If you’re new to life{in}grace, welcome! And especially if you’re from Nester’s Home Tour or Melissa’s Home Tour or Sarah’s Tree Party! Thanks for hosting, friends! I just updated my about page and don’t miss my newly painted stri-ped bathroom! Thanks for visiting! Hope you find something that makes you smile!
I’m 42 years old and I’m pretty sure I’ve never decorated for Christmas tree the same way twice. It’s a blessing and a curse. Thankfully, I like to use simple, natural, easy- to-craft items. Otherwise, I’d spend a fortune changing my mind every year. I also never really ‘finish’ decorating. I’ll be spray painting pine cones and adding fresh greens until it’s time to take it all down. In a way, my Christmas decorating is a lot like me—-it’s never really ready to meet the Christ child.
I love every last square inch of my new house even though I never meant to spend last year rebuilding.
There are two problems with my house. 1. I have no dining room 2. There’s no room for a tree in the living room.
I get around those obstacles by soupin’ up the mantel and moving my lemon tree (WHICH IS BLOOMING!) by the fireplace.
Rabbit trail:: I need to do a whole post on the amount of baby-ing we do to that lemon tree. I almost got my mom one for Christmas but then I remembered that it would be the equivalent of giving her a small child to care for. Okay, not that bad. But our lemon tree is so baby-fied that we take her outside to sit in the sun when it’s nice and then hem and haw about whether or not it’s gonna get too cold for her to stay out overnight. We’re hoping for lemons by February.
Okay back to the tree. SO, that means that my *real* tree has to stake its claim in the eat-in kitchen. It makes for happy dinners and a floor full of fir needles because someone brushes past it approximately every 3 seconds.
I wanted a tree that looked relaxed and cottage-y and natural. My Christmas Pinterest boards helped me decide what I liked. I used large starfish, pine cones, paper birds (template here), paper garland (inspiration Miss Mustard Seed), dried orange slice ornaments (Shannan gave me the idea), newspaper print leaf garland and magnolia leaves (I don’t know where I saw it first), and my cowhide rug for a tree skirt (spotted under Nester’s tree last year!). In my humble opinion, it needs something outrageous but I haven’t quite decided what. I’m thinking giant paper antlers but I’m taking suggestions!
I poked little lights through the orange slices for effect and I made the banner garland out of book pages that I cut and stapled onto twine.
And there’s a few honest to goodness ornaments just to keep up appearances:)
And apparently, I can’t be suited when it comes to paper bird patterns. I looked through eight million until I finally found this one on Martha’s site. Of course, it’s the perfect shape. I would expect nothing less from Martha. Which I like to pronounce Mah-tha. I made my girls make these today for ‘art’. In other words, so I didn’t have to make anymore.
And I’m having fun this year with the packages.
I wrap them in white or brown paper and then look around for something to stick on them.
It’s all very exact and calculated—-branches, left over pom poms from the wreath project, burlap, or whatever else is in reach!
This one is my favorite so far. I used this template for the antlers, spray painted the paper gold, added some fresh greens and then wrapped it in twine.
I used the free printables here for the tag.
Now, here’s what I need to know from you. Do you always decorate your tree the same or do you do it different every year? If you always decorate it the same, do you know exactly how much money you have in your checking account right now. That’s what I thought. We can still be friends. I’ll come change up your tree and you can balance my checkbook. Deal? (Actually, I love sentimental trees filled the same ornaments year after year but that’s not possible for me now, so I make the best of it :)))
Because I may in fact be insane, I decided to paint the bathroom last week. I love how it turned out and you can read all about it here.
I added some fresh greens and a rosemary tree to make it even more festive for the season.
The girls and I also made a cute pom-pom wreath and then added a Christmas cactus and a pink poinsettia to this little vignette.
And one more thing. Did you see the preserved boxwood wreaths at Lowe’s?? They’re already on clearance.
I LOVE them and have two hanging in the kitchen!
It’s beginning to be festive around these parts!
And since I now have a partial tear in my calf muscle and am gimpy, Grannie’s in the house, making fudge and all kinds of yummy treats.
And due to said injury, I won’t be putting a tree on the screened porch this year. Which makes me very sad.
So, here’s the fun from last year!
Happy preparations dear friends!!!
