After a busier than anticipated weekend, I returned to decorating the house for Christmas this afternoon. Eight hours later, the house looks less disheveled, but I’m not nearly finished. That’s ok. One reason decorating takes me so long is that I don’t like to exactly duplicate vignettes and décor every year. Instead, I like to freshen things up by mixing things up.
The vintage suitcase gets a bit of a new look, with the addition of a silver and white snowman and a silver snowflake candle holder.
The old oil lamp from the Moores’ house in AR cleaned up well and pairs wonderfully with the suitcase. Silver and gold candle holder and sign from Kirkland’s.
Decorating becomes a very creative and inspiration guided process.
I’m realizing that for me, creativity is messy. I get a flash of an idea and then I play with it, hunting for the correct pieces to pull the vision I have together. It’s similar to working a jigsaw puzzle, using the box top as a visual guide…except my visual is in my head, and the pieces are scattered throughout the house! And I totally destroy each room while I’m playing, before it all comes together.
As messy as the process sometimes is, it is always fun for me…challenging, time consuming, yes…and ultimately rewarding and extremely satisfying.
Great Aunt Roxy’s red footstool, flipped upside down, becomes the perfect receptacle for fabric trees and mason jars.
The plaid fabric placemats from Target set off this little table beautifully. The three santas ceramic candle holder is one of my favorite pieces. I paid a dollar for it at a thrift store several years ago.
The fresh Christmas tree is still bare, but it smells wonderful! It is patiently awaiting lights and ornaments. The santa mug collection is still boxed up. And snowmen are scattered everywhere, milling about as if at a snowman convention where no one is quite sure where he is supposed to be.
I love this little eclectic, electric tree! It came home with me last year from my Aunt Annie’s house. It had never been out of its box. I’m not sure how old it is, but I love the contemporary look.
I found my grandson’s first Christmas photo shoot. He’s 17 years old now. Trying out the white tree. I’ll let it rest there a couple of days, and see how I feel about it.
Tomorrow I’ll get those snowmen where they belong. And the mugs will get unpacked. The tree may have to wait until Wednesday. Tonight I’m sitting in a darkened house, with a couple of small trees lit up and a dozen or so candles flickering. It looks beautiful.
I’m in the flow, creatively, and the decorating will get done exactly on time. I am enjoying the process of getting my Christmas on.
Going Beyond 