Check all your equipment (ladders etc.) for needed repairs, safety and stability. When you place your ladder against the house, check for stability each time before you climb.

Use a tool belt or apron with pockets to store all your supplies (clips, hooks etc.) while you are working. Do not lean when you are working on the ladder. Work at arms length.

Be sure your lights are UL or ETL safety approved. There should be a label on the package. If the Christmas lights have been opened there should also be a tag near the plug with a safety rating on it.

Check all your Christmas light sets for damage. Plug them in before stringing them up. Replace all broken or non-working bulbs with new bulbs of the same type and wattage.

Check to see that wires are not frayed or damaged. This could cause electric shock or fire. Dispose of any strands with damaged wiring. Do not attempt to repair them.

Make sure that all your lights are approved for outdoor use. This should be noted on the box or near the plug on a tag, just like the safety rating.

Your extension cords must also be safe for outdoor use. Once again this will be noted on the box or on a tag near the plug.

Check to see that you have a ground-fault circuit interrupter to plug all your outdoor lights into by way of your outdoor extension cords. These are professionally installed by an electrician. You can also buy a portable GFCI unit.

Keep Christmas lights away from electric, phone and cable lines. This is an obvious shock and fire hazard. The lines can also become entangled, which would require professional assistance.

Always use holders or hooks for lights. Staples, nails and tacks can pierce the wiring and cause an electrical short.

Put up your hooks, clips or holders first. Then string your lights. This way you are not juggling everything at once.

Do not pull on the Christmas light cords. It may cause wear or cause the wires to fray. This can cause an invisible short in the wiring.

1. Look for healthy plants. Choose a poinsettia with colorful bracts (which you might think of as petals) and rich green leaves. Pass by plants that have yellowed or wilting leaves; these plants don’t last as long.
2. Avoid plants in sleeves. Poinsettias are sometimes sold in paper or plastic sleeves to help protect the plants during shipping. Sleeved plants usually age faster than plants that aren’t grown in sleeves.
3. Select plants with fully colored bracts. Make sure the colorful leaf-like bracts don’t have green edges; a lot of green in the bracts usually means the poinsettia was shipped too early.
4. See how mature the poinsettia is by looking at the tiny yellow flowers at the center of the bracts. If the flowers have opened and you can see yellow, powdery pollen, the plant is past its prime. Look for a plant with tight yellow buds.
5. Protect your plant when you bring it home by wrapping it in a shopping bag if temperatures are below 50 degrees outside.
6. Keep your poinsettia away from heat. Warm temperatures can damage the plant just as much as cold temperatures. Avoid placing your poinsettia near heat registers, fireplaces, or in rooms where the temperature stays above 80 degrees.
7. Display your poinsettia in a spot with bright light. Your poinsettia will do best if you keep it a spot with bright but indirect light. A north- or east-facing window is usually ideal.
8. Water your poinsettia when the potting mix feels dry to the touch. It should happen before the poinsettia starts to wilt. Avoid overwatering and don’t let your plant sit in water for more than 30 minutes.
9. Let the poinsettia’s roots breathe. Poinsettias are often sold in plastic or foil pot covers. These decorative covers trap excess water. Cut off the very bottom of the pot cover or make several holes in it and set the plant on a plate or saucer to catch excess water.
10. Feed your poinsettia with a general-purpose houseplant food after the bracts fade if you want to keep the plant for the following year. Keep feeding through spring and summer, then in late September place your poinsettia where it will get bright light during the day but no extra light at night. After an 8-week period without light at night, your poinsettia should develop bracts and blooms.

At this time of year, most people don’t have a lot of extra time to spruce of their house for the holidays. Below is a quick tip to help get into the holiday spirit without spending a lot of time or money.  The  idea listed below is very easy, low in cost, and  takes minimal effort to create a  Christmas  atmosphere to your home.

Decorate Everything With Bows

• Tie generous ribbons to chair backs, candlesticks, picks in plants, wreaths, garlands, basket handles, drapery tie-backs, stair railings, and doorknobs.
• Bows look festive and the ribbons you choose should tie together with the rest of your decorating. Choose ribbons in colors and patterns that coordinate with your decorating scheme.
• You don’t have to stick with red and green. Choose plaids or florals that tie in. If you can’t find anything that looks quite right, then choose metallic silver, gold, green, or red.
• Choose a ribbon that you can untie and re-tie each year. This will save money in the long run, and you’ll end up with a good collection.
• When the holidays are over, untie the ribbons and press them lightly. The bows won’t get crushed and the ribbons will be ready when you want to take them out the next year.

• Keep Your Tree Fresh and Green
  Cut the stump of the tree with a fresh cut and set it in water immediately. A fresh-cut tree will absorb several quarts of water right from the start. So it’s important to check and refill the water level several times a day for the first week. You can cut down on frequency later. Be sure to place you Christmas tree in a stand that has a large water reservoir and keep it filled.
• Christmas Tree Preservative
  You can prolong the life of your Christmas tree by mixing up a concoction of 1 quart water, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, and 1 teaspoon liquid bleach.
• Putting Lights and Decorations on the Tree
  When decorating your Christmas tree, put lights on first, then garlands, then the ornaments.
• Work From the Inside Out
  Start arranging Christmas tree lights on the branches near the base of the tree. Weave strings of lights along the branches “inside,” then move to the outer edges of the branches.
• Placement of Ornaments
  Don’t hang all your ornament on the tips of the branches. Place ornaments and other decorations ‘inside’ your tree to add depth and interest.
• Basic Ornaments for Fill
  Start by arranging the “filler ornaments” evenly spaced around the tree. This would include basic solid color balls that are easily found at discount stores in a wide range of colors to coordinate and enhance your decorating scheme. You’ll need about 20 “filler ornaments” for every 2 feet of Christmas tree.
• Special Themed, Collectible Ornaments
  Mix one-of-a-kind special ornaments between the basic ornaments. Plan to use at least 10 special themed ornaments for every 2 feet of tree. As your collection grows, put the special ornaments closer together.
• 

Instead of hanging a wreath on your door, use it as the base of a centerpiece for your Christmas table. Use simple decorations to coordinate it with your home decor or tablesetting theme. You’ll see how simple it is to create this beautiful and traditional Christmas Wreath Centerpiece.Find a large tray or platter, or cut a piece of heavy plastic to place under the wreath. This will make it much easier to move the wreath centerpiece to change the tablecloth or rearrange the place settings. You’ll be protecting the finish on your table at the same time.

Materials for Christmas Wreath Centerpiece

• fresh pine wreath
• decorations                           
• bow

Follow these simple steps to make your wreath centerpiece:

• Place the wreath down on the table, tray, or platter.
• Decorate the wreath by sticking ornaments, pinecones, or floral picks into the wreath.
• Arrange ribbons or garlands around the wreath.
• Place one or several colorful bows around the wreath for added color.

Special tips for fine-tuning:

• Use decorations that have wires attached. They can easily be stuck into the greens of the wreath.
• When arranging the decorations on the wreath, be careful not to scratch your wood table. 
• For a different look, place several large pillar candles into the center of the wreath.
• Pile large pine cones neatly into the center of the wreath.
• Form a pyramid of colorful Christmas balls in the center of the wreath.

If you’re thinking about decorating your porch and yard for the spookiest night of the year, you can do it without having to spend a lot of money. Here are a few low-cost ideas for showing your Halloween spirit to the world:

You can get rolls of yellow Caution tape (the type you see at crime or disaster scenes to keep people out of certain areas) fairly inexpensively at most hardware stores, and if you put it up around the perimeter of your yard, accompanied by a sign that says something like “Fright Scene: Enter at Your Own Risk.” You can enhance that spookiness even more by replacing your regular porch light with a black light bulb. Adding a few Halloween-oriented items like skulls and ghost figures that glow in the dark will be even more effective.

If you want your pumpkins to last longer (and even to be reusable when you scrap your Halloween decorations and begin decorating for Thanksgiving), don’t carve them. Paint them with acrylic paint. You can create an infinite variety of faces or scenes, and your pumpkins will last much longer. There’s also none of the mess involved with carving them. Place your pumpkins in groups of three to five of varying sizes and shapes. It makes for a much more effective display.

A little paint can go a long way in creating great-looking tombstones, too. You can paint simple boards grey and then use black paint to add silly or scary epitaphs that will delight visitors.  

You can create some wonderfully spooky scenes in your windows by cutting out silhouettes of the various Halloween icons, such as black cats, witches, and skeletons, out of construction paper. When it gets dark, your windows will take on a lovely macabre look when the light is blocked out by those eerie objects.  

Simple scarecrow-type figures, topped with rubber Halloween masks, can also be effective in adding some scare factor to your front porch and lawn. Just stuff a shirt and pair of pants with straw or leaves, add the mask, and you’ve got an instant horror figure for just a little time, imagination, and very little money. 

Adding a new paint color to your home is an easy and inexpensive way to change the look and ambience of your living area. As cooler weather arrives, warm up your space with this fall’s most popular colors. Whether you favor traditional styling or lean more toward contemporary furnishings, fall’s deeper and bolder paint palette can help set the tone for a warm and seasonal home. And best of all, you don’t have to paint the entire room to get the benefit. You can add paint color as an accent to one wall and completely change the mood of your room.

The smell of peppermint, the taste of hot chocolate, or the excitement of standing under the mistletoe… Holiday Decorating is all about creating an environment that brings back memories and traditions. Creating a decorated and cheerful atmosphere throughout your work space is important especially during the Holidays; as it brings out the happiness in all of us.

At Style on a Shoestring we specialize in interior design on YOUR budget. We especially love to decorate for the holidays whether it is for your office or your holiday party. We understand it can be overwhelming to pull out those dusty boxes full of décor and not quite know where to start, or maybe you do not have much to decorate with. We take the headache out of preparing for the holidays, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your time with your co-workers and friends. We offer many holiday decorating services to fit your needs, keeping your budget in mind. We offer a complimentary initial design meeting to go over your ideas in detail and provide you with an estimate on the spot. Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner and we understand your need for efficiency.

Style on a Shoestring works closely with Interior Plant Services to exceed the warm and inviting atmosphere in your work space. Working together we will design your holiday wreath, Christmas tree décor, garland placement, etc. We have a very creative team of designers who enjoy thinking outside the box, especially when it comes to holiday décor. If you would like to WOW your company and co-workers this year at your holiday party, we can get the job done!

It’s almost that time of year to pull out all of your Thanksgiving Decor!

 If want to try something new this year then let your imagination run wild. A great and simple centerpiece can be cost effective too. Try lining red apples down the center of your table. If you really want to get interesting, cut a small hole on the top of each apple and add a tea light.  Keep in mind the fall colors while decorating; burnt orange, sienna, green, yellow, brown and deep reds. Adding texture really adds interest especially where it is least expected. Keep cozy throws out on your sofa and bed, for those colder nights to snuggle up in front of the fireplace. Fill a clear jar in your kitchen of marshmallows and chocolate and leave it out on your counter. This is especially cute for holiday parties.  Buy gold colored spray paint, or your favorite fall color, and paint over all of your old décor instead of buying new! It is an easy and fun way to make a huge difference in your home. Repetition through design always looks good and makes a great impression.

If you are still struggling with ideas for your holiday party then please let us know. We would love to come to your home and help!