Friday, May 2, 2008

Exterior Christmas Decoration

If you happen to live in a neighborhood where people enjoy decorating the outside of their homes for the holidays you may find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Sure, decorating with an exterior Christmas decoration or two can get you in the holiday spirit, but when it becomes a contest between dueling neighbors it can quickly skyrocket into a high cost endeavor.

I’m guilty of being one of those people who goes all out when it comes to decorating for Christmas. I have the prescribed strings of lights, a Santa Clause statue and even a few plastic reindeer adorning the front of my home. Every year I try and add at least one new exterior Christmas decoration to my arsenal, so that I can better compete with everyone else on my block.

It doesn’t have to be an expensive investment though and I found out the best way to ensure this is the case. Purchasing a new exterior Christmas decoration each year after the holidays pass is going to save you money. If you were to buy that exact same exterior Christmas decoration in early December you’d expect to pay full price. Once the New Year rolls around, you’ll enjoy a huge savings.

One of the most popular decorations that you’ll see during the holiday season is lights. These small and vibrant lights adorn not only the interior Christmas tree but also the exterior of your home as well. Many people utilize these blue, red, or white lights as an exterior Christmas decoration on their home or an outside spruce tree. Again, purchasing these lights after the holiday season means an instant savings, in some cases as much as half price.

Another tip I found that saves me money is to make some of the items myself. If you aren’t a crafty individual, don’t fear. You can certainly still make a nice exterior Christmas decoration with just a large cardboard box and some gift wrap. All you need to do is reinforce the box with some packing tape, running it along the outside so the box doesn’t cave in. Then wrap the box up in brightly colored, holiday themed gift wrap and presto, you’ve just made a great looking and very inexpensive exterior Christmas decoration.

Garage and estate sales can also be wonderful resources when it comes to finding all things Christmas. Often times when people move or downgrade to a smaller property they’ll sell large items so they don’t have to transport them to their new home. You can often find a very inexpensive exterior Christmas decoration or two at these sales.

Getting into the holiday spirit is always fun and when you decorate your home it makes it even more so. Don’t overlook the outside of your home this year when December rolls around, instead find a cute exterior Christmas decoration or two to reflect how you feel about the season. You never know you just may encourage others to do the same.

Wrought Iron Curtain

Wrought iron curtain rods are elegant additions that suit nearly every style of interior décor. You can find the right look no matter what your specific tastes are. Wrought iron curtain rods are ideal for traditional looks but they also come in many modern designs as well. There are some things to consider when choosing this as an option for your drapery.

Many of us think of medieval times when we picture items like wrought iron curtain rods. For these individuals, a good choice would be rods that have decorative hardware that is reminiscent of the era. For example, you can find wrought iron curtain rods that have sword-like accents.

I love this look for certain interior designs, especially if the room has rich colors and hints of gold. It is also nice if there is a stone fireplace in the area as well. The wrought iron curtain rods fit perfectly into this scheme and you might even find children look to the room as a kind of Camelot.

While the medieval era is really appealing to some, others might prefer something a little less over-the-top. A nice option for decorative edges on wrought iron curtain rods is the swirl. The swirl design comes in a number of forms and it is a great option for many rooms.

Swirls work well if you have a similar patter somewhere else in the room. For example, a room that has an Oriental rug that contains a swirl pattern can be connected visually to wrought iron curtain rods with similar shapes. The pattern can be repeated in throw pillows or even in the actual upholstery used on furniture.

Wrought iron curtain rods also offer an Old World feel in some of their designs. You can find a fantastic Tuscan-inspired design that will suit a dining room perfectly. One of my favorite designs is grapes. The grape wrought iron curtain rods are such a hit with me that I use them in my dining room.

What I love about this motif is that it really stimulates the appetite. I use rich purple accents in the room to bring out the entire theme. This coupled with the Italian dining room set makes the whole look come together. I feel like having a glass of wine when I enter the room.

Don’t forget that there are clean, contemporary designs to consider in wrought iron curtain rods as well. The options are vast when it comes to this particular accent for your home.