Weekday DIY Project: Make a Fabric Chandelier

Irwin Weiner ASID - We've been featuring weekend do-it-yourself projects lately on Design2Share, but we wanted to throw everyone a curve ball and feature an easy project to tackle during the week. A fabric chandelier makes a great DIY wedding decoration, or a fun accessory for a deck, patio, breakfast room, or children's bedroom. The project requires some scrap fabric; and you should let the eventual occasion and/or hanging location of the chandelier dictate the color and pattern of the fabric(s) you choose. Other tools are a good pair of sewing scissors, some embroidery thread and a needle, a ruler, and an embroidery hoop. 

The project also calls for some fresh greenery, but if you're going to use the chandelier as a more permanent indoor or outdoor accessory, choose dried herbs or decorative floral leaves to wrap the embroidery hoop - or simply wrap the hoop with the same fabric you're using to hang the chandelier. You can make several chandeliers for a more dramatic decorating impact at a wedding or outdoor party. Imagine several hanging down from a pergola or wafting in the breeze from the underside of tree branches! All the steps for making this chandelier are demonstrated in the following video, and you can go to the premiere

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Quick-and-Easy Entertaining Basics

Irwin Weiner ASID - You can never have too many accessories on hand to pull off last-minute home entertaining stunts. A spur-of-the-moment dinner for 10? Unexpected call from the new neighbors? Don't be caught with your hospitality pants down! This fun video from Curbly/Get Nested's host Meg Allan Cole and her article on Quick Tips for Easy Entertaining should help you pull it all together - when an entertainment emergency arises - and come across like the gracious host I know you are. Like the Boy Scouts, homeowners need to Be Prepared ... and it's time to bring gracious, generous, good-spirited home entertainment back into vogue.

FOR MORE ADVICE: Design2Share also has some quick entertaining and tabletop decor tips. Watch the video that Nicola and I put together called How Do I Set a Great Table?

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How Many Ways Can You Decorate with Gourds and Pumpkins?

Irwin Weiner ASID - This time of year there's a plethora of pumpkins and an engorged supply of gourds ... and precious little imagination when it comes to decorating with them. Plop a few here and there, line them up on windowsills, put a grouping of three by the front door. <yawn> It's what I call Fall (Asleep) Decorating. 

Well, if you'd like to escape from the boring same-old seasonal decor traps, I came across a Gorgeous Gourds and Pumpkins photo series and how-to guide with a good many novel ideals - praise be! - for putting these underutilized seasonal goodies to work in your home. Put a beautiful and original fall centerpiece on your breakfast or dinner table to put your family and friends in a more festive mood. Brighten up

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Grandin Road's Delightful Obsession with Halloween Decor

Irwin Weiner ASID - I'm told that Halloween is now second only to Christmas as the holiday that homeowners use to redecorate their homes in a holiday theme. And it's fairly evident when you go down the streets of most any town. Front yards are turned into graveyards, wispy ghosts hang from trees, and everything's coming up pumpkins and mums. 

I've made myself perfectly clear about avoiding going overboard with decorating for any holiday. I'm not a big fan of turning your home into a holiday theme park, for heaven's sake - and think of the expense! - but I'm not about to bah-humbug anyone's Halloween and begrudge you the fun of decorating. So, have your splurge, and perhaps go to an online store like Grandin Road, where their Halloween Haven has an amazingly large collection of Halloween decor, collectibles, costumes and accessories, and more. This video will preview some of their many imaginative holiday pieces, like spider web chair wrap (top photo), yard fog machines (second photo, above), and the Martha Stewart Glass Eyeball serving tray (below).

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