Guest Blogger: Lifestyle Expert Eddie Ross

Stylist, editor and blogger extraordinaire Eddie Ross put together some gorgeous holiday projects for our sister magazine, At Home in Arkansas, earlier this month, and he’s been so kind as to share them with us, as well! Read on for a trio of fun, festive””and easy!””do-it-yourself decorating ideas.

Everlasting Wreath

Tools

1) Assortment of ball ornaments

2) Wire hanger

3) Ribbon

4) Glue Gun

Take a wire hanger and bend it into the form of a circle. Then, grab your glue gun and as many round ornaments in varying sizes as you can find. You’ll need about 80 in all. Whenever I do my tree, I like the more unusual shapes, so it’s always the round ones I have left over. Even if you don’t, though, you can always find them for reasonable prices at a discount retailer, especially after the holidays.

To secure the metal cap to the ball, dab a little hot glue and press. That way, the cap will remain attached as the ornaments are strung.

Next, untwist the end of the hanger, then string one ornament at a time, making sure to alternate the placement and colors as desired. Use smaller sizes to fill in the gaps!

Check out the final result! To secure it to the door (make sure it’s on the interior!), I used the hook end of the hanger, together with a little wire. Then I covered it up with bubblegum pink satin ribbon and a bow. How simple and beautiful is that?

Candy Cane & Candle Centerpiece

Here’s a project idea for a centerpiece using a holiday favorite, candy canes.

Tools Needed

1) Candy canes

2) Hot glue gun

3) Miniature silver balls for embellishing

4) Round pillar candle

Steps

1) Hot glue two candy canes together, and repeat until you have eight sets.

2) Hot glue four sets together (see image above) and repeat, so you have two sets.

3) Hot glue one set on top of the other.

4) Embellish with miniature silver balls.

Festive Bamboo Serving Station

And lastly, a fun and easy project for creating a holiday beverage station where everyone can help themselves.

Tools Needed

1) Bamboo

2) Shredded coconut

3) Ornaments

4) Cups for hanging

5) Spray paint

6) Glitter (preferably Martha Stewart’s)

7) Florist’s foam

Steps

1) Spray paint bamboo and apply glitter.

2) Arrange in florist’s foam in vase.

3) Top florist’s foam with shredded coconut.

4) Hang ornaments and cups for guests to use for serving themselves beverages.