Well hello! It's Thanksgiving week and I'm chomping at the bit to share a little of my Christmas decorating plan with you after seeing my friend Ann, of On Sutton Place, share hers a couple weeks ago (so inspiring - that's why I love blogs!).
Now, I most definitely do not start decorating before Thanksgiving - I know a lot of bloggers either like to or feel like they have to, but our family's tradition is to wait until the weekend of Thanksgiving and so that is what we still do, blog or not. I have staged a few Christmas things (like this diy ornament I shared as part of a blogging group and a few other projects I'll be sharing with you over the next few weeks) because I do have to start some things early, just to be able to have posts ready to go for you all.
But because I want to enjoy the quiet, family-filled Thanksgiving holiday, I hold off on the next holiday - and I know many of you do, too, right? The actual decorating is all in my head for now. But that's part of the fun, so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts with you to maybe inspire you and as a way to let you know what kind of projects will be coming your way in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
I hope you know that you can always count on me sharing budget-minded, do-able, classic projects and decor that will use what we have, fill in with a bit of new, and take advantage of things we find (either in nature or in our second-hand stores!). These are AOC hallmarks because, well, they're my hallmarks, too! On to the plan:
2015 Christmas Plan
- DECLUTTER: apply the KonMari method to all the Christmas decor stuck in bins, deciding to keep only what I love. This includes the stockings I made 20 years ago and haven't used for the last 10 - get rid of them already! Do you have stuff like this? I am SO ready to clean up and clean out.
- Buy one new decor item: a green plaid. This is DONE - I found this plaid (pictured in the image above) at JoAnn's last week and I love it. Here's what the plan is now for it: easy pillow covers like these I made for fall, table runner, banner for mantel, ornaments, and wreath bows.
- Add found natural elements: antlers and wood. I've got a box of antlers from my stepdad that I plan to use in their natural state, paint some gold, and use some in crafts. We've made wood slices from our wood pile and I'll use what we had last year and make a few personalized tree ornaments.
- Add more gold touches with painted pinecones and the gold ornaments we have
- Bring out our seasonal mercury glass to mix in with the gold.
- Reuse my favorite holiday decor from the past: the wool pom-pom wreath and garland, the music sheet wreath, ornaments, and coasters, and our book page decorations.
When I was thinking about this, I thought it sounded like it might not go - antlers and wood with mercury glass? But seeing it in the collage above, I really like how it's coming together as a nice mix that we could call glam-country or something like that, which I see a lot in magazines. It seems calming to me, and that's my big goal and what I hope to inspire you with:
To have a calm, simple holiday that keeps the things you love, but jettisons anything that weighs you down or stresses you out.
For me, I like taking a bit of time to decorate and bake, as well as make handmade gifts. But I'm scaling back on these, even though I love them - simplifying the decor, gifts and goodies to try and enjoy the weeks leading up to Christmas a little more. What about you - are you looking to simplify or have you already figured it out? 🙂 If you have a plan, let us know in the comments!
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