Home for the Holidays

Our home is still all decked out for Christmas and since I didn’t get a chance to share before Christmas, I thought I’d share it now.  Better late than never, right?  Truth be told, the garland I was making for the tree isn’t even finished and there are still more decorations I had plans for…  But it is still fun to document and share how things looked this year!

Our tree is plump and full, very different from the tree we found in the back woods last year.  It takes up a large amount of the living room and if you are sitting in the chairs on either side, you have to lean very far forward to be able to talk to the other person.  But when there are only 6 huge trees left on the lot when you finally get around to going for your tree, you take what you can get and we do quite love it.

I’ve been toying with doing a bird themed tree for the last few years and finally decided this was the year.  I wanted it bright and colourful, using some of the coloured balls that I’ve had for years.  I also wanted to add a bunch of pompoms, too, so I dug into my yarn stash and started whipping out some while watching Netflix with the handsome Mr. Byrne.  I especially love the finishing touch Lena added to our rustic star to help tie it in….every star needs a bright toque, right?  And note the lack of ornaments along the bottom, Penny has been knocking them off with her enthusiastic tail, so they’ve been relocated higher on the tree – and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!!

I was scrolling through Instagram a while back and saw a collection of milk glass vases with tapers in them and knew I needed to do that this year.  I gathered up all my vases and grabbed some tapers from the dollar store and made it happen.  And I love how it turned out, I’m sure it’ll be sticking around for the winter season.

And of course my NOEL and angels had to come out again.  I’ve had those little angels for more years than I can remember and I love how vintage and special they are.

Another addition to the Christmas decor this year is the ‘wreath’ on the basement door.  I had this tray for a long time and had used it as a magnetic board for a while in the studio but when I redid the studio, it came down.  And the sugar dish and creamer were given to me by a friend who found them in the loft of her barn, you can see what they looked like HERE. The idea of hanging them all together was one I came across on Pinterest and really liked it. I used some real looking faux cedar from Michaels so I didn’t have to re-do it each year.  I think it’s perfect for our kitchen, don’t you?

The china cabinet got decorated as well this year, but Lena was the one to do all the shelves over.  I love that she wanted to do it and took the time to create a new look.  It’s neat to see the same things we have had for years being used in a new way.

Last year this lintel was in the studio and I finally convinced the handsome Mr.Byrne that we needed it at the bottom of the stairs.  I think it was the right call, don’t you?  I also love the stockings hung off it and not the railing, like previous years.  The crocheted stars and red bead strings are enough for the stairs with a few puffy pompoms to finish it off.

The mirror just across the way got a simple strand of pompoms and bells.  I picked this pretty garland up at a local craft sale a few years back and I do quite enjoy it still.  So simple and yet the perfect way to dress it up without being over the top.

The other DIY project I did tackle this year is this oh-so-easy wreath.  I was scrolling Pinterest and found an unassuming pin that lead me to a simple but impressive wreath idea for our front door. { even though I have it in the kitchen for the picture } I can’t tell you how easy this was.  If you can wrap a circle with yarn, you can do this.  I’m not going to give you a tutorial because there is one HERE, and if you make it, I’d love to see!!

I had these bottle brush trees tucked in another display in the living room but wanted them in this wreath so I pulled them off the cabinet and hot glued them in place.  Now my wreath looks amazing and the other display looks like crap but whatever.  I love seeing how everyone is using their bottle brush trees for their fall and Christmas displays.  Retro is the new cool and I’m on board.

Our table got a wicker tray paired up with a few vintage finds and rose hips from the back yard.  I’ve had this table cloth for years but it was ticked away.  Lena pulled it out and I thought, why not?  Why do we keep things for special occasions when life is so fleeting?  We had it out, it got spilled on, so we washed it and yes, holes appeared, but we put it back on the table to be enjoyed, holes and all.  When it gets really bad, I’ll cut it up and turn it into something else!

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into how we decorate for Christmas here.  It’s pretty simple and different every year, which is fun.  You can see 2016’s post HERE and 2015’s tree HERE.  No idea why I didn’t do a post last year….no going back THAT far now!!

To be continued,

Lori