Seasons > Christmas > Decorations for the home > Hot Pink and Lime Bedroom
Continue the magic with more Christmas lights over the window. You can just drape some lights over the curtain rod, and they will look enchanting at night, but not so beautiful during the day. If you snap paper coasters over each bulb, it will look just as good during the day as it does at night. These coasters are very sturdy, so the best way to punch a hole in the middle is to cut an X with a box cutter. Just be careful not to cut it too big, or the coasters will fall off the lights. Keep it snug, and it will make a satisfying snap as it pops over the bulb. Be sure to push it all the way past the bulb onto the socket so there is not a worry of fire.
This room has 8 Christmas trees, not including the two lying sideways behind the snowmen. See if you can spot them all. Since there is such a variety of size, material and design, it doesn’t feel like there are Christmas trees everywhere you look.
This window is directly in front of the door as you come into the room, so it is a great place to set the tone for the whole room. It is a tall, narrow space, so it can be hard to find decorations that will make use of the whole area. Hanging dollar store balls, strands of beads, and the word “joy” cut out of thick foam allows you to decorate the whole space. The tall narrow Christmas trees (perfect for a narrow window ledge) are made out of thin sheets of foam, but green poster board would work just as well. If the foam sheet is not quite wide enough to form a complete cone so there is a gap in the back, just turn that side to the back, and no one will ever know. Or, if it will be seen on all sides, like for a table centerpiece, then use a another sheet of a different color to wrap around and cover the gap, like the pink band on the tree on the right. Use the cardboard spools that ribbon comes on for bases for the trees, with the last few inches of ribbon still wrapped around it. Using a base like this also enables you to vary the height of the trees without having to use more foam to make a taller tree. Cut out circles, strips, and stars out of different colors of foam and glue to the trees for decorations that look good enough to eat. Some stores sell foam shapes, so you can save time if you buy those instead of cutting your own. Wrap some empty boxes in the colors of the room and you have a bright cheerful welcome for the room.
Make a couple of cute snowmen out of a pair of white dollar store socks! Stuff them with wadded up empty plastic bags for the 3 balls of the snowmen. Tie a felt scarf around the neck. To make sure they don’t topple over, give them flat bottoms with a plastic lid (like Pringles potato chips) or a circle of cardboard before you glue the end shut. Add felt or foam hats, eyes, mittens buttons, etc. To go with the tropical theme, I added a paper surf board and “beach or bust” sign.
Make a Christmas tree out of boxes, and decorate them with your child’s beanie baby collection. Alternate bears with presents if you don’t have quite enough bears to fill all of the spaces. Cover the backs of the boxes with green since the tree shape is a little subtle. Although I had this wooden set of drawers that I was able to use, any cardboard boxes that are the same size will work. Another option would be to use boards and bricks, like the bookcases you made when you were a poor college student. If your kids are rambunctious, make sure this is out of reach.
A tropical theme for Christmas might seem odd unless you live south of the equator, then Christmas always falls in the middle of the summer! This flamingo was a prop left over from a school play. It fits right in with the color and theme--I just added a tinsel holly wreath from a dollar store to dress it up for Christmas. This bird is made of plywood, but foam core would work just as well to quickly make a large object that doesn’t have to last a long time. Of course, if you store it carefully, there is no reason why it couldn’t last many years. Flowers, butterflies, and umbrellas are more ideas of things that you might find or make in pink.
Kids of all ages are bedazzled with lights. My kids still loved them as teenagers--I suppose it is because I started putting up Christmas lights in their bedrooms when they were young. My daughter actually kept Christmas lights strung around her college dorm room year round!
These Christmas trees are made from green bed sheets that were hung from the ceiling and draped behind the head of each bed. Strings of Christmas lights were strung behind the sheets, then strings of pink beads were draped in front along with pink stars. I didn’t want to put holes in the ceiling, so I fastened them to tension rods that reached from floor to ceiling, then braced the poles against the bed frames. HINT: A timer will allow your child to fall asleep with the lights on, but not stay on all night.
Christmas banners are fairly inexpensive-the one on the right was purchased from the Oriental Trading Company. You can also make them out of felt.
Changing throw pillow covers is an easy way to add a color theme to a room. If you have a sewing machine, cushion covers are a quick, inexpensive project--just make the ends overlap in the back, and you don’t have to sew a zipper, or hand sew the opening closed. Pillowcases can actually make a quick no-sew throw pillow cover. They can be expensive, but if you already have some that are the right color, and are the same width as the throw pillows, you can use them for temporary covers of throw pillows. Another no-sew throw pillow--roll up a regular sleeping pillow like a jelly roll cake, and wrap some cloth around it, then tie the ends. If your kids throw them around, they will fall apart, so you may want to sew the pillow cover into a tube, or show your child how to put it back together.
Make a homemade wreath with the room’s colors, and that depicts the real reason for celebrating Christmas. Cut a ring out of thick foam (that floor puzzles are made out of) or a green paper plate. Then add foam figures that can be made from sets sold through the Oriental Trading Company, or make your own with downloadable paper patterns from my website.
Any horizontal space can be considered a space to decorate, even this small dressing table.
Small nativity sets are great for decorating for Christmas, especially since they are so inexpensive--you can often find them in dollar stores. This one is homemade out of foam.
Candles and straw flowers or potpourri are inexpensive items that come in lots of different colors that girls would love to have in their room. If you don’t want the girls to have real candles burning in their rooms, use the battery operated tea lights inside of decorative votive holders.
The small Christmas trees on the left are actually topiary frames that are sold for making potted plants into topiaries. They are decorated with ribbons and balls to match the color theme (all were purchased at 100 yen stores.) The poinsettia is artificial, so there’s no worry about remembering to water it. The felt mittens are an easy enough project that even elementary girls can make them with a little bit of instruction.
Shadow boxes are a fun way to decorate for Christmas. These frames and furniture were purchased at 100 yen stores. You don’t have to use picture frames--cardboard boxes work just as well. The scene on the left depicts cats playing with the wrapping paper and ribbon that have been left on a dining room table, The middle frame depicts a foyer with all the wet gear from playing in the snow. The scene on the right has a Christmas tree complete with tiny toys under it.
Make a mini mailbox out of any empty cardboard box. Oriental Trading Company is an online mail order that sells metal and cardboard mail boxes if you would rather buy than make them. Make it even more fun by putting home made tiny Christmas cards inside with a message to your child. Or give your kids the materials to make Christmas cards for their dolls.
Seasons > Christmas > Decorations for the home > Hot Pink and Lime Bedroom