Think outside the box and use raffia instead of fabric to give your home an airy feeling. Add a country look to your handmade wreaths and floral decorations with raffia ribbon, or put an unexpected spin on packages and holiday decorations when you use raffia ribbon in place of fabric ribbon. Does this Spark an idea?
Wreaths
Raffia is a favorite decoration for parties with a tropical theme, since the raffia palm grows in the tropical climate of Madagascar. But raffia can also add a decorative touch to seasonal decorations and everyday items, as well.
Use raffia to embellish wreaths for any season or occasion. Buy colored raffia in red and green to tie onto Christmas wreaths. Add yellow, pink, blue and green raffia ribbon to a diaper wreath for a baby shower. Wrap green raffia around a grapevine wreath, add some shamrocks and tie a green raffia bow for St. Patrick's Day. To make an autumn wreath, purchase a Styrofoam wreath circle. Wrap it with natural raffia, covering the Styrofoam completely. Glue fall foliage, leaves or berries such as strands of bittersweet over the raffia. Tie on a large bow with wired organza ribbon in a fall color, and glue it to the bottom of the wreath.
Bedroom
Give a bedroom a tropical feeling with a raffia bed skirt, bed table skirt and window valance. You can buy table skirts and table fringes in various sizes. Depending on the size of the table, you might need to buy more than one to encircle it completely. Tie the ends of the skirt (or skirts) together and staple it to the table in a few places to secure it. Make a bed skirt using multiple table skirts. Measure the distance from the top of the bed rail or side board to the floor. Since table skirts are about 28 inches long, you might have to trim them to fit. Wrap the ends of each skirt around the bed rail or board and tie successive table skirts together. Place a few staples in the rail or board to hold the bed skirt in place. To make a valance, purchase a table fringe, which is 24 feet wide by 12 inches long. Measure each window and cut sections of the table fringe to fit, allowing for the return on each end of the curtain rod (the curved sections on the ends of the rod). Use sticky-back hook-and-loop fasteners to attach the fringe to a curtain rod.
Kitchen or Dining Room
Crochet or weave place mats of raffia straw in a natural shade or a color. Or embellish purchased place mats with raffia embroidery. Roll napkins into cylinder shapes and tie a matching raffia bow around each one. Tie a raffia bow around the neck of a fluted ivy bowl and place fresh or silk flowers in it.
Tags: table skirts, green raffia, raffia around, raffia ribbon, with raffia, inches long