Marianne Buckman, Owner/Designer  

It's holiday season again, time to be festive and social.  This is the time of year when we all like to create a magical and welcoming home for ourselves and guests.

Lush swags of mixed greens layered along the mantel add an immediate holiday feel.  Find inexpensive bead garland (available in numerous colors) and drip the garland off the greenery.  Layer it and mix colors for a personal look.  Tuck in clusters of small ornaments to compliment the beading and add a highlight of color.

Lighting is also an excellent way to create mood and drama to any room of your house.  Small white or colored lights are perfect for this time of year.  Add to the mantel garland, tuck throughout any greenery in your house.  A great tip is to plug any of these cords into a remote switch.  This will let you turn your lights on from anywhere in the room.  No more reaching behind the tree or behind a counter.  These are available at Menards or Home Depot and work great for anytime you need to plug a hard-to-reach item in.

Decorate chandeliers with layers of bead garland or add berries and greenery to any fixture to liven it up.  Swtich out the shades on sconces or chandeliers to change the look and feel of the room.  Perfect way to add color and change the look of your lighting fixture.  You can even add magnetized crystals to your chandeliers in any color.  You can find this line of magnetized crystals at CocoBello.  Blue, black, red, clear, etc.  Shapes are numerous also.  Small changes like these, throughout your home, will add the holiday spirit.

Happy Holidays from all of us at CocoBello!