Darlene Harrington is creative to the nth degree when it comes to decorating for the holidays and other special occasions. She makes it all seem so simple and easy for anyone to do, yet her talent has garnered a reputation as a special event decorator and launched a post-retirement career that she truly enjoys.
Any occasion to decorate is her favorite, said Harrington, 61, owner of Darjadesigns, a home-based business she founded after her recent retirement from a long career at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Harrington, who named her business by combining her name with her daughter’s, Jada, said she prepares year-round for the holiday season.
At the front porch of her Upper Marlboro, Maryland, home where she and her husband reside as empty nesters, two, tall planters align the walkway that are adorned with real and artificial greenery and several pine cones Harrington collected from her sprawling front yard. She used half of a soccer ball as the base to keep things in place and adorned the greenery in each planter with a wide, red ribbon, creating a bright and seasonal welcome to the porch and front door.
A 10-foot artificial Christmas tree stands in her foyer, and she readily admits, “I have a lot on this tree.”
She decided to combine a color scheme this year that includes blue, white, and silver ornaments to pay tribute to the Dallas Cowboys, as her husband is a huge fan, and her son, a former Washington Commanders coach now coaches for the team.
“Plus, I already had a lot of blue decorations,” she added.
Harrington’s workshop is full of traditional red, green, and gold decorations for a home she will decorate for a client, but she encourages people to consider color schemes that match their personal wishes and needs.
“I’ve used color schemes based on my clients’ needs. I’ve done a black and white tree, a black and white and red tree, and a silver and white tree. At my church, I decorated a tree in all pink with lots of teddy bears and dedicated it to all of the mothers who lost a child,” Harrington said proudly.
She also admits she spends a lot of money on decorations and that her favorite place to shop is in Charlotte, North Carolina, a trip she takes twice a year, if not more frequently, to stock up on items. But she also shops locally, where she finds great deals on things she repurposes for decorations.
For example, she purchased a long artificial garland, wrapped it around a large used glass candle. She wired in some artificial pine-cones and a few red berries, and set a small tea light candle in the middle. It adds a festive touch to her kitchen table along with her holiday tableware and napkins. She also saw a table stand that was decorated in the style she liked, but it sold for over $900. Harrington said she bought a similar stand, removed the top and decorated it her way. She wrapped garland around a painted paper mache reindeer, added pine cones, along with clear, blue and yellow colored balls of mixed sizes that compliment her living room decor. A similarly designed garland lays across the fireplace mantle.
“I saved $800,” she said, “and still got what I like.”
Working with your hands or involving friends or family to help deck your halls can be a fun and affordable way to usher in the holidays, especially when some budgets may not account for working with a professional interior designer to create a festive mood. Designing on a dime by shopping during after-Christmas sales, going to discount stores like The Dollar Tree, Big Lots or thrift stores can help you enhance items already in your home. With a few adhesive hooks for easy take down, a hot glue gun and some imagination, your winter decor can have its own personal flair that comes with a story to share with visiting guests. Find last year’s holiday greeting cards and hang them on a staircase railing or arrange them into the shape of a Christmas tree, kinara or menorah on your entry door or fireplace. Create your own wreath or swag with items from your yard, or a neighborhood park, like pinecones, pine needles, vines and twigs. Finish it off with ribbons and ornaments.
A quick search for DIY holiday decoration on Pinterest, Real Simple.com or advice from Emmy-award interior designer Mikel Welch can get your festive juices flowing.
“A simple and easy way to create decor is with ornaments,” said Welch during a holiday episode on “The Drew Barrymore Show.”
“All you do is take old ornaments that you don’t use or even ones that are broken, and you can place them inside of a box or your favorite bowl,” he continued. “They go right onto your coffee table and it’s going to be an amazing centerpiece.”
One craft project Harrington has planned for her granddaughter is to turn a seemingly white doll with two long blond braids into a Black angel.
“I’ll wrap her just like you do in the salon, with a piece of cloth. I’ll paint her face with some makeup, and I’ll brush her hair with some black mascara, or black eyeshadow, or brown eyeshadow, or whatever color I choose. You’ll see her transform from a Caucasian to an African American, which is something families have to do,” she explained.
Harrington says, “Use your imagination” when it comes to decorating for the holiday. “Anything goes. So you make it fun.”
I enjoyed reading about decorating for the holidays in some unconventional, creative ways–making it my own. And what a beautiful tree of artificial floral sprays. Love it.