That she blows! Or maybe I should say “thar she glows!” Either way, we finally got the tree up and gave it a fresh, playful look for the season.
This year our decorating plan followed three simple rules:
- Use free items we already had around the house — nothing that required a trip to the store or extra time to fetch.
- Avoid anything sharp, hard or breakable so the little one (and our pup) stay safe.
- Lean into color: lots of bright, modern hues to match the playful tabletop tree in the living room.
With those guidelines in mind, we transformed our full-sized tree using everyday things we’d saved — especially a stash of leftover paint chips. They were the star of this DIY: easy, colorful and completely free.
I keep paint chips for small projects (they’ve come in handy for past art projects and a temporary postcard ledge arrangement). This time I cut the chips into narrow strips so each chip could yield two or three ornaments. Then I punched a small hole near the top of each strip…
…and threaded twine or string from the craft bin to make simple hanging loops. The result is a tree covered in modern, colorful icicle-like shapes that read bright and cohesive from afar — and cost nothing to make.
To complement the paint-chip ornaments, I added a few spools of ribbon from the gift-wrapping closet (left over from last Christmas). I unrolled each ribbon, found the midpoint, and folded it over the top of the tree so equal lengths drooped down each side in a soft inverted V. The effect is simple and graphic and ties the whole palette together.
The tree skirt is three faux sheepskins from IKEA layered together — a soft, cozy base that has become a bit of a holiday tradition for us. I even used a leftover ribbon to tie a little bow at the top of the tree for a finishing touch.
A couple of notes from when we first snapped these photos:
- We hadn’t yet caught up with our advent calendar when these pictures were taken — we were so excited to photograph the tree that Clara and I had to pause and then later hung twelve of the advent ornaments at once to get back on track. Now we’re back to one-per-day.
- We also did some quick decorating on the kitchen mantel that I wanted to point out more closely.
The kitchen mantel got a modest holiday refresh: a couple of old feather trees on the floor, two ceramic birds that read like white doves on the mantel, and a little painted rocking horse I picked up and finished for Clara. I switched the stockings around this year — hung a family stocking labeled “Mom and Dad” alongside Clara’s and Burger’s — just for fun.
I also tucked a basket of faux gifts in the fireplace to give the room a cheerful, finished look without needing real presents piled up just yet.
One of the best parts of our recent kitchen renovation — the doorway opening between the kitchen and dining room — means we can now enjoy views of the tree from multiple rooms. It’s a small change that makes the whole downstairs feel more connected and festive.
Seeing the big tree in the dining room, the mantel in the kitchen, and the tabletop tree in the living room all at once gives the house a warm holiday rhythm. It feels so good to have pops of color and cozy touches throughout the main living spaces.
That’s most of the inside decked out for the holidays. I still have a holiday frame gallery to photograph and share, and for the first time ever we decorated the exterior too — lights, stars, a homemade wreath and a couple of bright red ceramic-look reindeer. We’ll share photos of the outdoor display soon.
Psst — we’ll be back with a kitchen update tomorrow. Some of our projects are detail-oriented (for example, resizing an old cabinet to create a custom fit that can house a built-in microwave), but we’re moving as fast as we can and can’t wait to show you the progress.
Update: You can find a roundup of our favorite holiday décor finds — many budget-friendly — in our holiday decor favorites list.