Christmas Top Five

Ho Ho Holy Moley! I can't believe 2014 is almost over! Thank you so much for dropping in every now and again to see what's new on The Hydeout. I never imagined I would one day be blogging (ew...I still don't like that word), but I love writing about my adventures in home decorating and am looking forward to sharing some exciting new projects next year (read: bold wallpaper for the entryway and a possible fireplace refresh)!

So, I thought it would be relevant to end the year with my Top Five Christmas Decorating Ideas for a Warm and Cozy Family Home. And here they are, in no particular order...

# 1. Retro Hodgepodge Tree

I love a perfectly imperfect tree decorated with a mishmash of ornaments and tinsel and paper decorations the kids have made over the years. The trick to keeping it from looking tacky is sticking to a color scheme and a loosely applied theme (i.e. mine could be rustic vintage). I will take down any completely clashing ornaments the kids put up when they are not looking and hide them at the bottom of the Rubbermaid container. But anything nostalgic goes up, and my favorites are actually the paper decorations for the pops of white they lend to the tree, which really brighten it up.

#2. Mason Jar Snowscapes

This was an activity I did with the kids at one of our Christmas parties a couple of years ago after seeing similar jars in the Anthropologie catalog. All you need are some large Mason jars (vintage ones look nicer but any old spaghetti sauce jar will do), plastic figurines, bottle-brush trees or whatever you can imagine putting inside, Plasticine, sparkly fake snow from a craft store like Michaels, and some Elmer's glue. Begin by coating the inside of the lid with glue, then build up a small mound of Plasticine on the inside of your lid. Cover the Plasticine with glue and sprinkle with fake snow. Finally, insert your figures into the Plasticine, using more glue if necessary. Carefully place jar over top and secure tightly to lid. My friend's kid made one with a pewter owl figurine inside and it looked just like something you would buy at West Elm!

#3. Mid-Century Swedish Gnomes

                   I picked up this trio at a thrift store waaaay back. I love their wooden vintage looks and their expressive faces. I just bet these guys get up to no good when there is no one at home... ;) I have seen similar Scandinavian style gnomes at stores like HomeSense. 

#4. Shelf with Swag/X-mas Card Holder

To display our Christmas cards this year (BIG HUGS to those of you die-hards who still send these out), I thought I would attach some baker's twine to the garland decorating the display shelf above the entry to the living room, and hang cards with mini red paper clips I found at Target. Best thing is that it frees up the fireplace mantel for more decorations!

#5. Retro Plastic Light-up Santa

There is something about an old-fashioned Santa, whether he be the plastic light-up kind or a velvet-suited tree ornament type, that brings me right back to when I was a kid. This guy holds court in my living room every year and I just bought a bigger one to go in my yard this year at Value Village. 

And...One for Good Luck

I know I said I was only going to post a Top Five, but I couldn't resist throwing in this pic! 

Hope your holidays are merry and bright!

Peace, Love and Joy always,

Lara