How to Tie a Christmas Bow (The 60-Second Method I Use Everywhere)
A good Christmas bow does a lot of heavy lifting. Here’s a step-by-step guide to tie a bow with ribbon that works every time. Once you get the rhythm, it takes about a minute, and the best part is there’s no actual tying involved. Floral wire does the hard work.
Sweat the Small Stuff: What to Have on Hand Before You Decorate
You’re excited to start holiday decorating, then realize you don't have the boring things you need to finish. Boxes cover the living room, the mantel and porch sit half-done, and you lose an hour to the hardware store—or a full day to overnight delivery. Here's everything to have on hand before you start, so you can actually finish in a weekend.
Decorating Small Spaces
Whether you live in an apartment, you’re focusing on a single space, or you want every small detail throughout your home to shine, here are simple ideas to elevate small spaces this holiday season.
How to Add Ribbon around Ornaments
Where you place your ribbons makes the difference between ornaments that look like they're sitting inside the arrangement instead of hanging on the front of it.
Four Step Format for a Show-Stopping Front Porch Every Time
Create a porch garland people assume you paid a designer for—starting with faux garland you can buy anywhere. Once you nail this format, it works regardless of your style and favorite color scheme.
How to Build a Full Christmas Garland Base
Live garland is beautiful and expensive. This is how I get the same full, textured look for a fraction of the price—and keep it looking good through the season. This is the foundation for the layered porch garland. Get the base right and every layer after it looks better.
How to Make Christmas Ornament Clusters
Ornament clusters are a great way to create a major statement on your garland. They’re perfect for the corners of your porch opening, or the centerpiece in the middle. Clusters are easy to get wrong, and the mistake is almost always the same: making both sides identical. This is the anchor layer in the layered porch garland.
Cascading Echoes: The Step Most People Skip
Most people build their statement pieces and stop. Their porch still looks good. It just doesn't have the thing that makes you slow down when you drive past. That’s where cascading echoes come in, and they take about fifteen minutes.
How to Light a Christmas Garland So It Glows from Within
Lights are what make your porch worth walking up to at six o'clock in December. Done poorly, they read as a string of dots stuck onto a garland. Done well, your garland glows from the inside.
How to Choose Ribbons that Work Together
A show-stopping garland starts with your shopping cart—do not skip the ribbon. The key is the right mix of ribbon so your whole look works together.
Get the Look: Front Door Wreath
Create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind wreath that people will assume you purchased—starting with a standard wreath you can buy anywhere.