Pretty Winter Decorating

Trick out your house with these inexpensive decorating ideas. For more inspiration, check out our “Winter Decorating” board” on Pinterest, too!

• Fill a decorative bowl with lemons and silver ornament balls (which you can get at Target for a song)—fresh!

Crafty in Baltimore

If you’re the DIY type and you’re looking for homes for sale in Baltimore, follow this link to find the best places to get your crafty vibe on. Also, don’t miss the American Craft Council Baltimore Show in February.

• Mix dried flower arrangements with battery- or electric-lighted branches. We think these look great for evening parties any time of year.

• Fireplace mantel decorating idea: Instead of the usual stockings for Christmas, why not hang different-colored mittens along the mantel? Use little kid mitten clips and affix the mittens to a garland or a swath of fabric of your choosing.

• Make something pretty out of all those holiday cards you’ll receive. Stick some branches in a favorite vase or a galvanized flower market bucket and hang up your cards with clothespins. Cute, right?

• Go for instant bling. Buy a bunch of mercury glass votives and scatter them everywhere.

• Fill glass apothecary jars with candy canes or red and white mint candies (if you want to get your Christmas on). If you celebrate Chanukah, fill with foiled chocolate coins or silver dreidels. Natural pinecones, cranberries, or silver ornaments work great, too.

• We’re really into filling glass hurricanes with white pillar candles and glittered twigs. The Pottery Barn offers a wide assortment of vase fillers, but you can easily break up branches into small pieces and spray paint them yourself.

Ryan Homes Tip: We just discovered Save on Crafts, a discount site that has everything you could want for crafty decorating. Be forewarned: You could spend hours just browsing.