Into the Holiday Spirit

As this is the first year we're celebrating the holiday season in our house, it seemed only right that we do a little decorating—in between the hiking, eating, reading and movie watching—over the long weekend. We decided to start small for our first year and stick with mini trees on the mantle (they were a bargain at $12.99 a piece!) and we hope that we can keep them alive until early spring and plant them outside.

After we brought home two of the little guys, I scavenged the rest of the materials in the house. I wrapped their bases in voile fabric from Anna Maria Horner (I happened to have two pieces that fit really well). I secured them in back with straight pins and wrapped a length of twine around each with a bow in front.

The mason jars are for the wedding, on loan from Virginia. And the "open me" tags and the two tiny jars of sparkliness are from a kit I brought home from work. The garland, which is made from old music sheets, is from Tabitha Designs scored at Ephemera.

We're living with our display for now and will decide how to dress up the trees in the coming weeks. The branches are so tiny that it's a challenge to hang or drape anything on them, but maybe we'll find something else hiding in the basement to use! All in all, I like how subtle it is, and how it is both festive and calm. It's in the corner of our living room, which means I have an excellent view from the spot on the couch where I do my sewing.

Oh, and as a little bonus, I hung two of these wreath ornaments on our French doors that go out to the screened-in porch (which we will use again come spring, thank you very much Iowa winter) that my Grandmom P made many years ago. Love!