Hello my friends!! I know I’ve been missing for awhile but I’ve had a little lack in motivation since we got back from the cruise.
I have an embarrassing confession for you: We just took one of our Christmas trees down last weekend, and the other one is still up in the basement! I know you are thinking I am a total slacker … and you are right! We left for our cruise on the 1st, and we didn’t have time to get it down before we left. Then we got back on the 11th, and it took all we had just to get back in the swing of real life … so it all stayed up another week. I got sick of having to keep my curtains drawn because I didn’t want my neighbors to see what losers we were for still having it up, so we forced ourselves to take down all of the decor throughout the house — including tree number one.
We thought we would have time for tree number two, but De-Christmasing took a lot longer than we thought, plus I had a couple of projects due, so we ran out of time.
Truth be told, I would keep the tree up in the basement year round if Topher would let me, and the unnamed child wasn’t embarrassed that her boyfriend sees it and is going to tell his parents that we are freaks.
So sadly it too will be boxed up this weekend.
If you have read my blog long you know that I am big for decorating for the holidays. The times I struggle with are the gap zones. Gap zones are the weird months between holidays that I don’t know how to decorate for.
Last year, my house was just totally bare between Christmas and Valentine’s Day … and that’s just depressing.
This year I decided to spruce things up transitioning my decor from Christmas to Winter without spending any money. You have seen my prior posts on how to shop your home, and that’s what I did here.
For the mantel, I lined up all of my candle holders topped with some simple white candles.
I removed my Christmas wreath and pulled out an old wreath I had in storage. It was a Christmas wreath at one point, but I decided since it didn’t have any ornaments or anything that just screamed Christmas on it, it could pass for just a winter wreath.
I picked this pine cone garland up last year the day after Christmas, and it works as winter decor also.
I added a cozy throw to the chair with my stag pillow from Craftberry Bush to make things cozy.
On my side table, I moved the deer that I used on my Christmas coffee table and used one of my sugar houses from my village (the least Christmasy one).
I also added a vintage pitcher I got from an estate sale and Topher chopped some greenery out of our shrubs from the yard to put in it.
On the coffee table, I cut some old furry material I had in storage into a runner and used that as my base.
I flanked both ends with some little trees that I used on my Christmas buffet.
I used my mirrored tray that I picked up at a yard sale a few years ago and topped it with this deer that I picked up for 1/2 off the day after Christmas last year.
I added in some mercury glass pieces I had with a little pinecone tree that was also on the Christmas buffet.
To sum it up, I tried incorporating some natural elements like pinecones and greenery. I also like things that make me think warm and cozy, like soft throws and the fur runner.
And to make the girly side of me happy, I have to have a little glamour as in the mercury glass and the glittery trees.
Overall I’m pretty pleased with my first shot at a “winter decor”, plus there’s the added bonus that it didn’t cost me a dime.
In fact, I like it so much I might just leave it up and skip Valentine’s Day decor all together.
I love the candles on the mantel! This is always a weird time to decorate especially when everything looks so bare after the Holiday décor comes down. I think yours is just right! XO
Too funny…I don’t put up as many Christmas decorations because the idea of taking them all down and repacking them is exhausting. Your house looks great.
I like it! Love the pine cone garland. It’s all very fun. Your home is lovely with all the fun color. I struggle with the gap too and often wonder how other people handle this. And btw I think you did great at getting Christmas down when you did. If I had gone on a cruise at that time of year, my Christmas decor would be up till Easter. We would be celebrating Christ’s birth and reserection All at once that year! So I am pretty sure you are doing great
Love the mantel! Everything looks so cozy!
That’s a good idea, Shanna! Like you, I’m struggling with how bare our house is looking now that the decorations are down. I like your idea of re-using pine cones, mini trees, white candles, furry and woolly things from our Christmas stash and incorporating them into a winter theme. Hmmm, do I dare ask Mr. Frugalista to take down some of the Christmas boxes again.
I love how you decorated for winter. I’m always sad too after Christmas decorations come down, but this year I decided to decorate with winter items. I would love to keep my tree up year round too, but my hubby has said no….too many times to count 🙂
Great idea how to decorate after Christmas when all of the decorations come down