SNAPSHOTS OF OUR CHRISTMAS HOME 2021
Good morning friends! Are you sad Christmas is over or are you already in the process of taking down your decorations? I am feeling a little sad as my husband asked me when I wanted to take down all the Christmas decorations. The thought of taking down all the decorations I worked so hard on, all the glowing lights, all the ornaments (and ornaments and ornaments), etc. just makes my heart hurt. I feel like our house is so empty once all the Christmas comes down, but I know we must do it before we go back to work. However, I plan to find a way to transition our Christmas into Winter decor to make the process a little less painful (blog post coming soon).
I know Christmas is over but today I wanted to share with you my TEN MOST FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOMENTS around the house as this was our first Christmas in our new home. So leave on your favorite jammies, sip some coffee, press the play button below and enjoy!
I did not link any Christmas items in this post due to it being after Christmas and most of the items are sold out or no longer available. Next year, I plan on doing a Christmas tour with links to all the decor used. However, feel free to contact me with any questions about where I purchased a particular item at seaandpinedesign@gmail.com. This post is strictly Christmas decor, please visit the "Home Tour" tab of the website for renovations and detailed room information.
|ONE| FRONT ENTRANCE
I wanted to set the tone for our decor from the very first step into our home. I created a simplistic and inviting entrance area that would preface what was inside. I used crisp greenery with natural elements, soft creams, vintage brass tones and a pop of black for a modern touch.
I added seasonal touches to our year round decor (greenery to the lanterns and railing, seasonal pillows to our rockers and ribbon and bells to our wreath).
Tip - Keep a year round neutral palette that way it is easy to add in seasonal touches all year long.
I purchased the wreath from a local business last year and saved it for our new home. I added a cream bow with vintage bells to match our decor.
Tip - I found a roll of satin, cream ribbon at Hobby Lobby and cut it to the length I needed. I love the simplicity of an understated bow with raw edges. It looks effortless, yet elegant. I also purchased the vintage cow bells from Hobby Lobby. I tied each bell onto a piece of twine at various length then tied them all together and added them behind the bow. After Christmas, I plan to take off the bow/bells and keep it on the door all winter. This will make for an easy transition from Christmas to Winter decor.
|TWO| LIVING ROOM
I came up with an overall color palette for our Christmas home decor using the 60-30-10 classic decor rule when creating a color palette for any space. I decided on:
60% CREAM
30% EVERGREEN
10% BLACK and/or GOLD
Again, I added seasonal touches to our year round decor (greenery in the urn, seasonal accent pillow, sweater throw pillows, woven throw, ornaments in a wooden bowl and a favorite childhood Christmas book on the coffee table).
Tip - You can also use a texture as your 30% and the 10% should be an accent color.
I wanted to add some new "themed" tree ornaments in with our older ornaments. I selected a "Nativity" themed tree in our living room to center around the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of our savior. I love the Bethlehem star and all the natural tones (wood, stone, felt) with the golds. I also love the crisp green tree against the white walls.
Tip - Use thicker garland at the bottom and thinner garland towards the top to balance out your tree. I also do this with ornament ball sizes as well!
|THREE| CONVERSATION AREA
This area is quickly becoming our favorite area in the house. It is right off the kitchen and a perfect area to just relax.
I added a couple wooden decorative trees, a seasonal accent pillow, a cozy throw blanket, a basket of Christmas books and a vintage Christmas windmill which is a family heirloom.
Tip - Display favorite family heirlooms or memorable keepsakes during the holidays for a nostalgic touch.
I set up this area with a hot cocoa bar that I plan to keep out all winter long. This is my kids' favorite spot and they request to make hot cocoa on a nightly basis. I love to curl up on the loveseat with them to share a cup of cocoa while reading one of the Christmas books from the basket.
Tip - Make areas in your home "functional" for the season. If you like reading Christmas stories each night during the holiday, why not designate a special area of your home for it?!?
We use both of the trees in this area for our kids' advent calendar. I made the little gingerbread house ornaments to house little gifts inside. The houses are numbered so the kids know which one to open up.
The trees are also used to display our kids' homemade salt dough ornaments. They love to create homemade ornaments and show them off to family and friends when they visit. I also love the thought of dating each ornament and adding to them through the years.
Tip - I make the salt dough with salt, flour and water then like to add a little bit of cinnamon and ginger spices to make it smell like real gingerbread. I do not follow a recipe, just add what I need to make the consistency of play-doh. We use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes, then we put them in the oven on a low heat setting until they are hard, then we paint them the next day with puffy paint to resemble icing.
|FOUR| DINING ROOM
I wanted to design a beautiful place for our family to sit during our holiday meals. We never had a formal dining room at our previous house, so I was really excited to design this space for the holidays.
I added some decorative items along with a seasonal tablescape.
Tip - Adding swags to the backs of chairs elevates the look of any holiday dining room.
I made the swags by tying cream, satin ribbons onto little wreaths and then looping them through my chairs.
I created a tablescape by using greenery picks with decorative pinecones and then added in some Eucalyptus picks. I then added in gold candlesticks in two different heights topped with white candles throughout the length of the tablescape.
I set the table with clear chargers with gold rims and topped with our wedding dinnerware. I added some fresh cypress sprigs that I trimmed from our trees with small pine cones to the top of each plate for a decorative touch.
The tree in the dining room is our "Christmas Hymns" themed tree. I bought the wooden hymn ornaments from Hobby Lobby and I made the 3-D Christmas Music Sheet paper ornaments.
I added my late Grandmother's handwritten Christmas recipes in a frame. It fills my heart to display her recipes that I grew up eating and I follow them while trying to prepare her dishes.
Tip - I keep the frame out year round and change out the recipe to match the season.
|FIVE| KITCHEN
I kept the kitchen pretty simple by using my everyday decor and adding in seasonal greenery to the vase, a few decorative items, a Christmas print and a seasonal hand towel.
Tip - I love using decorative candles. I just change them out to match the season.
Tip - Try decorating with natural items during the holidays (dehydrated fruit, pine cones, cinnamon sticks and fresh greenery on top of a wooden board or in a bowl.
Tip - Keep out a frame and change out seasonal photographs or quotes.
Tip - Try adding pieces of greenery to your everyday decor.
|SIX| GUEST POWDER ROOM
Less is always more. I added some seasonal soap, greenery and a couple small decorations. I also added a seasonal hand towel on the wall which is not photographed.
|SEVEN| MASTER BEDROOM
I kept the decor super simple in here as well. I added a seasonal pillow, cozy throw, fresh greenery in a vase, my late grandmother's Bible and a bowl of snowballs/pine cones.
Tip - Adding in heirlooms and vintage items warms up your space and gives it a "lived in" look.
I added some concrete Christmas houses and little sweater tree to our dresser.
Our bedroom tree is a "Let it Snow" theme. I used a sweater material tree skirt, fluffy white snow ball garland, snow themed ornaments and a topper.
|EIGHT| MASTER BATHROOM
I added some greenery and seasonal items in our master bathroom that we can keep out all winter long.
Tip - Use everyday items as decor. (Roll up bath towels and display them beside your tub or shower).
Tip - Baskets or trays are such a great addition to any counter top. You can quickly make a seasonal decoration with items you already have by adding a strand of lights or greenery inside it.
|NINE| CHRISTMAS CARD HOLDER
I love displaying Christmas cards from family and friends. I can not wait to open up the mailbox and see all the cards that we receive. I created this display for all the beautiful cards by using a 9 ft. piece of garland and a set of twinkle lights. I added the garland to the doorway using command hooks and then clipped each card onto the branches using small clothespins.
|TEN| CHILDREN'S TREES
If my house caught on fire, saving the boxes of our keepsake ornaments would be pretty high on the list. These are precious, precious ornaments that are irreplaceable. My kids like to decorate each of their trees with their special ornaments they have collected through the years. We also have a tree in our upstairs bonus room that houses more keepsake ornaments as well.
Tip - Let your children be a part of decorating the tree. You can always go back later and "touch up" as needed. Lol!
Well, those are my TEN MOST FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOMENTS around my house. I am already looking forward to decorating next year and providing some links to products used for you all to check out. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I am looking forward to sharing more with you on the blog in the New Year!