A lovely, EASY, Cheap! decorating idea:
spray paint pine cones with silver and gold paint. Tie red or green curly ribbon on top. Hang them on the tree, give them as favors, use a gift tags, or pile in a basket as a centerpiece, very festive!

1. Classic Paper Garland: Cut colored construction paper in strips. Staple or tape to make chains out of circles. Add glitter too!!

2. Colored construction paper, or wrapping paper, cut to look like Christmas ornaments...then decorated with smaller paper or glitter or sequins...punch holes... tie on a ribbon so can be hung on tree.

3. Napkin Rings: Cut paper towel tube into widths to match the width of Christmas ribbon. Wrap ribbon (or felt) (or wrapping paper) around tube and glue in place. Add smaller ribbon trim (strung sequins or ¼" solid ribbon) to outside edges, or a Christmas card cutout to center of felt.

4. Tomato Cage Tree: Using a cheap wire tomato cage; turn upside down (large round side down) - tie "legs" together with wire. Weave pine bows (perhaps those cut off the bottom of your tree) through the wire. If they won't stay put - use floral wire to hold in place. Embellish with pine cones, holly, dried flowers, or lights and ornaments etc. Sit outside on your front porch.

5. Glue sequins to balls... flat cardboard, styrofoam, glass or plastic balls...

6. Cut Christmas shapes out of red and green felt. Decorate with ribbon,buttons,sequins...different colored felt.... red or green ribbon. Use cookie cutters and guides.

7. Make mini wreaths from live plants & greenery from the backyard. Can get a handful of the really small grapevine wreaths about 5 inches across (diameter). These cost about 33 cents apiece US. Then just gather holly and berries and cut bottoms from Christmas trees, and mistletoe etc and hot glue or use floral wire to attach the decorations. These can even be used as the decoration at the bottom of a fat candle.

Decorating Your Home for Christmas
By Edina Geller

The time has come to start putting up Christmas decorations. But, before you rush off to your local store to buy this year's collection of baubles, wreaths and garlands, think carefully about your decorating theme. Christmas themes can vary from traditional to modern; elegant to fun; natural to high-tech etc. Browse through a few magazines and websites for inspiration - then decide on an overall scheme. Whatever you choose, it should complement your interior and your lifestyle.

Having chosen your Christmas theme, get out your previous years' decorating bits & pieces. Select those that would go with your current theme or could be adapted easily. Baubles, garlands, candles and holders can be transformed simply with a bit of imagination. Baubles can be painted, stencilled, sprayed, wrapped or decorated with fabric, ribbons, glitter, pearls and beads. Garlands & wreath can be sprayed with metallic or frosted paint and decorated with berries, acorns, dried leaves, feathers and pearls - depending on your theme.

You can also decorate some of your glassware and tableware - spray or stencil them with removable paint and glitter or decorate them with removable stickers and film. Use your glass bowls, jars, vases and containers to display baubles, fairylights, dried fruits, nuts, chocolate pieces, glass beads and candles. Place these around your home - or use them as a central piece on your Christmas dining table.

When you've customized your existing pieces and household items, look around a couple of shops to find a few bits and pieces to complete the look. It's best to buy simple pieces that can be decorated further and adjusted in following years to suit different themes.

The two most important elements of Christmas decorating are the tree and the lighting. Nothing really beats the smell of a real pine tree, but if you want to create a trendy look, a pre-lit twig or feather tree might be the right choice to suit your décor theme. The secret of a successful tree is to use a maximum of three colors, shapes and materials when dressing it. To create an interesting tree, make some of your baubles edible - out of chocolate, candy, dried fruits & nuts.

When it comes to lighting, use a variety of illumination systems. Wrap fairy & string lights around door frames & banisters, hang them in the windows, pile them up in glass vases, run them across the dining table, or make them into a garland. Use rope lights outside your home - around your windows, doors, pathway and trees. Pile church candles together on the mantel, in large containers, across the dining table or in unused fireplaces. Put scented tea lights in your windows, on shelves and coffee tables.

Read more articles and Christmas decorating ideas at our website! E Geller is an interior designer specialising in residential spaces. She is a writer and advisor at diytogether.com on home improvement, decorating & design.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edina_Geller
http://EzineArticles.com/?Decorating-Your-Home-for-Christmas&id=108751

MAKING ICE LANTERNS

Fill a plastic bucket about 14 inches deep and 7 inches in diameter with water to 2 inches from the top. Float a smaller container, about 3 inches deep and 4 inches in diameter, centered in the bucket. (The candles you plan to use should be slightly smaller than this container). If necessary, tape the container down with masking tape so it forms a depression in the water, or weigh it down with a heavy object. Freeze. To add flowers, herbs, leaves or berries, freeze them in stages, starting with a little water at a time, placing more material on top of each frozen layer. Outside Lights Fill the small container with warm water to loosen it, then remove it from the ice. Place the bucket in a warm-water bath to loosen the ice form, then slip it out of the bucket. Line the indentation created by the small container with plastic wrap. Place a small pillar or votive candle in the depression. If the temperature outside is above freezing, the lanterns will last two or three hours after they are lit.