Our Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree resides in the front formal living room.  One of my favorite rooms in my house that I like to sneak off to for a little quiet time.;)  During the holidays it’s an even better spot to relax in with my morning coffee and evening tea, because of the Christmas tree!! {yes I do enjoy my warm beverages!;)}

Our tree has a somewhat traditional look and it is a little different each year.

    

I love this tapestry ribbon I bought from Target a couple years ago…it is warm and rich and feels classic and Christmas to me.  I mixed in some flowers and berries and different types of leaves and greenery to give different textures and dimension to the tree.  Pinecones of course, and curly willow branches as well.

The bay window is the perfect spot to showcase the tree and I love how it looks from the street.

I found these aged mirrors at Big Lots about 4 years ago and thought they would be a fun and unique addition.   I just stuck some tulle ribbon through the hanger on the back and tied them to a branch. I have a little baby’s first Christmas ornament for each my girls…they love unwrapping them each year and hanging them on the tree.  A lot of the tree my girls had a hand in decorating.  I like a beautiful tree, but I also want my family to have the excitement  and memories of  decorating it together.  That is part of the magical Christmas experience. :)  I want to collect more ornaments with meaning to bring the memories of Christmas’ past each year.

The tree skirt is just a piece of remnant decorators fabric I picked up for about $3…I just wrapped it around the base and tucked in the edges.

Oh and please pardon the crooked star…;)  It keeps falling!

It’s not perfect, but it’s our tree and I love all in represents.  Traditions, family and the meaning of Christmas.  

 

Now I need to do some shopping to fill  the bottom up!  Ack! ;0

Getting all linky…

{Moss Trees} A “Post” From Christmas Past

  I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and are recovering from the massive amounts of food ingested…I am assuming that I am not alone in my overindulgent Thanksgiving feasting.;) 

So who is ready for some Christmas Decor?! 

I had to have a little surgery this week so I am a bit behind in the new-Christmas- project–posting-area, so I’ve decided to bring back a few from last year.  Since I was brand new to blogging last year, I am thinking most of you haven’t seen these.  These are my moss trees from last year.  I have a little tutorial on them and some different ways to display them, etc.  I hope you like ‘em!

Check it out HERE.

Again, please pardon my novice blogging and pics from last year…just hoping to give you a little decorating inspiration. 

My wish if that you are able to continue your Thanksgiving weekend in the way you enjoy it best.  Whether it be Christmas decorating, movie watching, shopping, being outdoors, or just hanging out with the ones you love…enjoy:)

Remember my Christmas Wreath Giveaway ends Monday! 

Mirror Mirror...

Remember when I did the post showing those dreamy mudrooms?  Well this is one of the reasons.  I still have a hard time understanding why the architect who designed my house did the laundry and garage entry this way, but that is beside the point now.  As I mentioned before I am going to do a few things to improve what is there and be happy with what I have.  This little project is the tiny tip of the iceberg, but I am very excited about it!  You can see above that poor little mirror is heavily overloaded.  We got this in our very first condo 11 years ago and 4 moves and 3 states later it is still with us!  Don't worry my sentimental side won't let her go, but I am going to fix 'er up a bit and give her a lighter load. ;)

I wanted to find a sturdy mirror with hooks.  I knew for a big mirror that I loved I would be paying a pretty penny and I never did see one that had hooks and the functionality we needed.  So of course I have been scouring the thrift stores and I found this puppy.  If you follow me on Twitter you might remember when I found it.  Oh happy day...only $8.95!!  Now I don't know if you can tell, but she is a big old gal!  This great mirror measures 30" x 46"!  I know, right?!  Pretty cool.  In the words of the nice man who carried it out to my car for me, "They are givin this thing to you!"  He was so cute.

So now you might be saying, "did you say great mirror?  really, Krista?"  But just you wait! :)

I promptly removed the wood applique from the top and decided I wanted to fill in the oval too.  Just a little wood filler and sanding.  Don't look too close please, I am a little impatient.

A light sanding all over and she was ready to paint!  I was going to do my staple black, but Mr. Husband helped me decide on a nice color I already had called twig.  I think he just chose the color I said last, but nonetheless, I am glad he helped me out and he is pleased that he played a role in deciding something for decorating our home.  I added an applique on the top and my super cute hooks, sanded and distressed a tiny bit and...

If I do say so myself, I love it!  I had a hard time getting a great pic because I didn't want the horribly messy laundry room or myself in the pictures. LOL  But, I hope you get the idea.

I for sure wanted a mirror here for a couple reasons.  First, to open up the space because it is so tight right there and most importantly, so we can do one last outfit check as we walk out the door of course!  I think the color choice Mr. Husband "helped" choose is great as well to keep the space light and open.

The hooks seem like a splurge when you pay nine bucks for a huge mirror, but they were the detail that I really wanted to give it the over all character and interest I wanted.  I put these cute ones on the bottom.  They were $2 from Pier One and perfect for little hands to hang their stuff.  I feel like the sort of finish off the bottom too, because I think it once sat on a dresser.

I LOVE these cutie-patutie knobers!  I looked on eBay for some antique ones to get that character I was looking for, but I couldn't find what I wanted for what I wanted to pay.  So I found these little replicas at Hobby Lobby!  Aren't they sweet?  I'm sure they go on sale from time to time, but I was feeling really impatient so I paid $3.99 each, which isn't too bad considering.  I simply measured and drilled holes and then screwed these right in.  They work great because they are long.  This gave me enough to make sure they were in good and still have some length to hang coats on.

Finished up,  my big custom mirror cost me around $4o total.  Which in my opinion is not bad at all!  It makes me motivated to finish up my laundry room and storage issues for this little entry.  Check back for updates and best wishes for all your projects!  Oh and for the record, it will look this clean for about 5mins. Just keepin it real. ;)

I'm Sharing...

Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party

Garden Holiday

I want to share one of my newest designs...

"Garden Holiday"

It is now available to purchase

in my Etsy shop!

www.etsy.com/shop/gatheringplacedesign

I'll be sharing every Wednesday on Cottage and Vine!

TIME FOR AN UPDATE!

So, we have lived in our house for 4 years now. Definately still a work in progress. I like to decorate gradually. Finding the perfect pieces, moving things around untill it feels just right. More of an eclectic feel...not forced or "store bought". Or, maybe it's just my A.D.D kicks in but that is a whole other topic! Anyway...the things that I have "finished" are in need of updating for sure!! This time of year is my favorite and for some reason I get a renewed sense of life. Isn't that what Spring is for you ask? Well I have always walked to the beat of my own drum. ;) I think it is like a nesting or hibernating thing...getting my home ready for the winter. So, let the games begin! I will be sharing all my updates and renovations along with all the other fun HOLIDAY stuff and decorating tips! EXCITING!!