10 Last Minute Ways to Spruce Up Your Holiday Home

Create a beautiful winterscape by adding salt, to resemble snow, into clear glass containers and inserting sticks.  Place the display on a fireplace mantle or ledge with overhead lighting to bring out the shadows on the top surface of the salt. 

Hang bells in offbeat places like cabinet knobs and hallway doorknobs to add a fun musical touch throughout your home.

Arrange a set of identical drinking glasses along your dining table. Fill the glasses with water and use red and green food coloring to tint the water. Float tea lights in the water for a festive display. 

In a pinch for a holiday centerpiece? Wrap a few gifts and arrange them on the table, similar to how stores merchandise items in windows or on counters, to create a quick and easy display.

Dust off your fondue pot and create a festive aroma in the living room by adding water, spices and cut fruit into the pot over a low flame. Make it decorative by using mini crab apples, cinnamon sticks, and clove-studded Clementine Mandarins.

One of the simplest ways to accent a pillar candle is by inserting a straight pin into its side and hanging an ornament on the pin using the hook or a ribbon. Or you can dangle an earring from the pin as well. Place the candle on a large decorative plate, such as a gold charger, and surround the base with mini ornaments.  

A simple organza bow can perk up chair backs, a lamp base or many tabletop home decor items. Use a wide ribbon like the one in our photo for a grand accent or multiple layers of ribbons for a similar effect.  

Don't forget about the powder room!  Layer complementary color hand towels on your bathroom counter and fold over the top edge to resemble a Christmas stocking. Attach a seasonal accent such as wired pinecones or a bow using a safety pin.

Rather than piling ornaments into a glass vase or bowl, think about the holiday platters and vessels in your cabinets. Red glass cakestands or bowls are an ideal base for trendy green ornaments. Keep balls on the plate by using glue dots or double-stick tape.

Didn't have a chance to pick up a fresh evergreen wreath for the front door?  Hang a Christmas stocking on your front door to greet guests with a holiday flair. Use sticky tack on doors that you don't want to poke a hole into with a tack.