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| WHEN YOU ARE ON BUDGET |
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You're having a few friends over, and you want to add some special touches to your home, but you don't have much (if any) budget to spend. What can you do? First, take stock. Look around your apartment and find accessories and furnishings that can either be put to another use or embellished. Dig out crafts supplies and decorating magazines for inspiration and find some ideas you like. Second, decide what you need to do to make the gathering run smoothly. If you're having an intimate dinner party, you may want to focus on atmosphere (e.g., light some aromatic candles). Third, get started! Decide on the projects you want to tackle, gather materials, and go for it. To help you get started, consider these low-cost decorating ideas: Ambience. Group candles together on a tray and intersperse pine cones, leaves, and other natural embellishments throughout the arrangement. (Great for December holidays.) A candle grouping on a mirror (take it off the wall and use it like a tray) can be very dazzling and dramatic. In the bathroom, place bowls of potpourri and light scented candles or leave out scented soaps, unwrapped, to freshen the room. If you're really daring, fill your bathtub halfway with water, and light floating candles in it. Little touches. Cloth napkins are an inexpensive way to create an elegant dining experience. If you don't have napkin rings, tie a pretty ribbon on each napkin, or string a few beads on wire, wrap it in a loose circle several times, then curl the ends of the wire with needle-nose pliers. For very casual affairs, create a fun set by placing plastic cutlery and a colorful paper napkin together, then tie them with a "curly" ribbon. (This is great for birthday parties.) Leave the sets in a bucket or basket so guests can help themselves. Buffet touches. If your gathering includes an informal buffet or outdoor picnic, fill metal buckets with ice to hold canned drinks with Country style. (Even if you have no yard, you can hold an outdoor picnic on a porch or deck!) For summer outdoor entertaining, line in-season fruits and vegetables along the center of the table and sprinkle about nuts, leaves, and other greenery for a free-form, table-length centerpiece. |
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