Christmas Decor Inspiration: 2012

It's officially Christmas decorating time!! I usually start heavily decorating the day after Thanksgiving, but we had some lighting issues that held us back (a problem that requires far more patience than I am equipped with - by the way) which is giving me more time to organize and get some inspiration for this year's decorations.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I am CRAZY fickle, specifically when it comes to color. I change my holiday decorations every year and it gets more and more expensive. So this year I have decided we will be getting pretty much new EVERYTHING (except the tree...we got my ginormous tree last year!). Really, this is a practical decision...or at least that is what I have convinced myself. I want to go with all neutral essentials: stockings, tree skirt, bigger home decor items, etc. Then I can change out the small details with a new color or two every year. The problem then became finding the right style of neutrals that would be lasting for at least the next decade and easy to build on with an array of colors.



                             

I love the simplicity of this mantel arrangement.  Mixing soft, comfortable textures with shiny,    more glamorous textures is the direction I would like to go in. It won't limit what I can change out or add to over the years if I build a cohesive mixture of textures now. The boxwood topiaries add an organic touch and the punch of color up high draws your eye up  and creates a nice frame for the overall scene. 

These mercury glass hurricanes are trendy, but are neutral and versatile enough that they can be timeless too. I would love to figure out a way to successfully create the mercury glass look. I've seen a ton of how-to's, but none of them really look like mercury glass....probably why it so expensive!











This button garland is pretty much the cutest thing ever! This is more rustic and whimsical, but I like that it would add a homey feel to a tree that is decorated more modern. If I combine this with some linen or ephemera ribbon and then counter it with all metallic colored ornaments, it would be a nice blend of warm and chic.

Yet another great option of mixing metallic decor and more homey, white-washed tones and textures. This gold painted wreath adds a chic and shiny touch to an otherwise country kitchen.














I love the organic textures of the stack-stone wall and the bay leaf trees. This is a look that could go a lot farther in the rustic direction than I am wanting to go, but the pewter that is dry-brushed on the leaves is an easy way to make the look a little more modern without being too trendy. I love these!