to setting the scene for spooknite spectacular haunts and fun this Halloween. In addition to this, paper, table cloths, shower curtains, and even sheets can be used in order to create ghostly scenes in the yard for Halloween. As you can see, there are many creative methods and supplies that you can use to decorate your yard for this spooky night.

All it takes is a little creativity, a theme, a little bit of time, and some basic supplies and you are all set! There are many store bought decorations that you can use in order to add ornamental design to your yard, but it is not nearly as fun as unleashing your own creativity!

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to http://www.Spookynite.com supplying you with all the information and resources you need to know about Halloween nite.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daryl_Plaza