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Dress up your hearth with a few bright ideas

Take your fireplace from drab to dazzling with six holiday crafts

By Heather Camlot

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A fireplace is the focal point of any room, especially when it comes to the holidays. Adorning the hearth is no easy task — understated elegance can quickly become kitschy catastrophe when faced with too many decorations and too little direction. To inspire your holiday decor, we offer two looks — one traditional and one modern — fit for a warm family gathering or a rockin' New Year's bash. Best of all, our ornamentation is homemade, so you can easily adapt it to your space.

Keeping traditions alive

Stockings


Click image to enlarge	It's a wonder old St. Nick never mixes up the children on his list. Help him out by printing a photo of each member of your family onto linen-style printable fabric and sewing or ironing it onto individual stockings. Those cherubic faces may even make Santa think twice about delivering coal to naughty girls or boys.

Botanical plates

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The 18th century was the golden age of two of today's most sought-after collectibles: transferware porcelain filled the demand for inexpensive yet decorative dinnerware, while botanical prints exploded under the influence of German artist Georg Dionysius Ehret and French artist Pierre Joseph Redouté. We've combined both elements by using Clip Art botanical images and waterslide transfer paper for inkjet printers.

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Gift tags

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Forgo cards for gift tags made from a timeless kids' classic — Shrinky Dinks. We used the beautiful botanical prints from the plates and wrote the recipient's name on the shrinkable plastic, then popped them in the toaster oven. It's still a thrill to watch Shrinky Dinks at work — perhaps even more so knowing the results are pretty and practical.

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Modern art

Champagne flutes

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Toast the new year with stylish glassware. Flutes are a must as the clock strikes midnight, but why not liven them up with designs etched into the glass? Print a pattern onto decal paper and cut it out with a sharp utility knife. Wrap the paper around each flute and apply etching cream. You can create a matching set or experiment with individualized glasses. Cheers!

Click here for step-by-step instructions

Wall clock

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No need to synchronize watches. Our above-the-mantel artwork does double duty as a clock to help count down to the new year. The striking black-and-white orchid is a Clip Art photo reproduced onto multiple sheets of paper and glued onto foam core board. We then made a hole in the centre and popped in a store-bought clock mechanism. If only our New Year's resolutions were so simple.

Click here for step-by-step instructions

Photo tray


Click image to enlarge	New Year's Eve is a time of celebration, but also of reflection. Keep cherished memories top of mind by presenting the champagne flutes or appetizers on a tray embellished with digital prints of loved ones, past and present.

Tips from a pro

Holiday decorating doesn't have to be complicated or costly. Peter Fallico, host of HGTV's Home to Stay, offers some fun and festive ideas for creating a memorable holiday mantel.

The first step is to decide on a theme, like vintage, contemporary or traditional.
Three to five repeated holiday items, such as candles*, vases or ornaments along your mantel make for a clean, contemporary look.
An artists' canvas covered with beautiful wrapping paper, ribbon and bow makes a wonderful piece of art for over your mantel.
One or two white feather boas add a twist to the White Christmas theme. Rest the boas on the ledge of your mantel and use silver or chrome accents to complete the look.
Natural elements are always classic. Consider decorating your mantel with pine cones, cedar boughs and holiday plants, such as holly, poinsettias or amaryllis.

*Never leave burning candles unattended and don't place them near flammable objects.

Photography "Keeping Traditions Alive": James Tse. Crafts: Julie Stoyka. Photography "Modern Art": Shun Sasabuchi. Crafts: Heather Camlot and Tara Nolan.

Published November 2005

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Writer, Heather Camlot

Toast the new year with stylish glassware

Time to make a decorative clock

Easy bake: Design plastic gift tags for your packages

Serve up some artwork on pretty plates