Decorating for the holidays may begin with grand ideas and a burst of creative energy. But it can become wearisome as time and money grow short.

The goal, then, is to keep the projects simple and few.

Notions come from many corners, whether it’s a long-lasting floral arrangement and an easy gilding project or decorative flourishes with store-bought elements.

A new approach to floral display is the trans-seasonal arrangement. These fresh-looking displays, made by embellishing a basic design, will last a month or more.

Start with a spray of greens from the florist – fresh evergreens will last about a month in florist’s foam with water added. Add peppers, miniature pumpkins, eggplants or other colorful seasonal vegetables for a Thanksgiving table or mantel decoration.

After Thanksgiving, replace some of the vegetables with polished red apples and gold ribbons. For Christmas, add a few red roses, each in a vial.

“The base arrangement should not have too many wired-in accessories, and you want to change it slowly, a little every week so it never looks as if it was just done,” says Kevin Ylvisaker, president of the Baltimore-based American Institute of Floral Designers.

Replace fresh flowers weekly, and keep juicy edibles from direct contact with the table or table linens to avoid staining.

Other good bases for trans-seasonal arrangements are dried flowers and leaves, twigs and artificial materials. Twigs are especially appealing, says Ylvisaker, a floral designer in Milwaukee. They have longevity and create a natural grid for flowers, fruits, gourds and ribbons.

A florist can make a twig arrangement in any shape. Or you can start with a grapevine wreath, readily available.

Pair a long-lasting floral arrangement with gold-flecked candlesticks or an inexpensive glass bowl that has been gilded.

“Gilding does not have to be complicated and difficult,” says Annie Sloan, a decorative painter in Bladon, England.

She offers a variety of simple projects in “Annie Sloan Decorative Gilding” (Reader’s Digest Books, $18.95). They are achieved with crafts store ingredients such as metal leaf, less expensive than gold leaf sheets; bronze powders; and metallic waxes.

One interesting project is to glue patches of metal leaf onto the underside of a pie plate or platter. The special adhesive, known as gold size, is available in paint or crafts stores. After the leaf has been applied, the piece can be used as is. Or the underside can be painted with water-base paint, creating a gilt and color effect. Use the plates as decorative items or fill them with holiday goodies.

Metallic leaf is very fine, so be sure there are no drafts and keep hands dry by sprinkling them with talcum powder, Sloan says. Incidentally, the technique can be used on any surface that will take the glue. When the piece is dry, buff it with a dry cloth and varnish it to prevent tarnishing. Spray varnish is fine. Varnished items may be cleaned with a damp cloth or sponge.

Sloan also uses bronze powders – which actually come in various tones of gold, silver and bronze -to add glint to wood, metal, and ceramics such as candlesticks and dishes. The powders can be sprinkled over a surface of wet varnish or glue. Or they can be stirred into butcher’s wax and rubbed into wood. Pre-mixed metallic waxes are available at crafts shops.

For those with no time and less talent, create a holiday vignette on a mantel, bookshelf or table top with miniature cottages. They’re sold in numerous catalogs and gift shops, and a piece can be added each year until the village is complete.

Department 56 of Minneapolis markets several complete sets that include two lighted ceramic houses, plastic trees, plastic snow in a bag, a “cobblestone” road and two or three miniature ceramic people. The complete Victorian Dickens village or North Pole village is $85.

Not much change jingling in your jeans? Transform last season’s wreath of dried flowers with a light dusting of silver or gold spray paint and an iridescent ribbon. Place ornaments you already own in bowls or hang them at the window on ribbons.

By BARBARA MAYER via : archive.tri-cityherald.com