When your guests arrive this Thanksgiving, greet them with a banner of Thanks.

It is easy to make this banner and it will enhance any fireplace mantel. You can be creative and use different types of material to get the same festive look. If you don’t own a sewing machine, don’t fret. You can easily get the same look by using scrapbooking paper.

MATERIALS NEEDED

• 4 colors of felt or scrapbooking paper
• Jute twine
• Assorted Buttons
• Glue Gun

Easy Directions to Follow…

Cut one color of felt into ten 6″x9″ rectangles.
Cut out letters spelling “GIVE THANKS.”
Trace out leaves on different colors of felt.
Cut the shapes out and glue or applique them onto each rectangle.
Once this is complete, you can glue or appliqué a letter on the top of the leaf.
Cut a piece of jute twine the length of the mantel, add a couple extra feet.
On the top back edge of each rectangle, hot glue the twine.

Now you can embellish each letter with buttons.

Attach the ends of the banner to the mantel — now it’s time to relax by the fireside and enjoy your creation. This holiday take time to enjoy the season with family and friends and reflect on the many things that you are thankful for.

Sherry loves to be creative….from decorating her home to making custom aprons. Visit her blog at creationsfrom myheart.blogspot.com to view some of her latest creations.

A kitchen light fixture doesn’t have to be ordinary. Be creative! There are some quick and easy things you can do to your existing light fixture, to give it that one of a kind look.

Here’s some tips to get started….

• Add decorative trim to the light shades. Use your glue gun, it’s quick and easy.
• Cover the light chain with fabric. I will feature this quick and easy trick in an up coming post.
• Add a ceiling medallion.
• Enhance the light fixture with a garland of crystal berries.
• Change the color of your light fixture, by using a simple spray paint. It’s fast and inexpensive.

Ceiling medallions can be purchased at your local home improvement store. They come in various sizes and most are paintable, so it’s easy to match your trim or ceiling color. The medallions are lightweight and easy to install.

Adding crystal berries bring a touch of elegance to any lighting fixture. They can be used year around. For the holidays add some greenery and pine cones and you will have have easily added a festive touch to your light fixture.

Adding a bit of glamor to any room can be easy and doesn’t have to have you running to the store for a new lighting fixture. Just make a few changes to the one you have for a whole new look.

Sherry loves to decorate. Home definitely is where her heart is. Visit her blog at creationsfrommyheart.blogspot.com and see her many creations.

My favorite seasonal decorating ideas can flow easily
from one season to the next with little effort.

With that in mind, I found some great wreaths from Better Homes & Gardens as inspiration to share with you today! These wreaths would work well right now and right on through the holidays into winter.

Here are four quick tips for changing and updating wreaths:

• Add faux fruit (it will last longer than fresh!) for a burst of color
• Change ribbons or bows for a new festive new look
• Tuck seasonal decorations, leaves or twigs in to jazz up plain wreaths
• Make your own creative wreath out of a uniquely shaped wire or wood frame

Have fun finding ways to stretch your holiday decorating through more than one season!

Melissa Michaels is supposed to be getting ready to move. But instead, she is searching the web for pretty photos and having way more fun than she should. Come see what she is finding for holiday inspiration at her personal blog, The Inspired Room.

photos: BHG

It’s not too early to start thinking about decorating for the Holidays. With Thanksgiving just around the corner and Christmas following next month, Pottery Barn is always a great source of inspiration for making our nests more pretty, the natural way. Last year, I really got inspired to use more natural elements with my Christmas decor and this year, I plan to do the same.

Here are a few inspiration pics to get you in the mood for the holidays.

Birch tree planters make a nice accent on the mantel.

And this beautiful moss wreath would be easy to make. Just grab a bag of reindeer moss and a hot glue gun.

(All above pics from Pottery Barn online)

And this inspiration pic is from my own Christmas files from last year. Here are a few things to get you started for decorating naturally this year:

• Pinecones from the yard or neighborhood. Leave them as is or you can paint them in metallic colors of silver or gold and add a little glitter. It’s a fun way to add some natural beauty and glitz.
• Acorns from the yard.
• Mixed whole unshelled nuts from the grocery store are a great accent too. Toss them in an apothecary jar for a natural accent to your holiday tables.
• Moss wreaths and topiaries
• Boughs of holly and pine
• Magnolia leaves
• Dried hydrangeas from those summer months

Hope this has given you some ideas to mull over and get you geared up for a naturally decorated Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Rhoda is a Design Consultant from Birmingham and resides at Southern Hospitality, where she shares all sorts of projects and decorating ideas. Come by for a visit and get inspired this season!

photo source: Pottery Barn.com

Bathrooms are one of the toughest areas to address when I do consultations for clients. They are easy to stage for sale, but making one pretty for living, without doing expensive renos, is more challenging. A lot of the time, the bathrooms in many homes have wood vanities with very traditional door profiles, tiles tend to look a bit dated and they often have those large strip lighting bars over the builder basic mirrors.

Some homeowners are opposed to doing much in the way of painting the cabinetry as they think-small space, why bother. Even though kitchens are much more work, people are more open to making changes and updates as it is a much viewed room. However, the second most used room in a home by your guests is the bathroom. Therefore, it should reflect the style in the rest of your home.

With the new trend towards spa style in bathrooms, why not borrow a little of that aesthetic and bring in some “light ” and freshness to this vital room.

My top recommendations for updating your bathroom are:

1. Paint out those cabinets to white or a shade compatible to it (the color of most toilet/sink/tub combos)

2. Add new hardware to the cabinetry in a metal finish that complements the finish on your taps and lighting fixtures

3. Add a beautiful shower curtain. If you are afraid of pattern, select one in a white waffle or diamond weave reminiscent of hotel style

My bathroom(above and below)

4. Install a wow sink faucet and vanity lighting fixture. Go for vintage styles that will never go out of style.

5. Get rid of mats- make that toilet lid covers, plush bath mats, etc. Less is always more in a bathroom.

6. Accessorize with style. Apothecary jars (which you can pick up at the Dollar Store) filled with cotton balls, soaps, or q-tips look attractive but not distracting.

7. Add substantial moulding trim to your flat mirror or purchase a new one.

8. Avoid fussy window treatments. Bathroom windows tend to be short and squat and require only privacy dressing (i.e. white faux wood blinds look great, as do plantation shutters)

9. I buy only white towels for my towel bars. They are bleachable and never clash with your colour scheme

photo source: House to Home.com

10. Last but not least, consider hanging a chandelier in your bathroom. It looks luxurious and makes you feel quite decadent as you lie soaking in your tub looking up at it.

Have fun updating your bathroom. After all, it is not only our guests who see it in all its glory. Pretty it up and have some fun with it!

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Linda MacDonald is a home styler living in Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband and three children. Please stop by her blog, Restyled Home for more fall decorating inspiration!