Not many of us have instant lighting solutions stacked away in a cupboard in case a special occasion nears. Most of us just have the usual wall sconces and bulbs as lights at home, but you need to find a way to spruce up your lights for celebrations. You might think that the only way to solve the problem is to go out and buy some expensive lighting, but this is not the case.

The answer doesn't lie in spending a small fortune to get more suitable lighting. You can use cheap paper lanterns to effectively decorate your home and exteriors for any event. There's no end to the variety of shapes, styles, sizes and colours you can find when it comes to paper lanterns. They are all you need to highlight the theme of the occasion.

You can use them to effectively bring out the desired atmosphere for any occasion. Whether it is for a garden party or a wedding reception, paper lanterns are experiencing more and more use. It's pointless to spend a large sum of money on improving the decorations in your home for a couple of special occasions.

By changing the lights inside the paper lanterns, you can use them for more than one type of event. Use green bulbs to spook things up for Halloween, and just switch them for candles for an outdoor dinner.

Whatever mood you are looking for, be it graceful and romantic, easy and laid-back or high-end and chic, you can use paper lanterns to achieve it. There's no reason not to buy paper lanterns as they are incredibly useful but come at a low cost.

They have many different varieties to choose from, and you can find the best ones while surfing the net from the comfort of your home. It's best to shop around online so that you can find lanterns which you are happy with, from stores which offer you the best prices.

The up side is that your decorations will look fabulous but will have cost you little money. You can use cheap paper lanterns to make your home and its decorations look like you spent a fortune on them. You can use them effectively both indoors and outdoors, and you can have them hanging from trees or a tent or propping up from hooks placed in the ground.

Paper lanterns will enhance the mood of any occasion without you having to spend a lot of money on them.

Take unique and high quality Tibetan carpets back home

In the northeast of Beijing lies an antique market near the Beijing Taiyue Suites Hotel. Yesterday I went there and found a shop carrying Tibetan carpets and classical furniture. Their fantastic carpets can make your home even more lovely.

There are many carpets and tapestries displayed in the shop. I liked their beautiful, exquisite patterns and the natural, fresh colors.

What's amazing is that all of them are completely handmade!

When touching a carpet with a Great Wall pattern, I enjoyed its soft, velvety and elastic feel. I also like the warm and shiny luster. It was a great work of art!

If you like Tibetan-style furniture, here you can find some of the best pieces in Beijing. A cabinet with some butterfly patterns is very beautiful, the red color painted on it stands for fortune and happiness in China.

If you like European-style tapestries, you will also find a large collection of fantastic ones here.

Handmade Lamps with Wooden Decoration

Lamps are important decorations for any room, if you are looking for some unique ones, I can recommend a good shop for you. It's located in Dong Fang Gu Yuan Art Market, in the eastern part of Beijing near the Avic Hotel.

I was initially attracted by its lamps, which were covered with wooden decorations. I liked it as this is not just art, but also useful. The solid wood was inlaid with strips of copper, silver, or silk. Traditional Chinese paintings nicely painted the lamps.

From my talk with the shop owner, Mr. Xu, I was astonished that he and his wife designed and made all items in the shop. They also have a small factory in Beijing where everything is made. He even showed me his painting skills on the spot!

Besides lamps, they also have many other works of art, like wood carvings, jad cravings, and stone paintings. Everything there is handmade, and they accept custom orders. If you would like a custom-designed carving, don't miss this chance to order your favorite decorations.

Most handicrafts are priced between RMB 400 to RMB 800. Some of the bigger ones can reach RMB 1800 though.