Sure, you’re forced to take down the ghosts and fuzzy spiders (news flash: your neighbors are pissed if you haven’t done so), but some of the seasonal elements we put up to get in the mood  should endure until the end of the year, if not beyond.

Here is my list of favorite affordable decorative displays for the festive and frugal in all of us.

1. Lanterns

Rice paper lanterns bobbing outside (with solar lights) or in your rooms make a huge, happy statement. I love the cylinder shapes with Asian motifs like the ones found at My Green Party Goods, $3.50 each.  Keep out of wind and rain and purchase eco options.

2. Mini Pumpkins

Don’t toss these babies out with the bad Halloween candy. They transition to the Thanksgiving table (orange+pumpkin) and even co-mingle happily pomegranates and pepper berries for winter holiday merrymaking. You can buy organic by the case at Baldor, if you haven’t already succumbed to the adorable guys at the farmers’ market.

3. Bowls of shells

It’s likely you have amassed these already. Gather them in a pretty bowl for the coffee table, scatter on the table, line them on the mantle. Shells – often used to evoke romantic, seaside summer lazing – work just as well in fall and winter. I like combing the beach for sand dollars and tossing them into my mix.

4. Strung Cards

I string three rows of natural wire along my dining room wall to hang beautiful cards from the high holidays and my daughter’s October Bat Mitzvah to Halloween, Thanksgiving and winter holiday greetings. Just pick up some clamps and you’re in business. Guests love them and cards are so cool, why toss them out?

5. Photo Displays

I’ve mounted many photo walls for clients and friends, which is affordable art for the home and a way to display treasured memories from the year. Of course, assorting eco frames on various tables throughout the house works well, too (school photos, Halloween shots, other fun scenes).

6. Foliage

Harvest leaves, twigs and pine cones and branch out in your earthy styling of tables, entryways and other venues that smack of fall color. I like how Arenamontanus gathered a grouping for a desk.

7. Candles

Beeswax candles come in all shapes and sizes and really set the mood for seasonal statements. Mix ’em and match ’em, turn off the lights and turn on the tunes. For a great assortment visit 1000 Markets.

8. Recycled Cloth Coasters

Like these vintage treasures from Etsy, turn your excess fabric into coasters with easy sewing for delightful results. When do you put them away? Never.

9. Table coverage

Roll out the organic runners and roll out the fun, kids. This sumptuous moss design from Amenity can take you through the seasons and inspire unique styling. I use them to dress up many surfaces from the dining table to the buffet and entry way.

10. Vintage Dishes

This peach glass from Step Toes is a lovely example of the menagerie of collectibles you can break out to display and use for serving, from favorite heirloom porcelain to tea pots and even plates hung for display. This is where you canhave blast and save on that styling budget.

The post Styling on a Yulestring? 10 Frugal and Festive Fall and Winter Displays appeared first on EcoSalon.

Must be those years as a kid in Palm Springs that instilled my passion for succulent gardens that glow at dusk.

Whether opting for sun powered pathway lanterns or natural candles, you are cutting down on electricity while letting your prized garden bask in the limelight.

Combine them all for a low energy, highly-illuminated spot, where you and the mosquitoes can bite on juicy snacks and drink up the evening breeze.

Here are 10 that make a mark:

The color-changing Chalice solar path lights are said to last up to 30,000 hours (about 15 years) and automatically turn off and on to provide up to 8 hours of light at a time. $38.95 for a set at Target.

(shown at top)

Ideal for my friend Suzanne’s pad at the Four Seasons in Kona, these Solar pineapple lights up a garden path or patio with a warm welcome. They even make a fruity statement indoors! High-performance LED bulbs start to glow at dusk. They are a handpainted stone-resin composite. $27.95  each at Potpourri.

MIO solar path lights, also new to Target. They are green, retro and cheap at $40 per set.

Portfolio solar path lights from Lowes are a brass act with fluted glass lenses and a pretty copper finish. They come in a 12-pack and turn off and on automatically. $98.

I love the retro shell of these fun candle lanterns from Crate and Barrel. In yellow and orange, they burn 60 hours each for $6.95 (sale price). I love placing these on steps leading to a special sitting area in the yard.

Get groovy with these blown glass balls of light from Earth Tech.The gorgeous Firefly Solar Garden Art globes use solar energy to flow all night long, casting an art nouveau effect on these calla lilies. Enjoy the mystical ambience of  shadows and light over your prized garden blooms. $38.

Set the tone the minute the hybrids pull up to the party with these retro-colored driveway markers, powered by the sun and quite Mid-Century sensational. Se of 4 markers are $60 at Solar Goods.

I’m a sucker for anything shaped like a pagoda, including this lantern, also from Solar Goods. You can hang a few strategically in the garden or place on a few tables. They have a gorgeous weather-resistant finish and mix well with other exotic touches. $50 at Solar Goods (save on a pair).

Simple solar-charged spotlights, $50 for a pair at Green and More, are ideal for illuminating trees and bushes and creating that dramatic nighttime glow. Uses renewable solar panels with rechargeable friendly batteries included to stay lit for up to 10 hours at night.

Rock the garden – or the Casbah – with the Terra Spotlight, $113 at Eco Lights. Powered by two AA-size rechargeable NiCad batteries, the stones will provide 10 hours of light when fully charged. Available in two finishes, I think these are the most natural decor element I’ve seen for lighting the garden.

The post 10 Sun-Powered Lights for Summer Nights appeared first on EcoSalon.

If you’re like me, spring cleaning extends to the great outdoors and through the garden gates. My yard, when tidied up from winter’s wrath and shameful neglect, holds endless potential for summer meals and glider chit-chat.

First, the fence is getting mended from radical storm damage and painted a fresh coat of low-VOC white; the veggie garden is being cleared of nondescript duds that resemble artichokes and will soon be replanted with good intent; the surfeit of sports paraphernalia is being rounded up and tossed in a bin while scattered shoes and flip-flops on the lawn get picked up and returned to their barefoot owners. “Do these belong in the garden, ladies?” I tell you what, spring cleaning is exhausting.

Still, it’s worth the effort. I’m hoping to create an ambiance that attracts more than the  horde of local mosquitoes. One simple way to achieve a backyard paradise is by hanging pretty, happy lanterns throughout the garden. I love the effect of the romantic glow during an Al Frisco dinner in my Bay Area retreat.

Here are a few designs that are so enchanting, you might let them hang around all year:

Above: love the grotto feel of these new Bamboo Fish Trap lanterns of natural woven rattan and LED lights to hang or sit on an outdoor table, $99 to $129 at Pottery Barn.

Misprint Metal Lanterns, $69, VivaTerra and modern Blossom Shoji Solar Lanerns, $39.99 at Green and More.

Kitris Blown Glass Garden Lanterns, $75, from Olive Barn, bring the sophistication of modern indoor lighting out to the yard for an artful statement.

For a simple statement along tree branches hang clean white Shoji Solar powered Japanese-style lanterns, with LED lights encased for delicate illumination from Gaiam, $79 for a set of three. Or for more festive oblong lighting (viva la fiesta!) string these citrus guys from Earth Tech Products.

The post Garden of Da Lights appeared first on EcoSalon.