Hi and happy Friday! Today I’m sharing photos of the Christmas fireplace decor in my home for the 2020 holiday season! I love this fireplace and thoroughly enjoy adorning it for each new season. The fireplace itself has an interesting history. Many years ago on a family beach vacation, my husband and I spotted this mantle sitting on the front porch of an antique shop. We thought it would be perfect in our mission craftsman style 1920 home, so we brought it all the way home across four states on our minivan roof rack. We installed it in our home along with a handpainted tile surround in my favorite, cobalt blue and white.
For Christmas this year, I created a frosty forest feel in my living room Christmas decorations combining decorations I already have, some quick DIY projects, and a few online shopping items. Here are a few ideas if you would like to create a woodsy, Nordic Christmas interior this year.
The first item I placed across the entire mantle shelf was a green garland with gold glitter and berries. I like to have a base of greenery, and I wanted to have sparkle on the entirety of the mantle shelf.
I absolutely love fairy lights on copper wire. Since we discovered these lights a couple of years ago (a bargain on Amazon) we use them everywhere. I love the tiny lights and the wire is also so pretty and looks nice with other decorative elements.
The centerpiece of my mantle is a large carved initial that I found at Home Goods. The other major elements on the mantle are Christmas tree candles. The two green trees are vintage from the 1960s and were still in boxes when I found them at an estate sale! I like them combined with the sleek contemporary trees in metallic tones.
I added some snowball ornaments, sparkly snowflakes, and some wintery greens and pine picks in between.
A felt reindeer garland is suspended across the entire mantle (see post for DIY).
The lit branches on the left side of the hearth are a DIY project, a tree branch planted in concrete in a pot, sprayed with faux snow and lit with fairy lights. A sparkling bird’s nest and faux ice wreaths adorn the branches.
Across the bottom of the hearth, I placed real birch log votive holders in various sizes, from 18 inches tall to around 4 inches. These were a DIY project (more to come on this project).
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And creating a welcoming, cozy Christmas home-for-the-holidays vibe is one of the most fun jobs of the year, and it all starts with the front door! This year, I went with the classic Christmas greens and created a nostalgic vintage feel for our little front porch.
The big six foot swag sets the tone for this year’s decor, and it was a fun DIY project made from Christmas tree trimmings and other greens from the yard. I also completed some other super simple DIY projects for the porch which I will get to a little later.
Step 1: Decide how long you want your topper to be and measure that out on the floor. I worked on the garage floor on a tarp for my project to make cleanup a little easier.
Step 2: Cut some pine boughs to some workable sizes. I used some branches from the bottom of our Christmas tree, but any evergreens are perfect. I also trimmed some branches from some other bushes in our yard, such as holly, boxwood, and other pines to add some variety. I added white glittered branches at the center as well.
Step 3: Starting at one end and working toward the center, lay out your branches so that they overlap and the swag looks full, without any bare sticks. Put smaller pieces over top to hide any thin areas.
Step 4: Starting at the opposite end and working toward the middle, repeat the previous step working in the opposite direction. At the center, place a glittered branch on each side, and make the swag look symmetrical.
Step 5: Carefully wire all of the branches together. Each bough must be tightly connected to the next, or the swag won’t be stable. Mine had a few loose spots and had to be fixed before it could be lifted above the door in one piece.
securely wire the branches together
attach shatterproof ornaments
Step 6: Make a large bow out of wired ribbon. Securely attach the bow to the center (where the branches meet) with wire.
Step 7: Add shatterproof Christmas ornaments. You could add smaller ornaments, vary sizes, or add more than I did depending on your preferences and your own creativity. I attached the ornaments with wire bag ties.
Step 8: Twist some wire to make a solid hanger for your topper at the center and each end. We put cuphooks in our doorframe to enable us to easily attach the swag from the hangers.
You’re done!
Here’s the front door at night. We put an outdoor spotlight on the door so the decor is lit up at night!
I also created some simple rustic vintage style decor for my porch this year.
Here are some fun ideas for a rustic vintage Christmas porch!
Galvanized bucket arrangements. I placed floral foam in the bottom along with some fresh greens and artificial berries. The great thing about the stick on chalkboards is you can write whatever you want for the day. My messages are “peace on earth” and goodwill toward men.”
2. Use logs as decor
We had some pretty birch logs from part of a tree that had to come down this summer, so I used those to create varying heights on the porch and also in other arrangements.
3. Repurpose garden shed finds
I used a large galvanized bucket to display some decor, and a big wooden crate to hold birch logs and greens.
4. Keep some of the fall ornamentals.
I had some flowering kale that’s still looking really nice, so I combined that with pine, holly, and Christmas ornaments in arrangements. It’s definitely unique and suits the rustic look! I also used dried red ornamental peppers as decorative sprigs in some of the arrangements.
5. Make votive holders from birch logs. The full post is coming up later this week, but this is another easy DIY project.
The beautiful wreath is Valerie Madelyn from Amazon.
Have a beautiful week, and have fun decorating for the holidays! 🙂
Isn’t there something magical about a Christmas interior full of sparkle: glittery snowflakes, glistening tinsel, and shimmering candles and crystal? Quite an elegant take on the holidays, this look transports us to a winter wonderland full of peace and tranquility.
For my own home, I always have a bit of icy monochromatic winter decor in at least part of the house. I really love it. If you are planning a winter wonderland, here are 10 ideas to try.
Add some flocked greenery garlands or trees, or lightly spray some with faux snow for a frosty look.
Use textures in a monochromatic color scheme of white, cream, and light taupe.
Add shiny glass in the form of crystal icicles, mercury glass ornaments, votives, and dishes, and leaded, beveled glass.
Glittered ornaments like snowflakes and even branches add to the magical feel.
For textiles, look for beading and subtle sequins to reflect light and add to the holiday glow.
Bring some white birch twigs or logs indoors for a woodsy effect.
Along with whites, mix in some metallics for contrast and even more shine.
Switch out your usual throw blankets for some in soft, snowy white.
Crystals from an old chandelier make terrific ornaments hung from birch branches or on the Christmas tree.
Create a soft glittering glow in the room by turning down your main lights and adding in flickering candles and whitewashed or weathered lanterns.
I haven’t started decorating yet. I really need to get started this week! And I will be looking forward to creating my own little winter wonderland!
Here are 27 amazing finds all available from Amazon, delivered straight to you!
Add some cozy Nordic charm to your Christmas this year! If you love this traditional look, there are definitely some can’t miss elements. Old World ornaments and Father Christmas are at the top of the wish list, along with traditional red and white textiles. Natural and white-washed wood lightens up the look. Add a wooden Christmas village and other carved and wooden ornaments such as dala horses and snowflakes. DIY projects including simple pine and twig wreaths and homemade gingerbread houses complement your magical farmhouse look.
Check out these beautiful Christmas decor ideas from Amazon.
Connecting with loved ones is the most important part of the holidays. Unfortunately, the global pandemic shows no signs of slowing before the Christmas season. The reality is setting in that many of us will not be spending the holidays with extended family. Certainly a lot of older relatives may be in situations where visitors may not be possible. And kids may very well be at home most of the time with a desperate need for meaningful, engaging activities.
I’m looking for ways to safely make the season special. Admittedly, it’s been rough. We won’t be getting together with extended family for Thanksgiving, although we are still seeing each other on the occasional warm day when we can get together outside. Like everyone else, we have also been connecting by video call.
This year, I’m also going to need to get creative with gift-giving. I plan to order a lot of my gifts on Amazon and have them delivered to loved ones I won’t be seeing. I’m also looking for gifts that will make the winter at home more comfortable.Some great ideas for pandemic gift giving are family games, activities, crafts, home entertainment, and special, personalized items.
Here are my top Amazon picks for pandemic gift-giving:
Family Games
Board games are a great way to spend time together as a family. Setting aside one evening a week as game night can help add structure and fun to time at home.
For people on your list who have to spend more time inside the four walls of home, help them make their home a haven by giving gifts that promote health, relaxation, and stress-relief.
For people on your list who you will not be able to see, remind them that you’re thinking about them over the Christmas season with thoughtful and creative gifts.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and decorating is one of the most wonderful parts of the season! This year, I’m really loving the vibrant Christmas decor trend. Color can really add some holiday personality to a normally neutral space, and this look combines well with DIY projects and bohemian interiors as well.
I’ve been checking out the great selection of bright Christmas decor online, and here are a few of my favorite finds for this year.
Feeling a little under the weather? Need something to help with a scratchy throat and stuffy nose? This quick soup is always my go-to recipe- “good for what ails you” as my late Grandma used to say. 🙂 Science and Grandma agree on this one. A quick search on the topic revealed that chicken broth does, in fact, help clear congestion, thin mucous, and has some anti-inflammatory effects. This soup also contains ingredients such as garlic, onion, and dill which are anti-inflammatory and have some anti-bacterial qualities as well. So it turns out, some good, old-fashioned chicken soup might be just what the doctor ordered!
The recipe is super easy to make, so it’s great when you have to cook for yourself even when you don’t feel like it.
Here’s my easy noodle soup recipe:
Ingredients
Large can (46 oz) chicken broth or fresh chicken broth
2 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t dill weed
1/4 t pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup wide egg noodles
Combine all ingredients except noodles. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add egg noodles and continue cooking until noodles are done, about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
Have a beautiful day, and please take care of yourself and stay healthy this cold and flu season! 🙂
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Wouldn’t this be a great time to escape to the French countryside? I’m picturing a little stone cottage with wooden shutters, glowing light shining warmly through diamond paned leaded windows, and covered in climbing vines. I love the relaxed, warm elegance of French Provincial decor. And I’m a little obsessed with the set designs of the lastest live action ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Disney films. 🙂 which both feature stunning Old World interiors.
If you want to add a little provincial charm to your space, I have some great finds for you! This is an excellent look if you’re already starting with some natural rustic elements in your interior, such as a big stone fireplace, exposed beams, or plaster walls. If you’re going for a French country look, consider using a muted yellow-gold, gray, gray-blue, or muted sage on the walls. Adding gorgeous toiles on pillows, curtains, or wallpaper is also a surefire way to bring in some Old Country charm.
Other great looks for your Provincial space include whitewashed and weathered wood, comfy upholstered furniture, dried flowers and herbs, traditional candlesticks, and gleaming chandeliers.
Most of us would agree that a great kitchen occupies the top of our wish list when it comes to our dwelling place. I’ve seen a ton of the “chef’s kitchens” all over home improvement shows and real estate listings, but there is another way to go with a kitchen redo. An amazing vintage-style kitchen has a decidedly cozier vibe than the stainless steel and granite look that is so prevalent. Especially if you want to stay in character with your home’s architecture and build date, a vintage kitchen might be just what you’re looking for.
The kitchen really is the heart of the home, the place where you make your morning tea or coffee, where all those aromas of Christmas cookies, homemade soups, and weekend breakfasts originate, and where you sit around the kitchen table and catch up with the family after a day’s work.
I have fond memories from my childhood of hanging out in my family’s kitchen, laughing the night away with my sisters and mom, playing a game of yahtzee, or getting out my big box of crayons and doing an art project. I absolutely love the feel of a comfortable nostaligic kitchen.
If you’re looking to add some vintage charm to your kitchen, there are a ton of great ideas and products out there to help you achieve the perfect retro kitchen.
Ideas for a vintage style kitchen
Color
With any interior space, color really sets the tone. This is especially true in a vintage restoration. Bright, cheerful colors dominated design choices in the forties, fifties, and sixties. Our first home, a brick ranch duplex built in the 1950’s, featured yellow formica countertops in the kitchen and aqua and black ceramic tile in the bathroom! Pink was a huge trend in the 1950s as a result of Mamie Eisenhower’s fondness for the color. In fact, like many midcentury homes, the 1950s home I grew up in had a pink-tiled bathroom. For color ideas for your kitchen, consider these great options:
Pastel pink
Way before millenials discovered this fabulous color, pink was all the rage for decor in the 1950s. Once the shade was popularized by the first lady, everything was in the pink until the early sixties.
Black and white
Stark black and white are bold accents in a vintage kitchen. Often, black tile was used against a bright or pastel. Checkerboard and octagon and dot patterns in black and white are perfect.
Red
Bright cherry red is an excellent choice, especially combined with chrome for a diner feel.
Turquoise
Turquoise blue provides a cheerful hue in a vintage kitchen. Lighter tones are gorgeous on cabinetry or appliances, and bold tones combine well with red.
Green
In the 1940s and 1950s, jadeite glassware become popular, along with other lines of green dishware. Mamie Eisenhower also employed quite a bit of green along with her pink. Green is a terrific option for a vintage kitchen with shades ranging from spring green to muted jade.
2. Cabinetry
The first two homes my husband and I lived in were both circa 1950s. They both had windows over the sink with small shelves and a decorative valence as seen in the top photo of this post. They both had really tall cabinets.
If you are lucky enough to live in an older home you want to restore, I would say try to keep the cabinets, or at least some of them. Cabinets can be painted, updated with storage features, or partially salvaged to add to the authenticity of your home. Sometimes you don’t need a whole new kitchen.
For new cabinets and cupboards, you can think about ways to make sure they are in keeping with your overall design. Consider going extra tall with your cabinets. On a plain door design, adding nostalgic glass knobs and drawer pulls provides a beautiful look and an accent of color. Cabinet manufacturers do carry pastel colors, or choose white and add color in accessories, walls, and flooring. Consider adding some glass-front doors as well.
Add some free-standing painted furniture cabinet pieces to continue the vintage charm.
Tile flooring is ideal for a kitchen restoration. If you really want to be authentic, genuine linoleum tile might be a good option and it’s also colorful and durable.
Ceramic tile offers limitless choices. I love the bold graphic tiles with a bit of black or an octagon and dot mosaic look.
Wallpaper featuring vintage patterns that brings together your color scheme is an awesome choice for your retro style kitchen. Solid painted walls can look great as well, especially with some amazing vintage artwork or advertising.
There are some truly remarkable vintage-style appliances out there that combine modern functioning with all the charm of a nostalgic kitchen. If you’re commited to the restoration of a period home, it’s definitely worth looking into these great appliance options.
Can you imagine looking at these every time you walk into your kitchen? It’s like being in that cool diner that serves great eggs all the time.
Small details make a huge difference, like choosing your dishes to complement the design of your kitchen. Consider pink glassware, jadeite, atomic designs, nostalgic florals, whatever suits your style best.
Display some dishes in a glass-fronted cabinet if possible.
Patterned dish towels and tablecloths that are genuine vintage or vintage-inspired will add tremendously to your decor. Aprons, oven mitts, and kitchen curtains are all elements to consider.
Authentic lighting fixtures can really make all the difference in design. Consider what the overall theme is in your room. In a bold red kitchen, chrome may be a great choice. Schoolhouse lights are really great in any 1950s kitchen. Atomic fixtures can be awesome too if that goes with the rest of the decor. There are so many great reproduction lighting options out there to choose from.
A vintage kitchen is definitely an eat-in kitchen, so make sure to take a look at vintage-style kitchen tables. A cozy booth like your favorite diner or a built-in banquette would be amazing. Bar stools in a snazzy vintage design are also perfect.
This is the really fun part if you ask me. The possibilities for retro accessories are almost endless. Wall clocks, radios, old school fans, menu boards, lighted signs, rotary phones, it’s just all too much fun!
I think the time is right for designs drawing from the past. Young people are nostalgic these days, and many of us would just like to return to a simpler time, even if it’s just in our home. We’re craving peace, stability, and some comfort food. Yeah comfort food, that’s it. How about a nice meatloaf sandwich with a side of mashed potatoes? 🙂
Have a beautiful day, and add something fun to your life. 🙂
Hello! Hope you’re finding some time to refresh and recharge this weekend. As on every Sunday, we bring you great finds to make your home cozy as well as some comfy outfit ideas for your day off.
This week, black, white, and fucshia combine to combine for a dramatic but classic look.
I love sakroots products. They’re whimsical, durable, and practical. This intricate floral pattern wristlet phone case would be a great little item to add to your daily wardrobe.
A cute baseball hat is just perfect for a lazy day when the hair is less-than-perfect. This hot pink puma hat is adorable.
Nike running shoes are so comfy and a design classic. This color combo is amazing.
Feel like baking cookies or cupcakes on your day off? Cooking is a great way to relax and do something different from the routine. This wonderful KitchenAid mixer in a bright cranberry could be just what you need.
Blue Willow Lane 