I'm a big believer in grabbing joy wherever you can, which is why I tend to be a little nuts about Christmas. Life's not perfect (far from it), but I've found that a little 'sparkle' goes a long way. So, this holiday season, I hope you find lots of reasons to smile and spread a little happiness to others as well. Merry Christmas!
Welcome to my home! I like to keep things simple on the outside. With just a few pine cones, green bows and a shiny, red wreath I've had forever, I've dressed up my summer gardening pots in holiday style.
Once you step inside, you are right in the middle of my open-plan kitchen/dining/living room. This is the organizational center of my home and it's always pretty wild with color, but I tend to go a bit over the top during the holidays. This area's all about fun! Since nothing needs to match, it's the perfect spot to display greeting cards on a garland decorated with handmade snowflakes.
The shelf over my kitchen cart is a great spot to display smaller figurines that I'd rather keep out of little hands. I love the way they mix with the family photos. Oh, and I found yet another use for those adorable mini pails that Target sells in their $1 section.
Round the corner to my built-in shelf which looks over the dining table. Festive, no? I left it pretty much exactly the same as it looks normally with the simple addition of some snowflakes (strings weighed down by books, etc.), and a few unbreakable ornaments tucked in here and there. So far, my 3-year old's left it alone. Fingers crossed.
But wait! Take a closer look. Can you spot the present I very cleverly 'hid' on this shelf? Hee hee.
What about this one?
This shelf is directly across from my front door and is high enough that I can do a little more 'grown-up' decorating on it. Garlands are homemade from TP rolls, yarn and beads. I got lazy and ordered the orange slices online (instead of taking a whole day to dry them in my oven, as some folks do). I did spent a ridiculous number of hours wrapping the 'JOY' letters in cream yarn and jute, but I really like how they turned out. Additional sparkly/rustic things tucked in here and there. I find it very welcoming to come home and see it first thing each time I walk in the door.
You may have noticed this very little tree in one of the previous photos. Yes, this is how I do Christmas trees in my 700 sq. ft. house and have for years. The convenience of a having a mini tree that fits perfectly on top of my corner fireplace definitely outweighs the hassle of moving furniture to accommodate a larger tree, with the added stress of trying to keep dogs and a small child away from it. But, you'd better believe I still spend hours trying to get it 'just right' each year and packing in as many ornaments as possible (mostly handmade with my vintage blue bulbs adding just the right 'pop' of color to my all-time-favorite 'white-on-white' look). The stack of books under it (on top of which usually sits a potted plant) gives the tree some nice added height to fill the space.'But where are all the PRESENTS', you ask? More on that later.
A couple of presents in matching hues, look just right under my mini tree.
In my son's room, a tiny reindeer watches over him from on top of a shelf (also high up).
A handmade candy cane adorns the window in my son's room. Are you noticing a common theme yet? Soft? Unbreakable? No small parts? When it comes to decorating children's rooms, I definitely follow the rule of 'safety first'. Less stress for me means I can enjoy more of the holidays.
Aha, presents! I'm no Scrooge. Just because I don't have a lot of space under my tree for gifts, doesn't meant they aren't piled up elsewhere. And I rather like having this festive little stash to look at each time I go into my bedroom. That's all folks. Merry Christmas to you!!
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