Since this is the first year we’re celebrating Christmas in our new house (we moved in this past June), it’s the only time I’ll ever have to start from scratch when it comes to seasonal holiday decor. I had nothing saved from apartment living over the years so all of the ornaments, ribbon, stockings, tree skirt and even the fireplace screen were all new purchases. Now we’ll have them for the future and I can just keep adding more items each year if anything catches my eye.
I found every single one of these ornaments at HomeGoods before Thanksgiving even rolled around (i.e. October). I think everyone knows that if you see something at HomeGoods that you like, you really need to buy it that day because it won’t be there if you change your mind and go back looking for it. I picked up over 10 boxes of ornaments in one trip – all in a similar pastel color scheme – and the next time I returned to my local HomeGoods store, any remaining ornaments in those style and colors were gone. Most of them are Isaac Mizrahi and Cynthia Rowley designs.
After we had hung the white lights (always go with “warm white” vs. “pure white”) and added all of the HomeGoods ornaments onto the tree I realized that the tree was looking a little bare. It’s almost 10-feet tall and that size needs more fillers of various textures and sizes. I took the ornaments off and added the glitter wire-edged ribbon from Jo-Ann Fabrics (the only craft store that sells this specific type) and the feathers, silver branches and large paper ornaments from West Elm.
I created a cascading look with the ribbon and tied each loop to a branch using florist’s wire. There are a bunch of different ways you can cascade the ribbon down the tree but I cut the ribbon rolls into pieces that were long enough to make three to four loops and haphazardly inserted each piece going down the tree.
Jo-Ann’s mesh and metallic ribbon (similar) | West Elm paper ornaments, silver branches and feathers (sold out online but check in-store) | Balsam Hill 60″ beaded Christmas tree skirt
I kept the fireplace mantel fairly simple and added a live garland from Harbor Farms in Maine (They deliver! I bought this wreath for my front door too.) and monogrammed ivory stockings and holders from Pottery Barn. I tied bows on either side of the mantel with two shades of pink Dupioni silk ribbon from an Etsy vendor. I also added some live indoor plants to the bookshelves (ones that don’t need direct sunlight like these white cyclamen!).
Harbor Farm mantle garland | Pottery Barn velvet stockings (similar) | Pottery Barn stocking holders | Dupioni silk ribbon | Pottery Barn antique mercury glass candle holders | Pottery Barn pillar candles | Birch pot from Sage Market + Design (an amazing home decor store and interior design studio, located in Newburyport, MA) | Elements of Style: Designing A Home & A Life book | Kate Spade rose gold & silver picture frame (newborn announcement) | Shreve, Crump & Low gurgling cods
In our TV room, I switched out our linen pillows with an array of fur, jacquard and velvet pillows to add warmth and texture, along with this cute wool and fur pom pom throw. In the center of the coffee table I added a wooden “dough bowl” and filled it with cinnamon-scented pine cones from Whole Foods, silver mercury glass ornaments from HomeGoods and pine tree branches snipped from our backyard.
Pottery Barn velvet fur trim pillow, silk jacquard pillow, fur pom pom throw (sold out online but try in-store) and oval dough bowl.
I added three Pottery Barn mercury glass trees (LED flickering candles are placed inside to light them up) and tied a bow onto a plain wreath and hung it from a hook in the center of our octagon mirror.
Pottery Barn lit mercury glass trees (can you tell I’m a fan of PB?)
All of the seasonal decor added throughout the house is fairly simple (except for the Christmas tree!) but I think it all adds a nice “holiday” feel for our family and guests.
