Decking the Halls

Mormon Mommy Blogs is hosting a holiday home tour where we show how our homes are decorated for the holidays.  So, I’m inviting you into my house to take a looky-loo at my own decorations.  Which I would have gotten around to anyway at some point this holiday season, so the $50.00 gift card isn’t motivating me in the least bit.  Honest.

So, come on in…..

This is my front door. In the few days after Thanksgiving this year, I kind of went crazy making Christmas projects and decorations. This wreath was one of them. They are all over the DIY blogs this season. Dollar Store ornaments strung on a wire hanger. I hate the ribbon, but I didn’t have anything else on hand. I’ll change it next year. Something about all the snow and the cold makes me not want to go out and buy different.

I have an enclosed front porch. I put this console table in there with the idea to decorate it for all holidays, which I have done so far. The problem is that I don’t think anyone really notices it. Oh well. For Christmas, I have my more rustic looking decorations on it.

I know. I haven’t written how many days ’til Christmas on that chalkboard. I never remember. Plus it’s freezing on the porch, and so I just don’t bother. We all know anyway, right?

This is one of those little photo trees. I got it at Goodwill, spray painted it black and am using it to display the Christmas cards I receive in it. Please notice, it is December 16 and I have only received FIVE thus far. Tsk-tsk. Actually, I’ve gotten a lot of e-cards this year, which I personally don’t like but understand why people do it. I like to hold the paper and photos in my hand and use them all for Christmas decor.  Then again, my cards aren’t sent out this year yet, either. So I have high hopes for a flood of Christmas cards in my mailbox.

These two floral arrangements were purchased here in town. The snowman one was at a craft fair at the Rosza Center on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The smaller one I bought at a flower shop that my neighbor runs.

This little button tree is another of the decorations I made this year. I bought a silver tray from the Dollar Tree, sprayed it black and used my vast button collection to make a little tree. Bria helped me decide which buttons to use, and it was her idea to have the star on top. Love how it turned out. A little kitschy and very cute.

In the dining room I have several nativity sets displayed. This is the Willow Tree one, on top of the radiator (I love that spot…such a good little display area). I also have a Precious Moments Nativity in my hutch, and a few other small ones in various spots around the room.

This is my “Kid’s Corner” in the dining room. Please excuse the state of the walls. Just before Thanksgiving we stripped the wallpaper in here, and it’s pretty bad underneath. We have plans for fixing and painting, but it’s looking like they won’t come to fruition until January.

Anyway.

I admit, I’m a bit of a Christmas Tree snob, so I don’t put the kid’s homemade ornaments on my main tree. I don’t know if that makes me a bad mother or not, but my aesthetic sense just can’t do it. So, I have a small tree on the table that holds all of their ornaments and some various balls that I was going to use on another decorating project but never got around to doing it. Also on that desk are some Santas, and a small nativity. The stockings hanging above are the stockings that have been used in our household since Bria’s first Christmas in 2000. This year I finally bought 5 new ones, and I’ll show you those shortly.

It’s not that I don’t love the kid’s ornaments. I really do. I adore them. This tree makes them feel pretty special, so it all works out in the end.

Now for the mantel, which I like to call “The Pottery Barn Project.”

First, the new stockings. These actually are from The Pottery Barn. I splurged back in early November. I had a coupon, plus they were running a special for free shipping and free monogramming. They’re velvet with little jewels and I love them. Worth the splurge.

But normally, I refuse to buy things at Pottery Barn, and just try to copy the look instead.

So, the stocking holders I have had for ten years. At least the “JOY” ones. Those were a Pottery Barn knockoff being sold at Target. This year I added the snowflakes to accommodate the two new stockings.

I found these initial ornaments online this year at several places. Unfortunately, every place that sold them was out of “L” but had all our other initials in stock. So, I found another ornament that wasn’t quite as pretty for the “L” and ordered the other initials from two different stores. Then I strung red grosgrain ribbon through them and hung them from the stockings. Love how this turned out.

Finally, the wreath. I fell in love withthis wreath at Pottery Barn this year.  But, I couldn’t justify the $80.00 price tag, especially when I was already buying stockings there.  So, I decided to try to make it myself.  I got the plain pine wreath at WalMart for $10.00, and around $5.00 worth of ornaments at the dollar store.  I wired them on the wreath, and I think I did pretty good at creating the Pottery Barn look.  (Funny enough, I’ve seen two other people in blogland copy this wreath since I got the idea. Sharla did, and I don’t remember who else.)

I have various other decorations here and there, but this is the main idea of my home for the holidays.  I do, of course, have a tree, but I think I’ll save that for another day soon.  I’m exhausted.