Adding A Little Holiday Sparkle
We actually whipped up this fast and easy holiday decorating video before we finished our tree (which we shared last week), but because we’re sticklers for order around here, we thought tree-decorating-video-numero-dos made more sense following tree-decorating-video-numero-uno so we’re squeezing this baby in at the end. But good things come to those who wait, right? According that that cliché they do anyway. So without further ado, here’s a video* (with plenty of belly for those on bump watch) all about seasonally decorating every nook and cranny of your home on the cheap and in a snap. And the best part is that we used things we already had laying around (so we spent zero bucks this year on these holiday accessories). You can watch it below on Vimeo (or over here on You Tube):
And for those of you at work who can’t exactly fire up the video, here’s a little summary of what we touched on. First we detailed how we tossed together our mantel decor using cheap-o stocking holders along with stockings that we customized with little DIY labels and then flanked with gleaming silver candlesticks topped with ornaments.
Sure a few glowing candles in those candlesticks would add gentle ambiance, but with a slew of candles burning in the fireplace it’s quick and easy to add color and holiday fun by topping them with shiny ornaments instead.
Here’s a detail shot of the stocking situation. Basically we hung our little neutral stockings from Tar-jay on our cheap-o $5 stocking holders (also from Tar-jay) and layered on a 20 cent sparkly green snowflake ornament (yup- also from Tar-jay) with a little tag that I made with each family member’s name on it (I snipped cardstock into a tag shape, punched a hole, knotted on a little loop of twine, and scribbled “John”, “Sherry” and “Burger” on the front. Easy, eh? And now Santa knows which one is which (without any spendy monogramming).
We also quickly switched out the normally ivory and cream pillows on our sofa for some green silk ones that we had in the third bedroom (we snagged them for $10 each at TJ Maxx a while back). They definitely tie into the tones on the mantel, the nearby console (which we’ll get to in a minute) and of course our citrus themed Christmas tree. And the silk material feels extra luxe with all the glittering ornaments in the room. Oh and tossing a throw with a bit of green and some playful fringe (also stolen from the third bedroom) and one of our home’s many traveling faux sheepskin rugs (from Ikea) over the back of the sofa added even more layered and plush texture. And we actually like how they don’t scream Christmas at all, but definitely work with the decor in the rest of the room.
We also should warn you that it’s not Christmas in our house unless we shove ornaments in practically every vessel that we own, so we started by filling each of our glass based lamps with silver ornaments for a super simple yet totally stunning result.
Oh and the tip here is that we store the 15 ornaments for this lamp in a large plastic ziplock bag labeled “lamp base #1″ and the other 15 that we use for the second lamp in another large ziplock labeled “lamp base #2″ so it’s practically autopilot decorating from year to year. Of course to switch things up you could stuff your glass based lamps with glittered or painted pinecones, faux snow balls or fake snow, black and white family pictures (vintage looking ones of children on sleds would be cute) or even fresh pine boughs clipped from outside.
And since we are not above decorating the faux animals around Casa Petersik for the holidays (we admit it’s weird, but kind of oddly festive too) we took a piece of ribbon from a gift we got last year and tied it around Mr. Dog’s neck. Presto, in about thirty seconds he was wearing his holiday best. You could also do this around any ceramic deer heads (and their antlers) that you might have on the wall or even around concrete lions that flank your driveway.
To further demonstrate that we don’t take ourselves too seriously over here, it’s an annual tradition to give our iron bull (who hails from a North Carolina flea market) some funny ornament earrings. Because isn’t it every bull’s dream to be decked out for the holidays? Olé!
Even the kitchen got in on the action. We just moved the fruit that we usually store in our faux clam shell (from Z Gallerie) over into an alternate bowl on the other side of the counter, which freed up our giant shell for- you guessed it- a whole bunch of ornaments. We warned you we’re pretty much all about stuffing ornaments everywhere and calling it a day. Anyway, we layered cheap shiny silver balls with smaller frosted ivory and gunmetal colored ones, which actually look like big gleaming pearls (which we think is quite appropriate for a clam shell). And not only does this display dress up any kitchen for ol’ Saint Nick, it can actually serve as a great centerpiece when you’re entertaining (check it out on our dining table two Christmases ago).
Because we like to change things up on our console table for certain holidays (here’s what we did for Halloween and Thanksgiving), this season we simply popped a feather tree in the middle of a pretty green tray, added a cylinder full of green ornaments, and even used a bit of real live greenery to hammer home our green-is-the-new-black decorating riff.
And in case anyone’s wondering, the green feather tree is from Target last year (we picked two of them up on sale after Christmas for just $4 a pop)
Then we made our way into the den which also has a mantel that was desperately in need of some seasonal spin. We threw up a pretty neutral wreath with fun green accents (purchased by my sweet mother-in-law at Pottery Barn for my birthday back in March- it was super on sale since it was so far past the holidays). And yes, we could have removed the framed art that you see leaning behind it, but we didn’t mind the layered look since the mat was so large that the wreath doesn’t obscure the picture behind it.
Then it was as simple as dropping a few green glittery vase filler orbs (picked up a while back at TJ Maxx for $2) in each hurricane for a soft and symmetrical arrangement that feels cozy and welcoming- especially when we light the candles and fire up the gas fireplace.
Isn’t my birthday/Christmas wreath awesome? The white paper leaves had me at hello (along with the super sale price that didn’t put it out of birthday-list range). Gotta love those waaay after Christmas sales that just happen to fall over March birthdays…
So that wraps up our little holiday decorating roundup for Casa Petersik. And although a lot of the seasonal accent pieces that we introduced were pretty neutral (gleaming silver ornaments and candle sticks, tan stockings, an ivory wreath, etc) except for some fresh pops of green, our bright citrus-themed tree really amped everything else up and looks so festive and fun along with the rest of our holiday decor.
So good, in fact, that it inspired us to make a few last-minute switcheroos to inject even more color into our green and neutral decor (like the orange ornaments you now see on the mantel).
So from the bottom of our orange, lime and lemon loving hearts- we hope you all have a blast decorating your home for the holidays.
And while we’re on the subject, what kind of seasonal decor do you guys bring into your home beyond just decorating the tree? Do you have a family tradition to buy a fresh boy scout wreath for the front door? Do you set out lots of holiday treats like candy canes and caramel corn? Do you string up lights around your house’s entire exterior? Let’s talk about how you really set the scene for a stellar holiday season.
* Yes, in hindsight I realize that there are two “that’s what she said” moments in the video (for those who watch The Office). Both are totally unintentional.
Psst- Looking for more holiday decorating and entertaining ideas? Check out this post, this post, this post, this post, this post, this post, this post, this post and this post for more seasonal fun.
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Comments
So pretty! You guys are always so clever with using what you have to decorate. I need to grab some simple monochromatic ornaments to decorate (even though I’m Jewish)!
And is it bad that I noticed those That’s what she said moments and am so excited you acknowledged them?
Lovely! I can’t wait to snatch some Christmas goodies on sale this coming January (and February, and March…).
Gorgeous! I love the glass ornaments everywhere and the way it all flows without being overwhelming!
Nicely done, Youngsters! I must ask, though – when are we going to get a post about how you decorate OUTSIDE your house?
Hey Blair,
Other than sprucing up the porch with a few holiday touches (and lighting the tree inside, which can be seen from the street) we actually don’t do lights around our home’s exterior thanks to some pretty tricky electrical deficiencies on our house’s part. Someday we hope to rewire things so we can string up lights and decorate to our heart’s content. Maybe that’s a project before next Christmas (once we’re done with the bathroom and the nursery) since we’d also love to add path lighting and all that fun stuff. Stay tuned…
xo,
s
You guys always do such a fabulous job with your ideas and your videos. Love coming over here to absorb the fabulousness!
One thing I was thinking about–I heard a news broadcast about holiday injuries and how those heavy stocking holders have sent lots of little kiddos to the hospital (they have a tendency to reach up and pull them down). It would be cool to see some fun alternatives to those heavy holders for people with kids. It might even be fun for you guys to brainstorm seeing as how you have your OWN little one on the way!
Your post today is so wonderful. I think it’s very good in two ways…. (1) Less CAN be more. Find something you love (bulbs!) and DO IT! And then call it good. (2) Work with colors you like and call it good! That way you can use accessories you already have and have to buy less. Your house looks great – fresh and festive!
Hi there – Need help. I looked up your “How To” on painting a brick fireplace. I need advice or “How To” on painting the frame/glass holder for the opening in the brick. We have the exact same one as you shown in the “How To” but could not locate the directions on painting that metal part with little handle doors. We are not sure if we need special paint, primer, etc, or how to remove it! I did menion you guys on my own blog a couple entries back when talking about Christmas decorating and our house.
Take Care – Andrea in MN
NotesFromTheGrove- Thanks for the tip! A few readers actually already mentioned some alternatives for when we have a mobile bambino (small cup hooks to hold stockings up or even those easy-remove Command hooks). We love both ideas and look forward to seeing all the ways our house changes for the bean as he or she grows!
Andrea- There are clamps on the interior of your fireplace that hold the screen in place so you can remove them and take your screen outside and spray paint it (taping off the glass parts). If you use your fireplace a lot you might want to use heat resistant spray paint (which you can find at home improvement stores). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I recently found your blog through The Nest and I love everything I’ve read so far. You decorate so tastefully!
I just got married in August, and we don’t have much in our apartment besides very basic furniture yet, but you’ve given us lots of good ideas for next year.
My mom shows no restraint in her holiday decorating, so I love her house at Christmas too. She loves snowmen, and over the past fifteen years she has accumulated quite the collection: knick-knacks, figurines, stuffed animals, window and wall hangings, complete dinner services…you feel enveloped by the wintry decorations.
So Sherry, I did your orange trick. We have an orange tree outside our new home and I thought it would be the perfect way to utilize our hundreds of oranges. The only problem is that I thought they smelled weird after drying. Did your oranges smell weird? Maybe it is my variety of orange? Suggestions?
Your house looks great! Happy holidays and thanks!
Hey Maggie,
So strange! Ours smelled just like oranges, or like baked oranges- like an apple pie made from oranges. So sorry yours smelled weird, it’s probably a variety-of-orange thing like you said. As for suggestions, why not let them dry out further for a few days (like airing them out on a porch or in the garage) and then see if it dissipates. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Just a follow up about my question… Our sweet Museum District home is also electrically-challenged on the exterior. There are no plugs to speak of! Inside isn’t much better with no plugs near windows for my beloved candle-in-the-window holiday decor. A solution that works for us is Plow & Hearth’s battery-operated solar candles. Their glow is more yellow/orange than white, which is a little annoying, but they turn on/off automatically. Perhaps you should check them out!
Love the pictures! LOVE the wreath in the den! Love the pop of the citrus colors with the cool white and silver.
So bright and fresh!
I loved your tag and ornament idea for the stockings. If you’d like to check them out you can click on my name and visit our blog :)
Hey S&J – I have an extra neutral stocking like the ones you have from Target (a blue one too). I’m not using it, do you want another one for the bambino for next year? Email me & I can send it to you. Merry Christmas!
That’s the sweetest offer ever! We’ll definitely be dropping you a line!
xo,
s
Hey Jillian,
We actually snagged that for just a few bucks at TJ Maxx so hopefully you can find something similar there (or at Marshall’s or Home Goods since they tend to have similar merch). Hope it helps!
xo,
s