Inspiration Photo Friday: Holiday Cheer

06 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Inspiration Photo Friday

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christmas, christmas tree, decorating, family, friends, holidays, ornaments

I love the holidays. Being with family and friends, giving gifts, and decorating are the elements I love the most. Having Santa ride around our neighborhood on the fire truck is certainly an extra bonus. All these things is what makes the holidays so much fun. And in the middle of it all, stands the infamous Christmas tree.

This year my husband, Dan, and I got our first big tree and you can bet I was excited to decorate it. It may sound silly how happy it made me but since we’ve been together, we’ve used tiny trees, both fake and real, and it just doesn’t compare. When we went to buy one, we laid our eyes on the first tree in our view and both agreed it was perfect. And the perfect place for this beautiful tree was right in front of our main window for all to see.

I dressed it with all the ornaments in our collection which includes many from Dan’s childhood as well as mine, along with some new ones we acquired along the years. I like to use white lights so the colors from the ornaments shine. And since it was our first large tree, I thought I should do something special. So I strung popcorn and made a garland, which took me about 6 hours to make. It was all worth it though. Then I sprinkled a little tinsel along the edges and it was good to go.

We love how the tree came out and the warmth it adds to our living room. At night, it glows so beautifully, it truly makes me smile. The holidays are surely felt in our home and since we are having my family here for Christmas Eve this year, it’s going to be one of the best we had in a long time. So excited!

Inspiration Photo Frida: Holiday Cheer

Home is Where the Heart is

13 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Crafty Ideas, Everyday Design, The Home

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art, christmas, christmas tree, decor, garland, gifts, green, holidays, home, houses, interior design, ornaments, poinsettias, santa claus, silver, snowflakes, tinsel

I just love the holidays. Not just because I get to give people gifts and make them smile and get to spend time with family and friends. I really love it because it gives me the excuse to decorate, even though I always think of reasons to do so. Now that Dan and I have the house and a new addition to the family, this Christmas is even more special. We have our little family now which makes so happy.

I wanted to create a warm feeling throughout the house but mostly in the spaces we spend a lot of time in. This would be the living room and dining room. So the weekend after Thanksgiving, I took out our Christmas bin and got started. Boy, was I excited!

I started with all the knick knacks which I have collected throughout the years or have received as gifts. I bought 2 poinsettia plants to add some color and to bring a festive look to the stairwell, I wrapped green garland around the banisters.
Home is Where the Heart is

Home is Where the Heart is

Then, for the first time, I hung real garland around our doorway between the living room and the dining room which brought a whole lot of holiday cheer to the space.
Home is Where the Heart is

Home is Where the Heart is

Then I hung our stockings, which I bought new this year. I love the white fur faux ones I bought from Pottery Barn for Dan and I. They look so nice, especially with our names on them. The dogs each have their own little stocking as well. I purchased this cute train stocking holder from Bed Bath & Beyond for only $20, which was a great deal. I had been looking for weeks for the perfect holder and I was so happy I found it.
Home is Where the Heart is

Usually, we put up our little fake tree we have had for years but this year we went and bought a real little tree since its the first holiday in the house. I love it so much. It is decorated with a combination of ornaments that I have had for years growing up as well as Dan’s with some tinsel and silver beads. We sat it on our media cabinet and surrounded it with all our gifts.
Home is Where the Heart is

Home is Where the Heart is

In the dining room I kept it simple with a poinsettia plant and the white ceramic tree my Grandmother made for me years ago. There are little hints of the holiday throughout the space.
Home is Where the Heart is

Home is Where the Heart is

Our kitchen does’t have much space for much decoration so I just added a little bit of bling and found a perfect spot for a santa doll my Grandmother gave to me.
Home is Where the Heart is

Home is Where the Heart is

I hope you all had fun decorating your homes. Don’t you love the holidays!

Oh Christmas Tree

03 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Uncategorized

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christmas tree, color scheme, decorating, garland, holidays, metallics, ornaments, real simple magazine, theme, tree

Decorating your Christmas tree is always so much fun. There are so many ways to style it up for the holidays. From different color schemes to unique ornaments, creating a masterpiece isn’t so hard to do. Here are some really nice ideas I found from Real Simple.

By keeping to one color scheme, you will create a modern looking tree with high style. Try using different size ornaments as well as different types to create interest.

Fun and whimsy, this tree simply makes you smile. Choose a theme and go wild.

For a more sophisticated look, stick to silver or gold and add a color. Metallics always give colors a classic feel.

If elegant is what you want, than one metallic should work.

Tis’ the Season for Autumn Decorating

13 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, The Home

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autumn, Autumn Decorating, brown, corn stalks, crates, decor, decorating, fall, festive, front porch, gourds, halloween, hay, holidays, leaves, nature, orange, pumpkins, red, seasons, thanksgiving, trees, wreaths, yellow

Autumn is officially here and I must say it is the best season for decorating. With holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving and the beautiful fall weather, there are more than enough reasons to get creative and play dress up with your home.

In my opinion, using the harvest theme is always your safest bet. Plus, you can start decorating in September and change it all up in December when Christmas starts to roll in. That’s 3 months of super fun and also a good time span to not have to do anything else! Easy peasy, I say. From pumpkins and gourds to corn stalks and hay bales, there is so much to work with as well. Playing of autumn’s finest colors of oranges, reds, yellows and browns set the tone for endless possibilities.

For our front porch, we combined some of the season’s finest elements; corn stalks, leaves, pumpkins and mums. I used a few vintage crates for height and variety but kept within the fall color palette. I’m also considering adding a hay bale or two and I am waiting for a wreath I ordered for the front door to arrive. When Dan and I go pumpkin picking we will showcase our carved art pieces on the stairs as well. Just in time for the holiday.

I understand Halloween is a fun holiday, especially if you have kids. Incorporating themed decor is fine during the end of the October. Just be cautious to not go overboard, unless you’re creating a haunted house. I notice a lot of people can get a little cheesy with their seasonal decorations and most of the time its what they chose to use, not how they put it together. As long as you go with nicely styled pieces, you should be fine.

Bringing the outside in, isn’t so hard either. Just shower some fall goodness around your home, a little here and a little there, and fall will bring warmth and cozy to your space. From the front door to inside the comfiest of rooms in your home, autumn can come alive. This is one of the most colorful seasons and there are many reasons to celebrate it.

For my dining room table, I just wanted to bring a touch of the season so I dressed it with tiny pumpkins and gourds. I also showcased a vintage crate I had in my office that was sort of hidden so it felt new. Nothing crazy, just a little bit of earthy goodness.

Here are a few inspirations for autumn decorating that I felt were beautiful, fun and most of all, realistic. We can all make a nice statement at our home’s entrance and we can all surely give the inside a seasonal makeover. With the right decor and placement, fall can be celebrated in your one and only home sweet home.

Photo Credit: Pottery Barn