Quick and Dirty Holiday Decorating
You're tired. You've worked hard all week. Suddenly, the kids shout gleefully... "let's decorate!" ... in anticipation of the coming holiday.
The "let's not" is miraculously not permitted to escape your lips. Instead you take a deep breath while you wonder about how this decorating could become an easier and more fun-filled activity.Well, it can be!- First, insist on family members pitching in to help and treat this like a family project. This should not just rest on your shoulders to accomplish and it will be much more fun if you all are making changes and creating memories together.- Next, pick a day and time you'll all devote no more than one to two hours for a quick holiday makeover at your home (for a major decorating holiday schedule two or three longer blocks of time). It helps if you can set the decorating date about one to two weeks from now, if time still allows for that. This gives you time to gather items together for the project.
- Ask the kids to create one or two new arts and crafts decorations that are suitable to the holiday to have ready for the decorating day. Or, ask them to select ones from among any they may already have on hand, for instance, from school projects. - Decide on 3 to 4 areas you will focus on decorating this year. Here are some choices: the front door, the front yard, the entry hallway, the kitchen table, the dining room table, the living room, the patio, the bathroom, the bedroom. There are other areas you could consider as well.
But if you want quick and dirty, then focus in on only 3 to 4 of the areas for decorating this year. Anyway, you can select other areas next year for a change.- Keep holiday decorations in separate bags, boxes or baskets in the same closet or in the attic so they'll be easy for everyone to retrieve when they are needed next.- Buy items you really love when you see them advertised or they may not be available when you later. It's common for seasonal merchandise to change from year to year and also they are not stocked year-round typically. So, your item may no longer be available if you wait too long to decide you want it. Then stash your figurines, statues, wall hangings, and other holiday decorations in your bags or boxes, sorted by holiday.- Make or buy some snacks or treats to enjoy together at the completion of your decorating time.Here are some favorite quick and dirty decorating areas and tips:1.
The front door- Have a welcome sign that is theme oriented and you can easily change by season or by holiday. You can either hang up a completely new themed sign, or there are some that come with interchangeable pieces you swap in and out representing different holidays or themes.2. The dining room table or a table that is centrally located but not used that often- Change the table runner or the tablecloth to a holiday themed one. Then showcase your holiday decorations by arranging a combination of your kid's holiday creations and your own figurines or other holiday decor on the table.3. The mantel or entertainment center- Add a string of lights and if you wish, you can also vary the string of lights by color best suited for the coming holiday theme.
Wall hangings can be changed around this area temporarily as well. Holiday accessories, flags, figurines, etc. are easy to rotate in and to view on or around this area of your home.4. Special areas by kid's choice- Smaller children can help by adding little decorations to windows and glass doors. They enjoy taping up their creations or they can easily put up static cling decorations.
Other areas small children enjoy decorating include outdoors, the dog house and their own rooms. Allow them to handle this aspect of decorating while you take pleasure in their big smiles and hugs!Finally, make your decorating time even more enjoyable by having holiday background music or other favorite tunes playing in the background. Then, when you're done decorating, finish up with a big family hug and munching on tasty snack treats together!? 2003 , Giftsprings.
Industry Bracing for Record Sales of Flowers & Gift Baskets This Valentine’s Day
(ContentDesk) February 13, 2006 -- Consumer preferences vary significantly with the day of the week on which the holiday falls.
The last three Valentines Days (2003, 2004, and 2005) have fallen respectively on Friday, Saturday and because of the leap year, Monday.
When Valentines Day falls on a weekend, consumers are more likely to splurge on restaurants, hotels and weekend getaways than normal; Valentines Day turns into Valentines Weekend!
Increased competition from substitute goods takes a piece of the flower and gift basket market from retailers.
When Valentines Day falls on a Monday, consumers indulge over the weekend and claim double jeopardy on weekend activities counting them towards their Valentines Day spending budget.
When Valentines Day is on a Monday, retail prospects can be classified as merely fair, and do not approach record breaking capacity; retailers all suffer together, not just florists and gift basket companies.As...
Baskets > Industry Bracing for Record Sales of Flowers & Gift Baskets This Valentine’s Day
Introducing The Birth OF Babycakes By ZenMomma: A Natural Line Of Bath And Body Products For The Soft And Sensitive Mother and Child
Jessica Wolfe is the original ZenMomma. Speaking to a new generation of healthy mothers, ZenMomma confides, "My beautiful baby boy was allergic to everything from dairy to the adhesive on a bandage and all the lotion and body wash in the middle". Inspired by love for her son Lawson, nicknamed "BabyCakes" a new line of natural products was born. Baby Cakes by ZenMomma is a line of bath and body products tailor made with natural ingredients to gently nurture your baby as you do, with love and care. Comprised of essential oils, herbal extracts and key vitamins, these wonderful shampoos, lotions and creams leave a shine as lovely as your baby's glow.
Whether it's for bathing, healing or just a lot of fun, these products cultivate an air of delight for both Mom and Tot.The baby beauty salon is open and the little one is in charge. Baby Cakes Shampoo has a fragrance that kids love and will gently clean their hair and scalp. After bathing, use Baby Cakes Lotion to moisturize and soothe...
Introducing The Birth OF Babycakes By ZenMomma: A Natural Line Of Bath And Body Products For The Soft And Sensitive Mother and Child
Baskets > Introducing The Birth OF Babycakes By ZenMomma: A Natural Line Of Bath And Body Products For The Soft And Sensitive Mother and Child
Love Yourself this Valentines Day in a Naturally Better Way with New All-Natural Body Products
According to a story run by CBS News last spring, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York found more than 91 industrial compounds, pollutants and other synthetic chemicals in the bodily fluids of their volunteers. Some were known to be cancer causing, while others were banned or untested. The source of these chemicals was often traced back to beauty products. Like many people, Andrea Kane, a stay-at-home mom, was concerned with this news. After losing patches of hair to a chemical hair relaxer and suffering from cysts and boils under her arms from the aluminum in deodorants, she decided to create a line of products that would be naturally better for her body.
She named the line Marley's Own, after her daughter."I was tired of trying to figure out what ingredients were on labels," Kane said. "Our skin is our largest organ. We're always being told what to put in our bodies, but what about what we put on them? So, I did some research, experimented with recipes I found in a health...
Love Yourself this Valentines Day in a Naturally Better Way with New All-Natural Body Products
Baskets > Love Yourself this Valentines Day in a Naturally Better Way with New All-Natural Body Products
How to Make a Gift Basket Like a Pro!
Gift Baskets make great gifts for every occasion; they are fun to give and fun to receive! Have you ever wondered how to make a beautiful, professional looking Gift Basket? Well, you are about to learn how!Since you have probably already decided who you are giving the gift basket to, and for what occasion, then the first step is to write down a list of your recipient's interests. By making a list like this, you can decide what kind of theme your gift basket will have, and what kind of gift items you will include. Does your recipient like cooking, gardening, reading, golfing, fishing? Is the gift basket intended for a specific occasion such as the birth of a new baby, or a particular holiday? The answer to these questions is where you will begin to make your own gift basket.Pick a container. You can use a traditional basket as your container, or you may want to use something entirely different. If you are making a gardening gift basket, why not choose a clay pot, or if you are making...
How to Make a Gift Basket Like a Pro!
Baskets > How to Make a Gift Basket Like a Pro!