Lake Country This Month

By Christopher Bennett Special to The Freeman SUSSEX — Decorating the exterior of a home to pop and inspire awe during the holi- day season is not at all diffi- cult. A multitude of options exist, and it might be easy for the homeowner to become overwhelmed when faced with so many choices. Roger Maurice is the head horticulturalist, landscape designer and lighting design- er with M&S Landscape Cre- ations in Sussex. Maurice also owned and operated his own landscaping business for more than 20 years. Maurice's handiwork each year ensures the Ronald McDonald House on Water- town Plank Road in Wauwatosa is bathed in holi- day light. His advice for holi- day decorating is simple. "I would say if you've got a ranch style home, go for it," Maurice said. "If it's over a ranch style home, get your insurance policy and read it carefully." Maurice cited safety as his concern. It is second nature for him and his fellow land- scape professionals to be in the air on ladders. That is not always the case for the aver- age homeowner. Maurice pointed out that some homes, especially those constructed in the last 25 homes, feature peaks and steeper roofs. Those architec- tural features can look stun- ning when lit properly, but safety must be a concern. Lighting the landscape As for what to do when it comes to lighting your home, Maurice said a simple, clean design that features a mini- mum of colors is always fashionable. "Take a look at your home, and it should give you an indication of what color will work," Maurice said. "We look at color combinations being just as important for Christmas lighting as it is for landscaping lighting." On the topic of landscape lighting, do not hesitate to swap bulbs if your home fea- tures year-round landscape lighting. Maurice said Col- orado blue spruce trees work particularly well with blue LED (light-emitting diode) lights. "In the last three years, with the coming of LED lights and Colorado blue spruce with a blue LED, I can just make it glow," Maurice said. "I'm not kidding. There is technology now where you don't even need a ladder." Maurice is referring to what he called uplighting, especially for trees and a home's architectural fea- tures. Maurice said LEDs are more energy-efficient and offer a more vivid range of color. Opt for commercial- grade LEDs if going that route. Todd Ruedt, owner of Grounds Maintenance Ser- vices in New Berlin, offered simple logistical advice for those who decorate their own home. Ruedt's been in business for 15 years, and is in his seventh year doing hol- iday lighting. Ruedt advises drawing a simple map or layout of what you want to do. Take mea- surements. Consider how much cord and how many timers you might need, and where electric outlets are positioned. Regarding electricity, check what else feeds into the circuit breaker on which you intend to plug in your lights. Do not overload the circuit. Safety rules Once your idea is refined, be sure you own what you want to put on your home. Buy devoted extension cords and timers for your outside lights. Be sure they are rated for outdoor use and the amount of power you intend to use. Consider pruning trees and shrubs before wrapping them with lights. Trees and shrubs might suffer damage when lights are removed if not previously pruned. Test your lights. Plug them in on the ground. Make sure they work. Being aloft on a ladder is not the time to learn of a bad string. Don't be afraid to mount your decorations before the snow flies and the winds turn cold. You can wait and plug in your display when the time is right. Ruedt and his crews will start installing decorations in November. Special clips can be pur- chased at the hardware store that attach the lights to the gutter or shingles and will not cause damage. Ruedt said zip ties and twist ties also work well, and a permanent connection might also be considered. Pay attention to the clip's weight rating. Clip the lights on the string on the ground before getting on your ladder. Removal is the reverse of installation. You can leave lights up indefinitely if the weather is not to your liking. Ruedt's crews start disas- sembling their handiwork in early January. "When you go to take the display down, make sure it's labeled for next year's instal- lation," Ruedt said. "Put a tag on the lights or use tape with a marker." Putting labels on lights ensures you know where to start next year. Clean and inspect everything during disassembly. After-Christ- mas sales are an excellent time to replenish damaged stock. Also, keep everything together. Store the cords and timers and lights together and use the equipment only for the holidays. FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE LAKE COUNTRY • Page 5B NOVEMBER 2014 K i t c h e n s | B a t h s | D e n s | C a b i n s | O f f i c e s | R e c R o o m s Work With Experienced Design Professionals "We Specialize in Cabinetry" 1005 Richards Road, Hartland | 262.367.9439 www.kitchencreators.com Cabinetry For every Room, Every Budget! STOP IN NOW AND SEE OUR NEW GREEN BAY GREEN AND GOLD DISPLAY. WE CAN DO ANY TEAM COLORS! MANY OTHER NEW DISPLAYS 240957011 HUGE SHOWROOM CLOSEOUT SALE Displays must go to make room for new displays *Call Kitchen Creators today for details while supplies last! We Beat All Big Box Stores and all Competitors | Visit Our Showroom By Appointment 240917002 By Christopher Bennett Special to The Freeman BROOKFIELD — As you read this, Melanie Jensen might still be searching for a purple and turquoise Christmas tree. What is more surprising than her quest is knowing that Jensen will eventually find a purple and turquoise tree. The notion of such a tree explains modern trends in Christmas decorating. Mar- rying classic and simple looks with a contemporary flair is now the rule. Look to the old when searching for a cue to the new when you decorate your home this holiday season. Simple, time-honored and classic items with a contemporary flair are hot for the home. "What's most popular is simplicity," Jensen said. "Very contemporary, very simple and clean lines. Everything is clean. It depends on what themes you want to go with, but it's very simple." Jensen owns and operates four Callisters Christmas seasonal holiday stores. Cal- listers stores are located in metro Milwaukee in May- fair Mall and Brookfield Square. There is also a Cal- listers in the Fox River Mall in Appleton and in the Mall of America in Bloomfield, Minn. Jensen said she goes to a market each January in either Dallas or Atlanta. Jensen said orders for Christmas goods sold in her retail stories must be placed by January for the coming December. Setting the mood "Burlaps and naturals — that was the big thing they showed in market," Jensen said. "It's not a country look, it's a contemporary look." Pairing burlap with glit- ter and cream-colored accents is what takes the workman-like fabric from country to contemporary. Pairing it with red and green makes it traditional. Pairing burlap with yellow and purple makes a visual statement. Jensen said interesting color combinations paired with classic themes are pop- ular. "There's no rule," Jensen said. "You don't have to (use) red and green, or bur- gundy and gold. I think it really is a matter of taste. "There is so much more to offer than when we started in 1990. A lot of people are making their decorations match their homes." The notion of making Christmas decorations com- plement the already exist- ing décor in one's home is why Jensen looked for a purple and turquoise tree for a customer. Sally Higgins of Sally's Home Decorating boasts 16 years of interior design experience and is located in Ashippun, about 10 minutes north of Oconomowoc. Higgins advocates a simi- lar idea, but borders more on the traditional, and also encourages creating a Christmas experience. "Setting a Christmas mood — that's all part of Christmas decorating," Hig- gins said. Higgins said to start by accenting features in the home such as banisters and fireplaces with greenery. "Anywhere I can see where they can add orna- mentation, that's a good place to start," Higgins said. "Start with fixed elements in the house where you can add accents." Lights are also important. White light offers a warm, calm and elegant look. Col- ored lights evoke whimsy. Higgins said to stick with complementary colors. Complementary colors are across from each other on the color wheel. Red and green, violet and yellow and blue and orange are comple- mentary colors. Keeping tradition alive In all of your holiday dec- orating and in the race to be trendy, do not ignore family traditions. Jensen and her family put up what she calls a pretty tree, festooned with stylish accoutrements, and a family tree that displays knick-knacks collected over the years. Do not forget ornaments. Erect more than one tree if need be. Higgins said they make fantastic gifts, espe- cially for those living with- in a tight budget. Jensen said 85 percent of Callis- ters' business is in selling ornaments and marking life moments. Higgins said she first starts decorating by putting out a Nativity scene she received in 1994 while bat- tling uterine cancer. "That means more to me than anything in the world, as far as Christmas things go," Higgins said. "The Nativity scene goes up first." Higgins also said to remember the little things that together weave the fab- ric of our holiday experi- ence. Stockings, cookies, scents like cinnamon and vanilla and music are also tools for holiday decorating. "To this day if I do not hear Andy Williams it is not Christmas," Higgins said. Christmas decorating gets modern touch New color schemes, ideas moving away from tradition Creating your own WINTER WONDERLAND 241332001 Affordable Senior Assisted Living Cecelia Place – Pewaukee 1061 Cecelia Drive, Pewaukee, WI 262-695-6408 www.CeceliaPlace.com Invites you to join us for an Open House Dec. 6th & 7th 10:00 am - 3:00 pm At Cecelia Place, residents enjoy... Affordable Assisted Living • Full Meal Program • Large 1 & 2-bedroom apartments with full kitchens • 24-hr. security & personal alarm paging system • Housekeeping & Laundry • Underground parking • In-house beauty salon • Medication management • Social Programs and Outings • Health Monitoring • Cable TV/Phone Ready • Respite Care Or call Sandy for a personal tour FOOD DRIVE SUNDAY, Dec. 7th Santa and his elves will be here to collect food for the Waukesha Food Pantry 11am-2pm

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