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I wanted to invite you into my home this holiday season. See this is a special holiday season for me since this is my first year in my new (rented) home and my first year celebrating the season on my own. While I have lived on my own before it had been in grad school where I travelled home for the holidays and there was no real need to decorate. This year I was very excited to decorate but boy can it be overwhelming. It took me almost a month to pick out a fake Christmas tree, I started looking in early October! Who knew there were so many different types of trees and that you had to take in consideration needle count and the amount of lights! Did I have an opinion about this? I had no idea… but the answer was yes, yes I did, once I started to see trees in-store and not online.
I ended up buying a 6.5 foot Wesley artificial spruce with 400 white lights and it is beautiful! Now I have grown up with a multi-colored tree filled with memories from my birth all the way to my favorite disney characters and an ornament from every place our family has ever travelled. How does one fill a tree with memories when it ‘s your first tree? I hemmed and hawed about what type of tree I would have. I even put a few questions out to Weekend Crafter’s on Facebook. Well I decided to to go with a rustic theme of burlap, gold, red and bird accents. Classic but beautiful. I started out just buying a kit of 50 ornaments of red and gold. Over the last month I have sought out the perfect selection of ornaments to adorn my tree while keeping my budget in mind. Realizing I will add to my tree every year it doesn’t have to be instantly perfect, even though I want it to be.
After three weeks of searching I found the perfect tree topper at a local interior design store called Setting the Space in downtown Plymouth, Ma. I had become frustrated with the quality of toppers I had been finding at big box stores. No one wants a plastic tree topper. Now this star was a giant ornament that I had adjusted to become a topper and it is perfect!
This beautiful white bird I found at another local shop (I always try to #ShopLocal #ShopSmall when I can) Signature Finishes in North Grafton, Ma. These white birds are actually the reason I decided to add birds into the theme.
Well what bird would be complete without a birdhouse. I also picked up this beauty at Signature Finishes and I wish I had bought a few of them! To tie the burlap theme together I purchased these red and gold burlap flowers from Michaels. They matched flawlessly with the ribbon and added a bit of class to the tree.
I have a love for mercury glass ornaments. I think it is because my last year of working holiday retail Restoration Hardware had come out with these gorgeous mercury glass ornaments. I am kicking myself for not buying any at the time but I was in college and could barely afford my Boston rent. I have thought about those ornaments every year since and that was over 5 years ago. So when I saw this owl I knew I had to get it. I have a feeling this might be a start to a collection.
Now what is a rustic tree without pinecones? Especially when they are covered in gold glitter. Now you can make these yourself by going foraging in the woods or Kmart has a great deal on them this past week 30 for only $5.
Raise your hand if bristle animals have made it on to your tree over the years. Crate and Barrel has made some amazing animals and everyone else has seemed to caught on. In fact I actually give my Brother and Sister-in-law one each year. This owl was a gift from my Mom. She actually was the one to help me finally pick out this tree and set it up within the same day. It’s never fun setting up your tree alone.
Decorating without a mantle during Christmas.
It is absolutely bizarre decorating without a mantle for Christmas. Where will I hang my stocking? (When I buy one). Well luckily I had been thinking my hallway off my kitchen/living room was missing something. So I ordered a new table from Wayfair. I had my eye on this table since late September. Are you picking out the theme here it takes me a long time to purchase bigger items. When the realization hit that this could be my substitute mantle I ordered it within minutes.
The top shelf I figure will switch out seasonally where the bottom two shelves will display my cookbooks, decorative cloth napkins and my vintage owl basket.
I had an extra box of ornaments from my tree that I was planning on returning. An easy way to decorate for the season is adding ornaments to baskets or glass hurricanes. It is a simple idea that is visually stunning and will impress.
I always find a key to successful decorating is adding some of your everyday decorations into the mix. For me it is this glass owl. Not only does he accent the color theme but he ties in the bird element from the tree.
What’s a bookcase off the kitchen without cookbooks?
Yesterday I discovered this driftwood garland at a local shop and knew it would be the perfect edition to this hall table year round. Over the past month I have really enjoyed decorating. There is just something about the hunt and collecting items and seeing the vision all come together. I cannot wait to see what I will add to this next year. Thank you for stopping by my home this holiday!
Can you come decorate my house please??? Looks great!
Book me the flight and I am there!
oh your topper is perfect- I love it! I’m so sick of cheap plastic angels and starts! 🙂
Thanks Stephanie it took forever to find!
Your home looks so warm and festive!! And I especially love all of your owl and bird touches, especially the mercury glass owl! I love mercury glass, too. It’s quickly become my go-to accent! I hope you have a wonderful first Christmas in your new house!
We don’t have a mantle either so we hang our stockings from a build in plant shelf. I love your tree!
This is fabulous! I love it. Pinned and tweeted. Thanks for being a part of our party! I hope you stop by on Monday at 7 pm. We love to party with you. Merry Christmas! Lou Lou Girls
What a beautiful tree! I love the addition of the birds and bird house. So cute. I don’t have a mantle either, using the book shelves was a great substitute. Thanks for sharing at On Display Thursday. Join us again tomorrow morning!
Thanks for stopping by Leia! Glad I am not the only one in the blogging world that doesn’t have a mantle! Someday!
What a beautiful tree! I love the addition of the birds and bird house. So cute. I don’t have a mantle either, using the book shelves was a great substitute. Thanks for sharing at On Display Thursday. Join us again tomorrow morning!