I’m so excited to show you 3 different ideas for your dining table at Christmas time! I hope you enjoy these ideas as much as I enjoyed putting them together! These are all Christmas Tablescape looks you could recreate with things you probably already have at home!
All three looks have a book page table runner that I felt added some dimension to the table. It was so simple to make. I just used pages from an old book and scattered them down the center of the table. The three tablescapes all include fresh greenery that was found at Trader Joe’s. Make sure your greenery isn’t dried out. It’s important to never leave a candle burning, especially around dried out pine.
Let’s dive in!
Can you believe there are only 16 days until Christmas? December is flying by. Normally this time of year, I’m busy running around and trying to find last minute gifts and I’m guilty of not being present in the moment. It’s easy to get so distracted by everything else and forget what the season is all about. That’s why Family Christmas Traditions are so important – they keep us focused on what’s important.
This year is different than years past – I was done with my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving. (that never happens!) I’m not sure how it happened, but I started thinking about what I wanted to give everyone back in October so that helped. It’s given me so much more time to pay attention to how fast Isla Rose is growing and just how magical Christmas can be through the eyes of a child. She loves to say, “OH WOW!” when we turn our Christmas lights on. We took her to see Santa this year and even though she didn’t cry, she certainly didn’t smile either, but I’ll take what I can get.
I’ve probably been driving Evan crazy with all my talk of family traditions lately (feeling a little like Clark Griswold over here trying to get him in a Christmas-y mood) and even though we already have a few that we have done for years, it’s Important to start some now that we have our own little family.
So below I have a list of Christmas traditions we already have and some that we are starting this year!
DIY Book Page Christmas Tree Banner
I’m excited to share with you guys how I made this adorable little Christmas tree banner! It’s currently on my entry way table but you could use it on a mantle, shelf or headboard-which I may end up doing in my guest room later on. Does anyone else move stuff all around their house trying to find a home for it? I seem to do this a lot with my Christmas decorations lately.
My sister is a librarian, so when old books are to be thrown away by the library, she gets to bring them home and we try to give them new life!
Just take a look at my sister’s other book page projects!
She is crazy talented. If you’d like to see a tutorial on any of these projects, please let me know and maybe I can talk her into doing one for you.
Let’s get crafting!
Does everyone already have their porch decorated for Christmas?
If not, I’ve got a few simple ideas for you. My decorations are super easy to recreate and look very festive. I didn’t buy a Christmas door mat yet so if you already have one of those you’re a step ahead of me, but I wanted to go ahead and do this post in case anyone was needing some inspiration.
I always see a ton of posts on Instagram of porches that are decked out with a ton of stuff but I prefer just a few items for a seasonal look. After all, my porch isn’t that big. I also have noticed a ton of posts where every single decoration is neutral or flocked. Our tree in our house is pretty neutral so I wanted some color on the porch. I love all the red. So Christmas-y. Now, I just need some carolers to stop by and sing about figgy pudding.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliated links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Is anyone else super excited about being Santa this year? I am so looking forward to seeing Isla open presents and starting Christmas traditions with her. I’m also really pumped that so many of you have read my posts. It means so much. You have no idea. December is only a day away and I think I’m going to try and do blog-mas this year and publish a post for every day of December. I really want to document our lives while Isla Rose is little and Christmas is such a special time, so expect lots of new content if you are subscribed!
I’m writing today to let you know about a fun project I’ve been working on! I don’t get to build very often because our daughter goes to bed at 6:30 and power tools are loud but I was able to steal away for a little bit and throw this vintage looking sled together! I started building furniture in 2012 and almost everything in my house was built by myself and Evan. Carpentry can be very relaxing and my goal is to help those of you that might be intimidated by using power tools or saws. I hope you give it a try!
We haven’t been to Chicago at Christmas time in couple of years, but we have our favorite places to visit when we go. I love Chicago at Christmas time. It is magical. All the stores are decorated, and they actually have winter weather. If you like the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, then this list is for you. We live in Oklahoma and we get ice storms sometimes and maybe a little snow, but it doesn’t stay very cold for very long. If you like the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, then this list is for you.
Here are our favorite things to do in the windy city when its chilly out! If you’re planning a trip during the holidays, then you need to check these places out.
Aldi is my go to grocery store, but my favorite time to go is during the holidays because they have so many wonderful items that normally are not available. I cannot live without these! The list below shows off my top 5 must-have holiday treats from Aldi.
Isla just had her first birthday in October and let me tell you, our house is jam-packed at the moment because she got a rocking horse, a cozy coupe car, and a bunch of smaller toys. What I’m planning on doing in the weeks leading up to Christmas is a little toy clear out with the intention to donate some of her stuff that she doesn’t use anymore or has outgrown. We are doing a few smaller gifts for Isla and some stocking-stuffers this year. She has so much stuff that i’m kind of dreading go through it all.
She will be 14 months old by the time Christmas rolls around so it will be much more fun than last year. She kind of knows what is going on this year. Well, she knows that she likes to open presents. I can’t wait to be Santa, you guys. I might even dress up but I will most definitely eat the peanut butter cookies that I make for him.
These are the items I have purchased for her for this year: I’ve also posted the links to each to make it even more helpful. I’m not including shoes or clothes in this list because I feel like that should be a separate post. This list is for toys only.
Update: I did a post on what books I got Isla for Christmas and you can find that list here.
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
1-My First Stacking Cups:
My girl loves to stack things. Need I say more? These are such a simple and great gift. They are compact when stacked and travel well in the diaper bag or my purse.
2-Endangered Species by Sud Bath Crayons:
Isla loves to play in the bath and the only thing I’m worried about with these is her trying to eat them but I never leave her in the bath so it shouldn’t be a problem. I plan to use these to write letters and shapes and let her draw some in the bathtub. These are made of soap so don’t just leave them in the water – they will eventually dissolve. The manufacturer of these crayons donates a portion of the profits to wildlife conservation as well.
The countdown to Christmas is on and Trader Joe’s Holiday products have hit the shelves! These are a handful of my go-to items that I can’t leave the store without picking up.
- Advent Calendar – These are so great! They’re only 99 cents and they had several prints to choose from.
- Jingle Jangle – This is a mix of chocolate goodies that is great to keep in your pantry for when you have guests. I can’t live without chocolate pretzels during the holidays! So. Good.
- Gingerbread House Kit – Who has time to go to the store and find all the ingredients for a gingerbread house? Not this Mama. This kit includes everything you’ll need to make an amazing and customizable house! The best part- It was only $7.99!
- Hot Cocoa O’s-Who doesn’t want to start their day off with a bowl of hot chocolate flavored cereal? Haha. Seriously though, So good. Its like a more sophisticated Count Chocula.
- Hot Chocolate Spoons – These are 99 cents and come with marshmallows. Just add them to a mug of hot milk and you’re in business! I will have these in my Christmas eve box to enjoy with the family while we watch a Christmas movie.
Just so you know, I’m snacking on some jingle jangle mix while I type this.
Does anyone else find inspiration in the target dollar spot? I know I can’t be the only one. We live next to the target with the absolute best dollar spot. It’s always stocked up with seasonal goodies and usually a line of Starbucks armed mamas are trying to squeeze in and find some treasure.
On one such treasure hunt last week I found favor with the dollar spot and came home with 2 packages of these snowballs. They were $3 each and came with 10 snowballs in each bag.
I got to thinking about all that cute pom-pom garland I’ve seen all over Instagram on everyone’s tree and started reading tutorials on DIY pom poms. Who has time for that? Not this mama. So I bought these snowballs in hopes of making some faux pom pom garland.
Here is how I did it:
