I know it's tradition, and you probably have a box full of christmas themed decorations in the garage already, but take a look outside, how much red, green and snowflakes do u see in the height of an aussie xmas? I see sand-like dirt where my green lawn should be, and my garden is sprinkled with purple and crimson flowers.. now theres a colour theme!

So, inspired by my Aussie christmas theme idea, I braved the city for some christmas shopping. I found, to my surprise, that miles of department store floor space is now dedicated to an array of colour themed decorations and treats like I have never seen before. It definitely got my creative juices flowing and I

came to the realisation that my new colour theme was not only possible, but will look even better than I imagined.

Theres no formula to choosing colour themes, but its easier to stick to about 3 including a neutral colour like silver, gold or white. It can be as easy as going with your favourite colour - mine is blue for example - then add a colour that compliments or contrasts it. Orange contrasts blue, greens compliment it. Then throw in a neutral colour and you have a terrific theme! If you're not sure what a complimentary or contrasting colour is, check out this colour wheel. Put simply, the colour opposite to or either side of your chosen colour on the colour wheel are complimentary, and will harmonise together.

The base I chose for my theme was silver. It has a cooler feel about it than gold, it's versatile and there are endless options on the shelves! I immediately fell for some shiny, silver ribbon that I just had to find a use for. Then, remembering the jacarandas in my garden and lining my street, I found georgeous purple baubles and tiny silver christmas crackers that matched. I love candles and lots of them, candlelight is just so warm and friendly, so I bought purple taper candles, and also a few complimentary crimson coloured ones.

To decorate my small apartment, I started with a blank canvas of a white tablecloth and ran the wide silver ribbon down the length of it, bearing in mind my table is small and table runners make it look even smaller. Then, because I have very little room for a christmas tree full of decorations, I filled a tall clear vase with some purple and crimson baubles to use as the table centerpiece. It looks great, and I don't need to water it! I tied purple and crimson taper candles together with some beaded wire, so they stood on their own beautifully without taking up too much space. The silver crackers were laid on the plate settings to set off the ribbon in the middle of the table. I spread the theme through my open-living apartment with a vase of the flowers from my garden, and a purple ribbon with tiny pegs hanging on the wall holding up my christmas cards. The whole setting has a bright summery feel to it, as well as the sparkly excitement of christmas which will delight your guests as they take a seat.

You can get as carried away or as casual as you like, but don't be scared of colours. Be inspired by Jacarandas, red-orange earth and even the beach, and spice up the silly season to make it unique and memorable!