With Christmas in just two days, it’s the calm before the storm in my house.  Gifts are wrapped, the decorations are all up, fresh flowers are in vases, and the bar and table are set. I’m probably at the grocery store as we speak preparing for the games and dinner we will have at our house tonight with our closest friends.

You guys have seen some of these photos before, but most are new.  I wanted to give you a peek at the big picture and how my personal take on the Colonial Christmas theme this year has played out throughout the house.

Before we get on with it however, I’ll let you know a few things about my decor strategy.  When I litter my house with holiday cheer, I’m usually not so cheerful when it comes to clearing it out.  For this reason, I’ve picked just a few places where I really focus when decorating.  And, don’t get me wrong, I do not skimp on these areas, but it’s much easier to clear out when its all concentrated in groupings.

This year, I went all out on the living room (obviously), the entryway (because I love decorating the stairway), the dining room for the clear tie-in with entertaining, and a little sprinkle in my bedroom.  That’s all! Aside from a holiday floral arrangement and tubs of cookies, there is no evidence of Christmas in my kitchen.  I didn’t decorate my guest room, office, or bathroom.  Now, I’ll probably break down and put some floral arrangements and maybe a cute guest towel in my bathroom tomorrow, but I won’t photo it because it’s the worst room in the house and the lovely shell-shaped sink just doesn’t scream ‘holiday spirit’.  Still without those rooms, it’s a fairly long post with lots of photos, so buckle up!  [Read more…]

Guys!  I haven’t done a video in so long!  I have been wanting to do so many, and each time I’m shooting a DIY, think about how great it would be as a video, but to be quite honest, they’re so much work and take days of shooting and editing.  Since my team consists of just me and one four legged furry friend, the amount of time they take just aren’t worth the effort, even though I really love doing them.  So, I shot this mantle styling video and I thought that even if it were a bit more raw, maybe you guys would still like it.  Since I spent less time on editing, there is actually much more random commenting and more of my thought process involved, which might me nice as well.

I’ve used our Magnolia Garland in the video and have been adhering to our very own House of Earnest take on a Colonial holiday theme!

Enjoy the video and definitely give me your thoughts on if you’d like to see more videos (even if they aren’t super cutesy and edited) or if you prefer the photo step-by-steps!

Happy Friday, all!  Have a great holiday weekend!