king of christmas flocked tree

I’m so excited to invite you guys into our home to share my 7 Holiday Decorating Tips with Seven Daughters Wine!  I love getting festive without totally interrupting the decor of our home, so today I want to show some subtle accents I’ve added to achieve that.

Most years I wait until Thanksgiving weekend to pull out the Christmas decorations, but I admit this year I put up the tree a little earlier than that.  I think it’s because this King of Christmas Flocked Tree made all my tree dreams come true!  I was amazed at how easy it was to put together, and a pre-lit tree is seriously as dreamy as they come. Last year we had a real tree, and while I loved the smell the cleanup was never-ending.  I have chosen to go with the artificial tree and light a pine-scented candle instead!

SO, let’s get started.  Some of my holiday decorating tips –

1.   Have a visual in mind before you start decorating the tree.  

I’ve made the mistake of just going for it in years past, and while that’s not a bad thing by any means – if you’re looking to achieve a cohesive look, having a vision always helps.  This way you can place your ornaments strategically. Last year our tree was much more colorful, and this year I chose to keep it more neutral – all with only adding 10 more ornaments and hanging them mindfully.

burlap christmas bow tree topper snow globe christmas ornament decorating a flocked christmas tree

2. Get creative with stockings!

My family’s tradition is to put pins on the Christmas stockings.  You know those pins you receive for various accomplishments or trips and you think…. “this will look great in the kitchen drawer until it inevitably gets thrown away!”  We always put these little charms on our stockings, and it’s always a hit for guests to check out when they come over.

And one day, when I’m a “grown up,” hopefully I’ll have a mantle to put them on!

puttings pins on stockings

3.  Add some festive pillows for a quick (and easy) holiday touch.

The fastest and easiest way to add some spirit – toss in some pillows! This sequin pillow and reversible “naughty or  nice” pillow always come on in December.

long silver sequined pillowkathleen barnes orange county home reversible naught or nice pillow

4.  Make use of the free resources around you.

You don’t have spend a ton of money on flowers. I like to cut a few sprigs of greenery outside and use pinecones to decorate and brings in that touch of nature that brightens a room.

pinecone centerpiece

5.  If you have a bar or bar cart, use those wheels to your advantage!

Our small bar cart has wheels and I roll this baby all around the house for different occasions.  Add some white candles, gold accents and Seven Daughters Wine and you’ve got a Christmas cart that you can move anywhere you’d like!  And I had to include Bailey’s photo-bomb… those eyebrows!

This bar cart is currently sold out, but when it becomes available again I plan to do an entire post about it – stay tuned!

gold bar cart decorating with greenerynine year old yellow lab christmas bar cart

6.  Stay true to some traditions.

So I realize they might look a little creepy, but growing up these Byers Choice Christmas Carolers were always placed on the dining room buffet at Christmas time.  My sister and I would always argue over which little girl caroler we were, and I’ve started a little collection myself (and added a Lula and Bailey)!  My mom of course gave me the daughter caroler without thinking that I don’t have a daughter, but that’s ok… tis the season!

byers choice christmas carolers

7.  Wreaths aren’t just for the front door.

I love a wreath and place them all over the house!  This little sparkly one (with matching garland) is placed in a different place every year.  Last year I used it as a centerpiece, and this year we decided to hang it on the ladder with some leftover burlap from our Christmas tree topper!

crystal christmas wreathcrystal branch garlandsequin scalloped pillows

 

Cheers to one of my favorite times of year!  This year I plan to spend plenty of time curled up on the sofa with a big fur blanket and a glass of Seven Daughters Pinot Noir (cue these are a few of my favorite things).  What are some of your favorite ways to decorate for the holidays? I’d love to hear your traditions and home touches.

Lastly, this framed print is from Minted (has totally transformed our living room), and I want to share that they are giving one CBL reader a $250 credit toward anything from their site. Just visit here to enter!

* Update: our winner was Cassandra! *

Thanks so much for reading and Happy Holidays to all of you – XO –

PS – If you didn’t catch Saturday’s post, it’s a fun one!  I’m sharing some of our holiday photos and how we designed our holiday card!

16 Comments|See Comments

16 thoughts on “7 Holiday Decorating Tips

  1. Love these tips Kathleen! Your style is so beautiful and very much a similar aesthetic to what I love! I especially love the idea of taking clippings of greenery from outside and bringing them indoors – so pretty. And that Bailey photo bomb is so precious!! xx

  2. I gave you the “daughter” caroler because I was not thinking. In our house, you and your sister were the two daughter carolers and in my brain, when I bought you your first caroler, I bought you the daughter because that is the caroler that represents you in my head. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that my three “little” ones are now a mom/wife, a dad/doctor and a wife/entrepreneur and no longer little. I’m now realizing Seven Daughters is a PERFECT name for a wine company because if I had seven daughters, even if they were all as sweet as mine are, I’d probably be drinking a LOT of wine!!!! Your home looks festive and beautiful. Come to Mississippi and decorate mine!
    xoxox,
    Mom

  3. Great tips! Your tree turned out beautifully. I see you have a cat, so best of luck keeping it that way! My cat managed to knock the entire tree over once!
    Tasha Juli
    stylesplendorbliss.com

    1. Somehow I ended up with a stuffed animal cat and she’s never even shown interest in the tree – so strange because I know most cats are all up in there!

  4. I absolutely love the idea of putting pins on the stockings! Finally, someone has solved my dilemma of what to do with the random collection in the junk drawer.
    Great post, beautiful decor, thanks for sharing.

  5. I love the flocked tree. When creating a soft neutral color scheme, it is so important to make texture a major player in your design! You did this beautifully with the use of burlap, sequins and faux fur pillow (I love using birch bark when creating a scheme like this). When hosting Christmas dinner, I love coordinating my table setting and decor with my tree!! Great job, love the outcome of your holiday decor!
    Xo Laurie
    http://Www.northofchic.com

    1. Thank you so much! This was my first year with a flocked tree and it’s been so dreamy! LOVE the idea of birch bark.

Comments are closed.