holiday decor | Operation Home

That’s right. Christmas has arrived at the Spragins abode. And today, I’m here to tell you about it.

Let’s begin with our dining space….

I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s just enough glitter and sparkle for my taste.

I reused the wide silver ribbon from last year for a table runner, but crinkled it up to make it seem more casual. For the centerpiece, I used the bowl and glitter picks again, but this time, I added a gold charger with candles and a tall bamboo to vary it up a smidge….

The shelves that I recently styled simply got some glittering red ornaments and sparkly leaves in the milk pitcher. I tried to keep the details on the shelves subtle so that they wouldn’t compete with the centerpiece.

Aaaaaand a little far away shot…

Onto the tree. Now, first I must explain that when one is the poster child for Murphy’s Law, one will inevitably spend forever restringing the branches of the pre-lit tree that decided to burn out on Christmas Eve of last year (#timingfail), decorate the rest of the tree, then attempt to take pictures for one’s blog only to realize that another two strands have gone out in the meantime. Doh! So, in looking at these pictures, I’d like you to imagine a beautiful, evenly lit tree that glistens from top to bottom. I’ll be restringing those branches as soon as I have a chance to get to Walmart and buy more lights. But in the meantime… Embrace the imagery.

Anyhoo, here she blows…

Notice how she’s creatively hiding on the edge of this shot. Nakedandafraid. With the craziness that has been going on in our lives this season, I decided to keep the tree decor the same as last year. Silvers, burgundys, greens, faux sheepskin rugs in lieu of tree skirt. It was just easiest. I’m looking forward to changing it up next year, though.

Here’s a view of the entire living room…

We hung our stockings on the various ledges of the fireplace, which I’m totally loving….

Here’s more of a side shot so you can see the different depths of stone on our fireplace….

Joey calls it “rock climbing wall”. I call it “amazeballs”. The console behind the couch also got a little dazzle….

A small tree, some lighted garland and a tree star (that sadly was too heavy for our tree). As for our Charlie Brown tree….

He sits unaltered in our breakfast nook. I love the simplicity of just leaving him bare. He suits the space well this way.

And lastly, our foyer…

I had grand plans for this space, but then I came to the realization that there are NO outlets in or anywhere near the foyer. Total bummer. So, I just reused my reindeer printable from last year and added another small tree set in a simple white and cork tray, atop of our little ex-media cabinet. Simple but charming.

So anyways, that’s what we’ve got going on this year. How is your holiday decorating going? Which of you lucky folks out there has finished shopping? Which of you are like me and haven’t purchased a single gift yet?

Linked up at: Thrifty Decor Chick

So, I mentioned in this post that I wanted to DIY a wreath for our front door. And this weekend it actually happened (insert pat on back with fist pump). During the brainstorming stage, I decided that my wreath of choice must fulfill three criteria:

1. It must be versatile so we can utilize it for multiple holidays
2. It must be cheap
3. It must be easy

I also wanted something a little different than a traditional wreath. I’d seen different types of frame wreaths on Pinterest and was intrigued by this prospect. So, throughout my various thrifting trips I kept an eye out for chunky frames with a somewhat streamlined design.

This weekend, we did a few thrift store drive-bys in search of a dresser. Literally, drive-bys. Joey pulled the truck up to multiple thrift stores, I jumped out, ran in with the promise of texting him to join me if I found The One, took a quick gander for dressers, and hopped back in the car if it was a no-go. All within a period of two minutes. So, you should’ve seen his face when I climbed back into the truck after a quick peek at Thrift Town and broke the news that we’d become the proud new owners of this beaut…

He was $3.99 and worth every penny. The frame style and size immediately grabbed my attention as I walked past. It was chunky, streamlined and cheap. Bingo.

For the actual wreath making process, I didn’t follow a tutorial per se. I just mainly used things I already had and figured it out as I went. First, I de-wildlifed the frame by removing the staples on back with a pair of needle-nosed pliers…

I thoroughly cleaned the grime off the frame with a water/vinegar spray. And believe me, this guy was grimey. Then, I used this spray paint in Ivy Leaf which is a nice sagey green color to spray-paint the frame….

I allowed the frame to dry overnight, then the next morning I assembled my materials….

Some twine and burlap ribbon. I purchased the burlap ribbon a while back for a different project at Walmart for around five bucks if I’m remembering correctly. The twine, (I kid you not) I’ve had since college. Almost 10 years ago. And I didn’t even buy it. It was given to me by my roommate. And I’ve kept it all these years. Crazytown.

So anyways, I wanted to create that puffy, loopy burlap look around one corner of the frame only. I started by looping the burlap under at my desired starting point and wrapping the twine around the frame and burlap tightly to secure it . Then, I knotted it….

I continued to form loops of burlap and secured them by wrapping the twine around the cinched part of the burlap. The twine went around both the frame and burlap. It’s hard to tell from the pic, but I literally just spiraled the twine around and around the frame. It’s all just one long piece.

I worked my way down and around the corner until I reached my desired stopping point on the bottom of the frame. I formed one last loop of burlap and tucked it under. Then, I wrapped the twine around the cinched part tightly and knotted it behind the frame (just like I did at the beginning). I trimmed the excess and played with the loops a bit until they laid how I wanted them to. Then, I called it done. Super easy. This part seriously took 10 minutes once I figured out how to do it.

I added these felt pads to the back of the frame so it wouldn’t scratch our door…..

Now, for hanging. I saw this tip on Pinterest once and thought it was an awesome idea. I don’t even think I pinned it, actually. It was one of those, “Oh what a great idea!” and then I got distracted moments. So, to whoever came up with this idea, kudos!

Anyways, I used this command hook…

And mounted it upside-down on the back of our front door. I waited the recommended hour for the Command hook to set, then I grabbed Joey because this part was a two-man job. I looped some thick cream-colored ribbon that I had on hand around the top of the frame. Joey, held both ends of the ribbon flush, looped it over the top of our door and held the ends of the ribbon while standing inside the house (I’m sorry, I don’t have pics of this part, but it’ll be more clear once I show the final pics) . I stood outside and had him lower and/or raise it until it looked good. Then, once the placement was right, I grabbed the ribbon from him and tied it around the command hook. It looked like this when it was done and trimmed….

And the final product….

I couldn’t be more happy with this wreath. It’s simple and versatile. And I know exactly how I’m gonna jazz it up for Christmas, too. Gosh, I love Christmas. Anyways, this wreath ended up costing me around $17. Four bucks for the frame, four bucks for the spray paint and around $9 for the Command hook (although, I have half a can of spray paint left and can reuse the hook). I splurged on the nicer hook because it matched our door but I’m sure you could get a cheaper one if desired. I already had the burlap ribbon, twine, cream ribbon and felt pads, but my guess is you could probably add another $15 if you had to purchase those things, less if you struck with a 50% off coupon at Michaels or Joann.

And one more pic, just for fun…