Christmas Home Tour 2017

This is my third Christmas in this house, and as I look back at previous photos I just love how it feels more like home each year. It also looks a lot less bare, too! We moved from a small cottage-style home that I absolutely loved, but we outgrew it as a family of five. The last Christmas in that home felt so right because the house was finally completed, and the decorations just made it extra special. It was hard to start over in a new home and decorate from scratch because I knew it would take time to get things just how I wanted it. I'm still not completely satisfied, but the to-do list is getting shorter. There's something about seeing the progression almost exactly one year later that makes me realize how far our home has come. I've finally stopped calling it the new house, too. It's just home now, and it feels even more special as I decorate each room for the holidays. Come in and take a look!

I absolutely love my new front door wreaths! I bought them at Home Depot and they are so realistic. The best part is that they are battery operated and work on a timer. Everything is on a timer in my house, from the tree to the candlesticks on the fireplace. I can't imagine having to remember to turn everything on and off every night. 

The entry is similar to last year, but this year I used so many more ornaments. I kept the traditional red, but added gold instead of silver. The glitter bows are new as well. I always have poinsettias, but I used three potted per planter this year. They were only $4 each from Wal-Mart so it wasn't too expensive. 

It's the best all lit up at night.

There's just something about Christmas lights!

The view looking out to the street is just as special. My husband has wanted to use blue lights for years. He finally got them this Christmas!

The view from the front doors all the way to the backyard is one of my favorite features of my home, but especially during Christmas when you can spot the lights of the tree. I moved it to the center of the living room instead of the corner for that reason alone. 

My reindeer got a new poinsettia garland around his neck this year. He's probably my favorite Christmas decoration, and I change up his look every year.

You might notice this side of the foyer got a blue makeover with new art and a throw pillow. I'm loving everything blue lately!

I love these new white stars I bought at Hobby Lobby for the stairs. They were only $6 each, but make such an impact.

The view of the stairs from the dining room.

Stair ribbon detail

I absolutely love the way the dining room turned out this year! I wasn't too sure how I was going to like this much white, but the fresh greenery on the table and the mini wreaths really ground all the lightness.

 The star of the show is my new 12 foot tall Christmas tree! It was a beast to decorate, but so worth it.

My candles are on a timer and come on right after the tree does at 5:30. I just love the ambiance in the evening. I take back every mean thing I said about how terrible these candles looked when I first opened the box. They are definitely better from a distance than on my dining room table.

I might have gotten carried away with the pictures this year!

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Christmas Decorating Tips

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and a successful Black Friday! I was able to get about half of my shopping done online the past two days. Thankfully, the boys are going back to school Monday when the boxes begin to arrive so I can start wrapping presents as they come in. I will be finishing up my Christmas decorating this weekend for a full house tour next week. I know many of you are already decorating your homes so I want to share a few tips that will hopefully make your decorating a little easier!

How to make a sparse artificial tree fuller

My new tree may be 12 feet tall, but it was not at all expensive. I looked for a full and pretty tree online, but the average price was $1500. I just couldn't even imagine spending that much so I went to Wal-Mart and found this pre-lit one for $250.

It isn't the fullest tree, but that's completely fixable. I separated the branches to make it fuller and filled the gaps with greenery. I bought several inexpensive garlands for $4 each and cut them up into six, one foot pieces. I used about four garlands for this tree. As you can see below, I just inserted the pieces wherever I could see through the tree.

How to fake wide, expensive ribbon

I love the ribbon at a local boutique, but not at $30-60 a roll. It's very easy to get a similar look by layering ribbon. Use a basic, wide ribbon like this mesh and then top it with a thinner decorative ribbon.

How to easily tie garland to a stair railing

Adding garland to the stairs has always been difficult for me until this year. I used ribbon in the past and it always came loose. There were many times the entire length of garland came crashing down into the entryway as I fought to put it up. I decided to try these garland ties I found at Home Depot. I couldn't believe how well these held the garland in place. It only took about 20 minutes to hang it all up this year.

Buy ribbon outside of the Christmas section

Every craft store carries ribbon all year round. Check that section of the store in addition to the Christmas aisles. The white paisley and burlap/gold ribbons on the stairs were non-holiday ribbons at Hobby Lobby, but they were still 50% off.

Ribbon Tutorial

I get the most questions about how to decorate a tree with ribbon. There is not just one way. I actually used a different method for my stair garland than my tree. I'll show you both.

On the tree, I knew I wanted it to be "ribbon heavy." I start at the top of the tree and work vertically. I secure the ribbon with branches like most people, but I prefer to secure them further inside the tree so there's less "branch pinching" to hide with ornaments. I make half circles with the ribbon that are tight enough so it's not slack, but loose enough to create a loop that sticks off the tree. I also like to use two different ribbons. In some sections they split apart and others they come together with one just peeking out behind the other. Even though I work vertically, I still angle the ribbon for interest.

You can see how they are paired together. Some areas they run together and other areas they are separated.

If you prefer a tree with less ribbon try cutting it into smaller pieces and only making two to three loops randomly on the tree. This is the method I used for my stair garland. I cut one foot sections of ribbon and just made two loops so it didn't overwhelm the garland.

I hope this helps if you are fighting with your ribbon or garland right now. Have a great weekend!