I feel like when it comes to decorating or designing, a lot of people overthink it. Setting up decor or small vignettes in your home, even outside of the Holidays, doesn’t have to be stressful or difficult. And it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Today, I wanted to share a couple tips and tricks I utilize to decorate and create beautiful spaces throughout the year.
SHOP FOR ITEMS IN UNCONVENTIONAL PLACES
Thrifting, antique shopping, and going to estate auction sales is becoming all the rage. Take advantage of finding items in unconventional places. I pick up the majority of my staple items at auction sales, flea markets, antique stores, or thrift stores and then utilize them for every season by changing out the greenery or florals. I keep a running list of items I am looking for so when I find myself browsing around a flea market or antique store I don’t get overwhelmed and can keep my focus.
If you can’t physically make it out to an antique store, flea market, or second hand store – check out sites like OfferUp and even Ebay for items you may be looking for. Make it a point to periodically check or search for specific items throughout the year instead of when you need them for a certain holiday.
BUY OUT OF SEASON
This one is really hard because we want to be able to have the beautifully decorated home IN SEASON, however, there’s no denying after Holiday sales are great and you can find some awesome deals. Making a list here too helps guide you on what to keep an eye on after the season and build stock for next year or the coming years.
It doesn’t have to be all done today and right now, I look at decorating especially for the Holidays as a gradual journey throughout the years. We’ve lived in our house for three years now and I still think of it as a “work in progress”.
INVEST IN PIECES YOU CAN USE YEAR AROUND
If you are going to “invest” and spend on something that may be full price or more than you’d usually spend, make it on an item or piece that can stay up year round. Some great ideas for items that can stay up year round are vases, crocks, old windows, doors, or shutters, a plain green wreath, etc. Think about how you can add small floral picks, ribbons, or lights throughout the year in order to make that item season. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful designers utilize the same plain boxwood green wreath on their mantle year round simply by changing up what they put on it or utilize the same vintage window or shutter by changing up the greenery surrounding it.
Think about what items can stay and can be refreshed throughout the year in simple and affordable ways, without having to completely clear everything from the space in order to add Holiday cheer.
SHOP YOUR HOUSE
Whenever I am working on creating a vignette or decorating a space, I ALWAYS take a walk through my house and “shop”. I look for items that could work within the space I am trying to curate and pick them up to test them out. Think items like bowls, jars, vases, platters or plates, old books, and even food items. Kitchens are often a mother-load of great items to incorporate into your decor as is your closet. Don’t have the budget to invest in a cozy throw – use a cozy sweater or scarf draped over the back of the couch!
You’ll be surprised what you can find that you already own that will work perfect in your decor used in a new way!
BREAK IT UP BY ROOM/AREA
Since we have moved into our home, I have made it a priority to only work on one room at a time. When you are working with a literally blank slate, it is easy to want to jump around and work on EVERYTHING. The result is a lot of partially decorated rooms and a huge dent in my pocket book. To avoid this, I break my rooms up and work on one room at a time. I budget out and divide up what it is going to cost to decorate or furnish and then slowly purchase pieces over the months. The same principle can be applied to decorating for the Holidays. Make a list and take advantage of Christmas hitting the shelves early or purchase after the season.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER…
It doesn’t have to take a ton of funds or a lot of work to create a space that is cozy and is perfectly curated for your home. It may, however, take some planning and some organizing to get the items purchased. But, if decorating and curating the decor in your home is important than I want you to be able to do so in a way that you can afford and also brings you joy, especially during the Holiday season.
For my mantle this year, I purchased very little to create this little vignette. And instead utilized a lot of items I already had. I picked up a couple extra things as frosting to the “base” of the design. And this is a mantle-scape I can easily change or utilize year after year.
The white enamel pot as well as the galvanized french flower pots remain every season – I simply update the greenery or floral arrangements in them to reflect the season or holiday. I utilize a variety of jars, decanters, and bottles throughout the year – some are clear and some are colored. I can swap them out depending on what else I am needing in the vignette. One of my go-tos is blue mason jars in various sizes. They add such a fun pop of color.
Here I am using the small green jars to contrast all the white and also using two crystal decanters to give the ends of the mantle some height. I also threw in a porcelain Mary that I used during Easter, but it works excellent for Christmas as well.
For many the Holidays are riddled with anxiety and stress as we pile up our list of expectations of gifting, decorating, and doing ALL THE THINGS…
Do the things that bring you joy (without needing any justification) and don’t do the things that stress you the hell out (without guilt!). If decorating your home like a magazine brings you joy, DO IT! Don’t feel bad about it, don’t feel the need to justify the whys – rock it, girlfriend! If decorating or buying gifts or whatever else brings you anxiety and stress, don’t do it! Make your own traditions and only do the things that bring you joy.
Don’t let the thief of comparison knock on your door when you scroll social media, you do you! And let the rest of it go! When you orient your focus on the joy and doing the things you enjoy, you are less likely to focus other people and all the things you should be doing that stress you out.
Make the Holidays what you want it to be – that should be the spirit of the Holiday season!
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