Merry Christmas! Welcome to our little Christmas tour. I'm excited to be joining quite a group of talent as part of the Blogger Stylin' Home Tours, hosted by the lovely Lindsay of The White Buffalo Styling Co. You may be visiting from House Seven and the holiday gorgeousness happening over there... welcome, and thank you for coming by! Also be sure to visit the others linked below for lots and lots of holiday decor of all styles - something for everyone. I'm not one for holding back when it comes to Christmas decor. I do have to be careful, as things can get cluttered feeling pretty quickly as our house is fairly small, so I've learned to go for max impact more strategically with colors, texture, shapes and a good mix of contrast all around.
Is there anything quite as pretty as a Christmas tree? We sure are enjoying it, with the sparkle and coziness and of course the smell! (Real trees forever!) This is the first time in a few years that we've had a full-size tree, so I'm especially appreciating the volume and how it really fills up this corner of the living room. We've done a smaller, table-top version for the past few years, and while this can be charming - and definitely worked really well in our small space - I was determined to find room for a bigger tree this year! End tables were rearranged/placed in storage, other furniture shifted, an extra rug pulled in to balance everything out, and ...success!
Next to the tree is our media console, where I kept things simple. The magnolia leaves are left from before Thanksgiving, and though they're completely dried out, they are still just really beautiful! Fresh flowers are always lovely, but I have to say these were a pretty amazing investment. I love lots of candles at this time of year especially, and these are easy to transfer to any nearby surface as needed. Also, I can't get enough lately of combos of red + pink or red + purple (think lilac, fuchsia - so pretty!) and am thinking about a more permanent way to incorporate this mix into this room!
If you know me, you know that keeping things simple is what I do. The silver bulbs on green ribbon (inside the painted basket) are leftover from a project last year. I pulled them out of storage and filled the top of basket with them. This concept works well in any basket, bowl, shallow dish... fill the vessel with anything (bubble wrap, books, magazines, etc.) almost to the top, and then just top it off with ornaments. I love placing bowls of ornaments all over the house, and this works great for larger bowls.
Not having any wrapped gifts yet (I'm trying, but am somewhat of a procrastinator!), this basket helps fill in the empty space for now. Oh, and the ribbon on the tree was a happy accident! I had a vision of wired lilac ribbon placed strategically around the entire tree, and just wasn't feeling up to a trip to the fabric store on the day I needed to finish decorating. I fished through my ribbon supply and pulled out anything roughly in the color scheme I wanted, draped it on the tree, and am really happy with the result! I wanted the ribbon to add a traditional nod, and I love the casual, old-fashioned feel we ended up with. I'm all about relaxed and imperfect.
Okay, so carnations are definitely an exception when it comes to flowers not lasting so long... a friend brought these for Thanksgiving and they're still going strong. I love the color! The ottoman tray usually has a little more going on, but with Christmas decorations on every surface in the house, some editing is good.
I'm telling you... ornaments on every surface! It doesn't get any easier, and I just love this look. So festive and happy.
Into the dining room we go! I like to play off the purple chair seats... it helps counter the massive brown banquette. I love that thing, but the color can be overpowering if I'm not careful! I used the purple candles for Thanksgiving and loved the look so much I wasn't ready to say good-bye. Just mixed in some red for a Christmas feel. And love how both colors are playing with the "tablecloth." (Anyone recognize that fabric? It's a clue for the makeover I have planned for the living room in January! Come back to find out. :))
I was committed to using what I have this season, and challenged myself to get creative rather than adding new items. I think the tapers were the only new purchase! If I can find an empty surface in the house, the neighborhood Christmas tree lot may also get a visit from me so I can raid their bin of discarded branches... the best bargain at Christmas!
Our nativity scene is actually a mix of two sets. The beautiful wood set as the base, and then a year or two ago at a thrift store I picked up one of those grab bags because I could see that it had at least a partial set in this pretty ceramic. I don't mind at all that they're completely different sizes and styles - in fact, I love the mix. (Do your thrift stores have the grab bags? They can be so random and strange, but sometimes there's good stuff!)
Tip: upgrade an Ikea lampshade by painting the inside! Looks custom and much more expensive. Lamp base was thrifted by a friend and then gifted to me. Win win!
Thanks so much for coming along on our Christmas tour! Holiday blessings to you and yours. And next up on our tour is Bliss At Home - go there first, then grab another cup of coffee or cocoa and visit the homes linked below.
I may or may not decorate a few more spaces and share here next week... but I definitely have some pretty big changes planned for the living room in the near future. I hope you'll stick around for the fun!
The White Buffalo Styling Co. | Julie Blanner | Hi Sugarplum! | The House of Silver Lining | The Inspired Room | Restless Arrow | Cuckoo 4 Design | A Designer at Home | Dimples and Tangles | Place of My Taste | The Chronicles of Home | Sarah M. Dorsey | Style Your Senses | Cassie Bustamante | The Makerista | House of Hipsters | The Curated House | Craftberry Bush | Zevy Joy | with Heart | Nesting with Grace | Life on Virginia Street | My Fabuless Life | The DIY Playbook | House Seven Design | Bliss At Home | Simple Stylings | Megan Pflug | Inspired By Charm