OUR HOME'S FIRST IMPRESSION
By Roxanna Ward

Your front door is usually the first thing guests see when they come 
to visit you.  Even if what you call your "guest entrance" is on the 
side of your home or located some other place, that door is the first 
impression your home has on a visitor.  Does your door say "Welcome, 
we want you to say for a long time.", or does it say "Go away!"? 

A beautifully decorated wreath can say a lot.  The decorations can be 
changed to reflect the current season or upcoming holidays.  Take a 
walk in the woods and pull down some vines.  You may even have some 
in your own yard.  Wet the vine good, soak it in a five gallon bucket 
overnight to make it extra flexable.  Then bend and shape it into the 
right size wreath for your needs.  Leave a twig or two sticking out 
here and there for extra character.  Tie in several places and let 
dry.  These make great personal gifts also.

If you don't want to decorate with the traditional wreath, you can 
still use the vines over your door.  Drape eight to twenty vines over 
your front door.  Secure them together with fishing line.  Leave one 
side longer than the other.  You can decorate these vines with clear 
lights and other festive decorations according to the season or 
holidays.

Keep your door decorations interesting by changing them often.  If 
you make them from items out of your yard, this can be very 
inexpensive.  Personalized homemade decorations say you've gone that 
extra mile to make your guests comfortable and welcome.  They will 
wonder what you are going to do for the next season and look forward 
to seeing your newly decorated front door upon every visit.
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Roxanna Ward, Community leader and staff writer for 
http://www.BabyUniversity.com, lives in Georgia with her husband and 
her three children.  As a published freelance writer the focus of her 
writing is concentrated on sharing household tips, her experience 
with her frugal lifestyle as well as the phenomenal process of 
breastfeeding, child rearing related issues and romantic 
relationships. She is also currently the Editor of three newsletters: 
What's New at BabyU?, Intimate Encounters and At Home with Baby 
University. Roxanna can be contacted at Roxanna30135@aol.com