Randy FlorkeRealtor, editor, stylist, designer and renovator Randy Florke gives his top 5 tips for simple ways to decorate the outside of your home for the holidays. Randy, who has appeared on the "Today" show, stars in upcoming reality TV show, "My Flipp'n Brother." He's also written two books, "Restore. Recycle. Repurpose: Create a Beautiful Home (A Country Living Book)," available on Amazon.com, and "Country Living Simple Sustainable Style: Ways to Make a House Your Home," also available on Amazon.com. For more on Randy, visit his website, TheRuralConnection.com/Randy, or follow him on Twitter @RandyFlorke.
1. DO Consider the Style of Your Home
DO design your holiday decor ideas around the style of your home, e.g., if you live in a large Victorian home, DON'T simply mount holiday lights to your trim and porch posts, wrap the strands of lights in garland. If your place is humble, DON'T overpower it with too many lights or objects - it will only make your house look smaller!
2. DON'T Buy...DON'T purchase cheap blow up lighted snowmen, reindeer, Santa Claus, etc. They are never acceptable, I don't care how much your kids like them. DO shop for traditional style or vintage Santa sleighs, candy canes and snowmen.
3. DO Keep Colors the SameDON'T mix several different color and style of lights in one setting. You can use multicolored strands of bulbs, but a solid strand of blues and a solid strand of green and then another in clear look as though you didn't have enough of one type to complete the job and look haphazard. DO use all the same color lights to ornate your home, as well as, lights with every other bulb is an alternating color!
4. DO Shine a Light on Door WreathsDO shine a light on door wreaths so they are visible at night and not just in the sparse daylight hours. If you hang a simple evergreen wreath on your door, don't forget to install a spotlight behind the porch post so that it shines on the wreath at night. DON'T wrap the wreath in blinking lights! That will distract from the elegance and old fashion quality of the wreath.
5. DON'T Go OverboardDON'T go overboard with too many different decorations, there is a fine line between festive and tacky! DO stick to traditions, use the same decorations every year and don't feel the pressure to purchase the latest holiday gadget. Your family will enjoy unpacking and installing year after year the same items, it will create wonderful holiday traditions and memories!
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