Holiday Sparkle

The holiday season is such a special time of year. Beginning with Thanksgiving right through to Valentine’s Day, I love the holidays! I love celebrating with my family and friends, I love celebrating the birth of my Savior, Jesus. I love old traditions and creating new ones. I love creating beautiful spaces for family, friends, and myself to cozy up in and enjoy! Part of that process for me is adding what I call “Holiday Sparkle.”

What is Holiday Sparkle? It’s those extra special touches you can add this time of year. Things that sparkle and shine and glow! What Holiday Sparkle is not about is putting extra stress on yourself and others to create perfection. There is no such thing as the perfect tree, the perfect dress, the perfect meal, the perfect gift or the perfect family. There is only one who is perfect, God Himself. It’s also not about how much you spend; Holiday Sparkle can be achieved on any budget. Strive for excellence, not perfection!

Tips for adding Holiday Sparkle to Your Home and Life
Inner Beauty Sparkle

Reduce stress by:

• Focusing on the REAL reason for the season
• Re-thinking, streamlining, adjusting or eliminating what doesn’t work. Are there “traditions” that cause more stress or work than they are worth? It’s okay to let go of those things and do only that which brings joy to the season.
• Utilizing convenience items- I don’t like to bake, so I tend to purchase desserts and embellish them with real whipped cream, chocolate shavings or fresh fruit. Where can you save a few hours by utilizing convenience items?
• Taking care of YOU- get your rest, eat well, exercise and do something special to pamper yourself at least once a week. You will feel like you’re sparkling when you feel good and then you will influence those around you to sparkle!

Outer Beauty Sparkle

• Treat yourself to one or two sparkly items to wear such as a pair of earrings or a necklace and a sweater or blouse with sparkly buttons. Just a few items like these can be worn with either jeans for a sparkly, casual look or a basic black skirt for a sparkly, dressy look.
• Pick up a funky scarf or a glamorous faux fur neck wrap to add some sparkle to your winter coat.
• Look for a shimmery lip balm to add sparkle, shine and moisture to dry winter lips.

Surrounding Beauty Sparkle

• Adopt a “winter” decorating mindset rather than decorating for a specific holiday- this way you can enjoy the extra sparkle through January or even into early February, like I do! Winter can be so cold and dreary, I just love coming home and plugging in a few extra lights and enjoying the sparkle and warmth they create.
• Add sparkly beaded garlands to the chains of chandeliers or twist them around a lamp base.
• Set out small mirrors with candles on them; for extra sparkle, add some ornaments and a little bit of glitter.
• Add sparkly lights inside bookshelves or china cabinets.
• Use silver, gold and crystal pieces, as these reflect light adding sparkle wherever they are.
• Twist strands of lights into garlands and place them around mirrors, over the top of an armoire, kitchen cabinets or along a mantle.
• Hang sparkly snowflake ornaments in your windows on a mirror.
• Fill a few pretty containers with glittery ornaments and set them in unexpected places like the bathroom, the kitchen counter or the entryway.
  
  Remember that it doesn’t matter where you live, what your style is, or what’s in your budget; with just a little time and creativity, you can create Holiday Sparkle in your home and life!

Kathleen Ellis is a LifestyleCoach, speaker, writer and TV personality who specializes in teaching women how to create a Life of Total Beauty which includes Inner Beauty, Outer Beauty and Surrounding Beauty. Kathleen believes every woman’s unique gifts, values, passions and sense of style, should be reflected in their words, mindset and life choices, their wardrobe, their home and their entertaining. Her passion is to teach, inspire and motivate women to discover how they can create their own “Life of Total Beauty”!

She believes that by discovering, establishing and connecting your Inner Beauty, your Outer Beauty and your Surrounding Beauty you can create the Beautiful Life you dream of and can bloom into the Beautiful Woman you were created to be. Kathleen believes beauty, romance and elegance should be part of your everyday life. She inspires and motivates women to dream BIG, to step outside the box to make those dreams come true and to take their lives from ordinary to EXTRAordinary! You can find out more about Kathleen at www.KathleenEllis.blogspot.com.