my home for the holidays

One of the first things that gets me in the Christmas spirit is decorating my home. Here are a few pictures of what I surround myself with this time of year! Fresh greens, pine cones, home made stockings, ornaments, ribbon and garland and I'm set for a festive feeling!

{Our fireplace isn't currently functioning, so I fill it with fresh greens}




{Our mantle holds are home made stockings and some simple greens and pine cones}


{Mantle with greens, pine cones and treasures}


{Mantle, simple & fresh!}


{Our entry table is filled with silver bells, greens and sparkle}


{To hang a wreath around a lamp simply remove the shade, hang your wreath and replace the shade!}



{I keep a lot of my "every day" decor out and just jazz it up with sparkle to make it seasonal!}


{My dining buffet is filled with gold and brown ribbons and ornaments - a bit of sophistication}

How do you spread the holiday cheer around your home? How do you make it festive while keeping it easy on yourself? I'd love to hear and see what you do to decorate your home for the holidays!

faux snow - my 13th favorite holiday decorating item!

I am surrounded by about 2 feet of snow here in Elkridge, MD. A blizzard blew through here Saturday and we had a ball playing in the snow all weekend. So, it's funny that my final favorite holiday decorating item is faux snow!

Snow is so pretty, why wouldn't you want to bring some indoors for the holidays?!

(Faux snow from Pottery Barn.)


(The snow grounds this lovely holiday decor.)

Toss some on your shelves, around displays, in glass containers or on a tray. Instant winter!

(More snow-filled decor, from Pottery Barn.)


(My own little bit of snow....there are three of these stacked on three shelves.)


(This is my favorite snow decor - metallic, evergreens and glass - LOVELY - from Pottery Barn.)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Happy holidays!

bells & mirrors - my 11th & 12th favorite holiday decorating items

I'm not sure why I'm combining bells & mirrors, but why not? My next two favorite holiday decorating items are bells & mirrors.

Bells are somewhat obvious with their jingle sound, but their shine and shape also appeal to me. My grandmother used to hang a garland of silver bells over a door way in her house and now I have that strand. I use it in different ways each year, but it always says "holiday" to me.

Here's an unusual take on bells for holiday decor, by designer Robert Rufino (as seen on housebeautiful.com).

(Paper wedding bells in red & white cover the banister, Robert Rufino designer)

Bells shaped as wreaths, star shapes or bowls filled with bells are other great ways to include this great decorating item.

(Bells in bowl with greens, easy right? From bhg.com.)

I love mirrors for the same reason I love bells - the sparkle factor. When placed properly they reflect light and create shine. I love them used as trays to hold candles, silver and glass containers.

You can also embellish your existing mirrors by hanging swags or wreaths in front of them.

I have also used them as backdrops to fire place displays (when you are aren't using the fire place for fires!). I wish I had some photos of mirrors with holiday decor, but I don't! Maybe you do? Send any pictures my way and I'll post them!

Happy decorating and lucky number 13, my last favorite holiday decorating item is next! Stay tuned.

sparkly garland - my 10th favorite holiday decorating item

If your home can't sparkle at the holidays, when can it sparkle?

A great way to add sparkle is with my 10th favorite holiday decorating item — sparkly garland or beads. When in doubt add garland or beads to dress up a display! I like the look of white sparkly garland under a display as it resembles snow.

(I love this elegant and sparkly display, including sparkly garland; from myhomeideas.com.)

(A chair gets dressed up with red garland; from bhg.com.)

(Swags of green tinsel garland enhance this banister; from bhg.com.)

On the photo above, from bhg.com - "For a twist on the traditional banister, try this garland accent. Wire double swags of green tinsel garland at intervals up the banister rail and tie on ornaments dangling from silver ribbon. To add clusters of greenery and holly, tightly wrap wire around the railing for each cluster and tuck cuttings securely beneath the wire."

I love the look this garland creates — a great twist on the traditional greens.

happy decorating!

my 9th favorite holiday decorating item

We're coming into the home stretch here...with only 4 more favorites left to go! My ninth favorite holiday decorating item is pine cones. Come to think of it, they should be my #1 because I always use them for holiday decor.

(The large pine cones lined up on the top shelf are just as appealing as the ones
tossed in with the greens at the bottom. Cozy!)

I love pine cones because they add such great texture and shape to any decor. Whether you collect them from your yard or buy them in a craft store, have some on hand to add that something extra to your decor.

(This homeowner loves pine cones more than I do! I love the urn full of over-sized cones)

I happen to have about 12 super large pine cones from the woods in NC and I bring them out in a different way every year. It's nice to vary the sizes of your pine cones to add visual interest to your decor.

(This is the display I created in our not-yet-working fire place. I used the large pine cones
on the floor and incorporated smaller sizes among the various greens.)


(A closer look at the smaller pine cones.)

If the natural color of pine cones doesn't go with your decor, spray paint them to fit your style. White, cream, gold or silver...they still look great.

(On my buffet a few pine cones get comfortable with glass, greens and lights. Easy!)


(What a welcome canopy of greens and cones.)


(I made one of these trees once (this isn't it), but it broke when we were talking it
out of the attic one year...it would be nice to have several in different heights.)

Happy decorating (with pine cones)!

More candy for holiday decor @ Blair House

As part of an effort to highlight the furnishings and art of Blair House (the president's guest house) and the State Department's Diplomatic Reception Rooms, State invited six lifestyle magazines to decorate for Christmas.

The magazines participating in this project are Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Mother Earth News, Natural Home, This Old House and Traditional Home.

For the Blair House Dining Room, Martha Stewart Living chose a candy theme, which included lollipops and a pink feather tree hung with ribbon candies.

The Washington Post has some great pictures of the candy room—check out the link below.

Martha Stewart's candy dining room photos (numbers 14, 15 & 16)

Thanks for the heads up on this Sarah! Enjoy.

candy - my 8th favorite holiday decorating item

We're all just kids at heart, so it's no wonder candy appears on my holiday decorating list! I love wrapped candies in glass containers—they are instantly festive!

To make an interesting display stack various sized cake stands and add mini glasses to each level and fill them all with various candies. I once set this up in our kitchen, only to have it knocked out by a ball tossed to the dog!

(I love the candy that is spread around this cabinet—a touch of whimsy among the china.)

(Designed by Keviin Reiner. Candy and silver—doesn't get any better than this!)

Happy decorating!

ribbon - my 7th favorite holiday decorating item

My seventh favorite holiday decorating item is ribbon.

Ribbon adds softness and color to most displays. It also adds an organic shape because you can twist and turn it to create "movement" in your decor. There are so many options available so the sky is the limit when it comes to selection.

(The ribbon softens this lovely banister display, while adding a pop of color.)

I like to select ribbons in various widths and finishes (shiny silver and matte silver for example). You can also use different values of the same color for a clean, monochromatic look. For example, if you decorate with brown, find dark brown, mid-brown and maybe a light bronze colored ribbon to bring visual interest to your displays.

(This is designed by Design by DesAnn. I used it on my evergreen post,
but the ribbons here are pretty striking, so I had post it again!)

I also love ribbons with wire edges because they are easier to shape.

(Add a touch of softness and decor to your chandelier by adding ribbons.)

(This is my own design and I added the silver ribbon to provide another dimension and pop.)

How do you decorate with ribbon during the holidays?

metallic containers - my 6th favorite holiday decorating item

I love adding sparkle to my holiday decor. An easy way to do this is with metallic pieces—my sixth favorite holiday decorating item. Gold and silver (or any other metal) containers are great for filling with the other items on my favorite decorating items list (fresh evergreens, ornaments, candles and lights, just to name a few)!

For a striking display, arrange a few different metallic pieces on a buffet or mantle and fill with similar items. The more the merrier; grouping items always creates a greater impact, so hit the attic and grab all of your grandmother's silver and get busy!

And, don't be afraid to mix metals.

(Sparkle, sparkle and more sparkle!)


(A lovely tray with a few pretty metallic ornaments is so pretty)


(This mantle is designed by Kevin Reiner, the ornament, candy and fresh greens bring the holiday feeling to life.)


(More by Kevin Reiner — a detailed view of the silver pieces on the mantle.)

Visit again soon to see the rest of my "favorite 13" list!

Happy decorating.

my 5th favorite holiday decorating item — ornaments!

Whether your color scheme is monochromatic, using all silver ornaments, or you like to use pretty pinks, blues and purples for your holiday decor, ornaments are a great way to show your style! Depending on what you pair them with, they are traditional, modern or playful.

(Three of my faves - ornaments, silver containers and and fresh greens)

This is a great way to enhance a kitchen window. The also works well with a large window. Hang a few ornaments from individual ribbons and attach them with tacks to the top of your moldings. Looks great outside and in. Vary the lengths of the ribbons to create an interesting display.

Try mixing textures and shapes of the same color to create even more interest with a monochromatic look.

(Don't forget your chandelier — Design by Kevin Reiner)

If you have a large glass container and many ornaments you have everything you need for a striking display!

I love the simplicity of this display. The glass dome adds height while only using a few ornaments.

A traditional look using ornaments in a lovely serving dish. Search you kitchen cabinets for your favorite bowls and platters and let them shine this season!

These pretty pink ornaments contrast nicely with the silver bowls. The height and color make this an eye-catching decoration.

How will you decorate with ornaments this year?

Happy decorating!

my 4th favorite holiday decorating item — candles!

This one is a no brainer, I know. Candles are great for decorating any time of year and now you can even use the faux flame candles to keep things on the safe side.

Here are a few great displays using a variety of candles. Enjoy!

(Ad from InStyle magazine...great color & great sparkle!)


(Cream candles of various sizes grouped together for impact.
Designed by me for a holiday decorating presentation)


(From the Crate & Barrel catalog. Fun and playful.)

Now you know 4 of my 13 favorite holiday decorating items...you can do the math, but to keep it easy, there are 9 more coming!

Happy holiday decorating.

evergreen WOW!

This is part 2 of my post on decorating with evergreens.

I saw this picture of an evergreen swag, designed by DesAnn Collins and Kathy Nix-Fintz, and I had to share it with you. This is from their design at the 2009 Bay Village Holiday Home Tour.

I think you'll agree that this swag is beautiful and a great example of decorating with one of my favorite holiday decor items, evergreens.

This swag also uses another one of my 13 favorites...stay tuned for the rest of the list. Thanks DesAnn!

two more of my 13 favorite holiday decorating items

One of my favorite things about holiday decorating is the sparkle created by the extra lights. I love twinkling lights reflecting off glass, metallic containers or lighting up garland.

Lights and glass containers are the next 2 things on my favorite holiday decorating items list.

My Aunt Frankie (a fabulous artist — see her work here) created this amazing display in her home one year for Christmas. I loved it the minute I saw it and MUST recreate it this year. She was kind enough to send me pictures of her work (she loves to decorate and like me, always takes pictures of her decor; we're geeks like that!).

Supplies needed are simple:

• Glass containers (various sizes and shapes)
  
  
• String lights (you can use white or multi-color, whatever works for you)
  
  
• Candles (I like the monochromatic look of all cream with the white lights, but you could mix it up and use all red candles with multi-color lights)
  
  
• Evergreens (you don't have to use these, you could use fabric underneath or garland)

Feel free to make this your own! Find a spot in your home to set up an arrangement and play around with set up and positioning. Add your favorite pieces, turn on the lights and sit back and relax while you enjoy your work! I can almost hear the holiday music in the background....

Happy holiday decorating and stay tuned for the remaining 9 items I love to decorate with for the holidays.