Goodwill Home Décor Expert - Merri Cvetan

With Valentine’s Day only a few weeks away, I challenged myself to see how many gifts I could make from a couple of sweaters.

As an interior designer, one of the questions I get asked all the time is how to arrange items on a fireplace mantle (or a sideboard or coffee table). The problem seems to be three-fold:

I like to break up my organizing or cleaning projects into small, doable pieces. For example, instead of rearranging or cleaning the whole pantry, I do a shelf at a time. I did the kitchen junk drawer a couple of weeks ago, this week I organized my jewelry.

Wedding season may be months away, but it’s never too soon to start designing table settings and party favors, especially if you plan to make them yourself.  Table center pieces for the reception or bridal shower can be personalized to match your colors or theme.

Happy New Year! January is the month for resolutions. You’re on your own for weight loss, but I can offer some ideas for getting organized. Forget spring cleaning, I like to rearrange and do a thorough reorganization after the Christmas decorations are down and put away.

I host several dinners and parties every December, some casual, some formal and some just “family comfortable.” I use a set of Christmas dishes (found at Goodwill for a bargain) every time but with a different twist.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve already decorated more than one Christmas tree in your home. As much as I love trees, they take up a lot of space. A simple solution is a small tabletop tree. This one is perfect for the kitchen.

I like lots of glitter, snow and sparkle. Under glass it stays in place so there is no mess!

A round evergreen wreath is the traditional Christmas door decoration. This year, I decided to try something different. Not only is the shape unique, there’s not a bit of green.

I love unusual Christmas decorations, especially the hand-made kind. Every year, I try to come up with new color combinations and make something unique.

Is Thanksgiving the holiday you invite your family over for dinner? It’s my favorite meal (my second favorite is leftovers the next day)!

Hosting a late Halloween party? Need a last minute treat?