New Year's Decor That's As Easy As 3, 2, 1...

Filed under: Fun Stuff, Crafts & Projects, Parties & Entertaining, Holidays

If there's ever a time of year to get all glitz-and-glammed up, New Year's Eve is it. We aren't just talking about your outfit either.

Yes, Christmas decorations are still up, and maybe even that DIY centerpiece you spent hours making for Thanksgiving, but New Year's Eve deserves a little something special.

We scoured our favorite magazines and websites for ideas and found gleaming, New-Year's Eve inspiration at every turn. Most of them require little more than a quick update of your existing holiday decor, so it's easy to get in on the festivities, even if you aren't playing host.

If you're resolving to reduce, reuse and recycle in the coming year, then these decorations are a good (not to mention gorgeous) way to start. Leave it to Martha Stewart to fashion a glistening set of streamers out of leftover wrapping paper, left. On the right, she created a clever countdown to midnight by arranging an assortment of old clocks on top of a fireplace mantel. These clocks are all set the same, but you could match timepieces to your favorite cities and extend the festivities beyond the midnight hour.

Whether it's Christmas or New Year's, the ladies over at Rue magazine know how to throw a holiday party. Their November/December issue feature "Jingle Girl Rock" isn't just a study in retro revelry, we spotted some cute ideas for transitional holiday decor too. Take this bead and bauble filled martini glass, for example. It could fancy up a New Year's display just as easily as it did for their Christmas affair.

Take a page from Lonny's December book on how a holiday table is done. The red snow-printed napkins and gilded flatware are Christmas all the way, but it's the confetti-inspired tablecloth that takes this spread through to the new year. Use a festive tablecloth that compliments your wares without overwhelming them, Lonny says. Or, copy their look to a T with Schumacher's Hiro fabric in black and white.

There's something magical about a perfectly-timed, cascading mass of confetti. Pair it with a birthday party relic -- the piñata -- or give it some personalized flair by printing familiar faces on one side. It's instant table decor and entertainment for your guests. Craft your own confetti the way Martha Stewart did here, right, or leave it to the pros, like the duo at ConfettiSystem, whose hand-cut assortment is stuffed inside their made-to-order piñatas, left. As if those weren't enough to make us drool, ConfettiSystem can whip up matching blindfolds out of silk charmeuse and metallic leather, too.

This turquoise table was designed by the editors of Fresh Home magazine to celebrate the trifecta of holiday fetes -- Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve. Its modern palette easily accommodates all three, so you only need to change out the accessories to update the look. For New Year's Eve, far right, they've ditched the plaid and opted for a monochromatic, blue palette instead. On top of the "catwalk" (a piece of wood wrapped in fabric and set atop embellished cans), clocks and champagne flutes send a happy new year message all on their own while a handful of Hershey's Kisses stand in for the real thing.
Nothing says celebration like a few bottles of bubbly. And if you're planning on keeping it simple this year, it may be all the adornment you need. These are jazzed up with printable labels from Anders Ruff Custom Designs on Etsy. Wrap a few, raise a glass and usher in 2011 in style.

Cheers!

 

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