Am I the only one whose strands of little white twinkle lights don’t work every single year when I unpack them? I put them away the year before in the same manner I always have with all of them working. 10 months later I unpack them and voila! Not a single strand lights up!
I will admit that once I put the lights up I leave them on A LOT! They get a lot more use than someone who only turns their tree lights on for a few hours here and there in the evening BUT I’m convinced these things have a timer in them and once you use them initially it starts it ticking!
Back in the day I’d store my lights the same way as I do now and they’d work for years and years and years and eventually I’d sell them in a garage sale or donate them if the color didn’t work for me anymore or if I was moving or something.
Well, rather than deal with the lights that won’t work I just went online and looked at other people’s inspiring Christmas trees and such. Let me share some of what I found…..
Mantel Ideas
One of my favorite things to style each season is my mantel. Because I have a gas fireplace in my living room it gets quite hot when it’s in use (which is a lot in the late fall and winter) so I can’t put some of the things on my mantel or at the base of the fireplace that I would like to since they would melt. Oh well! I thought this Christmas mantel decor was absolutely stunning and I totally plan to use a few ideas from it on my own some time.
I was inspired by a lot more than just the mantel in this photo. The sweet simplicity and rustic, natural touches just called out to me. Remember how I said I’m all about the citrus these days? Yup! Check out all the dried citrus on the tree and the clove studded oranges on the ottoman…..
Anyways I loved the simplicity of this mantel with nothing but greenery, some strings of bells and some candles!
I’ve shared things from my friend Kayla’s website before on here. Y’all know I love her style and her stunning home. This post is no exception and it’s actually part of a Christmas Home Tour so be sure to check it out for a ton of amazing inspiration. This mantel just grabbed my eye. I love the asymmetrical design….
Open Shelf Ideas
Now that I have several areas in my main living space that have open shelves, I’m always on the lookout for inspiration. Between the coffee nook shelves, the open cabinet in my kitchen and the bookcase that I still have in my dining room, I have a lot of shelves to style! My hutch is sort of open shelves too in the way in which you style it. Well the simplicity and stark contrast of colors caught my eye on these whimsical open shelves. What a fun idea!
All of my open shelves are in areas that have something to do with dishes and food so a lot of the things on the shelves need to stay. I’m loving how these open shelves are styled making the most of those things and still being beautiful and seasonal.
I don’t have any shelves that I could do this on but oh how I wish that I did! Isn’t this adorable? I mean you can’t go wrong with ironstone anyways but the way it’s arranged like a tree is just the best!
Well after seeing all this amazing Christmas decor I am completely over my lights and I can’t wait to dig into my boxes and bins and put out some Christmas cheer!
See you soon!
