If you still haven't been filled with the feeling of Christmas it is not your fault. It's just that kind of year. For those of you reading this post in the year 2040, just so you know - 2020 was a real struggle. Keep on scrolling, I've got a booster shot for Christmas enthusiasm.
Listen, I've got to tell you - it appears as though the amount of bows you use in decorating is directly proportionate to the amount of deadly virus floating through the air.
That's just kind of a warning that I've gone bow crazy this year. Which, as someone who isn't a fan of bows, means more than 1 bow.
O.K., let's get this tour underway. As always my Christmas tree is in the front hall and it's covered in my dried orange slices and antique Christmas balls. The lights are regular LED lights that I've fit with homemade Christmas tree candles.
Nuts fill a low bowl on the table because cracking nuts and having their shrapnel-like shells shatter around the room for you to step on later is a very good way to forget about other bad things for a while.
The Victorian Christmas Tradition of Dried Flowers.
For the first time I planned ahead and either dried or preserved a lot of the flowers from my garden. I then used them around the house in greenery for a Victorian feel.
On the buffet I intertwined Hot Biscuits Amaranth, Celosia, and Opopeo Amaranth with garland and pine cones.
The rest of the preserved flowers are going to show up in a bit, when we get to the dining room portion of the tour.
The living room has been given a winter makeover with really just the odd touch of Christmas garland and - yup - bows.
The bows you'll see throughout this post I made with red velvet fabric my mother was getting rid of. I like the way actual fabric bows, fall and droop.
For a wintery, cozy feel I've set sparkly pears in a modern dish with legs, threw some extra blankets into the room, added a couple of board games around the room and more candles.
Things like plaid throws and wood skis really fill up the space and make it feel Christmassy and cozy, but they're things I'll feel good about leaving out for the entire winter season, not just the month of December.
The bows and garland drive home Christmas and w hen they're added to a wintery room, make it feel like the holidays.
If you're an Art of Doing Stuff addict then you might notice that these doors are new. They're authentic painted wood shutters complete with the original hardware. I just bought them this month from a longgggg time friend whose father had them shipped from France years ago.
I wasn't even going to buy them. I did a lot of hemming and hawing about how I didn't really have any need for painted, antique wood shutters from France and where would I put them anyway.
I was such a dummy.
Anyhow, the good news is I smartened up and bought them. For now they're leaning against a corner wall, propped up on some old suitcases behind the sofa.
I think we can agree all this fireplace needs is a dog laying in front of it.
After a year of hiatus, the garland is back on the big mirror. If you look closely to the bench underneath there's a silver domed dish. Under that dome is a squirt gun. No there isn't. It's filled with After Eight mints. At least it was up until about 4 hours ago.
O.K., we're going to walk down my enormous 2' long hall and enter the dining room.
Here there's fake garland from Ikea running from the light in the middle of the dining room to each corner. It's lit with these copper wire lights which are the ONE thing you should buy for Christmas decorating. You can do ANYTHING with them and they'll warm your house up all cozy-like. Scrunch the wire lights under a glass dome, run them on top of cupboards, if they're battery operated like these you can put them under the skirt of your table to make it glow down, run them around the interior of your windows ... it's never ending.
Other than my Christmas tree lights, these are the lights I use on everything.
The dining room's full on Victorian look is courtesy of the the silver meat dome, the clementine oranges and the candelabra wreaths which are filled with more preserved flowers from the garden.
And yes. I know. There's a deer's head on the wall which you absolutely ___________!!! (insert love or hate in that space because I know it's one or the other)
If this were a normal year I'd have an imitation pigs head with an apple in its mouth under that dome. But it's not. No one will be coming to my house, casually lifting the dome to see what's underneath and screaming in horror - so why even bother?
Again, the red velvet fabric bow on the end of my saddle which is also fancied up with some a live evergreen swag.
Here you can just get a better look at the candelabras. The actual candelabras I got at the Christie antique show in Canada.
O.K., backing up into the kitchen.
The worn, metal bells hanging from the drawers are from my sister's store. The garland on the top of the hardware cabinet is just individual sprigs all laid in a row with my favourite copper string lights. And to top it all off the pig has a massive red plaid bow which I acquired at a rather exclusive Dollarama store.
I have somehow LOST a mini Christmas tree. I used to have 2 of these little trees from Ikea, but I must have eaten the other one last year in some sort of faux evergreen craving.
Mercury glass Santa Claus found at a garage sale about 10 years ago for $2. I know because the price tag is still on the bottom of it. Am I the only one who does that? I almost always tape the price tags of things I've bought to the bottom of it so I can remember what I paid for it.
Is that weird?
Oh look. Another bow. Along with a box there are store bought cookies. Bought. From a store. That's right. I bought cookies that were ALREADY ASSEMBLED!
If you don't have a lot of time or energy or money, evergreen branches are the other thing you can use to make your house feel instantly like the holidays.
You don't even have to be talented to arrange them. They kind of arrange themselves. Just cut the evergreens, strip the needles that are below water and stick them in a vase, jug, glass or bowl.
Drop a red bow on it or scatter a few oranges around and you're done.
Did it help? Are you feeling a little more inspired to get your house ready for Christmas? Or more inspired to actually embrace this season?
With less travelling, less visiting and less pressure this year actually has the potential to be the most relaxing Christmas you've ever had.
You just have to wrap your head around it and look forward to different things. Instead of a big family dinner, look forward to staying in your pajamas, making yourself your favourite dinner or appetizers, and laying around doing absolutely nothing more than relaxing.
Go for walks in the cold so you can experience the crushing warmth and coziness when you walk back in your house.
Do a jigsaw puzzle.
Eat your decorations.
Change what you're looking forward to instead of being miserable over how things won't be the same.
When in doubt or feeling down - take a booster shot.
YOU'VE CORNERED THIS CRAZY CHRISTMAS ... BANG ON.
FUNNY, THE LITTLE THINGS THAT ALWAYS STAND OUT IN YOUR BLOG PHOTOS:
THE TRAY OF JUGS/PITCHERS ON THE KITCHEN ISLAND ... LOVE THAT !
YOUR NEWLY ACQUIRED FRENCH BLUE SHUTTERS ... MELLOW.
THE "SIGNATURE" ART CANVAS LAYERED WITH WOODEN SKIS ... UNIQUE MELD.
THANKS FOR BEING OUR HYSTERICAL GUIDING LIGHT !
Thanks for being a supporter! ~ karen
Very spirited post, really enjoyed your inspirations and vintage furnishings. Also I get your humor which means you are quickly becoming one of my favorite bloggers. Merry, merry!
Good! That's where I want to stay. "One of your favorite bloggers". Any more than that and it's way too much pressure to actually be good. ~ karen!
Writer's Tears whiskey?! I love it ^_^
We added to our Christmas lights outside this year to amp up the holiday spirit. My 3 year old is obsessed with Christmas lights and my 1 year old is obsessed with trying to eat Christmas ornaments. We discovered teeth scrapes on a plastic ball ornament and since then the ornaments have migrated upwards, leaving us with a Porky Pig tree (you know, naked on the bottom ;) )
Well, I was wondering why I felt the need to buy 30 yards of ribbon and put bows on everything!
And I love the wood shutters, I think they look pretty dang great right where they are!
It's a wrap it up with a bow kind of year, lol. ~ karen!
Love it all ! Can’t travel to Ontario this winter to see my Mom in Ancaster so you give me some of the “feels” of the season there. beautiful and cozy ! What is the word on the artwork behind the skis ?
Can you please publish a book of your holiday decorations and how-to instructions? For all the holidays? You have the best Halloween and Christmas stuff and I look forward to the posts every year! I'd buy the book so I could have it on hand and give it a try sometime in my own place.
Hi Brenda! Most of the tutorials are right on this blog. :) But I know a lot of people like to have an actual book, whether it's a hardcover book or an ebook with everything curated down to the few things they want. ~ karen!
This is all so beautiful, as usual.
I would love if you could give a little lesson some time on arranging flowers/greenery on flat or shallow vessels. Those candelabras look gorgeous! But I know if I tried that on something similar it would look like I just awkwardly laid down some sprigs.
Thanks, and happy holidays!
Deer head: hmmm, gonna wimp out and simply say, “ not my jam “. My Dad had a sporting goods store in the 50s and they were everywhere, but I remember most playing with the rubber worms.
Fabric bows: love the way they flop and drape. Far too many wrangle them into ‘behaving’ when they should let them be.
Dog: absolutely, you must get a dog, it would add a whole new dimension to your life. I see you with a medium sized goldendoodle who lives to cuddle, lay by the fire and look beseechingly at you for chin scratches and occasional snax— which you can, and should make yourself.
You have a beautiful home, Karen. Thanks for sharing it with the world.
( See? A whole new post!)
Awesome Holiday "feels". Absolutely welcoming and as always, thanks for sharing.
Thanks Gerald! I'm looking forward to a couple of pajama days in it. ~ karen!
Thank you for the tour. I’m missing the St James Holiday House Tour to get me in the mood for decorating but your house inspired me.
No Christmas tours, no apple cider in one of the houses, no nothin' this year. I'll be doing a LOT of walking around looking at Christmas lights at night, lol. ~ karen!
We have been out several times already for Christmas light tours. Love it.
I need to find out if those trees from IKEA are still available! So cute!! Thanks for encouraging us, in a nice way, to embrace this season as one of peace and calm. Spot on. Enjoy same for yourself and btw, your home looks beautiful. Nothing new there, but in a different, Christmasy way.
Thanks Sue. I figured if I was feeling bleh about this Christmas a lot of other people probably were too. ~ karen!
Hey Sue, I don’t know how close you live to an IKEA (I’m about 10 minutes from one) but here’s some info. They have a number of small trees this year so go to their website and search under “Vinter 2020”. If you have set your local store, it will advise you on availability. Most of their Christmas stuff is now 40% off but a lot has been gone for a long time ☹️. You must shop in person (no online) so avoid weekends but Saturday evening is usually a good bet. Cheers & good luck in your quest!
The most beautiful combination of MCM, antique and contemporary house in the universe!
If you have a cat, he/she ate the missing tree (mine would have).
Thanks for saying that Elizabeth. It has taken me YEARS to really understand what my style is, lol. I think I have it figured out now. ~ karen!
Inspiring decorating APU. This year I have not really felt like doing much Christmas decorating (as in--why bother) but I feel differently now after seeing great ideas in your post.
Admittedly I look for the vintage white toy truck in your Christmas post to see how it is decorated. Found it and like the simplicity.
:) Yup, this year the truck is just filled with twinkle lights. I'm not sure if I got it in a shot or not but there's ANOTHER truck that comes out at Christmas. If it's not in the post I'll try to put it up on Instagram. ~ karen!
Hi Karen!
I have been following you for maybe six months. Can't tell you how many times I've spit my morning coffee out because you made me laugh, thanks! Every year I take a lot of time decorating the tree. I remember where every ornament came from. Twenty four antique glass balls my mother bought on the way home from the hospital with me, six dozen glass icicles from JoAnns after Christmas sale. Twenty one ornaments that belong to my daughter, that will be on her own tree next year. This year, knowing I'll have a few less ornaments, I made your dried oranges. The first attempt, I used easy peel cuties. No go, fell apart. Navel oranges are the way to go! They turned out beautiful. They fit in beautifully with my pinecone fetish! Wishing you a Happy Holiday season!
Your Christmas decorations are beautiful. It really gives a person many ideas on how to decorate!! Haven’t done it yet, but am going to try the orange slices. Love reading all your posts. It brightens my day and makes me laugh. Look forward to them.
Thanks Phyllis! Definitely try the orange slices. Add in some evergreens and little lights and you can call Christmas decorating done for the year! ~ karen
Yes, the nuts...ha ha ha ha ha!
No, not weird, I leave the price tags too if I feel the piece is sentimental and especially when it feels like a good bargain. And! From one addict to another, those doors are fucking fabulous! You’re so smart.😉
Thanks! Now that I have them I'm really glad I got them. And kept them! I had them on loan to see if I really wanted them in my house. And now that I think of it, I still haven't paid for them. ~ karen!😂
Oops, you better pay quickly so that they don't see your lovely picture and want them back!
I want to live in your house I could come and be your parlor made and scrub the baseboards with a toothbrush or some thing… I just love it it’s all beautiful every single thing and I know we’re only getting the perfect shots but I can’t imagine how it’s not all just amazing! Thanks for sharing this with us!
They are DEFINITELY the perfect shots, lol. But the rooms do look like that. Most days they're just filled with more projects in progress. ;) ~ karen!
Your Christmas Tree is GORGEOUS! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Susan! ~ karen
Merry Christmas Karen, as always your blog brings some joy and belly laughs to my morning! I feel like these preserved flowers are going to be THE new trend... I gotta get a hold on preserving all my veggies first though. I love the growing but suck at the whole "preserving and putting away thing"... ;)
I get it. By the time preserving and saving time comes around you just want to be done with everything. But you'll get the hang of it and slowly it'll just become routine every year. ~ karen!
Genius move to purchase the painted French doors! They are awesome! Your Christmas decor always inspires me. However, I have to dig my Christmas decorations back out and dig through the leftover stuff to add touches here & there! Some of my best "new" ideas are gleaned from you Karen. Happy Holidays & blessings to you & yours!
Thanks Sherry! Same to you. :) ~ karen!
Love your blog...makes me smile!
One thing you have not decorated, and should.....the DEER!
Did you know deer head bedazzling is a thing? It totally is.
Perhaps a top hat, bow tie and reading glasses, or for a more Christmas vibe, a tartan scarf and ornaments hanging from the antlers. You won’t be sorry!
Exactly what I was about to say! The pig got spruced up, but the poor deer looks so forlorn and naked! 😟 So unfair! 😠