I got this photo of an adorable kid’s room in my inbox today from Land of Nod. I thought it was so cute!

There was a version for girls as well. But frankly, I thought this was plenty gender neutral and much cuter.

So what would this set you back? Here’s how I have it figured:

Twin oceanic quilt = $229

Oceanic sham = $29

Evergreen and blue rug, 5x8 = $349

Fish throw pillow = $24

Rare sightings wall art = $78.95 (on sale)

I could’ve been a container wall organizer = $49

Pop of color pendant shade plus cord kit = $49 + $39

This garland is shaping up in orange = $10.95

Total = $857.90

So it’s pretty salty (ha, ha, get it, salty) but you could get the look without buying everything.

The quilt is the key and the fish pillow is pretty cute. The rest are things you could cobble together from what you already own or things you could find in resale shops. I’ll be you could easily make this happen for well under $500.

Is the look worth it?

I love when two of my favorite things come together and that’s what happened today when designer Nate Berkus launched a new line of fabrics at Calico stores.

The new collection includes lots of browns, golds and grays with some great patterns that seem ready to be soft neutrals in any room. It includes 24 styles and – with all the colors – more than 100 different options.

Berkus says that fabric is the first thing his firm’s designers reach for when they begin a project.

"It adds depth and texture in a way that no other medium can. It's critical to the way we build a space."

The Nate Berkus collection starts at an affordable $14.99 a yard – although you’ll find choices that top $80 too.

Calico plans to carry the line in all of its 75 stores across the country. 

The company describes the collection like this: “Beautiful constructions with metallic embellishment and rough-hewn linen burlap marry with ethnic inspired jacquards and menswear herringbone for upholstery.”

Berkus says he wants home decorators to “see how diverse fabric can be.”

"I've covered walls, created headboards, transformed lampshades, all with fabric,” he says.

“People should feel empowered by the fact that whether it's one yard or ten, they get to decide the impact it will make in their room. That's what makes fabric so great."

I went to the Calico website to get some addition looks at the collection. And here are some of my favorites:

 

Julie Morris, the vice president of Calico merchandising, said the launch comes at a time when consumers are showing a renewed interest in better quality home design projects.

"Younger shoppers are showing more interest in custom product," she said. "Their tastes tend to represent a convergence of classic and modern styling, and Nate is a master at striking that perfect balance."

So your guests are coming tonight – or maybe tomorrow morning – and you really want to add just a few more touches to your holiday décor.

If you’re like my friend Keith, that means putting at least a tiny touch of something in every room. It’s a great idea and keeps the holiday spirit alive all through your space.

But who’s got the time now to do anything complicated? Not me and probably not you.

Tip #24 is to put small, simple Christmas vignettes throughout the house.

These are not ideas that will take your home from undecorated to holiday cheer. These are tips for adding a special touch here and there that will take your decorating to the next level.

One of the quickest ways to add a touch of Christmas to other rooms is to use a poinsettia, amaryllis (see the BHG photo above) or some greenery.

It’s Christmas Eve and so the stores are open. Head over to the closest grocery store and see what they’ve got. Look for small poinsettias. They’re perfect to set on the bathroom vanity or on the kitchen island.

Or if you have a poinsettia already, snip off some off a few of the blooms and add them to a vase in another room. Look how pretty these poinsettia blooms look against a silver tray. So simple.

Ornaments are another fantastic way to add some holiday cheer to any room. You can nab some of your leftover ornaments or even grab a few off your tree (I just did that for my centerpiece)

In the BHG photos above, some vintage ornaments are simply set on top of inexpensive glass candle holders. Above right, ornaments fill vases and bowls for a quick, festive look.

You can also add ornaments to some unusual places, like in the pots of your house plants.See the BHG photo below right.

You can also combine a few ornaments with some candles and tuck them almost anywhere. Above left, the combination makes the perfect vignette for a narrow bathroom shelf.

You can also fill vases or glasses with candy canes or other Christmas treats.

The photo at right is from Southern Living and MyHomeIdeas.com.

Pick up the candies when you’re at the grocery buying a last minute poinsettia!

It’s especially simple and fun to use what you already have around the house.

Use some of your leftover ribbon to tie bows around your door knobs. See the BHG example below right.

Or display some of your prettiest Christmas cards on dresser tops and side tables.

Still stuck? Maybe it’s best not to worry about it!

After all, your family and friends are coming to see you – not your Christmas decorating. Relax and enjoy their company!

So today’s tip is not so much about decorating as it is about capturing images of your holiday decorating. Maybe that’s a cheat on my part but I wanted to write about it and so here we are!

To me, photographing your decorations is almost as important as putting them up. After all that work, you want some evidence that you did a beautiful job.

So here’s the most important part of the tip: Turn off your flash.

I drive my family and friends crazy with this. But it was something my great friend Andrew – a professional photographer – told me years ago and it’s something I practice now in nearly all situations.

The flash on your camera – particularly those on point-and-shoot cameras and smart phones – just wash everything out.

They make your subject appear flat. They either add harsh shadows or they remove all of them, which means you can’t see the subtle contours of people and things.

Also, the flash makes everything appear the same color. And in life, that’s just not the way things look.

Yes. Sometimes – especially when photographing Christmas decorations – you can end up with pictures too dark.

That’s why you have to experiment. Turn on a lamp in the room to cast a little more – but not too much – light on your greenery.

Light some candles. Or play with the settings on your camera just a bit. Or change your angle to incorporate just a few more Christmas bulbs. You’ll be surprised what you can do if you’re creative.

The photos in this post were taken with a basic point-and-shoot camera during a get together at the home of my friends, Keith & Joe, who go all out with their gorgeous decorating. The décor is fancy. The camera and the photography was not.

Here’s another tip: Get closer.

Of course, you want to back up enough to get a sense of what your decorations look like overall. But your best shots will almost always be close ups. The pictures above and below – of single decorations on Keith & Joe’s trees – is so much prettier than the picture of their entire tree, where the details are just lost.

Still… don’t ignore the whole tree.

You may not be able to see any details, but a photo of the tree is of course a necessity.

And if you turn off the flash, it can be a pretty one.

Try to put the tree in some perspective. Show a little bit of what’s around it – like the fireplace in the photo at right.

Years down the road, you’ll be happy that you can see where the tree was located and what else you decorated in the room.

OK. I have to admit: While the camera you use for these types of photos isn’t that important, you will want to do a little playing around in the computer.

Never fear. This doesn’t need to be hard.

For most things, I skip the big, fancy Photoshop program and go straight to the free Google program called Picasa, which is available for the Mac or PC. Of course, if you have a Mac, you can just use iPhoto.

The key is to play around with the light and shadow, the contrast, and some special effects.

There’s no formula here. You just experiment until you end up with a picture you like.

That’s the way I do it.

So before you put away all your Christmas decorations, make sure to take some photos.

Do it at dusk, when there’s a little bit of light coming in but you’ve only got your Christmas lights on.

I took the photos at my friends’ house when it was completely dark, which takes away some of your options.

But still, I like the way they turned out.

Of course, the close ups really are my favorites. And it helps when you have beautiful decorating like Keith & Joe have.

I can’t resist showing you a few more pictures from Keith & Joe’s house. They deserve to have their gorgeous decorating shown off!

Ahh! I’m behind – and at the most crucial time, just days before Christmas.

So let’s get down to it.

Today we’ve got Tip #20: Use branches to enhance your holiday décor.

In the Better Homes and Gardens photo at right, several branches tucked into in a vase have essentially become a little Christmas tree.

My favorite part of this vignette is actually the red ornament placed in the vase. It’s a great pop of color.

Plus, those cute tiny ornaments are adorable.

There’s a similar example below Cottage Living and MyHomeIdeas.com. Frosted vases with painted branches make up the centerpiece in this gorgeous dining room.

A few crystal ornaments and stars make these branches just sparkle.

The great thing about branches is they’re so easy to find.

If you don’t have larger trees in your yard, just head to a local park and take a look around – particularly after a little bit of wind. You’re bound to find something you can use.

Above – in yet a couple more BHG photos – are more good ideas for branches. Above left, painted white branches add some height and drama to a pot of evergreens.

Above right, winter berry branches wrapped with ribbons, berries and Christmas ornaments decorate a staircase.

If you’ve been reaching this series, you may recognize these photos. Above left is a vase full of branches with Christmas cards clipped on. It was part of Tip #9: Display your Christmas cards creatively.

Above right is a photo from my Mom’s house. She painted a branch white and then used it hang sparkly red, white and silver ornaments in her entry hall. That photo was part of Tip #1: Using ornaments creatively.

A quick way to give your home a holiday kick is to switch our your art and photographs with Christmas-themed works.

Slip some holiday photos into the family frames that line your hallways. Use the prettiest Christmas cards you received last year or this year to spice up picture frames or small art frames.

Or buy holiday-themed posters to replace your larger art.

You’ll be surprised what a big impact the changes can make in your décor.

Plus, when the holidays are over and you return to the original photographs and art, it will be like you have something new again.

That’s why replacing your art with holiday themes is Tip #19 in our list of 25 decorating tips for Christmas.

The frame above right – in a photo from Better Homes and Gardens – shows off a beautiful Christmas tree that was handcrafted from fabric scraps and buttons. It’s adorable.

But you don’t have to go to that much work or be so artistic. You can use a pretty or funny Christmas card in the frame to get the same idea.

In the BHG photo below, a fantastic vintage poster of Santa adds to the traditional Christmas décor. It looks like the spot was made for the Santa. But when the holidays are over, it can go in the attic while another vintage poster is hung in its place.

If you’re crafty, you can turn old Christmas cards into art work to display in your frames.

Here are two BHG examples:

Don’t have frames that can be easily switched out? Try hanging some wreaths in front of the art work so that it provides a frame for your greenery.

Check out the BHG example below:

Do you go to the trouble of changing out your artwork at Christmas? If so, what do you put in your frames?

There are few things that create a nicer mood for the holidays than candles and there are so many things you can do with them for Christmas.

That’s why Tip #18 in our series about holiday decorating is to use more candles.

Of course, candles are fabulous on a mantel or as part of a centerpiece or even as luminaries along a sidewalk.

And they’re easy.

So let’s look at some photos for inspiration.

Personally, I love to see candles tucked into a firebox.

For years, my chimney was unsafe and therefore I couldn’t light a fire. So I filled the firebox with candles and just loved the look – although mine didn’t look nearly as good as the example above from Better Homes and Gardens. That is truly a holiday display!

Sometimes, it’s fun to use candles in an unusual way. I love the candles leading up the staircase above left.

And the platter on the chair above right is sweet. Both are from BHG.

I’m also crazy about luminaries.

Typically, I think of luminaries in paper bags with sand and candles.

But I found an interesting example at HGTV that I thought was very nice.

You can see it below and get the full instructions for creating these luminaries at HGTV.

Of course, candles make for fantastic and easy centerpieces. Check out some of these examples:

Photos on the left from BHG. Photos on the right from HGTV.

Do you use candles in your holiday décor? Any photos you want to send?