Winter Decorating at Home

Now that the holidays are over (waa waaa waaa :(  )    it's time to box up all of the Christmas decorations and get back to reality.  BUT...  I still want things to feel a little festive around here & to make it pretty & wintry-feeling so we've been going around the house adding little touches of Winter here & there.  (This is partly because I'm still excited that it's winter & partly  because Winter gets depressing towards the end so I'm trying to keep it fresh!!)

{our new fireplace!!}


 I like to keep things natural & simple & fun (meaning it has to be easy & relatively quick) and I love involving my kids in decorating so they feel a part of things.

When we made snowflakes for Sandy Hook Elementary School, we made a few for ourselves too and hung them on the kitchen doors:

 
 
I may have had more fun than the kids ;) ;)
 
 
 
 We also went on a long walk around our woods & cut holly to put around the house.  I think cutting things from my yard and bringing them inside is one of my absolute favorite things on this planet to do.  I love being outside with my kids and they love coming on a mission with me to find just the right thing. 

{I know I've shown you this picture before but it was such a good, quiet moment for me that I'm sharing it again}

They day we picked the holly it was snowing a little... (above)  The bigger boys (Christian 5, and Justin now 3!!!)  and I got all bundled up and went through the woods.  I cut and they carry.


{holly in the powder room}
 
My grandmother used to (and still does) constantly make arrangements around the house from things she or my grandfather picked up on their walks.  My mom and I lived with them when I was a little girl, and I remember before parties that an arrangement would always go in the guest bath.  I try to do do the same thing myself now at our place. 
 
{my bathroom}
 
Holly lasts a really long time when you bring it in & we've found a few holly trees & bushes around our new house...
 
 
{in the kitchen}
 
Along with the snowflakes & holly we have another little addition to our family room:
 
{deer pillow}
 
It's one of those kitchsy things you love instantly and you know that you're not supposed to like because it's so kitschy-cute but you do anyway...   (I have that feeling towards lots of Christmas things, like the big old vintage colored lights.)  Anyway, I saw them at Pottery Barn & loved them but they were all sold out so my husband secretly found one on Ebay for me & surprised me with it for Christmas.  (love him.)  We have deer all over the place at our new house and so they fit perfectly. 
 
So...  we're still adding touches here and there (and dumping out water from stinky old plants/branches we've brought in) but I'm really enjoying having an (almost!) finished house!!  The majority of the construction on our first floor is finished and the layout of the house is working so well for us.  I looooooove having a kitchen that's completely open to my living room.  Being able to add little pretty things around the house is like the icing on the cake. 
 
Happy New Year to you & yours!!
 
What do you do at home to keep Winter feeling fresh &cozy?
 
 


If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.
 
And, there's still time to make snowflakes for Sandy Hook Elementary School. 
You can mail them to:
 
Connecticut PTSA
60 Connolly Parkway
Building 12
Suite 103
Hamden, CT 06514

19 comments:

Bethany [at] Powell Brower Home said...

i love that you guys did those snowflakes, so so special!!! and great idea on the holly. i literally got up from my seat to set out into my woods and then I remembered I think it may be poisonous to dogs. Not that the older one would bother it, but the puppy is way too curious for now. Anything else good in winter? LOL

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

BaileyWife said...

I also keep our snowflakes up at least through Feb. and I have a couple vintage sleds on display in our home...and our vine/branches from our yard are all over our home this year, and will continue long after the holidays are over! Makes me feel good, bringing the outdoors to our indoors! :) ~Kim

spark! (Ada-Marie) said...

Happy new year, Lauren! I love the pillow too! :)

Vel Criste said...

Love the touch of outdoors inside anytime. Thanks for the inspirations! Happy new year!

Unknown said...

It must have been so much fun enjoying your new home over the holidays. Great idea with the holly. I have a few bushes and will be cutting some stems today. Just cleared out Christmas and was looking for some simple touches to bring in.

pve design said...

I love cutting branches and bringing them inside and then having seasonal shapes with watercolor - at Thanksgiving I created a thankful tree....now Valentine's is around the corner and I am thinking of making a love tree. When we have dinner guests, I will have them write on their place card and then hang it from the tree.
Love pine, holly, berries and always have a scented pine candle burning during the winter months.
pve

Anonymous said...

What a lovely idea for freshening a winter home. I still have cut holly from making Christmas arrangements that has been outdoors so it looks fresh. I will bring some inside. Imagine the joy for the discarded holly of knowing it will, after all, be used to brighten a spot.

Linda@ Lime in the Coconut said...

Ummmmm. I am majorly smelling my Christmas tree right hough, someone told me that when you can really smell it...it is drying up:(

Is it wrong of me to want to see WAY more peeks into your new casa~~?

Laura@Elegant Nest said...

I am with you...I love snipping a few sprigs from the yard and bringing them inside. I also always put a little vase in the powder room with a sprig or two. Wish I had holly like you found, but even a couple of privot branches look pretty in a glass vase. Happy Winter to you and yours!

Loretta Fontaine (EcoHappy Blog) said...

Lauren- Happy New Year!

I have a collection of kid's winter picture books (I SO only want to read wintery things when it's cold out!) and hope I can enlarge some images from the books to swap out in picture frames just for the winter... Maybe I will get to it this year!

Your fireplace is lovely - so nice to see the warmth of dancing flames in winter. We have a wood stove and I could watch it all day.

Loretta

Unknown said...

I fell in love with the same pillow for the same reason, it can stay out all winter long. while we dont have deer here in socal it does remind me of growing up in Monterey. Here is to a great 2013 for you and your family.

EDYTA & CO. INTERIOR DESIGN said...

I used to Love making snowflakes and I'm overdue to make some so I should get on it ;-)
When it comes to Christmas decorating, in my culture we keep it up for a while, until February. The tree gets dressed on Christmas eve with christmas carolls playing and traditional food being coocked for Christmas Eve Supper. To this day I keep my tree up for a while, I love the holiday spirit :)

Happy Thursday! xo Edyta
www.edytaandco.com/blog/

JenT said...

Hi Lauren
Just want to thank you for this post and all the others. Your updates are the ones i really look forward too. I loved your old house and now I'm loving watching you transform your new home. What a wonderful family you have too! Thanks so much for sharing with us. I've used some of your ideas!! All the best and Happy New Year from eastern Washington state.
Jen
jwoods.taylor@gmail.com.

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Hi Lauren,

I like gathering items when out for a walk also... bringing nature inside brightens every corner of the house.

Happy New Year!

Liz

Anonymous said...

Pillow is really beautifule ! Happy New Year

Anonymous said...

That holly is so pretty. Perfect little way to decorate for the holidays - love it!

Melissa @ Lived In said...

Lauren,
My friend's little brother had a snowflake making party and made 250 snowflakes for the Sandy Hook kids! I had just seen your post the day before and it inspired my kids, Iris and Sam to make snowflakes for the kids to send. We are mailing them tomorrow --- thank you for posting the address and info. Of course, at 6 and 4, they only know the snowflakes are going to kids getting a new school. It kind of turned my stomach just thinking of discussing what happened in any way. They are too little to have worries that big.
Melissa

Anonymous said...

There is nothing prettier than a few simple branches in a vase is there really? Well maybe the great paper snowflakes!!

A Lifestyle Thing said...

Lauren, I've just caught up with your last two posts. So sweet. I love not only your style, but your writing. It's so inspiring. Thank you for the 'walk thru the forest'. {It's almost scary how much alike we are in business and personal...both designers, both renovating houses, husband just joined me in the biz then babies under the same roof}. I feel like I live in the circus. Anyway, I'm inspired by you and hope this year brings prosperity to both our companies and families. Happy New Year friend!

xx
sharon