Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Natural Christmas & Dialing it Back

I'm having such a problem. 
For the first time ever, I just don't feel like decorating for Christmas. 



I can see a lot of the bloggers have done almost all of their decorating, but I'm not there yet.
That scares me since Thanksgiving is late this year. 
I did want to put away the turkeys so those are safely packed up for another year. 
About two weeks ago, I went through all my Christmas boxes looking for stuff to purge. 
I have small collections each of Dept. 56 houses, putz houses, bottle brush trees, gingerbread men, snowmen, Santas, baby Jesus, sheep, angels and some lodgey Christmas stuff. Obviously I didn't put all this out but even with a few favorites from each collection the house can look very junky, VERY JUNKY!  




 Last night I was looking at some photos from my last two years of blogging. 
I have too much crap!
(I hope I don't get in trouble for saying crap on a family friendly blog, but really!)





What I thought looked cute last year looked junky. 
Oh some of it did look cute and you saw the good pictures.



 I experimented with live greenery from the grocery store and I'm going to be honest. It was a mess. 
I decorated too early so it all got too dry.




I think that if I do live greenery again, it needs to be done twice.


All the real pine needles were super sharp once they were dry. 





This was my favorite display last year, but I killed the plant and the dog tried to eat the little glass mushroom.


 She got it down and left it broken on the floor. 
I tried to get another one but they were sold out. 
:(
This year I really am going to try to dial it back.



I found some bags of pinecones that I collected at the lake so I'll sprinkle those about.


I ordered a pinecone print off of e-bay. I forgot about it until it came the other day. 



I think that is my theme.
Pinecones, natural, and not sheddy. 
I know not sheddy isn't really proper English but it is expedient.
It sounds better than "that which does not shed."
Actually "that which does not shed" has a nice ring to it too!



Anyway, I have bought exactly three gifts.
Two of them are stocking stuffers. 
 I am in trouble!





I'm going to take the advice of my sister this year and keep it simple. 
Katie    
Linking with,
Common Ground

12 comments :

  1. I think seeing Christmas posts way before Thanksgiving makes us feel like we're behind already. I was in a panic mode until I looked at the calendar. It's not even December yet!! I have the same steeple clock, but in an unattractive orangey color. I love your white version. Did you paint it?

    Good luck with simplifying your Christmas decor and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I painted the clock. It is Ethan Allen but mine was dark brown. Thanks, Vickie. You have a good Thanksgiving too.

      Delete
  2. I feel your pain! I've got my stuff out, but I think it looks like I live in a thrift shop! I think we can say "crap" and "stupid" on here. If not, whoops!!! Hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving and relax. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love this post! I was thinking of going with the real greenery too, but I had wondered if it would be a mess within a few week. I love your natural theme. I am going to try to scale down and do more natural myself.
    Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Amber. I can't wait to see what you come up with.

      Delete
  4. I always start out simple and then it seems to take on a life of it's own by the time Christmas really gets here! LOL! But, I find the best way to keep things flowing smoothly and not getting too busy, is to pick a theme and STICK to it. By the theme, I mean style AND color scheme. It works for me. Many times, I find I'm drawn to several different things I like, but now I try to only use what works with the theme I've chosen for the season. You can always pull out different stuff next year. You don't have to use it all at one time! I think that's the secret. I also use faux greenery that looks real. Not the cheap Walmart stuff that looks like nylon or plastic. Get some good faux greenery and just reuse it every year (and tree). Then, no dried mess to worry about and less shopping for it every year. That adds up quick! That live stuff makes me have allergies anyway. I don't know one person that has been able to use it without it drying out at Christmas. I like your simple pinecone garland on the mantel. Hopefully, you'll get in the spirit before too long and everything will just fall into place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I like your advice about sticking to a theme. I always try to but then end up adding more and more junk.
      Thanks for commenting.

      Delete
  5. I just wanted to let you know that you are listed as a "noreply" blogger, which means I can't reply back to your comment. When you switched to Google Plus your settings are automatically changed. There are tutorials out there with directions on how to change your settings. It's pretty simple to do. I was able to change my setting, and believe me, I have limited computer skills! Anyway, thanks for stopping by and voting!

    Vickie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I fixed it. Thanks for letting me know. I had no idea.

      Delete
  6. I think your pine cone theme is a great idea! I always admire holiday decor that uses natural elements. Hope you find some time soon to do your shopping!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful decorations!!
    Thanks so much for your visit!!
    I am playing catch up...

    Hugs,
    Deb

    ReplyDelete