Easing into Christmas 2015 home tour

Hey guys, I really wanted to keep things a little simple this year and just add pops of Christmas instead of pulling out the whole shebang and I have to say I am really loving this really laid back Christmas decor we have going on over here and hope you can appreciate it too. And maybe get some ideas if you aren’t feeling like going too crazy this year also! Since taking these pics, a few things have already changed but I think that’s just part of the fun in decorating and I’ll be sharing some of those fun changes soon too.

Well welcome, here’s our little entryway that I am so sure if you’ve been around at all, have seen already. It is small. It’s barely an entryway but because our home’s entrance is here, I can call it that. HA ;). But we make it work with this DIY wall coat rack that I blogged all about here. Clearly there’s no floor space, so this thing does many miracles for us! And adding a wreath that is used all year round around the house and slapping on a striped red ribbon made the space Christmas ready. You’ll also be seeing red berry stems as an ongoing accent! It’s simple, affordable and is something that can be used for many years and many Christmas DIY’s!

This is the first thing you see right when you enter. Yup, you walk right into the living room, family room, office, media room all in one.. Let’s be real, it’s our everything we pretty much need for daily living room.. And I have to say for our small space, it functions pretty well.. But ask me how hosting parties and gatherings go with anywhere more than 10 peeps during the winter when we don’t have the option of opening up our yard, and well.. we make it work is all I can say.. Lots of creativity people.. and a whole lot of love sprinkled in there and it’s fine. LOL! If any of my siblings or family is reading this right now, they’re probably laughing cause they know how creative we gotta get to make it work. Especially with a lot of nieces and nephews running around.

The fireplace is usually so decked out in everyone’s home during Christmas right?! And it’s usually the case here during Christmas time. It’s like one of the beloved areas of the home to decorate during Christmas.. But for now, ours will stay a little light but still cheery! (But of course I did change it again already since the kids were looking for their stockings but it is still simple). Last year, one thing for me is I got tired of all the Christmas decor everywhere so fast that I wanted to start with a light layer of Christmas decor this year and go on to add a little more as Christmas day comes upon us if it fit the mood. That way we won’t feel so overloaded with Christmas decor. In a small space, it can feel that way real quick. BTW, don’t mind at all that I blurred out what was in our fireplace. Of course we just had a fire and the ash was still in there sitting pretty in all its ashy glory. Umm.. No thanks, right?.. So, you’re welcome. =P Also, isn’t that wagon with the tree on top print the cutest? It’s made by my friend Lucy over at Craftberrybush.com and was a free printable. Check her out! She has such an awesome blog!

Our media cabinet/ media center is one of our favorite ikea hacks that I blogged all about here and was an affordable choice for us for its size and a simple style that we were looking for. It is our media table but is definitely not limited to media things. It also holds our playing cards, board games, office supplies, paperwork and things we need close by in the living area that will be within reach but needs to stay out of sight. We change that shelf above the tv slightly with each season just to embrace the different seasons and it’s such a simple switch up. On each side of the tv, I tend to add a little vignette just because it adds a little more of a distraction =P to the otherwise obnoxious black box. The lights here are an ikea hack DIY and you can see more on that here.

Having one living space, a sectional was the ideal choice for us because it seats more people, great for our compact space, and fits our laid back lifestyle. We’re weekend loungers and daily snugglers so this works for us. Choosing a neutral colored couch definitely works well into Christmas! Mini trees and berries, pops of red, and plaid is a perfect way to get festive and still stay on a budget! Simple and easy too!

Notice my love for mini Christmas trees?=) I was just really loving the simple and still oh so festive feel of having mini trees around. It also helps cheer me up in particular about having a pencil tree as our main tree. But I can’t lie, I love the tree and the space.

I do love a pencil tree cause they are cute and definitely a space saver but I see all these beautiful large and in charge trees in my friends and blogger friends homes and it makes me feel like mine might only be whispering “Merry Christmas” while their’s all sings it with a full orchestra playing along. But these mini trees makes it a little merrier in here, don’t you think? My kids love them and decorate one for fun with their mini ornaments, then take it down and start over again. Love seeing them enjoying decorating.

Christmas trees have also graced our dining room.. Again, I can hardly call this room a dining room per say, but it’s where we dine =P We have done a lot of subtle changes in here and it has been more functional since and you can see some of those changes with our newer DIY farmhouse table and our DIY shiplap wall. I did share on our fun Christmas touches added to the Ikea Hacked china cabinet in the last post and that was fun!

It is such a small space, but we enjoy being here! I am especially loving the pops of red in here.

That’s pretty much what we have so far. The kitchen and Coffee hot cocoa station has some fun changes too but more on that soon. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed how we eased into this joyous time! How do you do Christmas decorating?! Whatever it is, enjoy this time friends, the sweetest time of the year! Thanks so much for stopping by!!