If you want to give your dining table or living area a nice fresh burst of color as well as a beautiful clean scent then try decorating with lemons.

You can make a beautiful centerpiece for a coffee table or dining table by just fining a unusual bowl or vase and filling it full of lemons. You can display them whole or you can fill the vase with water and float the lemons in it.

A very trendy centerpiece is to take a very tall narrow vase and stack the lemons inside of it. A wet centerpiece like this is made by filling a tall tubular vase with lemons that are cut in half. However a wet centerpiece should only be used for about a day because lemons cut in half can start to smell.

You can also fill a Bundt pan full of water and freeze whole lemons in the mold. You can then unmold it and place a candle in the center of the hole.

The rind of a lemon can make a nice bowl or cup for all kinds of thing. It is classic to round out lemon pulp from the rind and serve a pudding or gelato inside. You can also use the rinds to hold nuts or other tiny snack. Lemon rinds can also be filled crystals or sand and used to hold candles. You can also fill a lemon cup with water and float a candle inside of it.

You can make a trendy place setting label by cutting the top of a lemon that still as the twig off the top of the fruit. Make sure it is level and stands flat. You can then write the name of the guest on the lemon peel or you can tie a decorative tag to the peel that has the name of the guest on it.

Dried lemon slices smell nice and are very decorative. Simply slice lemons into rounds and then bake them on cookie racks for five to six hours until they are dehydrated. You can then use these dried slices of lemon to decorate green wreathes. They also look nice suspended in jars of bath salts or in clear soap dispensers.

Whole lemons also make attractive wreathes for the kitchen. You can simply string them together (sew them) on wires or tack them to Styrofoam. Whole lemons look nice entwined with green leaves or big chrysanthemums and daisies.

As you can see you can do a lot more with lemons then just make lemonade.

Big martini glasses can be used for a lot of things besides martinis. You can use them for a lot of other decorative purposes as well. You can use very large regular martini drinking glasses for this or go to the store and buy super-sized ones that can be used for decoration.

When it comes to room decor, oversized martini glasses make beautiful centerpieces. For the holiday seasons you can fill them with whatever pertains. Hershey’s kisses or heart shaped chocolates look great in a Martin glass for Valentine’s Day. For Christmas you can fill it with shiny Christmas balls. In the Spring and Autumn you can fill it with floating flowers or pot-pours. Fill a martini glass with water and float a big peony or rose in it in June.

Big wine glasses also make wonderful candle holders. Simply fill with water, even colored water and then float the candle on the surface to create a romantic mood.

Martini glasses also make lovely flower vases for small bundles of flowers such as a bundle of daisies or a bunch of orchids. The key to this looking great is to bundle the flowers together first so they stand up straight in a bed of sand or river rocks deposited in the bottom of the glass.

Giant martini glasses also make very interesting serving dishes. Consider serving chocolates, Cocoa cheerios, dips, mixed nuts, candy, olives, pretzels or pickles in them. They also make nice holders for fresh fruit.

Martini glasses are also useful for making fruit and yogurt sundaes, ice cream sundaes and they are perfect for holding puddings and mouses. They can also be an elegant container for cold soup or a mid-course sorbet.

Yet another wonderful use for a Martini glass is as a holder of shrimp and shrimp cocktail sauce. Simply hook the shrimp all around the rim of the glass which is filled with tangy seafood sauce.

These glasses also look great in bathroom. You can fill them with colorful bath pellets, soap, bath salts or decorative soaps. Mix two colors of bath salts to create a lovely effect.

Giant martini glasses can also be used as holders for favors or gift baskets. Large acrylic martini glasses work best for this. Simply pile little gifts in the glass and then wrap it all with saran wrap. Be sure to tie it all together securely with a pretty ribbon.

One way to completely personalize a party is to paint the martini glasses. The possibilities for creating themed glasses are practically endless. You can paint them with the theme of the night, such as a pumpkin for Halloween, with the names of a bride and groom or you can paint them to match your china.

The first thing you need to do is completely clean the glasses. Wipe them with a paper towel that is soaked in alcohol and let the glass air dry. It is best to use brand new glasses as older ones sometimes have residues on them that prevent paint from sticking to thesurface. Make sure the glass is big enough to paint on in the first place!

There are many different paints you can buy to use for this project including both opaque and transparent paints. You can also get paint that gives glass a frosted or spackled effect. You can get very creative as glass paints come in every color imaginable. If you are not good with a brush you can also buy markers that contain glass paint that can do a good job. The markers are especially good if you want to create detailed designs with a lot of intricate touches.

If you are talented, just go ahead and paint an image on the glass free-hand. You can also use a pattern or a stencil on glass. Simply tape the design you want to use on the inside of the glass and then just paint the outside of the glass as the pattern shows.

You usually have to bake the paint on the glass. You put your finished glasses in the oven and heat to the temperature advised by the paint company. Once the glasses are done having the image sealed into the glass by the oven heat you take them out of the oven and let them air dry. Note that you do not have to do this but using bake-on paint allows the glass to be used in the dishwasher and survive daily wear and tear for a longer time. However for best results you should always hand wash the glasses carefully which will help preserve the design.

There are several different paints you can buy that allow you to be very creative. Opaque paint doesn’t allow light to pass through it, but transparent paints do. You can also get paint that makes the glass look frosted or crackled. Glass paints come in every color of the rainbow–and considering that a little goes a long way, you’ll have plenty of paint to experiment with on other projects. You can also buy glass paint markers that allow you to letter or make intricate designs.

Most paints are water-based and are easily cleaned off of your brushes, skin and other places with a little soap and water.

Some people might be surprised to find out that Mod is not just one style. In fact there are mod styles to decorate most decorating schemes.

One of the most well known of all of the mod styles is the all white Austere Elegance type of style. These are chandeliers that are a cold bright white color that are made of wood, paper and cardboard.

Chandeliers made out of paper are also very mod. You can get spiky natural looking cardboard chandeliers that look like they are made out of iron when really they are made out of twisted and dried white paper.

Baroque styles were popular in the mod era of the late sixties and early seventies. These a wrought iron, beaded pieces that look a bit Victorian and are festooned with shiny beads.

A mod Avanti grade style is the four-sided armature that boasts big round balls of smoked glass. These look great with late seventies and all eighties styles of furniture.

The Carousel style is also an armature that looks like a cage. Inside the hanging cage is a pendant of wrought iron leaf lighting fixtures. This style usually comes in color combinations such as powder blue and red or red and gold leaf.

Another classic is the Sputnik style of mod chandelier. These are chandeliers that are round balls with spiky arms sticking out of them. They look like silver satellites hanging from your ceiling.
The gentrified rustic style of chandelier is usually made out of finely bent polished wood with candlestick style lights. One single fat crystal usually hangs from the base of this style of lighting fixture.

The “industrial revolution” style of lighting is basically a bundle of black shelled torch lights that are hung in a clump from the ceiling.

Unusual wagon wheel styles made out of iron and glass are also very mod and look good with more rustic styles of décor.

Another approach is to get balloon lighting made out of paper. These are called bubble lamps. They have been around for decades and are made by spraying a layer of translucent plastic over a wire armature.

When it comes to picking out a mod chandelier it should be more than just a light source. It should be an accessory and a focal point that makes as much of an impact with the lights on as they do with the lights off.

If you really want to liven up a home during the winter months then be sure to have plenty of flowered plants around. Flowers in recycled items that are used as pots are a trendy and eco-savvy way to keep your home blooming with cheer.

For an elegant tall vase cut the top of off a metal olive oil can using a can opener and then place some white poinsettias in it. It is simple to keep the poinsettias in their original tiny pots and just tuck them inside the can. These cans have pleasant looking retro labels as well as a beautiful gold metal color that allows them to be used as holders for your favorite blossoms all year long.

You can also use old china chafing and serving dishes as the foundation for potted plants. Tiny pink hellebores and African violets look amazing potted in this type of antique dish. Blue and white or red and white china, the type that is so plentiful at flea markets, is perfect for this purpose.

For a look that tells others that you care about recycling try wrapping a shoe box in newsprint and then placing potted plants inside. A large paper lilly looks great in this type of home-made planter. The old fashioned method of applying layers of Aqua-Tec and tissue paper to a box to make it look fancy is also very contemporary looking.

You can take any type of pot or package and wind rope, ribbon or fabric remnants around it to create a planter. Simply wrap the carton or box with the fabric the same way you would a present and tie a bow in front. This type of planter makes a very clever and attractive gift.

Old garden pots or even metal cans are easily spraypainted gold, white or silver. These look nice decorated with cords of pearls, stickers or cut-out letters from the craft store.

Old china is another option. Many plants look great simply potted inside an old China teapot. Small ceramic expresso c ups also make charming small planters for succulent plants and small cactuses.

You can find things that can be used in an eco-concious way to make planters everywhere in yoru home and in your yard. Anything that was once a vessel can be turned into one and this includes old Jell-O molds, copper pots and grocery packaging. Old newspapers, wrapping paper and fabric scraps can also be used to decorate these planters.

Add a touch of warmth nod old world charm by decorating the rooms in your home in the classic Tuscany style. This style is characterized by simple earthy colors and materials such as marble, terracotta and iron.

Fountains with falling water are an important component of both the interiors and the exteriors of Tuscany style homes. Tall cedar trees and sunflowers are also motifs that go with this style.

There is a roster of colors that are also associated with this look that helps create a peaceful, soothing atmosphere in your own. The palette consists of yellows, burnt browns, seafoam greens and baby blues. These colors are interspersed with natural materials such as sandstone, marble, plaster and wood. This gives Tuscany homes a slightly distressed and rustic look. To get this is look you can plaster walls and then paint them afterward to minim the look of the painted stone walls in Tuscany. Walls can also be patterned or textured with a sponge that is pressed into paint.

Frescoes and wall paintings of grape clusters, olive groves and cypress trees are also often part of this look. Graphics of fruit are often part of the décor of the kitchen. Limestone, granite, terracotta and marble are often part of the kitchen and the bathroom.

Tuscan style furniture looks like glamorous polished versions of mission style furniture. It is typically dark in color. Most pieces have wrought iron accents such as curlicues attaching a table top to a table leg. Many Tuscan chairs just have wooden seats with wrought iron legs and arms. However the fabric in the homes is a completely different story. Rich damasks and velvets are common in a Tuscan style home. They make a nice contrast to the austerity of the stone floors and walls.
Tuscan homes often have statues in them. Usually these are representations of Roman Gods and Goddesses. Basses and pottery have these pagan themes as well as, fruit, vegetable and herb motifs. Tin glazed pottery and copper tin pots are also part of this look. Real cornucopias made out of woven basket material are also authentically Tuscan.

Tuscany is a hot sunny place so they always bring a bit of outdoors inside and vice versa. Make sure there are small waterfalls and fountains on your back porch or in the living room. Large clay hearths and urns that hold fire are also essential to this comfortable yet rustic look.

Decorating in the Parisian style simply entails making as many references as you can to Paris, France as you can in a room. A dimple way to accomplish this is to use France’s most iconic and well-known landmark, the Eiffel Tower , as a decorating themed. You can find this symbol on fabric, on throw pillows and also in statuary, posters and paintings. Displaying a collection of mini replicas or Eiffel Towers in snow shakers alludes immediately to “The City of Lights” in your décor.

It helps to paint your place in Parisian colors such as grey, white, black, chocolate and soft orange. Touches of red, aqua and gold also complete the look. This gives the home that cheerful French feel.

You should also search online and in flea markets for vintage furniture from Fence. Typical items that speak of the city are wrought iron and brass headboards, tall armoires with mirrored doors and pictures with elaborate gilded frames. Dress forms are also a French touch as they allude to Parisian Fashion legend Coco Chanel. You can hang scarves and necklaces from the dress form and pin brooches to it to make a lovely but unconventional free-standing jewel box.

Brass and bronze lamps with heavy ornate bases are also very Parisian in look. For that touch of the “French Brothel” choose a lamp with a shade that has a fringe on it. Throwing fringed shawls over regular lamp shades have a similar effect. Just be careful that you do not light any fabric on fire as you drape it over the bulb.

Yet another hallmark of this look is vases of roses everywhere. Tuck dried roses in your picture frames, your mirrors and on top of door frames for a unique Parisian shabby chic look.

In the bathroom you should place white bowls of roses and make sure that the floors are bare and white and that the towel rack is stuffed with fluffy white towels. Soap should be gold or pink in color and be in a charming dish. Shell shaped soap dishes are quite common in France.

A charming antique bookshelf should display the French classics of literature whether they are in English or French.

Displaying French postcards, menus and signage also gives your apartment or home that Parisian flair. Of course nothing says Paris as much as a wine rack filled top to bottom with the best wines from Southern France that you can afford to buy.

House trailers can be quite ugly but with a bit of work you can turn it into a cheery place that becomes a local landmark in your neighborhood.

Start by rehabbing the exterior of the trailer by removing and replacing the siding. If this is not possible then you can paint the siding to give it a fresh, bright look. You can also paint the skirting and plant flowers and shrubs around it to make it look merry and also conceal any damage to the skirting.

Sprucing up the door and steps by painting and staining them also helps the trailer house look a bit better. Consider getting a new screen door or a vintage one made out of cut-out work to fancy up the front of the place. Adding potted flowers to the steps and hanging plants to the eaves can really help make it look more up-to-date.

Inside you can make rooms look newer and fresher by removing old paneling and replacing it. You can also buy paint and stains for refreshing the look of dark paneling. The lighter the paneling you choose is the more likely you are to make the small rooms inside the trailer look larger.

Improving the windows help replace your old curtains and draperies with venetian blinds or modern tie back drapes. Sheer curtains are hip and elegant looking at the same time and let more light into the trailer without compromising your privacy.
Modernizing your flooring can also make the place look a bit snappier. There are wood laminate floors on the market now that look just like hard work. Carpet also makes a trailer look smaller and older inside but if you must have it then replace it with flat easy-to-clean wool carpet in a neutral cotemporary color. Kitchen floors can also be retiled in checkered patterns and stripes to make the kitchen area look larger.

Use mirrors and lighting to update the look of your place, especially in the bathroom. In the living room use frosted and slightly tinted bulbs to add a bit of glamor. Track lighting that focuses on art work or photographs on the wall can also help the place look more up-to-date. Replace any regular light switches with dimmer switches so you can create exactly the atmosphere you like in the trailer. The softer the light is inside the more romantic your place will feel.

Crackers are those decorative tubes that you crack and half and when they make a loud pop they snap in half and toys or party favors fall out. They were originally popularized during Victorian times but have been a holiday tradition since 1847.

They can be expensive to buy but you can easily make your own. To make them all you need is cardboard tubes (the size of toilet paper rolls), decorative wrapping paper, a glue stick, pretty ribbon and one package of snapper strips which is available at craft stores. You will also need a selection of toys, charms, fortunes, paper crowns and other tiny novelties to stuff inside of them.

You can use cardboard tubes for the body of the cracker and another one that is cut in half as the part that will split and half and break it open. Run a strip of glue along the length of the long tube and position the tube, glue side down, to the center of the long side of the gift wrap making sure the paper is smooth and not wrinkled. You should then let the glue dry.

You then need to roll up the half tube in the paper and glue it again where the paper overlaps. Be sure to add glue in a long strip down the entire length of the decorative paper and let it dry so that it is evenly rolled in the paper.

It is then time to insert the charms, toys, hats and jokes into the covered cardboard tube. You should insert the snapper strip so that it hangs out the other end close enough to the edge of the paper to grasp with your thumb and forefinger. This enables the user to snap it so it makes a popping sound when it is eventually broken open. Gently cinch the paper on either side of the roll where the paper ends and fold the paper around for neat edges. You should then tie each end with pretty ribbon create the familiar cracker shape.

Finally, insert the short cardboard tubes into the cracker ends, one end on each side of the body roll so the ends meet nicely together. You can then decorate the crackers with ribbon, glitter, monograms, cut out flowers, felt snowflakes and other decorations.
A nice touch is to include a heartfelt personal thank you to the guest that opens the cracker. This is not the kind of detail that you get when you buy these from a store.

The new retro style is an updated version of the traditional retro styles from the fifties through the seventies only the result is less corny and kitschy. AS a color scheme for linens, wreathes and glass globes for your tree you should use colors such as bright pink, china blue, chartreuse, cream and gold with glitter. Style wise you should thing of using simple Scandinavian designs. Decorate your tree with animal cookies and garlands made of cranberries and popcorn.

Instead of a nativity scene, holiday village scenes should also be a part of your decor. Instead of heavy Christmas cakes Christmas puddings are the way to go. Dried blueberries and cherries, gingerbread cookies and homemade cranberry chutney are also contemporary but have a vintage style feel.

Christmas trees are not artificial any more. I ties best to get a real spruce or balsam that looks a bit like a bottle brush tree and then decorate it with clumps of think silver mirrored tinsels. Vintage glass ornament and tiny clear white lights that do not blink are also part of this new retro look. White wooden Christmas decoration and white porcelain decorations also add a unique touch to both the tree and mantelpiece. Any type of stylized white porcelain Christmas tree piece is considered to be very hip for Christmas 2011.

Instead of eggnog contemporary retro enthusiasts are serving Gingertinis and Crantinis at their Christmas cocktail parties. Flower centerpieces are created from Rannunculus and berries rather than poinsettias. White fake apples look nice on a tree or as a centerpiece. Hang large gold acorns and gold deer antlers on the mantelpiece or near your front door.

Presents are wrapped in recycled wrapping papers and card tags are made from recycled cards. Pom poms and shiny trims and ribbons look eco-savvy under the trees. Eco bags are also the latest trend when it comes to packaging Christmas gifts as is wrapping gifts in bows made from strands of cheap fake pearls. You can also dress up your gifts with white and gold ornaments. Some vintage loving hosts go as far to decorate their serving plates and cocktail glasses with small white Christmas decorations.

Another retro fad is for Kleenex boxes with vintage reindeer or snowman patterns on them. It is also nice to make bouquets of white roses and pine cones and set them around the room. These are not only pleasing décor accents they are nice too look at.