As a winter baby, the holidays are certainly my favorite time of the year. Between Thanksgiving, my birthday and Christmas, I have a busy few months. This year I will also be celebrating my puppy’s first birthday! I am more excited for Leo to turn one than I am to turn 23. But anyway, I love decorating for the holidays. Ever since I was little, I would run around the house with the hundreds of holiday decor my mom had, and would put a million things in each room. While my mom always went around and moved / removed things, it was my favorite part of the holiday season. At almost 23 years old now, decorating for the winter holidays is still my favorite thing. My holiday decor has already started going up, and its just the beginning.
My Holiday Decorations
When I bought my fall decorations this year, I tried to pick out pieces that would transition well into the winter holidays. Using neutral colors that match my current color palette, like off-white and grey with touches of pale pink and blue, I am able to pull the fall pieces in with the winter, holiday decor. This was important to me so that I wouldn’t have to buy so much for each season, and I will have less to store afterwards. My apartment has limited closet space and what I do have is already full, of my clothes..
I do not yet have a Christmas tree, but I am planning on purchasing a small, real tree this year. I am already preparing for Leo most likely wanting to eat it, and figured a real tree is easier to deal with than a fake one, which I would have to store and pack up later.
To avoid my counter tops getting cluttered, I focus my decorating on my fireplace mantle and living room TV unit. I have to be careful what I put on the ground in front of my fireplace, Leo is the most curious pup, and will sniff and snack anything he thinks might be a toy / treat. Keeping my decorations out of nose-shot is the best bet.
I pulled the pumpkins from my Fall Mantle Decor, see post here, and re-arranged them to pair with the holiday mantle decor. Most of my decorations are from Joann Fabrics, and are always on sale. I started decorating for the holidays, or what I like to call pre-holidays, near the end of October. I had some content I needed to shoot that I wanted to have a holiday feel, so I started the process ahead of time. Plus, holiday decorations just make the space feel so much more cozy and comfortable. Even more of a reason for me to stay home and hang out!
Where to Buy Holiday Decor
My favorite, inexpensive places to buy holiday decor are Joanne Fabric’s, the constant coupons and sales makes the for super low prices. Target, the dollar section is my all time favorite spot. My boyfriend always makes fun of me because I will spend at least ten minutes sorting through everything, and I always buy a few items. Last year I got some super cute, small trinkets for Christmas and they were all under $5 each. The Dollar Tree, yes the dollar tree! They actually get in some super cute ornaments and small items, and they’re all $1! Its unbeatable when you need a few filler items. Of course TJMaxx and Marshall’s as well. I already bought my off-white stocking and marble stocking weight from TJMaxx this year, they were both under $10 and are so chic.
Tie-In Existing Decorations
One of my favorite pieces so far is the black and white buffalo check garland. I paid less than $5 for it, and am planning on going back for 2-3 more when I have my tree. They help tie in my color scheme super well, and add a fun pattern. Joanne’s had this garland in multiple different color ways and patterns! The faux birch logs have a touch of white glitter dusted on them, giving a snow illusion, and I love the simple sparkle they add.
I plan to take firefly lights, found here, and wrap them in between my mantle pieces after I have my tree as well. The ones I have are 30 feet long, and are battery / remote controlled, making it super easy to turn them on and off! The blue suitcase is a vintage piece I stole from my mother, who probably bought it at an estate sale. I love the look and color it has, and I hope to find a few more down the road. Perfect for a vintage holiday look!
Its so hard to not go over-board with my decorating, something I did last year. But I am trying to keep it minimal yet cozy, mostly because of the lack of storage I have. When Thanksgiving has passed, I will hang large ornaments from the wood mantle, dangling them over the fireplace entrance. The grey ottoman I have moved to the side of my fireplace was previously in one of my bedrooms, and it has storage under the lid. I keep my extra blankets and pillows inside it, and I will put a few more holiday decor items on top of it, in place of the pillows, when its closer to the season. Moving around existing pieces to make the holiday decor work is all apart of the decorating process, and I love to switch it up. It help keeps my home from being stale in my eyes.
Gift Guides
If you are on top of things in your life, you might have already started shopping for holiday gifts. I am not at the stage in my life, but maybe some day. I have a bunch of gift guides I am going to be posting over the next few weeks, so keep an eye out if you need some ideas! There are ones for him, her, your BFF and even fur-babies. The dog one is my favorite though, of course. Leo already has a bundle of presents waiting for him! He did happen to find and break into one already, though.. He also is the only one in my home to have a stocking up, and I am fine with it. He’s my fur child and deserves it all!
Custom Gifts
If you are searching for custom holiday gifts, hop over to my SHOP page, at the top of the browser. I have listed a few custom pieces I have made, and anything on the site can be altered and changed. For example, I have a few hoodie and sweatshirt tops with an embroidered Husky. The embroidery can be altered to anything you would like, such as a different dog, lettering or something random, like a flower! What ever you can think of, I got ya, if needed! Just send an email to toristateofmind@gmail.com with instructions.
Have holiday decor up in your home already? Leave me a comment below! I would love to see!
XO,
Tori
