I'm so looking forward to Christmas

It’s not a matter of lacking Christmas spirit. I’ve got a lot of it this year. While Thanksgiving was so late this year, I’ve just been a little slow with my own Christmas décor here at home. 

Sometimes it’s just fun to enjoy the season, no strings attached. Getting together with friends, cozying up by the fire, and admiring the twinkling lights in town each evening are life’s simple pleasures during this time of year.  

So, Miss Lazy Bones over here has finally got it together with my own holiday home decor. This little tree came together rather unexpectedly. After a nice breakfast with friends at Haute Cakes, I had to stop in at Urban Gardener next door. 

I ended up walking out of there with this pretty little tree that I then put in one of my vintage French champagne buckets. They gave me simple instructions on filling up the bucket with oasis and watering it well. A little moss on top finishes off the look. 

We haven’t had a lovely real tree like this in years, so I’m thrilled to have this little charmer to greet me at my front door everyday, and it's filled with some of my favorite heirloom ornaments.  

This is just a quick snapshot taken with my phone, and I’m hoping to whip out my Canon and take some better pics soon. The big tree is up in the living room, and we definitely need to finish decorating it this weekend. 

How about you? Are you putting up a tree this year? 

  

Urban Gardener

 Here’s a little peek inside Urban Gardener... 

  

Urban Gardener

I love the idea of adding a few lemons to a simple wreath for Christmas, 

don’t you? 

Urban Gardener

I couldn’t help snap a picture of this pretty farmhouse decked out for the holidays. Do you recognize it as one from the Newport Harbor Home Tour last year? 

Check out the inside here. 

Next week, I’ll be busy at this quaint little cottage, prettying it up for the holidays with a fun tablescape and lots of Christmas décor. I’ll share more soon!

And I just have to share this adorable picture of The Paper Merchant in Geneva, Illinois taken by my blogging friend at Sixty-Fifth Avenue.    

The Paper Merchant in Geneva

I haven’t been to Geneva for their annual Christmas walk which looks like so much fun, but you can check out some of my favorite Geneva homes here and here when I did visit during summer and fall. 

The Paper Merchant in Geneva

I’m off to finish decorating the big tree now.... 

ciao! fabiana 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram! 

getting in the Christmas mood

To be honest with you, I haven't added one stitch of Christmas décor to my home this year. I'm trying to motivate myself this week, but I've been lazy, with a capital "L"! 🤫 

I've just finished discarding my huge collection of pumpkins that I've somehow been acquiring since September, and I finally feel like I have a clean slate and can now focus on Christmas.  

In the meantime, I'm sharing my favorite snapshots of my home from last year as it was styled in anticipation of my Christmas photo shoot with Cottages & Bungalows magazine. I’m hoping revisiting these pics will motivate me to get my act together this year! 

These are shots that I took with my own camera showcasing some of the details from my family room, breakfast room, dining room and living room. 

You know I do love a fabulous tablescape, and this one was inspired by wanting to wake up on Christmas morning to feel as though we’re in a “Winter Wonderland”.  Can you see the snow covering the center of the table? BTW, the fabulous brass candlesticks are from Serena & Lily.

  

This large lantern is so fun to use during any season. It's also appeared in Country Sampler Farmhouse Style as a 4th of July vignette, seen below. 

You can catch a glimpse of the twinkly tree here in the dining room mirror. I love the simple use of fresh greens and not much else to keep thing simplified. The aroma of evergreens in itself, gets me in the holiday spirit.  

Our tree will not be in this spot this year due to some work we’re having done in the living room. It’s definitely going to be a simplified Christmas this year! 

I'm thinking of just getting a smaller fresh tree to have in the family room so we can enjoy it from the kitchen, as well. Do you have your tree up yet?

I’m working on a fun holiday project that I’ll let you in on soon... until then I’m just gathering inspiration and doing a little window shopping. I’m thinking of heading to Ikea today. They always have some fun, inexpensive goodies.   

And remember, you can see the whole layout of my home in the current issue of Cottages & Bungalows. 

ciao! fabiana 

P.S.  I have a whole page on the Amazon website with my favorite picks for setting a beautiful table. You can check it out here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”*. 

*affiliate links used.