YuleLog Ornament Collector's Bulletin Board Forums Discussion Ornament Collecting Discussion FREE! Decorating Ideas

I've been away from the boards for a while, busy working. Some of you may remember me (I hope) and that I am professional holiday designer who loves to share her work, ideas, etc. with other holidayaholics like me. If you went to the KOC event in Kansas City last month, you may have seen my 2 videos that Hallmark showed during the event.
As a matter of fact, I have set up a blog that is nothing but FREE seasonal decorating ideas because I love to share. Only one design features Hallmark so far, but hopefully, I will post more of that closer to Christmas. Anyway, in a tight economy, I think it's refreshing to find something free, so enjoy it and if you have any feedback, I'm all ears! Especially if you'd LIKE to see some MORE ideas using Hallmark ornaments, please let me know. Thanks and I'm glad to be back.
Here's the FREE blog site: http://www.seasonalhome.wordpress.com
DON'T FORGET to look at the "CATEGORIES" on the right side of the page so you can check out all the free ideas I've loaded up so far... ENJOY! :-)
CHECK PAGE 2 (of this thread) FOR YOUR 1ST FREE "HALLMARK ORNAMENT" IDEA, from me to you! Enjoy

Great Blog, loved your pictures of the Outdoor Decorations for Fall. Yes, I'd like to see some of your decorations with Hallmark Ornaments. Thanks for sharing!

Joyce

Thanks Joyce! I'm hoping that you are not alone and that more collectors want and need ideas. How about that idea fellow collectors? Would you be interested in something like that?

It really keeps me inspired to know I am inspiring others. Thank you for your kind comments. :-)

You are very talented.
Mary

Thank you Mary. :-) I thought sharing would be a nice way to come back to the board and I hope you were inspired. I plan to get my fall decs out today. How about you? I am going to try some new, cool things, this year, that popped into my non-stop brain. I'll try to add an additional posting on my blog to share them with all of my fellow holidayaholics. Happy Fall Ya'll!

You are so talented. I wish I had 1/8th of your talent. Great Ideas. Thanks for sharing.

Elaine

There are a lot of people in my area that do the fall lawn decorating with the bales of straw/hay, pumpkins, mums, scarecrow folks, and corn stalks.

Love your use of the apothecary jars. Very easily adaptable from season to season and holiday to holiday.

Thanks for sharing.

Deana

I love all your ideas, would like to see more. Thanks for the post. Keep them coming.

Sandy

Thanks Elaine, Sandy and Deana! I am so happy & grateful for this wonderful feedback. Some days, I wonder if I'm the only holidayaholic left in the world. :-) You should have seen my first Christmas tree... ugh! But, experience was my best teacher. I absolutely love hearing that collectors want MORE inspiration and ideas they can copy, especially where their ornaments are concerned. We sure have enough of them... now, I believe we need new ideas for displaying them to keep us inspired. I hope you agree. I'll keep checking back to see how many collectors are interested in that idea. Thank you, again, for letting me know that you enjoy the inspiration so far. Happy Fall!

Girlfriend about time you show your talents off.I have learned so much , I thought a Christmas tree had only a few light thrown in it a a few balls and done !! Now I am the proud owner of closets full of " themed " stuff and of course a BIG Hallmark collection.So warning if you start watching her ideas you get hooked !!So keep on going I need more ideas to display my ornaments.

To start things rolling... here is just one of the ideas I'm working on. It encompasses the 2009 Hallmark Reach Program ornament set, featuring Santa and his reindeer. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of ideas I'm working on. Please respond on this thread if this is the type of thing you are looking for, as a Hallmark collector. Thanks and enjoy!
P.S. If you need the "how to", feel free email me. I don't mind giving instructions and answering holiday decorating questions or dilemmas, if you have any.

I would love some new decorating ideas!! Keep them coming.

Yes, keep them coming! I am not naturally talented when it comes to crafts and decorations but I can copy ideas well and would love to try some of yours!! Thanks!

Thanks and please post more!

Is this your home?
Also (and this is what people ask ME!)
When do you start decorating?
How long does it take?
Where do you store it?
What is your favorite theme or decoration?

I have the youtube video bookmarked and watch it often!

Thanks guys!
And to answer Elaine's questions (I guess it is fun to ask someone else)... Yes, I take all of my own photos for my Christmas designs and in my book as well as my videos at my home. I typically begin decorating for Christmas on November 1st because I install my first holiday client early, on 11/15 this year. Plus, the last 1/4 of the year is when I'm always receiving invites to talk to groups (about the importance of traditions); 3 in the next month I have to squeeze in. I'm done decorating within a week. It helps when you do it for a living... you get very fast at it. I am VERY lucky that I have a 3-car garage in which I can devote 33% to holiday storage. Don't ask me how much ribbon I have (eek!). My favorite decorations are the ones that mean the most to me: the special Hallmark ornaments from my 4 boys' childhood & the ones they made for me. My next fav are light & motion because they entertain & fascinate my neighbors kids and my extended family so well. Like most of you (I'm sure), I LOVE food themed ornaments in general too.
Thanks for watching my YOUTUBE videos. Some are older than others (as you can tell by the morphing of my kitchen, etc.) I have a total of 5 Christmas, 2 Halloween & 1 for my book on youtube in case you haven't found them all. I'm also working on a very detailed one that will show you how to completely decorate a tree (secrets of the pros!), which I'll post when it's ready. Too much to do later this year, so I'm enjoying my time on the boards now. Thanks for asking! :-D

I just got my fall decorations out this week and they are all sitting in my dinning room as life threw me a few curves this week. I made it through all right and I would LOVE to have your decorating ideas and especially ones using my thousands of Hallmark ornaments. I have many Spring, Easter, Halloween and Christmas ornaments from Hallmark and am also the owner of way too many glass ornaments!They are just so classic to me I have to have a tree of those too. I would love ideas on different ways to use them too. Thanks for all you have shared already! Nancy

I'm sorry, I don't remember you. I checked your past posts but nothing is on file to jog my memory, beyond these past few days.

You showed some very lovely decorating ideas and I'm looking forward to your Christmas decorations. Thanks!

Hi Nancy, I understand curve balls, so I've added another idea below to pick up your spirits... enjoy. And stay tuned to my future posts. I'll let everyone know when I have completed my "Hallmark Inspiration" website.

Thank you for your thoughts on my blog Stacey. It has been a few years ago that I was on... life has just been sooo busy. But, I'm back to re-meet my old friends. And here is another idea that I think some of you will enjoy. The photo is one of my older ones, so not great quality, but you will get the idea. This is a nature-inspired theme on which I used lanterns with real votive candles. And here's a "huh, what?" moment for you... I replaced the wick of each candle with an individual light from a strand of miniature Christmas lights. It took some careful pre-planning, but worked like a charm. I also used the Hallmark word expression ornaments (Hope, Peace, etc.) because they match a nature theme so well. There are many other elements involved in this tree that I will go over in more detail if I can manage to get my Hallmark Inspiration website completed. I finished this tree off with under-lit snow, but many other things would work. Just some of the Hallmark series that would be awesome on this tree: Sketchbook by Marjolein Bastin, Beauty of the Birds, Mitford, etc. I hope you like it and can see past the bad photo... Questions? ask away! :-)

Will you post the link to your youtube video?

Thanks and I am enjoying all your ideas.

Sandra

Stunningly beautiful tree!

Would love it if you listed all the decorations and their colors. I see something that looks brown in there but can't make it out! And I see other garland, more than the wide red/gold ribbon too.

Love your innovations...the candles converted to use with your light string, the underlighting...beautiful!

Lisa

Sure Sandra.... I'm not sure which ones you want to see, so I chose a few for you.

This video's topic is EASTER. It will demonstrate that you NEVER want to get in the way of my extended family when the hunt is on! My hunt categories and themed baskets are treasured and sought after, but don't cost me anything (curious?) ;-). Needless to say, all the sorted details of what to do are in my book, but this will give you a small sample of the most fun part of our Easter day celebration. It's VERY unique and everyone shows up! My whole street even participates by watching our fun, but looney tune family.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDl9Hfsho4U

Here are a couple of HALLOWEEN videos for you to enjoy also. The first (again, bringing my book and "Martha on a Budget style" to life) is called The SPOOKY DINNER. You will probably notice that I can be EXTREMELY creative when I set out to start a new tradition, which usually solves a problem, but ALWAYS on a budget. My kids have great memories because I didn't let limited funds (at the time) keep me down! I think that's why today's (financially strapped) parents are eating this stuff up? Who knew easy homemade stuff & paper products could create so much fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zOVz8S-nog

The 2nd HALLOWEEN video is of some of my first decorations from quite a few years ago, so excuse the shakiness of the video. I think Hallmark collectors will really enjoy the "Where's Waldo" factor to my built-in unit's display. I combined EVERYTHING Hallmark, from lapel pins to Tender touches to Merry Miniatures & even some ornaments (can you say "Halloween chaos"?!!) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TKiYRNjyWg

This is my "Oldest" CHRISTMAS video. Waaaaay before I renovated my kitchen. So many memories are attached to this one... but I don't miss those old, disfunctional cabinets OR my separate Dining Room, oddly enough! ;-) In all of my videos, you will notice that I decorate my home MUCH differently than I do for my clients. My own decorations reflect, like all of you ~ my love for Hallmark and the huge spot in my heart for Christmas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYNNiS8BdqA

This video is my "Newest" CHRISTMAS one. Kitchen is done & Dining Room has been encompassed into it. REALLY got into white trees & garland during this year. If you haven't tried it... WOW, white greenery (sounds funny, I know) REALLY makes your decorations POP! Many of you may already know this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dKGBxlTINE

Lastly, a few things you will notice about my "at home" decorating style, which I also plan to share on my upcoming Hallmark Inspiration website is that I buy a lot of traditional holiday standards, when it comes to decorations. That will be explained further on the site, but it gives me the capabilities to completely re-theme my own home EVERY year, using many of the same products, but in new ways to keep expenses down. I also make many things, but it has to be easy, inexpensive & fast to do (like the dum-dum lollipops in my yard; cost for all 6: apx. $12). You will probably notice all of that as you watch my videos. I really hope they provide a little pre-holiday spirit for everyone.. ENJOY, with my compliments! :-D
And WHEW! Sorry about the length of this posting.

Sure Lisa.. no problem.
The brown color is actually copper and it is a very wide & sheer ribbon that I ran in & out of the tree. The other thing that you may have thought was garland is actually single floral stems, placed on tree branches in groupings. The grouping consists of: frosted greenery, 1 vanilla-colored & 1 off-white colored hydrangea and some plain silk ivy (that I coated in spray glue & sprinkled fine faux snow & iridescent glitter on to). The other item on the tree are translucent, copper-colored crystal drop ornaments. They added more a touch of sparkle (much like earrings do with your outfit), but also, smooth texture and a place to rest your eye in this mostly textured design. I hope that helps you! :-D
P.S. This tree is much different from your typical silk tree as it is a "downswept" tree style. You can find these at Christmas stores & on line, typically.

Thank you for posting several links. I am impressed!!

Sandra

You're welcome Sandra. I love to share my experience and there are soooo many secrets that make holiday design "simple". If I'm getting into too much detail, I apologize. I just get very excited when it comes to Christmas and should probably rein in my enthusiasm a little... sorry.

Please keep posting your ideas! Like Elaine I have watched your Christmas videos over and over again, each time I see something I didn't notice before.

Oh that tree is so beautiful! Thanks for sharing it with us. That candle and light trick must have been before the candles that run on batteries? They are getting better and some really do look real. That big ribbon, on this tree, is it in pieces or threaded through? Thanks again. Nancy

I just got to watch the tapes you posted, they are all great and thank you very much for letting us view them.
What do you think is the most important thing to buy for your Christmas decorating, that you can use year after year? That is besides your tree and Hallmark Ornaments.
Can't wait to start decorating for Halloween, I usually don't do that until the first of October.

Joyce

Oh, you're SO right Nancy... it was before the battery-operated candles came out and only by a year. How easy would THAT have made things for me? ;-D Oh well.... story of my life. hee hee
Thanks for the compliments and the ribbon is one long roll (actually, a couple of rolls), but you could easily do pieces, as you suggest. The good news is: I found it dirt cheap at Old Time Pottery. FYI ~ They have the BEST ribbon prices!

That's an easy one to answer Joyce... plastic ornament balls, in all the colors you use in your home and as many as you can afford. I have a collection in red, green, silver, gold and blue. In my business, they are a must-have staple! The best-made are K-Mart... love the sturdy (don't come off) tops. I always recommend to my clients that they buy what they can afford and grab TONS more after the season ends, at 75% off.
Buy both shiny & matte finishes (for variety) and at least 2-3 sizes (2.5" & 4" & 6") for tree top to bottom decorating. You will use them every year. Without solid ornaments on a tree (so your eye has a place to rest, in between busy, detailed Hallmark ornaments), your decorations can look very overwhelming.
Have fun with your Halloween decorating! Next week is Fall...yea!

Thank you! I had a great time looking at your ideas. It was lovely of you to share. I have had my fall decor out for two weeks and thought I was alone. I bought a great candle holder recently at Target and was looking for some fall filler, like your gords, but have not found exactly the thing yet. I am feeling inspired so I'm off the the craft store. Thanks again.

So happy to inspire! My fall is sneaking out of the garage too! :-D

Here is another new idea...something I made last year. I painted black dots and stenciled my last name "initial" on a cream-colored pumpkin to personalize it. I think it would be cute as an office desk decoration too, maybe as part of a 3-piece stacked & glued together pumpkin topiary? Would be adorable in orange too!
P.S. That's a black feather boa & a few fall leaves underneath the pumpkin and they are all perched on a black cake stand.

That's a cute Pumpkin display, thanks for sharing it with us. I may have to go out and buy me a black feather boa!

Joyce

Love you beautiful decorations. Yes, please post more and thanks so much for sharing your talent.

Thank you! I will start a new thread with the next one I post. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the inspiration.

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