My decorating style can sometimes be seen as a little left of center. For instance, I like to put chairs on tables,

stack beautiful silver pieces in suitcases even when they would look awesome sitting squarely on a table,

and Christmas trees often find themselves sitting in out-of-the-ordinary “tree stands.”

Sometimes those tree stands might even find themselves in a vintage iron bed frame.

I believe in a “what works for you” decorating mentality utilizing what you have on hand with a couple of new elements added on each year. And this couldn’t be more true than at this time of the year. I am not one for trends either in my home decor or my seasonal decor. For instance, while I LOVE many of the Joanna Gaines inspired shiplap, stream lined with white and light colors at the core of her decor, and sometimes envision my kitchen looking like that… it doesn’t, nor could it, unless I gutted it. A costly proposition at best. I also love the trend right now of white walls and white houses with a lightness and airiness to them. Another decorating trend that would mean a major overhaul to my house with bumpy plaster walls and wooden beams in the ceiling. While I do love and appreciate these looks, my old bumpy colored walls speak to me as do the testaments to the people that built this house, adding on room after room. Interjecting the time period in which they lived into the personality of the house.

There is no better time to adhere to what speaks to your heart then when you adorn and deck your halls at Christmas time. When I decorate my home for Christmas, part of the process that I love is opening up the boxes that I have been diving into once a year, year after year, while carefully unwrapping the pieces nestled inside. This process fills the room with memories and “remember that?” moments. I interject inspiration every year by adding new pieces that I find. Many items that I might have purchased years ago are not “on trend” now but they will always find a place in my home.

When I vignette the barn and create the scenes that you see when you walk in, I am assembling them from what I have found on my searches that speaks to me. There is a rhyme in selecting these items based around color stories, but that is about it. For example, I wouldn’t want one bright purple item to come in for I would have a hard time fitting that into a scene. I then use what I have found in the vintage realm and often utilize non traditional ways to mix the old and the new merchandise.

I’m a sucker for silver and with the addition of fresh greens, I am totally smitten. Add a bauble or two nestled in the greens and voila… you have an elegant display. Many of us discard our mother or our grandmothers pieces because they are laborious to polish… so don’t! I love the patina that vintage silver develops. Along with silver, I am going to highlight a couple of the non traditional uses of things you might have around your house that you can incorporate into your holiday decor that you might not have necessarily thought of.

Sheet Music is something that I love to pull out to decorate with. I like to cut up the sheets that are not that pretty and don’t have value to use as filling for vessels that can then cradle ornaments.

Whole sheets of music can be sprinkled here and there on your tables underneath simple items like sparkly trees. When I show you how I translate this idea to my home decor next week, you will see this concept taken to another level.

Vintage canning jars can be filled with a little fake snow and mica flakes and black and white photos can be inserted inside to create some holiday magic and memories.

Fill glass with Christmas balls, baubles, Santas and any other Christmas trinkets you might have on hand. Even ordinary items can be placed under glass for they sparkle just a little bit more.

A beautiful collection of ornaments, instead of being hung on a tree can be piled in a glass bowl. That certainly makes a statement!

Utilizing glass in a variety of ways is one of my favorite ways to embellish and decorate. These vintage soda bottles look a little more festive when their Christmas colors are accented by a pop of winter berries. Can’t you envision a tablescape with these bottles filled with greens sprinkled down the center of the table?

Old corbels like this one can be turned upside down and used as a decorative stand. This piece accented by fresh greens would be a stunning decor piece.

One of my stand buys… stacked vintage books, bound and unbound often find their way into my decor. The shades of this brown transferware are echoed in these books and perched upon a roll of brown and white checked table paper to create a simple scene. Again, filled with greens, the transferware will pop.

Here beautiful French paper back books are highlighted by a pale blue glass ornament sitting atop a vintage cordial glass .

A red and silver vintage John Wanamaker hat box creates height in this tableau.

Vintage rolls of thread can add texture and softness to a wooden plate sitting atop a pink lampshade. All of those items are not Christmas decor but can be used year round. Pop in a roll of pastel bead garland and it now doubles as Holiday decor.

In a child’s room, a vintage dollhouse, vintage wooden blocks and tinsel tress would be a wonderful way to add a festive air to the room creating even more anticipation for Santa’s arrival.

One thing I believe in wholeheartedly is that all colors can be made Christmassy, not just the traditional red and green. We have seen that in decor especially in the last few years. Green always rings true as an elegant Christmas color though. Paired with vintage gold frames, glass and moss, it becomes even more festive.

Whatever your Christmas decor palette and style may be, think outside the box when decorating. You will create whimsy and interest without a lot of effort. Vintage suitcases are wonderful ways to do so. They can create height, add color interest and can be opened up and filled with goodies to create a unique tablescape.

Trunks as well are awesome height creators and make for great side tables.

My message here is… do what YOU like when it comes to decor. Utilize normal everyday items that you have interspersed with festive seasonal holiday decor. Add a couple of new items each year that YOU love. Don’t feel like you have to kick out the old to bring in the new, just because it is en vogue. Be inspired by the trends that come and go but don’t feel a need to redecorate yearly as the trends wane.

Reflect your personality in your decor… inside and out. Ultimately, it should make you feel good and greet your guests with festivity revealing the warmth that they will feel once in the presence of your home.

Christmas decor… it is a personal thing!

Xoxo ~ Meg