Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Holiday Greetings,

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the support you all have extended to us this year.

May lovely happy times decorate your Holiday Season, may warm, special memories brighten your New Year, and may the warmth of Christmas be with you forever.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your friends at Interior Design.

Check back for more ideas and enjoy all the timeless treasures of this season; the warmth of home, the love of family and the company of good friends.

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas

Hi Friends,

Choose gifts that have a positive environmental impact or help people in need; for example, donate a life-saving piece of equipment. Buy items from locally based merchants that needn't be wrapped to prevent used paper and bows in landfills.

Gifts for Telecommuters:
Staple-Less Stapler: This gadget punches two holes through sheets of paper and creates tabs that lock the papers together.

Recycled Notebooks and Stationery: Choose paper products that have been produced from 100 percent recycled paper.

Natural Desk Light: The high-efficiency natural spectrum florescent bulb in this desk lamp imitates natural daylight, helping to reduce glare and eyestrain. The bulb lasts five times longer than an ordinary incandescent bulb.

Intelliplug: Choose an energy-saving adapter plug for all computer and television equipment.

Gifts for Food Lovers:
Organic Fruit and Vegetable Box: Pay for a month's supply of home-delivered, fresh, locally grown produce.

Indoor Winter Herb Garden: Provide an attractive container or windowbox, packets of herb seeds and potting compost for a constant supply of fresh herbs.

Gifts for Homeowners:
Bath Towels and Robes: Buy fairly traded, organic cotton bath towels and bathrobes or choose organic cotton and bamboo fiber towels, which have a 30 percent higher absorbency than cotton-only towels.

Furniture-Making Class: Select a class that teaches students how to make chairs and baskets from elm and willow or how to reupholster furniture.

Recycled Glass Homewares: Buy wineglasses, jugs, decanters and bowls in stylish colors and designs.

Eco Kettle: This kettle boils only the amount of water you actually need, saving water, energy and time.

Bamboo Serving Bowls: Choose streamlined, chic tableware made from bamboo — one of nature's greatest renewable sources. Fewer pesticides and chemical fertilizers are necessary for growing bamboo because it grows so fast.

Gifts for Babies and Children:
Cloth Diaper Starter Kit: Reusable cloth diapers are easy to use and wash and avoid potentially harmful super-absorbent gels, deodorants and chemicals.

Organic Cotton Clothes: Clothes made from organic cotton cause less harm to the environment, and to children's skin.

Natural Toys: Avoid plastic and PVC toys, which can contain harmful toxins. Instead, choose toys made from natural wood, cotton and wool.

Gifts for Gardeners:
Tree: Give a "grow-a-tree" kit or have a couple of fruiting trees delivered by a local nursery.

Water Barrel: Invaluable for collecting and storing rainwater to water plants in dry weather, it also reduces water consumption and water bills.

Butterfly Feeding Station: Buy a nectar feeder to attract and feed butterflies and early-pollinating bees. Include a book on butterflies as part of the kit.

Cold Frame: A perfect gift for a gardener to raise seedlings and cuttings, or over-winter young plants.

No-Dig Potato Planter: This tough, woven, polyethylene planter with drainage holes holds about nine gallons of compost in which to grow potatoes.

Gifts for Adventurers:
Recycled Wool Picnic Blanket: Look for rugs made from 100 percent pre- and post-consumer recycled wool.

Wind-Up Gadgets: Choose a wind-up radio or a media player for music, movie clips and photos. One minute of winding gives one hour of radio listening or 40 minutes of media-playing time.

Recycled Backpack: Buy a backpack that is made from 98 percent recycled PET plastic bottles.

Gifts for Sports Fans:
Sports Shares: Contributing to a local sports association can entitle a shareholder to club infor-mation and an invitation to games.

Fair-Trade Sporting Goods: Balls and other gear made by a fair-trade agreement ensures that workers have better wages and improved working conditions.

Eco Mat: A synergy eco mat for yoga and Pilates is free of latex, PVC, and phlates, which all contain potentially harmful toxins.

Eco Surfboard: Many modern surfboards are toxic pieces of sports equipment; give an eco-friendly surfboard made of wood and plant-based resin instead.

Check back for more great ideas and thank you for your continued support over the years!

Courtesy of A Greener Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from your friends at Interior Design...

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Stylish Holiday Gift Wrap Idea - Cheap and Chic

By H. Camille Smith

Hi Friends,

Give your gifts a professionally-wrapped look with these tips. Recycled brown paper is a great anytime gift wrap. Tie with twine and embellish with a pinecone and evergreen clippings from your backyard for gift wrap that's easy on the environment and your wallet.

Note: Recycled brown paper can be found in big rolls at your local craft, office supply or dollar store.

Check back for more great Holiday ideas and recipes!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Glowing Holiday Mantel

By Kayla Kitts

Hi Friends,

Welcome Kris Kringle and the holidays with a stunning mantel and fireplace. Designer Katrina Giles created simple and festive holiday decor for her mantel. To get the look, place letter stickers on ornament balls to spell out seasonal greetings or names to hang vertically. String them together with ribbon and display your new design for all to see.

Check back for more great Holiday ideas!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Spice Up Your Holiday Dining Room With Stylish Slipcovers

By Georgette Mosley

Hi Friends,

Spice up your dining room during the holidays with neutral slipcovers and a classic china set. Pair them with your favorite holiday accessories to create a festive and stylish room ready for entertaining. While hosting a holiday get-together, you can protect your furniture while making a fashion statement.

Check back for more ideas and enjoy your Design for the Holidays!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Classic Scheme

Design by RMSer cakeladygr

Hi Friends,

For a traditional Christmas theme, decorate a flocked tree with bright red ornaments. Pull an eclectic mix of ornaments together by selecting them in the same color.

Remember to incorporate ornaments for our pets, after all, they are part of the family too.

Check back for more great Holiday ideas!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne

Create a Designer Christmas Tree

Hi Friends,

Add panache to your holiday decor and give your tree an updated look. A coordinated color scheme, large topper and over-sized ornaments are the secrets to designer Christmas trees. Try using ornaments and ribbons in shades of gold, silver and white or a combination of copper, tan and silver to add style and sophistication to your holiday tree.

1. Light your tree using the instructions above. Next, create decorative sprays. For the front of a full standard tree we recommend no fewer than five clusters, and seven works the best. Bundle three stems of artificial flowers, fruits or leaves together and tie the stems with string or floral wire.

Eye-catching ideas include:

silk poinsettias in pink, gold, purple or red
white magnolias
ivy, ferns or magnolia leaves
silk oak leaves dipped in copper, gold or silver
fruits and berries
cheery yellow star sprays.

2. Leave six or seven inches at the top of the tree for the topper. Tuck a floral spray in the upper left side of the front of the tree (below the topper area) by inserting the stem into the branches. Secure by wrapping twine or floral wire around the stem and branch.

3. Move to the right side of the tree and insert another cluster into the branches; secure and then return to the left - creating a tilted zigzag across the front of the tree as shown.

4. Next, drape garlands of ribbons, beads or pearls and connect the clusters. Don't be afraid to twist two or more ribbons together. Be bold and mix unexpected patterns and colors or twist plaid and check ribbons or gold and silver beads together. French-wire ribbon works best because you can bend and twist it into shape.

5. Next, add solid color glass balls. Place medium and large ornaments (usually reserved for the middle) near the top of the tree. The trick is to nestle them into the tree so that they don't jut out and look awkward. If you have a live tree you can trim the branches to create a niche for the ornament. If it is artificial, bend the branches down or toward the back of the tree. Begin at the top of the tree and work your way to the bottom. Hang decorations within the branches, near the trunk of the tree to add dimension.

6. You can also add oversized decorations such as large angels or violins in gold or white. These can be as tall as 12 inches. Secure them to the limbs with floral wire. Hang ornaments on alternating branches so they aren't in straight rows across or down the tree. Finish decorating the tree.

Note: If you want to use additional decorations on your designer tree, use items that are similar in size and finish - for instance, 3-inch snowflakes and icicles made of cut glass, or French horns and stars of brass. Hang them near the ends of the branches and don't skimp on the quantity. More is better for a designer tree.

Toppers

Like the name implies, toppers sit atop a holiday tree in place of or in conjunction with a star or angel. They are large and sometimes outrageous. You can't go wrong creating a topper as long as you follow this rule: More is better! Toppers are accented with long feathers, stars on wire, glitter sticks or netting and ribbon.

Steps:

1. Once you've hung all the decorations, it's time to top your tree. Toppers look more complicated to create than they are. If you aren't an accomplished bow-maker, pay to have them made when you purchase the ribbon. Floral supply houses and Christmas specialty stores may have a minimal charge for this service. If your tree stands in a corner and you decorated only the front, you'll need only one bow. Use two bows if you decorated the entire tree, and three if you like the extravagant look of a huge topper. Secure the bows to the top of the tree with floral wire.

2. Around the bow or center of the treetop, insert and secure decorative glitter sticks and/or long feathers. There is no hard-and-fast rule about how many you should use, so stand back from the tree and continue adding until you get the look you want.

Courtesy of HGTV

Check back for more great Holiday ideas and recipes!

Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and cost saving ideas for your space. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!

Live well,
Yvonne