All the merry making and celebrations are pretty much over after the Christmas/New Year holiday. I like to take down my Christmas tree BEFORE the New Year. Although it's kind of sad, it also feels refreshing to get the space back. BUT, things just seem kind of drab minus the lights and festiveness. So, how do you decorate after the holiday? Valentines and St. Patrick's Day are not really around the corner, and it's still winter, but that doesn't mean you can't give your home a fresh new look!
Some of the decorations that you used for Christmas may translate nice into a winter motif. I like to stick to whites with pops of green from live plants. I also like to add a little sparkle to keep with that new year attitude of fresh new beginnings. Here's a peek inside my home to give you an idea of the look I went with.
(my fireplace/console)
Stick with clear glass candelabras for a sophisticated, but light and airy feel. All of the candles I purchased at JoAnn Fabrics during the holidays. The gold pine cone on the right is also a candle I purchased 2 holidays ago, I like how it adds a feeling of nature to the grouping. The sphere/star on the left I purchased at Pier 1 last year on clearance.
(living room wallspace)
I've had this silver deer mount about 3 years from Pier 1, it's something that I keep on the wall year round. You can really decorate it with any theme you wish. The letter tags, one with my husbands initial and one with mine, are from Crate and Barrel I got during the holidays a few years back. The edges are rolled in crushed German glass that has a faint sparkle to them. I like to keep them out during the winter, they give me an old world feel and help personalize the decor.
(kitchen counter top)
This white poinsettia is from a local nursery I got at the beginning of December. The base was wrapped in gold foil which made it really Christmasy. I took off the gold foil, went into my garden shed and found a galvanized bucket from the summer to put it in. Voila! Instantly looks like a winter garden.
(living room side table)
The side table in my living room needed a little something. I filled a glass star dish from the Dollar Tree with left over gold pine cones and added rattan glitter spheres in silver and gold from Pier 1. The lamp base you see in the background is crystal and from Restoration Hardware. It really goes with everything!
(living room sofa)
In November we purchased a new coach from West Elm, it's the Henry Sectional in Dove gray performance velvet and I'm in love with how comfy it is. To give it a nice winter touch I bought two of the Martha Stewart Reversible Cable Knit throws in Ivory from Macy's after Christmas. I originally bought one for myself, but then my husband found out how warm and cuddly it was and he had to get his own, lol! The outside is sweater material and the inside is sherpa!! The pillow was purchased in November at Pier 1 and it's sold out. It's a velvet material with a jeweled snowflake on it. It goes well with the other ombre green velvet pillows that I have on the sofa.
(dining room table)
White roses are a must in the winter! There is just something about seeing the whiteness of the flowers and the whiteness of the snow, it seems to make everything seem like it's being made new again and the color will come soon enough. (plus, you can get red roses next month!)
(kitchen windowsill)
This is in my kitchen window. The fern was in a green foil from the holiday, I simply took it out and found a white vase I had. Mr. Owl is something I had bought last year that was in with Christmas decorations I think at Target. I thought he would be sweet for the winter months with it's soft white feathers. Lastly, the mercury glass hurricane is also from the holiday, purchased at TJ Maxx. I have the glass filled half way with water and dropped a floating candle in it. I love lighting it at night and watching the flames flicker off the bird and greenery. Looks like a real forest scene!
(top of kitchen window)
Above the whimsical scene in the kitchen is a "banner" I made that spells my last name. The felt letters I got about 4 years ago at JoAnn Fabrics in those dollar bins they have near the check out. I like the fact that the letters are white and are wintery with the snowflakes and holly cutouts. I attached the letters to silver sewing thread and it's draped from cabinet to cabinet in the kitchen and secured at the top of the cabinets with thumb tacks. I get so many compliments on this simple idea I had to make this and it gives a lot of impact.
(dining room shelf)
The white pine cones sprayed with glitter are from Michaels. I had an wooden bowl I usually set my bananas in (ha!) and there you go, instant winter for a shelf in the dining room!
(in dining room and living room plants)
I reused these birds nests from my Christmas tree in my house plants. They are on sticks and all you have to do is stick them down in the dirt. It catches your eye and adds that sparkle. I have the birds nests in silver and gold. Very cute!
(bedroom nightstands)
Last but not least, into our bedroom. The lamp is from Pier 1 and called the Exhibit Lamp. We've had them for a few years and they are just so fun to decorate. The top of the base it open, so you can put decorative items in it. For Christmas it looked just like this, but I hung red and green mini Christmas bulbs from the top of the glass. All I did was remove the bulbs so it feels wintery. The picture is not the best quality, but in the bottom of the lamp are white aquarium pebbles and gold pine cones. EASY!
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I hope this gives you some inspiration to reuse some of the decor you already have. Make your own little gallery with inexpensive accessories. Keep it light and airy since the days are short and the nights are long. Just remember, we want to add/reflect as much light as possible in these colds months. Enjoy getting creative, there is no wrong or right!
