Helpful hints from decorating elves
You don't have to make yourself crazy over Christmas, according to Laurie Kane, owner of Treetime Christmas Creations in Lake Barrington.
"We can show you how to add a few new things each year in order to make your Christmas decorations special and unique to you. It is just like accessorizing an outfit," she said.
"We can absolutely help you make your home look festive and wonderful on a normal person's budget. For instance, you can inexpensively add ribbons to a banister or a tree to make it look stunning. We can literally help you make the latest trends work for you.
"We can also show you how to freshen up your old decor and tie your whole look together," Kane added.
"Treetime has a wide variety of free classes ranging from bow-making to creating your favorite Pinterest look yourself. Your wreath doesn't have to look like everyone else's wreath and we can show you how to make that happen.
"Millennials, in particular, like decorations that can transition from one season to another - like Christmas into winter," said Kane. "They like to be able to keep things out longer because they are busy, don't have a lot of storage space and decorations are expensive to buy, so they want to use them more. So, for instance, they might buy some lanterns and in the summer they will fill them with lemons, in the fall with pumpkins and fall leaves, at Christmas with colorful ornaments and in the winter with snowflakes and snowmen."
Young people also tend to enjoy creating focal points for Christmas and other holidays within their home instead of trying to decorate everything. Time and financial constraints are also the reason for this, Kane said.
So Kane and her staff enjoy working with new homeowners, in particular, who are getting started with their holiday decorations and want to start by dressing up only certain parts of their home for Christmas.
- Jean Murphy
Learn more
Upcoming classes offered by Treetime include:
• Nov. 17: Daily Herald Holiday Decorating Workshop - 6 to 8 p.m.
• Nov. 19: "Christmas Design Hacks," free class - 2 p.m.
• Nov. 27: Holiday Design Tips, free class - 2 p.m.