Hi Friend!
Tis the season!
Do you love decorating for the holidays or hate it?
Whether getting ready for company, or just trying to get your home festive ready, I don’t want you to feel stressed. I want to share with you a few tips that I hope will help you!
Take it in small bites. I usually pull out a few boxes and focus on certain areas. Taking a break from other duties at home, breaking things down into decorating over a few days, an hour or so at a time, make it so much more doable.
Here below you see I have added some little white gnomes. I’m not a huge gnome fan, but these were on sale last year in the Target dollar section up front and they were neutral in color. I just added them in with my current faux plants with the wood tray! They look like happy campers on my little kitchen rolling island!
Use some of what you already have.
Frames: I love collecting picture frames. They can be used in so many ways. I used a large antique frame I had painted a vintage white, and originally I had put a wreath centered in it above the bed at our old house. When we moved I didn’t need it for that anymore. So when Thanksgiving company came, I put flat thumbtacks in the back of the frame, wrapped twine around the thumbtacks to create a hanging line, and it became a fun spot for pictures and memories. Since I’m now decorating for Christmas, I added a bow and will add Christmas cards, etc.
Bows: Since I love to move things around and not have to be over “consumeristic” (is that a word?), I have found that just adding bows for Christmas can make a simple thing look more elegant. I even dress up my vintage chandelier!
Trays: Trays are easy to decorate and easy to store! Adding a chunky candle (mine is battery operated), some greenery or some simple tall candles can really warm up a place. I have my silver tray on the dining room table, and I just kept it there from Thanksgiving and changed up what was on/around the candles. A small wreath encircles the candle, and I added some ornaments. (I have a bunch of different ornaments I keep in storage, and I change them up), and it is so cheerful! I've also added battery operated tiny lights to peek out on the tray. The silver tray is from our silver anniversary a few years ago. Don’t hesitate to bring out the lovelies from storage and use them!
I love the “snowball” ornaments in the brown wicker tray! I've mixed ornament sizes for variance, and greenery with berries.
Collect a little each year to add to your fun!
I usually catch a sale, or just grab two of something each year, adding some new ribbon (I love collecting ribbon!) so that next year I can create fresh, new fresh items!
Add a little Swag to your space. I decorated my light fixtures this year - one with a garland and the other with some holiday floral and a bow. I just started purchasing some holiday throw pillows, too.
Here you see a faux eucalyptus swag which can be used year round! I simply tied it up there, and added some sweet “joy” mini wreaths to cheer up the kitchen. I think I got the little wreaths at Hobby Lobby.
Transfer over if you can. I often use certain already existing items in the home, and either move them around or just add to them. For example, I had some Thanksgiving decor on the fireplace I could add to. I lean a little more toward the minimalist style and really like to focus on more meaningful things. At Thanksgiving I used Trader Joe’s dried orange slices and tied them on with twine to some greenery from Hobby Lobby. Then I just added stockings and a little bit of color for Christmas. These stockings were something I treasure as they are velvet and originally were made by and belonged to my grandparents. My grandmother owned a fabric store for many years - South Fork Cloth Shop in Winston Salem - so every year we got hand made dresses, often in velvet.
Pick a pop of color or a theme and weave it through in your rooms.
Ornaments aren’t just for your tree! Find terrific creative ways to display them! Mix up sizes.
Splurge a little on the things you love. Catch things on sale.
Try not to buy everything trendy or overbuy. Think landfill. A lot of trendy items end up in the landfill in just a few years’ time.
So, at the end, here’s the short list:
*Picture frames - all shapes and sizes. Craft paint is your friend here. Hang a wreath in the middle if you want to!
*Trays - woven, metal, shiny - the possibilities are endless!
*Move things around in your home
*Add to some of your currently existing items
*Incorporate some soft goods, pillows, holiday pillow covers, comforters
*And don’t forget the Twinkle lights!
Thanks for reading! Enjoy your holiday season and focus on what’s important!
Blessings to you this Christmas and Holiday Season!
Warmly,
