Monday, December 19, 2011

Christmas Mantel Decorating

Mantel's. In my opinion they are a living room's centerpiece and should be showed off well. Especially during Christmas. After all, it is Santa's entrance to your home so why not make a great first impression by making him feel right at home by decorating your mantel with a little Christmas spirit. For those of you who don't know where to begin check out these mantel decorating ideas:

Now you know I'm a sucker for shelves with various sizes of books and items neatly displayed so of course I'm going to love this small shelving unit with cubed sized shelves. It fits perfectly above this mantel! This is also a great place to display those ornaments that don't exactly match your theme. This way it still pleases those who gave you that eccentric ornament a few Christmases ago. Everyone's happy!

I am loving ice blue on white. Take colors from the natural surroundings during the Christmas season. In this case it's snow with the clear blue water when ice melts or the beautiful blue sky the morning after a snow fallen night. Add a few hints of ice blue accessories and your house will fall into the Christmas spirit just the same as decorating it with traditional red and green colors. 
Another simple decor find. The crisp and clean look is so majestic. 
I love the use of natural wood. Another great example of taking from your natural surroundings and making great decorations out of it. The combination of fresh flowers and  greenery bring the nature look all together. It makes me think of a romantic cottage.

Check out these origami Christmas trees from marthastewart.com. What can I say, it's simplicity at its finest for Christmas decor. They are super easy to make and the different bold shades of green complete the "Christmasy" look. Here cloches cover only a few for a sophisticated touch. You can make these beautiful origami trees in just 3 simple steps. 

A mantel is a special feature of a home. It sticks out and calls for attention so embrace it and dress it up with a few simple pieces that will compliment its features. Even though mantel's stick out like a soar thumb, it will be much more noticeable when paired with the perfect accessories and it gives your guests something more to look at than just a burning fireplace.~MG

Friday, December 2, 2011

Christmas Decorations

Bye bye Thanksgiving..hello chaos! Feels like just yesterday I was posting about my lack of thanksgiving decor and with just the blink of an eye, Christmas decorations are displayed in every corner of our lives. But this time I am happy to say I quickly removed whatever scant Thanksgiving decor I had around my house the day after the festivities and got a head start on my Christmas decor. During the process of looking for new ornaments I could not help but visually consume all the pretty Christmas decorations displayed in retail stores..I had to take pics and of course I picked up a few tips to use in my own home..hope you pick up a few from these..

This was displayed in J. Crew. I call it a contemporary garland..Anyone can make these and display in their own home. If you are one of those simple decor types..this would be great to wrap around your tree with clear glass ornaments.
More from J. Crew. I love how birch wood was used to hang the "contemporary" garlands. And notice how they used the books in the background! I was so amazed at how simple yet festive they were. How clever and the best part is its free! Everyone has to have a few novels laying around. Pull those books off the shelves and place them back as a Christmas book tree!
 Love it!
My apologies for the somewhat blurry picture.. These trees were placed throughout Nordstrom. They were grouped in 3's and were one of the many adorably decorated trees. The bird theme is so different and unexpected but look at how gorgeous of a result.
More from Nordstrom. I took a snapshot of this for those who have large chandeliers. This is a great decorating idea!
 I'm a sucker for accessories and would not hesitate to buy every holiday accessory in sight. I love when accessories are grouped in retail stores. I get so easily drawn to the cluster of these decorations and my mind runs wild with ideas of how to place them in homes. 

Now I know these aren't "Christmas-y" but the assorted colors of paisley patterned jewelry trays were too pretty to ignore. They may not go well with your Christmas decor but one would make a great present.
More beautiful displays.The mixture of Christmas decor and regular merchandise packaged with panache made it easy to choose stocking stuffers.
Now this was just elegantly beautiful! These giant origami flowers were the store front display at Sephora. They may be too big of a decor piece in your home but if they came in a more reasonable size, they would take center stage! Like the assorted colors of paisley patterns, these paper flowers were just too gorgeous to pass up!
I had a field day at Kohl's while shopping for presents with my daughter. Again, I was drawn to the cluster of displays that I just had to take photos of my favorites.
Tall ornament topiary's are one of my favorite accessories. You can place them on your mantel, group different heights on your dining table or place anywhere in your home that can fill a large space.
My daughter found this ornament. We both loved the cluster of candy canes turned into a Christmas tree; another easy idea to make for your own. I'm sure you could find plastic candy canes and create a bigger Christmas tree and use as a table centerpiece.
 Nutcracker mania! A must have for traditional Christmas decorating. Check out the different variations..

 Cutest couple! I don't think I've seen a lady nutcracker.




Check out this modern version of the Nativity Scene. Another great piece for those simple holiday decorators.

Decorating for the holidays can be just as overwhelming as bringing your regular home decor together. If you have existing Christmas decorations; either ones you've had for years or have been passed down) and you want to change the placement or look, go to retail stores and find accessories similar to the ones you have. Sometimes you have to get a visual to really understand how to approach it. Mix a few of your older decorations with newer ones. You'll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes. ~MG