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How to Decorate Like Martha Stewart

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Wouldn’t be great if we all had places that looked like they were decorated by Martha Stewart?

The biggest source of Martha Stewart crafts is of course, her flagship magazine Martha Stewart Living. Every issue has a section devoted to unique Martha Stewart crafts depending on the season. For instance, Martha Stewart’s snowmen and igloos created out of white miniature marshmallows are always a big hit during the Xmas season.

Perhaps the most famous of Martha Stewart crafts is her gum drop wreath which is created using sugar coated multi-colored gum drops that can be purchased in any confectionery or supermarket. The gumdrops are affixed with glue or pins to a circular or heart shaped Styrofoam armature that can be purchased at any craft supply store or a Wal-Mart. Wreathes made out of red gum drops are ideal for Valentine’s Day. Orange and black gumdrops can be used to create a Halloween wreath and green and red gumdrops can be used to create a Christmas wreath. Words to the wise don’t fix these wreaths to your front door unless you enjoy being ambushed by birds and other wildlife. Gumdrop wreathes are best suited for indoor use, either placed on a mantelpiece or used a centerpiece that surrounds a glowing candle.

Many Martha Stewart crafts are created from natural objects. One of her favorite natural accessories is the acorn. She often gathers acorns in the fall for Thanksgiving projects. One of her more gorgeous projects is the acorn mirror which features multiple rows of acorns glued to the frame of a round mirror. Another Martha Stewart craft made from acorns is her Acorn Napkin ring which involves drilling two small holes into the caps of two acorn caps and attaching the two acorns into a 16 inch wire. The wire is then wrapped with brown or green floral tape to resemble a tree branch and the wire coiled so that it is the appropriate shape to hold a napkin.

Martha Stewart is also famous for her button crafts. In the Martha Stewart crafts section of her site at www.marthastewart.com you will find dozens of suggestions as to how to recycle favorite old buttons. One suggestion is to hot glue them to the back of fridge magnets.

One of the simplest of Martha Stewart crafts that is sure to entertain the kids is her bubble wand that is created out of wire hangers. With a few twists of wire, you can make fantastic bubble wands and spend long, lazy days practicing your technique. According to Martha the best bubble solution is 10 cups water to 4 cups dishwashing liquid, plus 1 cup Karo corn syrup. To create large wands, you’ll need plastic-coated wire coat hangers. Hold the hook at the top of the hanger, and pull the bottom down so that it forms a circle. Bend the wire into a lollipop shape. These bubble blowers make large long bubbles that will entertain the kids for hours.

How to Decorate A Church For a Wedding

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Decorating a church for a wedding requires a selective and careful touch. This is because it is in a place of worship. In the end the decorations can’t be too wild or elaborate because it is a sacred space. It has to look dignified. Remember this is a public place and not your personal party room.

Before applying your imagination to decorating the space you need to talk to the church administrator and see what is allowed. Some churches don’t allow things like lit candles or tossed flower petals. Some churches have a no-decorating policing in general. Ask first and then decorate however you can accord the church rules. Some churches will only allow silk flowers because their members have allergies.

Flowers are one of the most popular and traditional of items used for church decorations. You can decorate the archways, posts and entrance ways. Consider using flowers in a variety of colors to create an exotic touch.

To keep things in place, consider placing bouquets of flowers in baskets around the aisles and at the front of the church. Two baskets of flowers on either side of the entrance where the bride will emerge is a nice touch. You can also place garlands of flowers over arched doorways or in the back of pews. Many brides opt to have balloons attached to all of the pew posts as well. This gives the church pews a very festive flair!

You can go wild decorating the church pews. You can use floral swags or swags or fabric to make them look more unique. Gossamer or organza in the color of the bride’s color scheme is nice.

You might also want to try innovative touches such as filling white lace umbrellas with petals and hanging them from the pews. Horse shoes, corded braid, mini wicker baskets filled with petals, shells and sequins can help decorate a pew.

You can also decorate existing column or pillars or rent movable ones. A decorated arch looks nice around the alter area. Don’t decorate a religious statue with a garland unless you have permission to do so first.

If the Church allows candles these too can add quite a romantic touch to the ceremony. Candles are available in range of colors, shapes and sizes and many are also scented.

Don’t forget to decorate the outside of the church as well. You can line the walk with candles and plants or festoon railings and other architectural details with balloons and ribbons. You can also mount your own floral arches at the entrance of the church to create a spectacular effect.