Customize It!

Have you ever wanted to create a holiday display with colors other than the traditional offerings in the stores?  I don’t know about you but I often want to mix it up a bit and coordinate holiday color to the hues in my everyday design.  I’ve also had color schemes in my home that just didn’t go well with the common colors of certain holidays…like red and green just didn’t mesh well with the canary-yellow walls of my living room!  It can be tough to seasonally decorate if your color loves just don’t fit in!  Now that my home is more on the neutral side it’s much easier to blend in traditional seasonal decor, but sometimes I just want something different!  If you can relate, or if you’ve avoided decorating for holidays because those particular shades just don’t work, I’d like to share a solution with you…make your own!  I DO understand that not everyone gets a little giddy when the the subject of DIY enters a conversation!  But let me tell you that this option today is so easy that you could have your kiddos do it for you if the thought of crafting turns your tummy!  But I hope once you see how simple it can be, you might find more inspiration for not just decorating for holidays but celebrations & occasions of all sorts!  take a peek…

make it your own!

let me introduce you to the room i love to customize–my tiny sun room!  i spend a ton of time in there, actually everyone does!  once we tucked a small TV into the unused fireplace this room quickly became even more popular than it already was!  we use it as an office, a work space, a craft room, a photo studio, and when the TV is off, a quiet place to contemplate!  so since we spend so much time in this space i always keep it decorated for the seasons…it just makes it a happier place, in my opinion!  and since it’s so small, i almost always do something different with the decor each season since it doesn’t take much to make it look festive!  my inspiration for Valentine’s Day came from a big score on a tiny item in the holiday clearance section…

i loved this ribbon the moment i saw it…and the best thing about it was the price! (wish i would have bought it all!)  i think i paid in the range of 20 cents for it…and the colors are perfect for my tiny sun room!  so i hung my paper snowflakes with it…

and with the addition of some craft paper i made a simple garland with it too!

all you need is a template…i didn’t draw these hearts freehand!  find the shape you love, trace it, and cut it out!  tiny clips are perfect for effortlessly hanging them from the yarn…

a pad of scrapbook paper from Walmart had all the colors i was looking for…but you can also buy paper by the sheet at most craft stores making this a very inexpensive project!

i love the way it looks so simple hanging beneath all the black and white artwork created by amazingly talented friends and my children!  on a side note, i saw a framed drawing at a store the other day that looked shockingly similar to my son’s version of grumpy bear…seriously!  another way to have stylish (i guess) artwork for cheap!  i’m partial to mine however because my son created it AND it reminds me of how i feel most mornings before coffee!  it also still makes me smile every time i see it so i don’t stay grumpy for very long!

anyway, back on track–it’s so easy to pull some little pops of purple through the rest of this tiny room.   in my supplies which i leave out all the time…

and in some pillows…my Giggle heart and the cute xoxo pillow from Target!

the most coveted spot in the house…

gets a festive view too!  wonder what it will be next year??

so remember how easy it can be to…

customize it!

happy decorating!

photograph on the mantle by Crystal Josza Photography and artwork of our home by Jeanne Erickson