I am always drawn to very simple ideas when it comes to decorating my house. I don’t seem to have the patience (or talent!) for anything complicated or time-consuming. So, today I thought I would share a few simple ideas I used around my own house last Christmas.
I really wanted the kitchen to be decorated for my young son because that is where we spend a lot of our time. So, I found our cookie cutters and some ribbon and made my own garland! That was super easy and I think it turned out really cute.
My mom had two really pretty bird Christmas stockings and since we don’t have a mantel for our woodstove we hung them from an old birdcage. It seemed to be a fitting place for bird stockings!
My mom also had a bunch of dried hydrangea wreaths that she wasn’t using so I wandered around the house looking for clever new places to hang wreaths. Putting one at the foot of my bed made our room feel very festive!
We didn’t buy a fresh wreath last year so I tried to come up with something a little different for my front door.
I rummaged around in my closet and found an unused mirror to hang behind a cranberry wreath.
The mirror on the front door reflected a lot of light and gave the front door a little more holiday pizazz!
From my stash of decorations, I had a bunch of bells still in their package. So, I tied a few on doorknobs and piled the rest in this gravy boat! We don’t use gravy at Christmas so the gravy boat was put to good use with the bells!
I will continue to share simple ideas here at HomeGoods over the next week! Feel free to visit The Inspired Room blog too, I post ideas there as well.
Have any of you started putting your Christmas decorations out yet? Or do you wait until at least the day after Thanksgiving? If you have simple holiday ideas, feel free to share a photo or suggestion in the comments!
1. Cute ideas! I especially love the wreath at the foot of the bed.
~Angela
by Angela (Cottage Magpie) — 11/20/08 at 1:13 am #
2. Great ideas! This year I’m trying to put a touch of Christmas in every room.
by Suzann — 11/20/08 at 8:05 am #
3. We typically pull out the stockings for St. Nick’s, then decorate immediately after that.
Just sort of our own little “ease” into the season. For some reason, St. Nick’s seems to usher in the festivities for us.
Then we go big guns & just about every room gets some sort of decoration!
by Jinx — 11/20/08 at 8:21 am #
4. I think about Christmas all the time but try to keep the fall decor until after Thanksgiving. Sometimes I think we have trouble staying in the moment and starting a little too early makes me feel like I am so done with a particular holiday before it even happens. But the day after Thanksgiving I usually get right on it. Also I try to have most of my shopping done before Thanksgiving and work really hard at pacing myself so I can enjoy free time during December. Once I start the decorating it takes me several days to do it and I really never quit until about a week before Christmas. One thing inspires another~you know how that goes!
by Bonnie — 11/20/08 at 10:10 am #
5. Such cute ideas! Thank you so much for sharing. Even I can do these things.
by Mary — 11/20/08 at 10:30 am #
6. Yup, decorating for Christmas already! We’ll be going away for Thanksgiving, so it makes it stress free Dec. if I start now! I love simple decorating, and focus on just a few areas of the house!
by Stacey @ The Blessed Nest — 11/20/08 at 11:13 am #
7. I especially love what you did with the wreaths!!
~Tidymom
by Tidymom — 11/20/08 at 11:15 am #
8. I LOVE your mother’s Christmas stocking! They are beautiful!
by Karen B — 11/20/08 at 12:38 pm #
9. MELISSA! I love your simple holiday decorations! The strung cookie cutters is so cute!
by Emily@remodelingthislife — 11/20/08 at 12:44 pm #
10. Hi Melissa!
I love how everything turned out, so simple, but so elegant and nothing to BUY, I love that, especially in this economy! (Although I do love me a good shopping spree at HomeGoods whenever I can squeeze it in!)
Thanks for sharing, you are so talented!
Bella
by Bella — 11/20/08 at 12:54 pm #
11. melissa, wonderful article!
by shelbi — 11/20/08 at 9:47 pm #
12. Melissa, the wreath at the foot of your bed is fantastic. What a simple, pleasurable reminder of the season and every day joy, I think. I especially love it.
Katie
by Katie @ makingthishome.come — 11/21/08 at 8:55 am #
13. I try to have most of the decorating done Thanksgiving. I also try to have some or most of my gift shopping done also by thanksgiving,this way every evening after the big turkey day a gift or two gets wrapped and the cards are addressed. I have found this takes so much stress out of tthe holidays and allows for a gentle and enjoyable passage through the holiday season.
by Arlene — 11/21/08 at 9:56 am #
14. How cute, with the bells! I recognize the gravy boat- Johann Haviland- I have my grandmother’s 12 place setting set! Now I know exactly what to do with the gravy boat!
I usually put our vintage tim/aluminum cookie cutters in a tureen, with the lid off, of course. But I like the garland you made, too! Such cute ideas, melissa! Thanks and God bless!
Here’s what I did with a tin Mexican Nativity I found for .50 at a yard sale:
by Leslie — 11/25/08 at 6:06 pm #