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Still decking the halls? Ayesha Curry's holiday decorating tips are quick and easy
The lifestyle expert has clever ideas for your table, mantel and more that you can pull off last-minute.
Ayesha Curry is mixing things up this year. The entertaining pro and founder of Sweet July, a lifestyle brand that's an Oprah favorite, has learned to get more playful when it comes to holiday decorating, thanks to her kids.
Ayesha, and her husband, NBA star Steph Curry, have four children ranging in age from seven months to 12 years old, and the older ones love "all the colors," she says. "So we have a very whimsical room in our house, it's a big splash of color. Normally I would be like, 'Noooo' — I like to keep things monochromatic — but I've learned you don't have to be married to one look."
That willingness to experiment probably also has to do with her partnership with Command Brand, which makes those removable, damage-free hooks and picture hangers that are a staple in rentals and dorm rooms. "I've been using Command products forever, but I had so much fun working with the brand to figure out all the holiday decorating we could do," she says.
Some of those ideas include using picture-hanging strips to frame out a mirror in garland and mounting removable clips to the wall for displaying greeting cards — instant art! Ayesha has other festive decorating tricks up her sleeve that are easy to pull off ... even if, ahem, you only have a week until Christmas. Read on, and if you want more yuletide inspiration, check out our guide to getting Joanna Gaines's holiday style, our interview with Queer Eye star Jeremiah Brent and our guide to the best last-minute gifts.
Turn your stockings into a decor moment.
Stockings are Ayesha's favorite holiday decoration: "There's something nostalgic about hanging them up every year, and now we get to add a new one for the baby," she says. If you're looking for new stockings, consider ones that coordinate with your space's color scheme and match accessories you already own.
For example, if you have blue-and-white striped pillows on your sofa, look for similarly patterned stockings. Or if you love a good chunky knit throw blanket, try knit stockings. Ayesha took this one step further: "We had a couch in our family room reupholstered, and I saved the extra fabric for our stockings. We did a tree skirt too! It's pretty loud but it works," she says.
The following stockings can be ordered with overnight or two-day shipping, so they can arrive before Christmas.
Just like a classic cable-knit sweater, these stockings will serve you well for many years to come. And you can't beat the price: $25 for a set of four!
Mad about plaid? Consider this charming little number, which has an old-fashioned country feel but could work in a variety of design settings.
If you're someone who breaks out the faux fur blankets for your sofa and bed the moment the temperature dips, an equally fuzzy stocking is a good way to go. FYI: Ayesha loves subtle colors like this.
Hang framed photos.
Want to amp up the warm-and-fuzzy feelings at home? You don't need to go over the top with holiday decor; just snap some family photos and print them — you can do this today! — then place them in frames to create a quick gallery wall. "I love framing things and hanging them," says Ayesha. "All I need are picture-hanging strips and a tape measure because I like for things to be spaced evenly."
Give your pics a bit of glitz with gold or brass frames. These already come with a mat; leave it there for a more polished, professional look.
How about a pop of red? These thin aluminum frames have a modern look that would make any snapshot stand out.
Hey, maybe you want to change up your gallery wall once the holiday is over — no shame! Instead of tapping nails into your walls, you can mount your frames with these removable strips, which get a whopping 92,000+ five-star reviews on Amazon. "I can never make up my mind for where things should go, so these are essential," says Ayesha.
Make your space smell like the holidays.
It's easy to do, says Ayesha — just add cinnamon sticks! "I always pack my holiday decor at the end of the season with a few cinnamon sticks so next year, it will smell really fresh and great." You can also group some of the fragrant pantry staples in a bowl or even slip them into your shoes. "We always do that during the holidays," she says.
Sourced from Vietnam by Soeos, a small business based out of Queens, N.Y., these cinnamon sticks are fragrant enough that they earned more than 4,700 five-star reviews on Amazon. Just take it from this shopper: "I bought these strictly for a simmer pot I got for Christmas ... I opened up this bag and was blown away by how fragrant these sticks were compared to the costly ones from the grocery. I put three sticks in the pot and can't believe how wonderful they smell. They are going on a week now in the pot and haven't lost their scent yet."
You get 57 sticks in one bag, so they'll certainly last you through the season.
Decorate the table with grocery store buys.
No Christmas centerpiece? No problem! "I don't do flowers on my table, but I do like to keep it classic," says Ayesha. "I use a lot of seasonal food and spices like cranberries or even bushels of Brussels sprouts." Other ideas: Nestle pears in some greenery or add a big bowl of winter citrus like lemons and oranges. Here's where to put them:
The shallow rim of this hand-thrown stoneware bowl, from Ayesha's own line, lets whatever's inside be the star. Honestly, you could fill it with anything (fruit, yes, but also colorful ball ornaments) for a quick centerpiece.
Fill a couple of these glass vases with fresh cranberries and you've got a seasonal centerpiece with zero fuss. You could use a cylindrical vase (like the kind that comes with many delivery bouquets), but the nipped-in silhouette of this option is a little more interesting.
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
