Tricks and treats for your decor

Trick-or-treating is for kids, but we have some tricks and treats for you grown-ups. Rather than something scary the week before Halloween, we have some tricks to help you make your castle cozier and more functional. We asked local designers and an organizer to suggest some tricks of their trade to add light to a room, make it easy to find staples in your pantry and add flair to a boring space.

A treat: Create a dual-purpose centerpiece for fall

Thomas Maudlin, a floral designer for Watkins Flowers of Distinction in Raleigh, shows us how to create a centerpiece for the table that you can also use for a wreath.

This centerpiece gives a bit of fall color to the house, he says. It adds a fall presence. This is great for people who like to entertain during this time of year.

What you need:

• grapevine
• corkscrew willow (a type of willow tree that grows into curly limbs)
• branches
• small gourds
• fall leaves
• hot glue gun
• 5-10 water tubes, depending on how many fresh flowers you desire. (available at your local florist)
• fresh flowers in fall colors
• berries
• moss
• nuts (use a variety -- acorns, walnuts, whatever is in your yard)
• candles
• ribbon

Feel free to make substitutions, using whatever you have available.

How to do it: Shape the grapevine, branches and curly willow into a wreath. Glue small gourds, berries, moss, nuts and fall leaves onto the wreath. Put flowers in the water tubes, then add these to the wreath. Place the candles in the center of the wreath if you're using as a centerpiece.

Add just a touch of ribbon, and this centerpiece can double as a fall wreath.

The trick: Organize your pantry

Kerry Crocker, a Chapel Hill professional organizer, says organizing your pantry can be a time- and money-saving treat.

"It makes putting away groceries easy because you know where items should go," she says. "It makes meal planning faster because you see what you already have, and it makes cooking simple because you can grab what you need."

How to do it: Shallow shelves make all the difference. This may mean replacing one larger shelf that sits on the back wall with several shallow shelves forming a U-shape.

It may seem counterintuitive but food pantry shelves work best when they are shallow --only 8 to 10 inches deep. You can place the shelves close together for canned goods or farther apart for tall oils and vinegars.

Place canned and jarred items two deep or cereal boxes and canisters one deep. That way you have a clear view of everything. If shelves are any deeper, items can get lost in the dark depths of the pantry.

Start organizing by pulling out all the pantry items and placing them on the counter. Sort items into major categories: sauces, oils, vinegars, condiments, baking supplies, coffee, canned meats and canned vegetables.

Group all the like items together. Put the ones you use the most closest to the front. Make sure all product labels are facing out, and put the items that expire first at the front.

Put labels on your shelves so items can be put back in the right "zone."

For more organizing tips, check out Crocker at Space Cadette, www.space-cadette.com.

The trick: Add the illusion of space to a room

Kathy Ann Roy, an interior designer for Ethan Allen, suggests a simple trick to add light and the illusion of space to a room. If you have two standard windows on each side of a fireplace instead of placing a curtain panel on each side of the window, slide one over to open up the windows and allow the fireplace to stand out.