my holiday decor this year

welcome to my holiday house! 

i was a little late getting my holiday decorations up this year. we always have a real tree, and so we usually wait until the first week in december to buy our tree and put up our decorations...this year, we were still tripping over boxes of books and trying to figure out where everything fits in my office, and so i just barely got up ALL of my decorations.

i really wanted to use more natural elements in my holiday decor this year. throughout my home, i have used fresh greenery, nuts, pinecones, driftwood and branches....mixed in with gold, moss green

and bronze ornaments and lots of mercury glass. 

most of my seasonal decorations are put on my vintage-looking buffet, which has been in the dining room of several of our homes, and the living room or entry of others, but is in the great room or our current home.

as you can see, i used a similar configuration for the art as i did in our last home, except i swapped out 

the middle piece for my antlers. sorry if the pictures are a little dark....i really need to learn how to use my camera a little better.

:)

the large metal urn is from z gallerie, and the other tall mercury glass vase was purchased at a thrift store for $3. both are filled with branches and pinecones. a fresh garland from costco ties everything together.

a large wooden bowl (found at tj maxxx homes goods) filled is filled with ornaments, pinecones and a few nut and crystal clusters leftover from my front door wreath last year.

the mercury glass finials were purchased on clearance last year at wisteria. the other mercury glass vases and votive have been purchased over the years at pottery barn, tuesday morning, tj maxx, ross and z gallerie.

i bought some chain at the hardware store, and mixed in some crystals from an old chandelier to dress up the antlers. 

a few more of the nut clusters, and some pinecones were tucked into the garland.

 around the mantle, i used the nut and crystal garland that i made last year for my  front door .  you can see how to make that by clicking here.

i swagged a faux garland with some pinecones around the mantle, and then added the fresh garland on top...and tucked in some additional greenery and pinecones. the faux garland really helped to give the fresh garland some body, and helped me to adhere the garland to the mantle....i put a tiny nail in each corner of the top of the mantle, and then took a small section of the faux garland and wrapped it around the nail.

 the hobnail containers are actually trash cans that i found at a local clearance store for $9 each. they are each holding a miniature evergreen tree....sorry i accidentally didn't capture those in the picture! i just realized that they were "missing" as i was writing this, and i am too lazy to take another picture.

 this narrow table sits in my entry. i found the paper mache deer at a thrift store for $1.50. 

he had a cheap plaid bow around his neck that i replaced with a moss green silk tie.

the tree is adorned with a mismatch of family ornaments. each year my kids get to pick out a new ornament to add to their collection. there are also about 50 frame ornaments, each holding a family picture. we love to look at the pictures and reminisce as we trim the tree.

the tree topper that i gave a makeover last year. to see that post, click here.

the nativity was purchased at walmart, about 10 years ago. one of the wisemen has a "loose" head, that always seems to fall off no matter what we use to glue it with, and the corner of the creche was damaged in one of our moves, but i love that this nativity is the same one that my kids have seen every christmas since they were little...

thanks for joining me!

now that i finally have my house decorated, it's time to get moving on all that shopping!

i am linking to hooking up with house of hepworths