Bling! It’s Christmas!
By Mary Cusack ASID
Homes most beautifully decorated for Christmas are the ones that appeal to our senses. The fragrance of fresh evergreens, glitter of ornaments, red berries, pinecones and ribbon nestled in beautiful garlands and wreaths, candle light flickering creating ever so slight movements, beautiful background music and most of all the laughter and cheerful sounds of family and friends being together.
It probably sounds a little idealistic. Fresh greenery may be difficult to come by and is definitely more work. Most of us succumb to artificial greenery. Candle light cannot flicker for an entire holiday season. Many times we are separated from family and friends because of distance. Not to mention the many hours of labor involved in preparing our homes for the holidays. So whatever we do really needs to be special and reflect something that appeals to us and possibly adds a little sparkle.
Also how many times have we resurrected the same garland, wreaths and ornaments? It definitely correlates with our age. Consider the fact that if one is 45 years old, that many Christmas’s have been experienced. Of course we have not been in charge of decorating our homes that many years. But still it can be quite a long time.
Some of our decorations are nostalgic but much has become just plain dreary. I will always treasure the ornaments from my children’s youth and a few that have been passed down from my parents. Even the ones that are a little tarnished. Those little age spots are part of the charm that make these ornaments special. These are not dreary – it is all that other stuff -- the wrinkled ribbon, faded poinsettias, and the dusty crinkled artificial greenery that withered up many years ago.
It’s time to create BLING! What is bling? You know – sparkle like a large diamond. But it goes much further. Just think of tee tops, jackets and dresses glittering with sequins and other sparkles. Little girls’ clothes do this the best. What about jewelry and watches encrusted with crystals and stones? Look at lamp shades with crystal dangles. I’ve even seen Swarovski crystals clustered on iPod ear plugs. Right now there is no such thing as too much BLING.
Let’s add some of that BLING to our Christmas decorations. The very first step is to take an inventory with a very critical eye. This by the way is the most difficult part. Some of this stuff has been with us for a long, long time. Next, think of the kind of sparkle you want to incorporate. Will it be monochromatic, multicolored, unique, formal or crystal clear? Let your imagination wander. Come up with a general or even a vague idea of color, placement, etc. This will change and develop as you discover what is on the market. But it does get us started.
Now it’s time to go shopping for tools and supplies. Fabric and hobby stores usually carry these types of materials. The metallic paint may need to be purchased at a paint store. This fall, I went to the International Quilt Show in Houston. Not only did I discover bling, but I also was able to purchase tools and supplies to create my own BLING. Many of the beautifully crafted quilts had bling galore. As you can guess, it truly made an impression.
The glitteriest thing I discovered was Swarovski crystals. They have more cuts than regular crystals. This is what creates the sparkle. The other types of crystals are also beautiful. Budget will determine which ones to purchase. Along with crystals are sequins, beautiful colored stones both real and fake. Pearls are another consideration. These can be attached to ornaments, ribbon and just about any other surface. A random design works very well as does a definite design.
Large metallic flakes can be sprinkled on greenery and other decorations. Spray the surface with adhesive before sprinkling on the flakes. If you have ornaments, pinecones or berries that need a sparkle, attach to a hook, dip in gold metallic paint, sprinkle heavily with gold glitter and hang on a dowel rod to dry. These are beautifully glitzy and last for years.
After getting started you will come up with other ideas. It is fun, easy and difficult to mess up. Have a very BLINGY holiday season with your uniquely created, handcrafted decorations.
Mary Cusack, ASID