The Riz Team Blog

Homebuyers wishlist this holiday season. Don’t miss out!

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 2400 lbs of Food & Over $12,000 in Cash Were Raised to Help The Food Bank of Waterloo Region With its “Christmas Drive”

The more than 60 Sales Representatives of Royal LePage Wolle Realty in Kitchener weighed in with contributions of over 2400 lbs of food and over $12,000 in cash to help the Food Bank with its “Christmas Drive”. More than 900 of the firm’s customers, families and friends filled six theatres at Empire Theatres on December 8th, 2012 for the family-friendly movie “Wreck It Ralph”. The price of admission was at least one non-perishable food item per family member and cash donations were made by appeal to local business. Congratulations to Erin Betts who won our draw for a $250 Gift Certificate for Saucony Shoes.

A special vote of thanks is being extended to the donating corporations, businesses and individuals and thank you to all our clients, families and friends that came out to support us!

Get inspired with these simple and pretty Christmas gift wrap ideas.

Photograph  Jennifer Bartoli  Style at Home Magazine

With the holidays right around the corner, we’ve put together a few fun ideas to easily update your gift wraps this year. From adding small festive treats to the top of a gift to trying new colour combinations, these simple ideas will make Christmas gift wrapping a fun holiday activity.

Add a candy cane A simple red and gold colour palette is always chic and festive but can be a little boring year after year. For an instant update, add a red and pink candy cane to each gift, tightly securing it under the ribbon.
Gift wrap courtesy of Hallmark.

A golden pine cone For smaller gifts, adding a festive item like a pine cone really transforms the look of a gift. For this project, simply spray paint a few pine cones with gold paint. Once they are completely dry, secure to the top of a wrapped gift using a glue gun.

Use a stencil Using craft paper is an inexpensive way to give a rustic feel to your presents. This project was made by using a pretty patterned stencil and lightly dabbing paint to create a fun design. We used a touch of silver and black paint to give a two-toned look. Once the paint has completely dried, add a bright ribbon and a personalized gift tag.
Tip: Depending on the size of the gift, it may be easier to apply the stencil once you have already wrapped your gift. You can then decide exactly where you want the pattern to go.

Try a new colour palette Switching up your usual Christmas colour palette is the easiest way to update you holiday style. We particularly love the silver and blue combination: it’s still festive, but has an understated, sophisticated feel. For this look, we paired silver wrapping paper adorned with blue, white and maroon snowflakes and used a thick fabric ribbon tied in a simple knot.

Make it personal If you don’t have a set of gift tags on hand, adding the name of the recipient of your gift directly on the paper can look lovely too. For this project, use matte wrapping paper making sure that paint will adhere to the paper. We used craft paper with a simple thick black ribbon. Using an alphabet stencil, simply dab coloured paint to spell a name.
Tip: Try to tightly secure the stencil while you are using so that letters do not smudge.If you’re not used to using stencils, practice on a scrap piece of wrapping paper before printing a name on an already wrapped gift.

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With a spark of imagination, holiday decorating can be inspired yet inexpensive

By Trish Sinclair, Style at Home Magazine

Whether you’re planning the Christmas party of the century, or burning the Yule log on your own, holiday decorating does not have to break the bank-or your festive spirit.
Your creativity can take you far. Try these tips and projects to make your home a holiday haven, while only spending a Dickens’ halfpenny.

1 Christmas close-outs

Check local newspapers often for special ‘close-out’ sales. Often lasting only two or three days, close-out sales are gold mines for everything from kitschy candles to bushels of tree lights, at prices lower than wholesale.

2 Festive foraging

Gather nature’s ornaments, such as pinecones, acorns and balsam fir tips from the backyard or local park. Add a touch of silver or gold spray paint to your gatherings and arrange in a glass bowl surrounded by votive candles.

3 Christmas aromatherapy

Delight houseguests with the warm scent of a mulling spice bag. Combine whole cloves, allspice, cinnamon sticks, and nutmeg with dried orange and lemon peel in a small piece of cheesecloth secured with elastic. Simmer the spice bag in a pot filled with 3-4 cups of water, and enjoy the aroma.

4 Merry memories

Gather a collection of favourite family and childhood Christmas amaryllis plant is a holiday favourite, and should be potted six weeks before Christmas to yield large, stunning blooms. Pot two or three of the festive ‘Peppermint Stick’ variety, which are white, swirled with red.

6 Christmas by candlelight

Nothing creates a festive ambiance like the glow of candles. For a dining or coffee table centrepiece, group three pillar candles of various heights in holiday colours on a ceramic or other non-flammable dish. Scatter several tea lights in small glass holders along a mantel, bookshelf or buffet table.

7 Charlie Brown-style

At half the price of big trees, one to three-foot high mini evergreen trees make adorable desktop or table decorations. Perfect for apartments and other small spaces, ‘Charlie Brown’ mini trees are available at many garden centres and Christmas tree lots.

8 How fairy festive!

Add a twinkly, romantic effect with white fairy lights. String lights along the length of a window curtain rod to brighten a room. Arrange a strand of lights along a mantelpiece, weaving lights among Christmas cards and ornaments.

9 Deck the halls and doors …

Fallen evergreen boughs and small pieces of greenery can be collected outdoors or purchased cheaply in surplus from Christmas tree lots. Natural boughs add a traditional Christmas look and scent and they can adorn banisters, doors and mantels.

10 Fragrant fireplace

Dress up a bare hearth by decorating a small wood log with flammable, decorative, scented accents, including sheet moss, pinecones, cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. When burned, this Yule log will make a glowing fire with a festive fragrance. (Use non-toxic white glue to decorate log rather than hot glue.) See below for instructions.

Scented Yule log With this decorative, burnable Yule log, the open hearth or top of a woodstove will always look and smell festive:

Supplies: • 1 sheet moss (from florist or craft store) • small wood log • white craft glue • pine cones • cinnamon sticks • whole cloves • pot pourri (Christmas blend) • essential oils (pine, cinnamon, balsam frankincense)

Instructions: Glue the moss to the top of the log. Glue potpourri pine cones, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks onto the moss. Sprinkle a few drops of essential oils to the moss and spices. Add a festive bow to the top of the log (to be removed before burning).

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