Christmas decorating inspiration

I have a large tree for Christmas.  I have 15 foot ceilings in our living room so we have a 9 foot tree, otherwise the tree would look lost.  We got our tree at St. Nick's (Littleton Colorado) at the end of the season about 10 years ago.  Before that my hubby and his Grandfather would get a permit and cut a live tree from the mountains.  Unfortunately to have a live tree we'd only get it the week or two before Christmas.  So now we have a fake one but it looks like the real thing.  I just burn a lot of pine scented candles because in the end it's the smell of the pine I like.

In the past I have done the normal Christmas colors of red, green and gold.  I inherited my Mom's Hallmark ornaments so I've done the tree in all movable and playing ornaments, yeah that was way too loud.  They are now in a box in the back of the attic.  For the past 5 years I've had a blue and silver/white tree and I really love it.  This year I am adding lime green and orange!

I get my inspiration for decorating from many places, TV, Magazines, online images, friends and even store displays.  I take what I like and mesh it all together and it comes out how it comes out.  If I love it then it works!  I also don't decorate till after Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it is all about family and food, thinking back over the past year, realizing where you were and how far you have come.  I also think about those that passed and reflect on how thankful I had been to know them and have them in my life.  So I decorate after Thanksgiving.

Here are some of the places I've been looking at for this years decorating inspirations.
Country Living has shown some really nice settings this year.

I really like the simplicity of this silver tree on the table, which gave me an idea... I'm going to buy real tree's and light them, put them in silver buckets on put them on my table.  

This silver bowl gave me another idea, I've got a metallic silver pot and I'll put ornaments in it and set it on my coffee table.  

Don't forget to decorate other rooms in your house.  Remember Christmas should be everywhere not just in the living room!  I love, love, love these ornaments, the color and shape.  I also really like the real trees in the silver buckets.  They will be on my dinning room table!  So this year I will hang some dollar store snowflakes and some home made mid-century modern ornaments in my kitchen window.  

I have a large brick fireplace and I love this idea of the pine branches hanging off the mantel and the large silver mirror.  I think I may hang some pine branches off my own mantel.  

House and Home also has some really nice ideas for Christmas. 

I love the idea of the white tree on the table.  I'm using real ones but I will light mine up and possibly put ornaments on them.  I may also put a small fake tree, maybe even a white one on my family room table.  

Here's a big wreath and the traditional red and gold Christmas.  I really like the big wreath.  

Southern Living has some really great ideas for Christmas.  One that I really like is the idea of a non traditional tree topper.  This one is bells!

I also like their idea for a door decoration. 

For me, this is one of those, Why didn't I think of that?! moments.  I have a large all glass storm door and 3 smaller wreaths on it would look awesome!

Southern Living also put ornaments in a silver dish.  LOVE IT!

 

Southern Living also had a cute idea of doing something else on the front door beside wreaths... me likey.  

HGTV showed this as an idea for a table.  If you have a chandelier you can decorate it up and down.  

I love deer and they really go at Christmas.  I don't normally do gold but I just love these deer I found on Google images.  

Simple and very pretty. 

HGTV has a holiday house, it is the 2nd year, who knew?!  You can get some great ideas there.  I like that they use non traditional colors, here black, white and red.  I also really like the 'JOY' sign, it lights up.  According to the site they bought MDF board and wrote out JOY then drilled holes and pushed white lights through the holes.  You could do the same thing with pre-cut letters, Joann Fabrics has large 3 dimensional letters for $10.00 for each letter, so for $30 bucks you could re-create this.  

HGTV also showed an entry table arrangement that I thought was interesting.  To me it is country meets 40's.  

They also showed an all white tablescape.  All white can be beautiful.  

I also really like Southern Livings peacock piece.  I like the rustic outdoor vessel with the gold and silver balls with the peacock feathers and the white country looking sticks.  This is a perfect example of where modern, classic and rustic/country can all come together to make a great centerpiece.  

What's your Christmas inspiration?  Do you decorate the same way every year?  There are some things I do the same year after year - tradition baby! I'd love to hear about where you get inspiration!

I'll be back on Wednesday, till then have a great day!  Victoria