Winter Themes

Set the Mood

Candles will give your rooms a warm glow.

While summer is about bright, airy, and cheerful, winter is a little more subdued. Soft lighting and deep, rich colors will warm up your rooms. Switch your light bulbs to soft white, or install a dimmer switch to keep the light soft and warm.

Candles are another great way to add warm light to a room - while adding some winter time fragrance to the air. Yankee Candle has some great seasonal scents, like:

• Gingerbread Maple
• Christmas Berry
• Redwood Cedar
• Sage and Cinnamon

Have a fireplace? Now is the time to make use of it! Even if your fireplace is more for show than function, fill it with pillar candles to get that warm glow.

As for [[Basics of Color Design| colors]? Try red, orange, and yellow. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go out and paint the walls (though these colors work well all year round). You can incorporate these colors into your rooms through pillows, blankets, throw rugs, lamp shades, plants and flowers, potpourri, and accessories. Some inexpensive products you might like:

• Ringum Rug from Ikea
• Eret Lampshades from Ikea
• Terry Blankets from Target
• Jacquard Pillows from Pottery Barn
• Wool Rug from Natural Area Rugs

Bring the Outdoors In

And, no, we don’t mean traipse through the house with slush covered boots. But just because there is a deficit of greenery outside doesn’t mean you can’t breathe some natural life into your indoor environment. This a great time of year for adding green wreaths to your walls. Add a few seasonal blooms to your home with poinsettias and Christmas cactus plants - or place vases of faux flowers throughout your rooms in warm, seasonal colors. Pinecones, acorns, and berries also make great natural touches.

Looking for a few winter decorating projects for you home? Give these a whirl:

Evergreen Bobeches

Bobeches catch dripping candle wax. You can make winter inspired ones from evergreen leaves (or any winter green leaf) you can find outside your home. First, collect your trimmings. Then, you’ll need 18 gauge wire, which you will form into a circle slightly larger than the base of candles you’ll be using. Taking 22 gauge wire, attach your tree trimmings to the wire circle until completely cover. Slip over candle, and viola!

From Martha Stewart.com

Pinecone Picture Frame

Before you begin, you’ll need to collect small pinecones - how many will depend on the size of your frame. Pick a wide, flat picture frame, and remove the glass and backing. Dab craft glue to the border of the frame and arrange pinecones in your choice of pattern - cover the whole frame, or just add a few groupings. The glue will then need to dry overnight. When glue has dried, spray with cones with acrylic finish. Reassemble frame and hang as usual.

From Martha Stewart.com

For more craft ideas, check out our [Autumn Themes| Autumn Themes] and [Christmas Decorating for Your Home| Christmas Decorating for Your Home] articles.

Other Ideas

• Throw a rug on hardwood floors to warm cold feet.

• Layer your fabrics with richly colored accents.

• If you have a formal dining room table, add a table cloth and table settings.

• Add bows in winter colors to wreaths you already have, or tie bows around candle bases.