With my husband's office Christmas party
just around the corner, I have already begun decorating. It takes a
while to get all of our Christmas items up and set in stone.Last year, the main focus of our house for the party was the Florida Room, which I turned into a Santa's Toyland. This year, the focus is once again on that room but this time, I'm turning it into a snow land.
Turning any room in your house into a snow land can be fun and it offers a slightly different twist to the more traditional Christmas theme. I chose the Florida Room because it is the room in which my guests most like to congregate. Additionally, the green curtains and blue carpet lend themselves automatically to the theme.
You can do something similar for your house by using some or all of the following ideas:
Idea #1. Start the theme with the Christmas Tree. This year I scaled back my 8' tree to allow more room for seating. Instead, I chose a smaller, thinner 6' tree, which I decorated in keeping with the snow land theme.
Think about placing cotton batting inside the tree to simulate snow. To make it glisten more, accent it with aurora borealis tinsel. Glittering snowball tinsel round around the branches works well too.
Choose ornaments that fit in with the overall theme. I used old world Santas, snowmen, angels and Christmas bulbs in clear, white and silver. Then, I popped it with color by placing red glitter poinsettias and snowflakes inside the branches as well.
Use a bow made of snowmen or a similar theme as a tree topper or pick out a glistening snowflake or star topper instead. Even an angel will work if you stick to clear or aurora borealis glass or plastic or choose something done in corresponding colors.
Idea #2. Temporarily cover furniture cushions and pillows with snow themed fabric.
The floral cushions in my wicker chairs were inappropriate for my snow land theme. So I used inexpensive ($1 yard) fabric in a snow theme to temporarily cover them. A simple running whip stitch allowed me to complete the job quickly. It will also make for easy removal once Christmas is over.
To pull the fabric together with the curtains, I replaced the curtain on my door to match the cushions. I left the other green curtains in place and simply dangled snowflakes from the tops of each. I also covered throw pillows in white felt and glued matching snowflakes to the front.
You can also replace throw pillows with store bought ones if you prefer. I added a couple that fit in with the theme but also popped in a bit more color.
Idea #3. Cover surfaces with a blanket of snow.
I used several different kinds of materials to achieve the look I wanted. For the large round wicker table in the center of the room I had to use white felt. It was the only fabric I could find that was large enough to cover the circumference. The fabric was around $5 a yard but one yard was all I needed.
Snow blankets can be purchased for smaller surfaces almost anywhere that Christmas decorations are sold. I used that material for my large rectangular table. These blankets retail for anywhere from $4 to $10, depending upon their size the features (e.g., glitter, glisten, etc.)
You can also use cotton pull-apart stuffing to make snow banks on large surfaces to cover really small areas. That material is inexpensive and can be found at any arts & crafts store, at Wal-Mart or fabric stores for around $4 a bag.
Increase the glitter factor with white glitter netting from Michael's Arts & Crafts. It can be draped or round a surface. The cost is about $7 per 84" by 15" piece.
Add snow flakes made from foam, fabric, or tinsel to accent the surfaces. Also think about using glittered white poinsettias.
Don't forget the snowmen. The ones I used happened to be wine bottle covers that will house Christmas gifts for some of our party guests.
Idea #4. Decorate surfaces.
I found cute little cardboard houses at Dollar Tree that doubled as gift boxes for party guests. They were perfect for decorating the top of one of the room's tables.
Add a bouquet of flowers or a plant to bring extra pizzazz to any surface.
Idea #5. Add some stockings on the fireplace.
Even a small fireplace in the room is still perfect for stocking accents. The top or mantel also provides another surface upon which you can place plants or other decorations.
Idea #6. Sit snowmen around the room.
I picked up the giant snowman pictured at a yard sale for $5. He sits inside the door to greet guests as they arrive.
Sit other woodland creatures around on the floor, between chairs, etc. Although they are not pictured, I have the perimeters of the room strewn with snowmen, old word Santas, reindeer and more. They cover up extension cords, trash cans and other things I don't want attention called to. They also add warmth and charm to the space.
Idea #7. Pipe in music with a snow theme like "Winter Wonderland," "Frosty the Snowman," or anything else appropriate. It will help set the mood and help calm the guests and remove the stress of their day.
Have fun with the theme. Get a bit wild and crazy with ideas if you want. The whole idea is to make a fantasy room that you and your guests will enjoy.
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