Animal instinct: Incorporating hot animal prints into holiday home decorations

Working with Deco meshDeco mesh was introduced on the market in 2011 but soared in popularity this year with the introduction of new, seasonal colors.”I prefer to work with it rather than regular ribbon because it’s so soft and you can do so much with it,” says Marta Moses of Trees and Trends in Cleveland, Tenn. “If you save the spool, you can roll it back up after the holidays and reuse it. It’s multiuse, very fun, very creative. It’s easy for the beginner to start with.”Moses and Pam Krum advise that the mesh ribbon’s ends are subject to unravel. To begin winding a tree’s garland, Krum suggests wrapping one silk tree limb around the loose end of the ribbon to hold it in place and prevent unraveling, then continue to drape the ribbon.If using Deco mesh in a bow, Moses says no wire is necessary to hold loops in place. She suggests taking two branches of silk greenery, bringing them up into the center of the bow (inside the loops) and twisting them together.”That holds the bow in place, no wire involved,” she explains.Moses says one 7-foot tree can be trimmed in one roll of 21-inch-wide Deco mesh or two 11-inch-wide rolls.