I’m back, trying to get more Christmas decorating done.  I try to do a little each day, then it’s not so overwelming and rushed, if I leave it all to do in a day or two.  Also I have time to think about where things go, enjoy each project, and get in a holiday mood…yes, it’s coming.

As I stated in CCC 1, my inspiration for this Christmas were the 6 framed sea-life calendar prints I hung earlier this year over my fireplace (huh, sea-life and shells, for Christmas??). I didn’t want to take them down… so I worked with them. The colors were good, greens, corals, gold, black and white, and with a shell collection I had,  I added some fresh pine, candles, lights and it’s Christmas, coastal style.

(click on photos to enlarge)

If you know me, you’ll know I’m a thrifty kind of person. I like things to look good but I don’t want to spend a lot of money doing it. Here’s a few ideas I used, besides the calendar prints for artwork, for decorating the mantel…

• The fresh greens/pine, I picked up on the street, as the city was trimming the trees and bushes. I screeched-to-a halt,  loaded up the back of my van, took them home and set them in buckets of water to be used for decorating inside and out. If you have yard timmings, do the same, (only it won’t be as much fun, you’ll miss the horns honking at you to get out of the way!).
• The tall “coral” in the glass vase are just green plastic branches. I spray painted them a coral color. They could almost pass for coral, couldn’t they?…squint your eyes!
• I filled a tall clear glass vase with shells, mini lights and sand.  The lights highlighted the pretty shells and area around on the mantel.
• A few candles were added on stemware for height, and some old buffet lamps brighten up the area.  (I sponge painted the shades a coral color…must be coordinated you know!).
• I laid some colorful branches on the hearth to disguise the fireplace opening. I’ll have to give this some more thought (had a brain freeze) , but it will do for now. Any suggestions?

That’s it for the fireplace. I’ll do some more tweaking before I’m satisfied, but I thought you might like to see how easy it is to decorate without using traditional Christmas decorations. I like to use the things I have and love, and have Christmas blend into my decor instead of changing everything out (maybe I’m just getting old and lazy…could be).

I’ll be posting more coastal cottage Christmas. If you’re interested, check back. Do any of you decorate with non-Chrismassy things? I’d love to hear from you.  I really think it’s fun, unique and adds a personal touch.

Happy decorating!!