apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

White strand lights are such a dependable seasonal accessory - they're one of our favorites for simple holiday decorating. Let's take a look at a few different uses for this common twinkling decor.

We wish we'd spotted this in time for Thanksgiving, but this newspaper leaf garland just might work for the rest of the season, too. If you're one who relishes autumn leaves, making some of your own out of reused newspaper is just the way to hold on to them a bit longer than they actually stay on the trees.

We attended a Danish Christmas Fair in our neighborhood a few weekends ago and spotted some woven hearts hanging as Christmas decorations. The papercut hearts are a tradition in Denmark that was actually originated by Hans Christian Andersen. Seeing the examples at the fair, we set off in search of more.

Silver and gold brighten up the holiday season, but they can be in place throughout the entire year, too. Here, we look at silver and gold leafing on walls, ceilings, and decorations for the home.

Fine Homebuilding focuses mainly on single-family residential construction that isn't necessarily limited in size. But they do have a feature from time-to-time on small homes. Here's a look at five ideas from some of their recent small home features:

We recently took a look at Marie Claire Maison to see what they had come up with for holiday decorations. These are a few of our favorites because they're simple yet stylish and creative.

When we wrote about 5 Different Decades of Dinner Parties, the oldest, most formal parties were depicted in paintings. Which made us love seeing this oil painting depiction of a contemporary dinner party by artist Elaine Badgley.

Why yes, there is an app for that. Hosting Thanksgiving dinner, that is. It helps you with everything from the menu to the guest list and budget. Created by Rhode Island architect Naomi Neville, she says the app was "designed by an overworked architect who strives for clarity".

Name: Lauren and Eric Wendlandt, architects/designers with Framework Design
Location: Westside neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri
Size: approx. 6,500 square feet of commercial, residential and workshop space (two offices, two residences, and a woodworking/furniture shop)
Years lived in: officially 5 months - started in 2007, built from 2008-9.

Even though Lauren and Eric just completed Vivienda Moderna a few months ago, the home has an old soul. The building is located on the corner lot of an old mansion (whose foundations were unearthed during construction), is partially clad in wood siding from disassembled Kansas barns, and incorporates other salvaged material from around the region...

Check out this basket hanging by the back door in the photo above. What a great way to establish a landing strip in a space without room for a table or storage. We think this could work nicely in an apartment setting.

Come to think of it, felt has been a part of every single Christmas I've been home for. Our familiar felt stockings have been around for as long as I can remember, and they continue to be used each year. What other holiday decorations can we find that are made of felt?

Cornucopia are something we first encountered in kindergarten Thanksgiving craft projects. You know, at the same time we were making hand prints into turkeys. Since then, we haven't really come across many actual horns of plenty.

Subtle holiday decorations can be great for those of us who can't wait to get seasonal and want to leave decorations up as long as possible. That subtle touch might just be a little extra greenery, sparkle, or color but it doesn't scream holiday so it can be worked in before Thanksgiving and come down long after the New Year.

The magnolia leaf's glossy green front side and soft brown back make it a very pretty natural material to use in holiday decor. Some ideas that put the leaves to use: