It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

I am linking up today with Becky at From Mrs. to Mama & Aly at Analyze This today to show off my Christmas decor.  

We have definitely slacked a bit on the decorations outside this year!  Brent normally puts up icicle lights around the roof and then puts lights on the HUGE pine tree beside the house.  People always love our big tree all lit up, but Brent just never had time to get around to putting them out this year.  So all we have outside is a garden flag and a little sign staked into the ground.  Nothing exciting!  Then you have my wreath on the front door.

I absolutely love this wreath!  My grandmother made it for me after I saw one very similar in store that was selling for like fifty bucks!  I couldn't shell out that kind of cash on something like that our first Christmas, so I took a picture of it and bought the wreath, ribbon, and ornaments and she threw it together with no problem!  She is very talented!  Plus, I got it for so much less!

This is my dining area set up.  It is right as you walk in my front door.  This is probably the most festive area of the house.  Basically, I just change out the candles on my sconces, put a pretty bow on the mirror to make it like a present (the ribbon matches my wreath!), put out some table decorations, and decorate the chandelier.  

This is a closer view of my table.  I have the advent wreath which was made from fresh evergreen and berries at a church function, real pine cones from my trees outside, snowmen embroidered with the year we were married, some other little snowmen (obviously I love snowmen!), some pretty place mats I bought at Kohl's a few years back, and coasters I made at another church function a couple of years ago.  

Then there is our chandelier.  We saw this idea on HGTV last year when we were decorating for Christmas.  We ended up running to Walmart to get the supplies we needed and put one of our own up that night!  Basically, you just need a wreath with the right diameter to match the size of your light fixture, a few strands of garland, and some ornaments and ribbon.  You just wrap a few branches of the wreath around each arm of the light, then wrap garland around the top part and blend it into the wreath at the bottom.  Then you decorate as you wish.  We put a bow on top and wrapped more of the ribbon around the wreath on the bottom (you should do this before you hang it!). Then we hang pretty ornaments from the bottom hanging down and mix a few balls in on the top.  Just a warning if you plan to do this: it does limit the light from being as bright on the table, but not so much that it isn't usable.  

Then we have our stockings hung on the TV stand since we don't have a mantle. I want a fireplace so bad!  Hopefully in our next house!  Bella's stocking is in the middle.  It says "Dear Santa...I've been a Princess." :)

Then, of course, you have our tree.  I think it looks the prettiest at night all lit up, but you can see a brighter picture in this post, which was taken before all the presents were wrapped.

This is the top of our tree, since it isn't very visible in the other picture.  My talented grandma made this bow for me and I stuck those stick decorations around it.  They are also spread out throughout the tree in some of the areas where the branches weren't as full.  I made that "S" a few years ago.  It is just a Hobby Lobby letter painted red.  Then I put lime green polka dots on it and traced around them with white puffy paint.  It is far from perfect, but from far away, I love it on the tree.  One year, before we started the chandelier thing, we put it up in the chandelier with some ribbon and it looked great there as well!

Then we have the small details which are here and there throughout the house.  I didn't picture them all, but here is our end table in the living room.  I bought that little wire tree this year at Hobby Lobby and I think it is so cute!   I think my little Santa with the sleigh tea light holder came from Kirkland's last year.  And the coaster I made with the others on the dining table.

The kitchen has several holiday touches to it as well.  I have several cute dish towels and little knick knacks sitting around on the counters.  My favorite thing in the kitchen is my UK plate I bought last year with the candy canes and a little UK version of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" on it.  The picture on the right is one of my favorite DIY Christmas items in the house.  My step-grandmother made this out of an old wine bottle!  She painted it with a snowman (I know, who would've guessed!) and stuffed it with Christmas lights.  It makes a really good little night light for when friends and family are over.

Next, I am going to show my hubby's "man room" decorations.  Even though I am not into the hunting thing, it is really fun to decorate in there!

This is what I do to his deer mount!  He ordered that camouflage stocking one year online and expected me to put it in the living room.  I refused and told him it would "look so much better in your man room!"  So I hang it from his deer's antlers and mix in a few ornaments just for fun.  I am on the lookout for a clown nose so I can make him into Rudolph!  

And here is his little tree.  I bought one or two strands of the shotgun shell lights from Hobby Lobby to put on it.  Then I painted some glass ornaments a hunter green color and went outside to get some leaves that had fallen.  I used them as sponges basically and dipped them in browns and tan colored paints then pressed them to the ornaments so they would get the color and texture.  They turned out as cute as a camo ornament could be!  I topped it off with a set of antlers!  I still need to get some burlap to wrap around the bottom as the tree skirt.

Well...that's the main part of our Christmas decorating.  I hope to give some readers some ideas and I hope to gain some from the bloggers who link up!  

Next week, it is all about the Christmas traditions!