Simpler Holiday Decor with a Touch of Luxury!

 Last year, I went all out on the holiday decor. I must have pulled out almost every piece of festive decorations I owned.... and then I got sick on Christmas Eve and didn't feel human again until New Year's! After all that work, the only thing I got to do for the holidays was take it all back down. 

This year I decided to do less and make it seem like more. I kept my MacKenzie Child's touches in the kitchen and my Ralph Lauren plaid vibes throughout but I put out a lot less yet somehow I feel the impact is more. You can watch the full tour over on my channel as part of my Vlogmas videos.

In the kitchen, I tried to keep the counters clear for working and add in some whimsical touches. I had to have the squirrel garland though above where my greetings cards will hang in the garland as they arrive.

In the dining room and living room, I tried to keep things a little more Ralph Lauren-esque but also with a woodland element, using pheasant feathers, antlers and deer throughout with the plaid ribbons.

                                        

                                        

                                        

    

                                                

One new addition this year, which I will probably leave up all winter is this ski lodge wall in the bathroom. I found these skis on a whim this year, added some greenery and a bow to fancy them up. For the photos, I simply printed out some images from Pinterest and framed them in Dollar Tree frames.

Let me know down in the comments what your take is on Christmas decor.... do you go all out? do you believe less is more? are you minimalistic in your approach? Make sure to hit subscribe to know as new posts are added here as well. Buona Natale!

Holiday Home Decor 2022

 It is that magical time of year again where the house transforms into a holiday wonderland. I love bringing the festivities into the house. I didn't reinvent the wheel this year on decor though and stayed with my traditional pieces adding in leopard and plaid accents as I have for the past several years.

I used a lot of greenery picks, antlers, and plaid throughout to unify things from room to room.

Isn't this picture of Santa working on his truck just the cutest ever? I picked this up at Hobby Lobby last year. 

One new piece I did add this year was this squirrel garland I found at Petitti's Garden Center. I have been feeding and enjoying the squirrels in my yard all summer long and couldn't resist picking this up. 

In the kitchen, I tried to add in some accents of Mackenzie Childs to compliment pieces that are there year-round. 

I kept the dining table simple so it could remain completely functional throughout the season. I layered a plaid runner over a fleur-di-lis tapestry and got a new rug in leopard print for the floor.

The decor itself in the dining room though is more traditional with touches of Italian and Santa.

No Christmas decor could be complete without a nativity scene. I kept things simple here on the buffet so the nativity could be its own focal point. 

I carried this traditional look combing Santa, plaid and leopard into the living room as well. 

The pups just couldn't resist posing for a holiday photo as well on the couch. I used green and plaid throws along with plaid trimmed and leopard throw pillows to carry on the look. 

I carried to same elements up the stairs, hall and into the bathroom as well. I just loved how this garland looked around the photos in the bath. 

I changed the ribbon and broach on my mannequin form tree as well to give a "Gucci" inspired look for some glam.

To view the entire home tour watch my Youtube video here. 

Comment below what kind of holiday themes you use to make your home festive during the holidays.

Celebrating Carnevale!

It's that time of year where we begin Lent and can look forward to Spring. Carnevale, much like the French Mardi Gras is a beloved celebration in Italian culture. In fact, while many associate the celebration more with Venice, the longest running Carnevale celebrations in Italy are actually held near the town of Puglia in the Calabrese region where my ancestors migrated from. While we now only celebrate one night with a decadent meal and good wine, some areas of Italy still revel in the celebrations for weeks or even months leading up to Ash Wednesday. 

In my table-scape and decor, I tried to bring in many of the elements of the traditional celebration. The traditional colors of course are purple and gold. It is also customary to throw beads just as it is in the French celebration as well, but Carnevale is even more widely known for its elaborate masks. Within the Carnevale celebration the masks are in fact worn to hide one's identity as it is the only time of year as well that the classes intermingle in the festivities. 

I pulled these elements into my own decor but using glitzy picks picked up after Christmas's to bring in the purple and gold elements. I strewed beads around and used masks into the decor as well. 

Below I added a mask even onto the chicken fruit bowl I often change up for different holidays. Inside I decorated using glittery gold and purple picks as well as beads. I thought leaving the wine decor around was fitting as well. 

On the mantle I also added a bead element as well as displaying my own Venetian made Carnevale mask. 

 For the table-scape, I used my everyday Fiesta dishes for a bright color element with gold chargers underneath. In the center, I added my wooden fluer-di-lis engraved lazy Susan with a Venetian style jester bowl. I strewed beads coming out of this as well and just used some colorful netting as filler around a glittery purple pillar candle. 

Let me know in the comments below if you celebrate Carnevale, or Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday? What do you do for the festivities? Also be sure to subscribe to receive notice of future posts. 

Buon Carnevale!

Home Office/ Bathroon/ Spare Room Holiday Decor

 As I had said, I did not go as all out as I have years in the past but I did make sure there was a little Christmas cheer everywhere I went in the house. So here is the end of my holiday décor for this year in the other smaller areas I added holiday splendor. 

So to start I did put up a small pencil tree in my office since I spend so much time here. I went with a dog theme in this room due to the hunt theme that is normally in this room. Each ornament is dog related. The bone topper is another smaller item I did pick up this year. I thought it was adorable and tied in perfectly carrying the plaid throughout the house. It is just a larger pick with all three bones attached together that I found at At Home in their holiday items. 

Another often used room of course is the bathroom. On the stand next to the shower, I added a purple bottle brush tree from Hobby Lobby this year, with a Merry Christmas sign and a small pair of booties. Of course I also had to change out my bath products scent from Bath & Body, this year I chose the scent Snowflakes and Cashmere. I hung my wreath from years ago in the window. It is hard to see but it is decorated with purple roses and ornaments of cosmetics such as perfume bottles and lipsticks. On the back of the toilet I added MacKenzie- Childs paper guest towels with a rhinestone reindeer. 

While no one is staying the night this year, I did still add a small amount of cheer in the spare bedroom as well. I added this hot pink tinsel tree I have had for years, only decorated with some leopard ribbons next to a frog nutcracker. I also keep my advent calendar on this dresser that I picked up at Home Goods this year. On the other dresser, I changed out a vase of flowers for a frog prince statue. 

Finally, in the hall is where I placed my mannequin tree this year along with some greenery on the hall table. 

I added very little new this year in any part of the house. Comment below.... what did you do for your  decor this year? Did you add any new pieces? Do you use any heirloom or meaningful pieces year after year? Did you keep it simple? Do you get an Advent calendar each year and if so, what kind do you get? Also click the subscribe link on the right to get an email when a new blog posts. 

A Holiday Bedroom Retreat!

Every holiday season, I make sure to change my bedding to something more luxurious and cozy. It is just one of those things that helps me get into the Christmas spirit as silly as it may sound. I always make sure to put up a smaller tree in my bedroom as well. It just wouldn't be a holiday evening without relaxing watching Christmas movies in bed without a tree lit at night. 

Nothing new was added to the bedroom décor this year. I used the same leopard and plaid ribbons in the tree that were used throughout the rest of my décor in other rooms as well, to tie it all together. I have been collecting oriental themed ornaments for years now to add to this tree, just as I had been collecting the leopard ornaments in the living room over the years. 

To keep things simple yet cozy, I just changed out my comforter on the bed to a red velvet one I picked up a few years ago and added a fur trimmed plaid throw pillow. I also added a lush leopard throw at the foot of the bed. Coco and Dante approved of the coziness of the new bedding textures as well since they would not get back off the bed for hours to follow. 

The only other décor I added into this room for Christmas was this cute sign on my nightstand that I picked up a few years ago at Dollar General of all places! I think the simplicity of the phrase and the gold just adds a little something. 

I added nothing new this year in the bedroom. Comment below.... do you decorate in your bedroom? Did you add any new pieces? Do you use any heirloom or meaningful pieces year after year? Also click the subscribe link on the right to get an email when a new blog posts. I will be posting room by room in the coming weeks and days.