Halloween Decor

As much as I love decor, I am not a huge holiday decorations person. Clutter and stuff makes me itch, which makes my holiday decor game pretty weak. 

I am recognizing that my kids caring about holidays and the magic of it all is pretty fleeting. And at the ages they are at now a more fun house for the holidays would make for good memories. 

So I am going to up my game this year and I am starting with Halloween. 

But let's be clear, I am not blowing up the house and stuffing every mantel. 

Just a few fun things with big impact so that my kids smile bigger and the season is just a bit more fun. 

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1. A cute striped rug or runner is so perfect to break out for Halloween! Thinking a runner in the kitchen or entry would be fun. 

2. I can always get behind a wreath and this bat one is sweet. 

3. Obsessed with these bat plates! There are also matching bowls. 

4. A swarm of bats on the wall is always fun

5. Lizzo fans will love this door mat

6. Amber glass pumpkins perfect for candles or little lights

7. Drippy, flickering candles that work on a remote. 

8. Cute felt ball garland for the mantel. 

9. Love these gold skeleton candles

10. How fun are these skeleton hands making signs for the garden? 

11. Chic black pumpkin lanterns 

12. I have these big spiders and the kids went crazy for them last year

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All Things Holiday

Yep, it is happening. 

Thanksgiving is creeping up and Christmas is a mere six weeks away. Which is actually a legit amount of time, but my goal this year was to have the holiday cheer up and running earlier so that we can enjoy it more. Because let's get real, there is money being spent on all this madness so we better get as much out of it as we can. 

Let me remind you though that I am a less is more when it comes to decorations for holidays. 

Any holiday. 

Garland, wreath, candles, stockings, and maybe a fun bowl here or there. That is it. Just enough to make it special, but not enough to be a pain in the ass. 

Well, and the tree of course, but that doesn't count. 

I also love maybe one new fun serving dish or tabletop piece to spice the dinner table up. 

And last, but certainly cutest, the holiday pajamas for the kids.

In all honestly, I love a good Home Depot wreath that I add a nice bow to for the front door. But inside, I like to get one more nice one for the mantle or above a door. And there are some great alterna tree options this year.

1. Obsessed with this gilded olive branch wreath / 2. I love the retro feel of this pretty tree topper / 3. These are an investment, but would be perfect in an entry / 4. A real mini tree that comes to your door  in a pretty basket. Perfect for little ones / 5. Fresh Swags are so great above doors / 6. LOVE this magnolia wreath / 7. And the heather in this wreath make sit more femme / 8. This wreath hanger would be killer for over a dining table. Just add your favorite wreath with pretty ribbon / 9. Simple boxwood wreaths never tire / 10. These lighted twig wreaths just need some ribbon (under $20) / 11. This tree skirt has tiny black stitching

We have a few mantles at our house and they are my favorite to dress up a bit. These are all fun options

1. Faux lighted boxwood lights you could easily incorporate into a garland or wrap anything with. / 2. A sweet bunting sign  / 3. Raw wood trees to nestle in some garland / 4. Easily done light wall with these lights / 5. Faux lighted garland you can reuse every year / 6. I am sucker for a bow and I love these taper holders / 7. One or two of these on a table or mantle would be a showstopper /  8. Love this branch stocking holder  / 9. I live by these little battery powered string lights. 

For the table, just a little mix of modern and kitsch 

1. This pretty tiered marble tray would be great for cookies or apps / 2. Love this winterberry tablecloth. Or this / 3. This santa cookie jar reminds me of childhood in the best way. And these mugs / 4. Melamine Spode plates for the kids. They also have bowls. These are cute too/ 5. This sweet star bowl would be great for serving or even on its own / 6. This dish is genius! olives/nuts/cherries/edamme/candy in the top, pits/shells/stems/wrappers go in the slot. / 7. A simple white antler serving platter

Whether you match all the kids or not, there are some cute options for all 

Less expensive Hanna-esque stripes / Pretty Forest for bigs and littles / Soft Gingham / Plaid / Fair Isle for bigs and littles 

 And lastly, some matching stockings for the entire crew this year might nice

1. Magnolia plaid greatness and this / 2. Love a fuzzy / 3. Classic fair isle that comes in many colors / 4. Needlepoint at a great price / 5. Simple velvet for under $20 / 6. Preppy plaid / Fun stripe knit / 8. Burlap and quilted 

xo

Erin 

Decking the Halls

Putting up Christmas decorations always starts fun for me, but always ends up being a bit more work than I remember. This year, there are more mantels to decorate and I wanted to use things we already had. Outside, I actually hung the garland and lights myself only to find them on the ground an hour later. Matt rehung them for me (almost) happily. I was bummed since I wanted to accomplish that on my own, but at least I tried? 

I went with fresh garland and just lights around the entry. The house is set away from the street, so really no one will see it except guests and us. It was my first round buying real garland. I clearly did not pick the lushest of them, which I will do next year. 

The larger LED lights are a cooler color than the traditional. I like how much it lights up the entry. I bought the wreath (all of them) and got crafty by making the bows. 

We use a fake tree inside. It is just easier and I love how it is already lighted. My mom gave me these fun yellow, silver, and black striped ornaments last year. I love the unexpected colors in the tree along with the more traditional ones. 

The fresh wreaths inside make up for the fake tree. They smell amazing. To keep them fresh, I spritz with some water every other day or so. The little bells garland and the crystal candlesticks are what I usually use as the centerpiece for Christmas dinner. 

These glass vases are always on the island, so I just filled them with some pine cones and garland. I am using that low vase to hold Christmas cards this year. 

Glittery little trees for the side table in the family room. 

The mantel in the family room has some great (fake) garland from Nell Hill's that my mom sent me on it. 

Also from Nell Hill's is this amazing lighted wire. It is battery operated, flexible and gives off great light. Genius for indoor decorating. 

I used this idea last year. It is an easy way to add cheer to a vignette. 

The mantel in the living room I kept simple since the tree is in here. I watched a video to help me tie the wreath bows. I used a plaid tartan and white polka dot ribbon. Then I used some bulb lights from Ikea and Moroccan tea glasses as votives. It will be pretty with the lights turned off at night with the tree. 

Since I was already all over the decorating, I finally put round bulbs in my new light fixture (vintage). I go in the living room and turn it on all the time now. Just to stare. Yep, obsessed. 

Here's to happy holiday decorating and a fun weekend. 

xo

Erin 

Starting to Get Jolly Around Here

Finally settled back into reality after a fantastic break on the beach, I decided to start the holidays off yesterday. I will be hosting Christmas this year and decided there is no time like the present to get things started. Let me just be clear that decorating for a holiday is not usually my forte, but I am trying a bit more now that I have the responsibility to bring on the cheer and all. 

So here are my first attempts at a few, easy ways to bring on the jolly. 

Tiny star garland (Target) and big round bulbs (Ikea) on a mini tree in the entry...

Note: Real tree, but just a little guy

 Branches (Ikea) and garland (the real deal) in the kitchen nook....

Filled my usual flower vases by the entry with some cheap ornaments (Ikea), bead garland (Ikea) and costume pearls (mine), plus spruced up the back with some leftover greens and branches (more like shoved, but it turned out pretty good). 

Things really got crazy when I filled this silver champagne chiller with metallic ornaments (Ikea) and some strands of LED lights (Ikea). Kind of obsessed with it. Not so much because it is so gorgeous, but because it made me feel clever, which rarely happens. 

So far, it is starting to feel like the holidays, and I like it. 


xoxo
Erin