IMAGINATION IDEATION -festive front door

FESTIVE FRONT DOOR

The front of your home is like the wrapping on a gift. It sets the tone for all the wonder you will find inside. Decorating the outside of your home for the holidays should be fun and affordable. I thought I would help get your ideas flowing in order for you to make your home beautiful at this magical time of year. These ideas are not only for your front door area, remember your garden area and window boxes too!



You can set the tone for winter using items you may already have around the house. You may want to start with a half barrel from the garden or an urn, a collection of terra cotta pots or whatever you have laying empty in your garden. Even if you think the only pot you have is ugly, why not wrap it in burlap and tie it up with some string or ribbon! Move it to the front of your home and stuff it with branches and evergreen, holly or berries. You could even use cuttings from your own garden. Every year I use a few cuttings from my California Lilac to add into my window boxes. If it is on the front porch, try adding some old skis or snowshoes that would add height and interest. You could lean them against the wall or stick them in the flower pot along with the branches. Another great item to add height is a garden hook with a lantern hanging from it. Wouldn't it be beautiful to light a candle in your lantern to warmly greet your visitors?

Skates are another item that you could incorporate into your design. Do you have a pair that you do not use anymore or that are too small? You could set them into your barrel, if it is big enough or simply hang them outdoors for that chalet feeling.

You could decorate with so many different items. What about using a birds nest, baskets, driftwood, old cookie cutters, a tin star, galvanized buckets. Use your imagination! Try to keep to a theme and remember it is all in the details!

A toboggan is a great prop to set the scene for winter fun. You could just lean it outside the front door and hang a wreath from it or use it as a backdrop for a larger display.

Take a walk in your garden for inspiration! What about bring an old garden gate into the front garden and wrapping it with Christmas lights. I see a lot of great ideas in my own backyard that would help make a festive entry. Old wood sash windows, iron bed from my veggie garden, a white painted ladder, a set of green shutters, and a decorative iron piece.

If you have a front porch area, you may have an Adirondack chair or bench that could be dressed up for the holidays. A great way to add colour is to drape your seating area with a wool blanket. You can also incorporate any plastic holiday balls or decorations you may already have to add colour and interest to your urns full of evergreen, your window boxes or attach them to artificial greenery around your garage doors!

I encourage you to try something new this year. Decorate your front entrance for yourself and your visitors to enjoy. Do you have a bird bath in the garden?? Why not move it into the front or better yet, onto the porch and fill it with evergreens and tiny lights, a pair of skates in the center and TADA...there you have it!

Whether you go simple and elegant or you go all out, I hope that these ideas have got you excited to get out into the fresh air, to let your creativity flow and that the results bring a smile to your face!

Happy Holidays!