Christmas 2012

Wow... it's been so long I might forget how to do this! After an extended break from blogging for the past few weeks, I think I might be back. It was definitely a few crazy weeks leading up to Christmas. Work has been very busy with some changes around there and that left me pretty drained when I got home. On top of that, I was DIY-ing a bunch of gifts and that took up most of my creative personal time. I also managed to contract the flu right before Christmas and that put me out of commission for a good solid 5 days. I didn't start to feel myself until Christmas eve and even then I was still really tired from fighting it off. Needless to say- it's been busy around here but I'm glad to be back to share some of it with you all (that is if anyone is still around to talk to!).

Christmas has come and gone now but I wanted to quickly sum up some of the decorations we managed to get up before the big day around our casa. I know, I know... it's old news but I promise I'll keep decorations to this one short post.

I tried something new with our front door this year. Ever since painting it bright green, I always dreamed of pairing it with a bright red for Christmas time. This year I finally got there. I picked up an open frame from Michael's on clearance for $8 and sprayed it bright red. I added a bow with some old ribbon and strung some extra red and gold ornaments to it. I wasn't sure about it at first but I think it's grown on me. I love the red against the green. (Sorry for the crappy i-Phone pic).

 

 

Our tree looked similar to last year- we used the same ornaments and lights but we did add an ornament or two and some fun curled glitter curls I found while shopping at some local Christmas open houses in my home town with my mom.

 

My mom, my niece Myla and I made these cute melted snowman ornaments during a Christmas sleep over one night. We each kept one to put on our trees- I love it and the memories it holds for me now. We also did some Christmas baking that night and watched some Christmas movies.

 

 

Here is a detail shot of the glitter curls we added to the tree. It's made of a stiff material and comes all coiled up. You simply pull open the coil and it creates a long curl of glittered gorgeousness. It creates a look similar to adding ribbon to your tree but it's great in that it holds its shape well and is firm. I got 3 red and 3 green ones.

 

 
In addition to the tree, we added our usual lights and garland around the banister in our living room. Among the garland are small white glittered snow flakes and soft gold bells. I love this detail so much and admire the pretty night time glow every day until we take it down. This year I added glittered red snow flakes that hang down. I love what it added.

 

 

I seriously miss having a fireplace to decorate. Growing up, we always decked out the mantle for Christmas and it was always so pretty and festive. This year, I made a mock mantle display over our tv unit and it helped me deal with the fireplace withdrawal. I bought an extra strand of white lights and put it up there along with some white feather boas I had left over from Halloween and various showers. I added some left over red and gold Christmas balls, 2 large green glittered snow flakes and two of the large chrome lanterns from our wedding. I also had a red "Let It Snow" sign from another year that I used on a wreath so I threw it up there to complete the display. I love how it turned out and it was such a pretty glow with the feathers diffusing the light.

 

 

We also hung our stockings on each side of the tv unit. It's not as nice as "by the fire with care" but it'll work in a pinch! I had originally planned on making a pallet wood sign with three hooks along the bottom this year but only got as far as getting the pallet wood and cleaning it up. Maybe next year!

 

 

In the kitchen, I added a wreath over the sink. I purchased some battery operated lights at the local Christmas open house I mentioned before and wound them into a $4 faux greenery wreath form I purchased at Michael's. I added 2 of the red glittered snowflakes from our banister, a few bells and white glitter snowflakes (also from our banister decor) and a bow from an old wreath. I used left over ribbon to hang it. I love the little burst of Christmas it brought to the kitchen.

That pretty much sums up the big details we added around our house. We also put some window clings on our bathroom mirror, added some festive tea towels to the kitchen, changed up our clip board art in the kitchen area again and added lights to the outside of our place. That all looked the same as last year though and you can check it out in this post and this post if you're interested.

Christmas was great this year. We were spoiled with gifts and got to spend lots of time with family and friends. It was fantastic! Shayne's immediate family grew from one baby last year to three baby girls under the age of 2 this year - it was definitely busy and hectic and we wouldn't have it any other way. My family was a bit calmer although Myla is almost 5 and she carries enough excitement for all of us! We are super blessed to have the family and friends that we do. Feeling very humbled and grateful these days!

Aside from today (Shayne got called in for over time today), we are both off until after new years so we are trying to cram some more family fun into these next few days before it's back to the grind. We have some fun planned with my family tomorrow for Myla's birthday- some sledding or bowling will be in order and I plan to make a Hello Kitty cake later today. We also hope to do an over night trip to Toronto with Shayne's sister and husband and their 2 kids along with some new years eve fun and maybe a day of relaxation in there. Can't wait- I love the holidays! What is everyone doing for New Years?