New Year's Eve Party Prep

Three days left of 2011, which means I have about two days to go before my little New Year's Eve Party. Today, I focussed on decorations. I should tell you that I am not particularly crafty, so unless the DIY decor is pretty easy, I tend to rely on lighting.

For this particular party, I've opted for icicle lights inside! Besides being appropriate because it's Winter, the drop-down look mimics the gorgeous visual fanfare of balloon ribbons hanging from the ceiling, such as in this photo featured on marthastewart.com. String the lights from wall to wall across the ceiling diagonally. The more narrow the angles you make, the more lights you can string, and the more drama you'll create. Why am I hanging them days in advance? Besides wanting to lighten my to-do list as I approach party time, I want to make sure that if anything were to go wrong with the lights, like a string falling loose, it happens well in advance of the guests arriving so I have time to fix it. If you don't have any icicle lights in your collection, now would be a great time to make the investment, as you may very well find them discounted as part of post-Christmas sales!