Five Star Holiday Decor Blog

DIY Tree Ornaments

Posted on December 1, 2011 by admin

What better way to dress up your tree for the holidays than with ornaments you’ve made yourself? These project ideas are not only aesthetically appealing, but also create opportunities for spending quality time with children, relatives, spouses, and friends. So, get your crafting supplies ready, it’s time to start a new tradition and make some memories along the way!

Photo courtesy of girlmogul

Good Housekeeping came up with this cute idea– hot-glue the ends of wrapped peppermint candy together to create a sweet smelling garland.

Photo courtesy of Good Housekeeping

Not sure what to do with all those Christmas cards you receive? Why not turn them into ornaments? Good Housekeeping shows a simple way to transform those cards into a beautiful decoration.

Photo courtesy of Good Housekeeping

Martha Stewart, godmother of all things arts and crafts, has even more Christmas card ornament ideas.

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Here’s Martha’s tutorial on making pom-pom snowman ornaments.

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Martha also offers templates you can use to make felt animal ornaments.

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Making ornaments can’t get easier than this. Here are templates you can print and fold into 3-D ornaments that can be embellished with personal photos.

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

Using clothespins and paint, Martha shows how you can make adorable clothespin doll ornaments.

Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart

If you’re looking for even more Christmas tree decorating ideas, read our post Oh, Christmas Tree!

Posted in Decorating your tree | Tagged Christmas, Christmas decorations, Christmas lights, Christmas tree, Christmas Trees, decor, decorating, decoration, DIY ornaments, Eco-Friendly, Five Star holiday decor, holiday, holiday decor, holiday lights, Tips, tree, trees, winter, winter holidays | 1 Comment

Give Your Feast Charm with a Thanksgiving Centerpiece

Posted on November 24, 2011 by admin

Celebrate the season of gratitude by embellishing your feast with an elegant and unique centerpiece. You can use pumpkins, corn, wheat, squash, and nuts to add a rustic flavor to your Thanksgiving meal.

Better Homes and Gardens has a gallery of autumn themed centerpieces. Here are a few of the more unique ones.

Nothing symbolizes the bounty of the harvest more than the grains of the earth. The wheat in this centerpiece offers a reminder of those pilgrims giving thanks so many years ago.

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Simplicity offers understated beauty and these butternut squah vases are no exception. They provide a texture and color that glass and metal vases can’t match.

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

These cranberry globes bring striking color to the table. Coupled with white or crystal dishware, they offer an elegant dynamic.

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Goodhousekeeping suggests gluing dried oranges and cranberries to the base of candles. Make sure to pick candles with warm, inviting scents such as vanilla, cinnamon, and apple.

Photo courtesy of Good Housekeeping

Pumpkins aren’t just for Halloween, you can use them as fanciful vases for a bouquet of roses.

Photo courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

On your next nature hike, collect fallen acorns to use in this simple, yet elegant idea.

Photo courtesy of Laverty's Landing

By far, this is perhaps the most unique Thanksgiving centerpiece I’ve ever seen. You can create a path meandering through a forest (and your food)to create an aesthetic focal point.

Photo courtesy of Design Sponge

Have any creative centerpiece ideas? Tell us about them in the comments box below.

Posted in Thanksgiving | Tagged decor, decorating, decoration, Eco-Friendly, Five Star holiday decor, holiday, holiday decor, Thanksgiving decor, Thanksgiving decorations, Tips | Leave a comment

Enliven Your Seasonal Decor with Thanksgiving Wreaths

Posted on November 17, 2011 by admin

When decorating for the holidays, the smallest details often provide the greatest impact. You don’t need an inflatable pilgrim in your front yard to celebrate the festivities. Thanksgiving wreaths incorporate the colors and textures of the season in a simple, rustic, tasteful way. Materials from which you can make wreaths can be found in craft stores, at farmer’s markets, the grocery store, or even on a nature walk.

Better Homes and Gardens has many wonderful ideas that you can use to make your Thanksgiving wreath. Wreaths can be hung on your front or back door or on any wall. They create an aesthetically pleasing focal point and, when used for interior decorating, can complement other decorations such as garlands and candles.

This wreath incorporates various aspects of fall by using gourds, raffia, berries, and leaves.

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

You can make this wreath using hot glue, moss, and acorns.

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

This wreath has two layers, one that you create yourself by gluing the materials onto a cardboard ring. The other is a twig wreath than is attached to the back using wire.

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

This wreath truly embodies the harvest with its abundance of apples.

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Woman’s Day Magazine has an elegant wreath that combines clean modern lines and shape with traditional stalks of wheat. You’ll be surprised by what it’s made from.

Photo courtesy of Woman's Day Magazine

Here are some video tutorials you can watch for more ideas.

This elegant wreath combines clean modern lines and shape with traditional stalks of wheat. You’ll be surprised by what it’s made from.

Here are some video tutorials you can watch for more ideas.

· Novel Wreath http://bit.ly/s7tXGD

· DIY Recycled Wreath http://bit.ly/w2MNXo

· Burlap Wreath http://bit.ly/tfx33k

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Thanksgiving Interior Lighting Ideas

Posted on November 10, 2011 by admin

Lighting enhances any special occasion and Thanksgiving is no exception. Creating pockets of soft, intimate light will create a cozy atmosphere for your friends and family during the greatest feast of the year. In addition to festive touches such as wreaths and centerpieces, lighting can incorporate the colors and textures of the season in tasteful ways. For inspiration on autumn colors, you can read Five Star Painting’s Design Tips post Seasonal Decor: Autumn. Here are a few lighting ideas to consider.

Change the lamp shades in your home or dining room for autumn colors. You can decorate the lamps themselves with garlands of changing leaves or cranberries.

Photo courtesy of Interior Design Pro

Candles not only provide fabulous lighting effects, but also make any space smell like everything we associate with the holiday season, such as apples, pumpkin pie, vanilla, and cinnamon. You can decorate your candles, feathers, and stalks of wheat—just make sure they steer clear of the flame.

Photo courtesy of Buzzing Across America

Photo courtesy of Interior & Exterior

Photo courtesy of All Things Shabby Chic

The containers you place candles in can also help you create an earthy, rustic theme in your home.

Photo courtesy of Blondies Journals

Photo courtesy of Making This Home

Photo courtesy of Blondies Journals

Leaf lights: these would be cute either across a mantle or outlining a door frame.

Photo courtesy of Trendirs

Photo courtesy of Color Sizzle

Photo courtesy of Your Studio

With just a little creativity, you will find the perfect lighting to compliment your Thanksgiving.

Posted in Thanksgiving | Tagged decor, decorating, decoration, Five Star holiday decor, holiday, holiday decor, Thanksgiving decor, Thanksgiving decorations, Thanksgiving lighting, Tips | Leave a comment

DIY Halloween Candles

Posted on October 27, 2011 by admin

Candles make any interior space feel more mysterious and rustic, which is perfect for Halloween. Here are some wonderful craft projects to undertake if you’re looking for candles with a special eerie glow.

Photo courtesy of Remodelaholic

Ghoulish Glow Candles. TLC offers instructions on how to make these cute decorative candles using paint and quilting pins.

Photo courtesy of TLC

Decoupage Halloween Candle. Carole Ellis on eHow shares how you can use party napkins and glue to make unique candles.

Photo courtesy of eHow

Halloween Hybrid Candle Décor. Joscelyne Cutchens on Design House Digital suggests using printed paper to wrap around candles, giving them a sophisticated, gothic look

Photo courtesy of Joscelyne Cutchens on Hybrid Decorator

Halloween Rubber Stamp Candle. About.com has a tutorial on how to make holiday themed candles using rubber stamps and tissue paper.

Photo courtesy of About.com

Halloween Ghost Candle. Mom Always Finds Out shows a way to make your own candle from beeswax without involving the process of melting wax and dipping.

Photo courtesy of Mom Always Finds Out

Black Candles. These candles, found on House of Dewberry, are made from toilet paper rolls and hot glue. They will truly make your home look a little more haunted.

Photo courtesy of House of Dewberry

Pumpkin Halloween Candle. Making Your Own Candles has an ingenious method of making candles using fruit cups and food coloring.

Photo courtesy of Making Your Own Candles Blog

You can make an assortment of various candles to use throughout your house! Have any other creative and fun Halloween candle ideas? Let us know in the comments box below.

Photo courtesy of Maries Manor Decorating

Posted in Halloween | Tagged decor, decorating, decoration, Halloween candles, Halloween decor, halloween ideas, holiday, holiday decor, holiday lights, Tips | Leave a comment

Attract Trick or Treators with Halloween Lights

Posted on October 20, 2011 by admin

Lights on Halloween night are vital for attracting Trick or Treators. While leaving on the porch light works well enough, you can add character and flair to your yard with these lighting ideas. They are sure to conjure the Halloween spirit and turn your house into a beacon for candy seeking ghosts and ghouls.

Photo courtesy of DecorDir

Cute Halloween Lights: You can make these yourself using white Holiday Lights, small paper cups, and scrapbook paper.

Use strands of orange and purple lights to make “Witchy Broomstick” decorations. Here’s a video on how:

Snapshot from "Witchy Broomsticks" by HGTV

Don’t forget about Jack O’ Lanterns! If you don’t want to risk a fire hazard by lighting candles, you can use battery illuminated “candles” as a safe alternative (plus, they won’t go out!)

Photo courtesy of The Fun Times Guide

Black lights coupled with a smoke machine and creepy music will turn walking across your yard into an adventure. Be sure to complement your lighting with decorations such as fake spider webs, plastic skeletons, and tombstones to really give your visitors goose bumps.

Photo courtesy of eHow

Halloween lights shaped like pumpkins, ghosts, and spiders can be easily found at Halloween stores or on-line. Hang strands of these on your porch, wrap them around trees, or use them to line your walkway.

Photo courtesy of Scenic Reflections

Texture projectors will cast everything they illuminate in an eerie glow. Like the black lights, this will greatly enhance the scare factor of your Halloween props.

Photo courtesy of Pumpkinrot

Got any creative lighting ideas yourself? Tell us about them in the comments box below!

Posted in Halloween | Tagged black lights, candles, cute halloween lights, halloween, halloween lighting, HGTV, jack o lanterns, smoke machine, texture projector | Leave a comment

Carve the Perfect Halloween Pumpkin!

Posted on October 13, 2011 by admin

“I’d say that every pumpkin out there is pre-picked by somebody… they just don’t know it yet. When you get there, you’re going to know which pumpkin is meant for you. Every pumpkin has a name on it — it’s just a matter of finding it.” Johansen-Cremeens, owner of Johanson Farm in Westmont Indiana, “Picking the Perfect Pumpkin“, mysuburbanlife.com

Photo courtesy of DecoDir

Carving more than a basic grin on a pumpkin can be intimidating. However, if you follow a few simple rules, you can carve a pumpkin like a pro!

Photo courtesy of DecoDir

Afterselecting your pumpkin, you need to choose a design. Options include freehand carving, using a template, or creating your own pattern.

Photo courtesy of Celebrating Halloween.com

If using a template or pattern, tape it to the pumpkin and then use a nail to trace the lines by pricking holes into the gourd. Once completed, remove the pattern and then use a carving knife to connect all those dots.

Photo Courtesy of TLC

Patience is vital when carving pumpkins. If you rush, you will make mistakes and run a greater risk of breaking off pieces of your masterpiece. While such mistakes can be corrected by reattaching the pieces with toothpicks, you run the risk of your whole design collapsing.

Photo courtesy of cheezburger

Also, be sure to use a sharp knife (which sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised) and to be gentle. Don’t apply too much pressure against your design or it will break.

Photo courtesy of canada.com

When finished, rub petroleum jelly over the pumpkin. This will preserve the pumpkin longer.

Pumpkin carved by Amuri

Now, place a candle inside and set on your front porch!

Posted in Halloween | Tagged halloween, Halloween decor, Halloween decorating, pumpkin, pumpkin carving, pumpkin tips | Leave a comment

Five Star Holiday Decor collects Christmas lights to rescue them from landfills

Posted on May 16, 2011 by admin

For Immediate Release

Lights separated into component parts and recycled; donors receive 10% discount off in holiday spirit

With Spring-cleaning fever upon us, it is tempting to throw junk away rather than deal with the hassle of recycling it properly. To make life a little easier and our eco footprint a little smaller Five Star Holiday Decor is accepting Christmas light donations.

Five Star’s recycling program will break the lights down into glass, copper, and plastic and recycle each component responsibly. Donors are asked to mail their lights to the corporate office and to include their e-mail address with their recycled lights to receive a 10% discount from any Five Star service. A portion of the proceeds from this promotion will be donated to Toys for Tots.

President of Five Star Holiday Décor, Mark Knoch said, “We’re excited to do our part in being as ecologically responsible as possible. Each year, countless strands of Christmas lights are thrown away because a single bulb goes out or breaks. We’re hoping to reduce that waste.”

To participate in Five Star’s Recycling Program, Christmas lights can be mailed to:
Five Star Holiday Decor
Light Recycling Program
938 South 2000 West #240
Springville, UT 84663
(801) 851-5522

# # #
For More Information:
Tiffany Lieu
Public Relations Manager
tlieu@fivestarfranchising.com
(801) 806-4223
928 North 2000 East Suite 220
Springville, UT 84663

Posted in Eco-friendly, Five Star Holiday Decor, Living Tree | Leave a comment

Environment Friendly Easter Decorations

Posted on April 4, 2011 by holiday1

We know you’re concerned about our environment, but that you want to create splendid memories with your family and friends while celebrating. That’s why we’ve come up with some creative ways to celebrate Easter and Spring time in a fun, environment-friendly way.

Reuse your plastic Easter eggs and Easter grass – Those little round pieces of plastic are a lot of fun for little ones to hunt for on Easter morning (and they never go bad and start to smell if you don’t find them). They are made of plastic, however, and when thrown away wind up in a landfill somewhere taking up space breaking down into harmful chemicals in the soil. Reusing those eggs for three or four years (or as long as you can) will go along way to making our earth a better place.
Picture Courtesy of Goodhouskeeping.com

Instead of buying a centerpiece at the store for your Easter feast (which are usually made from synthetic and other harmful materials) try making your own this year! Take a wire basket and put a few uncolored boiled eggs in the bottom. Fill it with your favorite spring flowers and Easter accoutrements, and voila! You have a beautiful centerpiece like the one pictured here.
Consider growing live Easter baskets this year – If you can get a few small pots, some soil, and some grass seed, you can grow the perfect basket-sized live grass for an authentic Easter basket. Filled with eggs and treats, this live basket will create a lasting memory for the recipient.

Posted in Easter, Eco-friendly | Tagged easter, easter baskets, live easter baskets | 2 Comments

Wedding Lighting

Posted on March 23, 2011 by admin

Basic lighting techniques to bring the right ambiance and romantic setting to your wedding.

Photo courtesy of cnylighting.com

Lighting plays an important role in setting the “mood” at any wedding or reception. At the flip of a switch a reception or wedding can go from ordinary to stunning. We’ll help you get started with some lighting basics and examples from lighting professionals.

Who is going to do the lighting? This is an important question to consider. There are many ways to find lighting professionals for your wedding. Ask your event designer or florist as they often do their own lighting or may frequently work with lighting specialist at other events. If they don’t have suggestions, consider asking a coordinator at the reception venue; they might be able to suggest a lighting business that has worked onsite before. If you are on a budget then consider doing it yourself or having a family member assist you.

If you’ll be planning the wedding event yourself, make sure to assess the site of the wedding or reception. This is important so you can plan and prepare to block out any unnecessary light. Ask the venue coordinator if there are dimmers for overhead lights and if there is any fluorescent lights make sure to turn them off. You want lights that help people keep their eyes on each other, the tables, dance floor and the newlyweds. To achieve this effect block out lights, windows and service doors that may illuminate walls and ceilings. These can distract and take away from your subjects.

Here are some professional techniques to help make your next event glimmer:

Pin Spot: This is a highlighting technique that usually transmits a concentrated beam of light on to an object such as centerpieces, a wedding cake or dancing newlyweds. Pin spot lighting in most cases is produced by incandescent light bulbs.

Photo courtesy of awesome-events.co.uk

Gobos: Gobos are circular stencils stamped out of steel or made of glass which transcribe an image on walls or floors. These materials are typically used because they can withstand high heat emitted from light bulbs. Fashionable gobo wedding designs include monograms, displaying the names of the newlyweds, date of the wedding, initials or hearts. The more complex the design the more expensive the gobos will cost.

Photo courtesy of weddingbee.com

Color Wash: Commonly referred to as “washes,” these light fixtures feature a recessed, soft, widespread infinity edge. The effect brings a blanket of light that covers an area. In most cases colored light is used with this technique. LED par cans and other LED luminaries can be utilized to create this great look.

Photo courtesy of sekweddinglighting.com

LED: LED’s are generally used for accent lighting (up-lighting), color, and strobing effects. These functional light bulbs are a popular choice for many weddings because they are affordable, use less electricity, are not heat prone and are often wireless.

Photo courtesy of soundconnectdj.com

Pipe and Drape: As one of the most inexpensive uplighting methods, the pipe and drape is sure to give your reception an enchanted ballroom feel. This technique uses metal framing and transparent fabric to create a sub wall, curtain or sub divider. It brings a glow to the fabric allowing for a warm feel.

Photo courtesy of mattcameronproductions.com