Christmas Vignettes from Our Home

Here are a few snapshots of Christmastime at our house thus far. Enjoy!

What you do with stockings when you don't have a fireplace...

 A Mexican nativity set we purchased last year in Cozumel

This ornament belonged to Nick's Nana

Our toddler-proof tree

Vintage thermos vases for extra tree branches

Kitchen cabinet wreaths

 Christmas bunting made of fabric scraps and an old, wool skirt from Goodwill :)

Boxwood wreath for the front door

Front porch cheer

A girls' ornament exchange I hosted this weekend

Winter sangria and a hot cocoa station

A Toddler Proof Christmas Tree

This, post is a bit overdue, but it's here. As a follow up to this post, we found the perfect table-top tree at the Home Depot along with some paver stones and a galvanized bucket et voila, our toddler proof Christmas tree! Collin loves pointing at the Christmas Tree and we hold him and let him touch some of the ornaments, but we've had zero issues with him messing with the tree because it's too high for him to reach! I never thought I'd love having a small tree this much. Watering and caring for this tree is a breeze. Furthermore, we were able to use all of our favorite ornaments and leave off the filler ornaments you typically put on a large tree.

Christmas Sneak Peek

Christmas update from the Bradac household. We did get a table-topper tree and are loving it (best decision ever) and there are a number of other little Christmas vignettes I'm working on around the house. Here's a shot of one of them:

Simplest craft ever. I bottle of large grain glitter, some Elmer's glue, a plastic knife and the cardboard letters you can buy at Hobby Lobby for $2.47 a piece (unless you happen to get them half off like I did)! If you want to ensure the glitter stays on, you can spray some clear acrylic sealant on the letters, but it's optional. I was going to spell JOY, but wouldn't you know all the Y's were sold out. So, NOEL it is.

I'll soon be posting pics of our little tree and other holiday tidbits from our home!

A Very Vintage Christmas, Room by Room- The Living Room

Whether you are looking for some vintage inspiration to deck your living room in holiday cheer or simply needing ideas for gifts, this vintage living room captures the essence to a laid-back mid-century modest space. 

As I mentioned in my vintage kitchen Christmas post, "You can go a number of routes when crafting vintage Christmas decor for your home. I like to mix flashy pieces from the later fifties and sixties (like tinsel trees or big, outdoor holiday lights) with more rustic, rugged pieces such as plaid curtains and checkered fabrics from the 40's or fresh cyprus garlands. Blend your modern Crate & Barrel or sophisticated Pottery Barn pieces with playful reindeer ornaments, mossy terrariums filled snow capped model trees, homespun fabrics, and White Christmas inspired Vermont firewood bundles. Remember, you are aiming for a vintage feel in your home, not a vintage stage set for a play."

1. The use of gold in your holiday decor adds sparkle and class, taking the look up a notch. The lovely Starburst Mirror from the Home Depot is an affordable $34 and will add class to your home year-round. Make a glittery banner to add whimsy to your room or skip the mess and purchase this beauty for $18 on Etsy.

2. Ground playful pops of orange (DIY Noel Pillow) with traditional reds and plaids. Land of Nod and West Elm offer some a number of handsome, traditional looking stockings. It's important to remember you don't have to be matchy-matchy with color.

3. Offer comfortable, retro styled seating like this chair for $379 from Urban Outfitters. The aqua upholstery is a soothing complemnet to a high-charged holiday colorscape. In total, there are ten color options to choose from.

4. I am partial to fresh trees. Always have been, always will be. There is nothing like entering a pine-scented wonderland every time you walk through your front door. But, if the upkeep is a bit much and you are looking for an alternative to a fresh tree this year, then what's more vintage than a faux tree? Scared of the synthetic options out there? Check out this lovely, realistic-looking, pre-lit Vienna Twig Christmas Tree on Amazon. At a cool $59, you can't go wrong. 

5. Etsy, Ebay and your local thrift establishments are the perfect place to find shiny, vintage ornaments. Mix them with your more modern pieces for an effortless, retro-chic look.

5. For an easy DIY candle mantel piece or window sill showpiece, purchase plain, white, glass religious candles like these from your local dollar store and red stick-on letters. Spell out "Peace," "Joy," "Noel," "Christmas," the possibilities are endless. 

6. Restoration Hardware has a bevy of old-timey games like Dominoes and Scrabble. Buy a few as gifts, keep a few for holiday parties at your house!

7. Last, but not least, there is a nothing that highlights the true meaning of Christmas like a vintage nativity set.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more Very Vintage Christmas rooms!

A Very Vintage Christmas, Room by Room- The Kitchen

This marks the first installment of a series of posts entitled "A Very Vintage Christmas, Room by Room." The kitchen is the most fitting place to begin. Where else does family congregate this time of the year? Needing ideas on how to make your scullery scrumptious? Maybe there is a lover of cooking or baking on your Christmas shopping list. For inspiration, take a look at this curated collection of vintage goodness. I can smell the cookies now!

You can go a number of routes when crafting vintage Christmas decor for your home. I like to mix flashy pieces from the later fifties and sixties (like tinsel trees or big, outdoor holiday lights) with more rustic, rugged pieces such as plaid curtains and checkered fabrics from the 40's or fresh cyprus garlands. Blend your modern Crate & Barrel or sophisticated Pottery Barn pieces with playful reindeer ornaments, mossy terrariums filled snow capped model trees, homespun fabrics, and White Christmas inspired Vermont firewood bundles. Remember, you are aiming for a vintage feel in your home, not a vintage stage set for a play. 

1. Display your Vintage Cookbooks. Don't have any original editions? Snap up a few classics re-done in their original covers like Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook and Mastering The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. They make great gifts and they'll provide you with a tasty array of old-time Christmas recipes for your holiday feast.

2. One can never have too many Tea Towels-- especially if they are retro as can be like this Airfix Kitchen Dish Cloth, $15 from Etsy. Wrap a bottle of your favorite bubbly in one of these cuties, tie it with a ribbon et viola! An instant hostess gift-- sure to deliver some holiday cheer.

3. A Kitchenaid Mixer's design has withstood the test of time and deserves a special place in every vintage-inspired kitchen. If you already own one of these cullinary workhorses, it's time to shine it up and get cracking on those holiday treats! Consider bequeathing one to the newlyweds in your life, they will be ever so grateful.

4. Bring Mason Jars into your winter decor-scheme by making Vintage Jar Snow Globes or Christmas terrariums to adorn the tops of your cupboards and windowsills. Check out a tutorial here.

5. Framed Chalkboards are the perfect way to spell out your favorite Christmas messages. This looker in teal is a respectable 24x30 inches-- large enough to hold its own atop your kitchen hutch.

6.  Bring on the Fresh Christmas Greenery- Unlit wreaths and garlands look stunning hanging over cabinets and sideboards a simple striped ribbon will tie it all together (source). 

7. Who says you can't look festive whilst you make a mess? I'm loving this sweet, vintage-inspired Cherry Pie Apron from Anthropologie.

8. Checkered Tablecloths aren't just for picnics or Italian dinners. They offer a sweet, homey touch to your holiday tablescape. At a mere $13.99, this spread is a no-brainer.

9. Bring on the Tinsel Tree! You already have a formal tree in your living room, liven things up with a vintage standard in your kitchen. Buy an affordable tabletop sized tree and pop it into a cherry red, enamelware bucket it will make an sweet table centerpiece. Decorate it with vintage ornaments such as these and your kiddos' popsicle stick creations or, to keep things strictly kitchen-themed, vintage cookie cutters looped with colorful yarn or ribbon. 

More ideas:

Ornaments in Large Jars and Cake Stands- Pull out your glass domed cake stands or glass canister jars of varying heights and fill them with vintage ornaments. These will add a great pop of color over your kitchen cabinets or on a table as a centerpiece.

Vintage Thermos Vases- Line up your kitchen table with a grouping of vintage thermoses from the 40's and 50's. They come in every size and color/pattern, from awesome red and green plaids to ribbed silver aluminum. Clip a few branches off the back of your Christmas tree (the side no one sees), fill your "vases" and presto! Instant, rugged centerpiece!

Hanging Cookie Cutters- String vintage cookie cutters up on ribbons of varying colors and lengths. Hang them in your windows to add bling to your kitchen.

Toddler-Proofing Your Christmas Decor

Dear Reader,

Last Christmas Collin was a cherubic three months old, only too happy to sit in his bouncy seat and admire the tree's twinkly lights.

Christmas 2011- Nick, Collin and our 6ft Fraser Fir, all ready to get blinged out.

Last year's tree in all its glory

This year, he will be 15 months old. Need I say more? We have to be extra mindful of where we put candles, bowls of ornaments, stockings, garlands, Poinsettias (my auto-correct was trying to change this to "pantsuits") and anything else low-lying that could be of interest to our little explorer.

We don't over-baby proof our house. Obviously all the dangerous areas (outlets, chemicals, stairs) are kept locked and inaccessible to him, but through repetition and reinforcemnt, we try to teach him what is "for Collin" and what is "not for Collin." Lately the "no-no" list seems insanely long and the thought of adding a tree to the litany of off-limits and ever-so-tempting stumbling blocks sounds exhausting right now.

I was resigning myself to putting the majority of our ornaments at the top of the tree when it occurred to me-- We could do a table-top tree this year!

Now I'm actually excited to start decorating within my new parameters. Check out these examples of table top trees. They are just as pretty as full-sized trees and I'm looking forward to working with my smoking hott, handyman husband to rig up a stand for our fresh tree within a basket or galvanized bucket (preventing tiny hands from yanking on tree skirts). We'll see how it goes! If anyone has ever done a tree in a basket or bucket, I'd appreciate your ideas on how to keep it hydrated and sturdy.

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Now that the tree plan is on paper, my imagination is having a field day thinking of framing our living room/dining room archway in fresh cedar garland (hung out of reach from little hands). I can just smell it now!

Love,

Steph

P.S. If your nativity scene is breakable, check out Lesly's DIY version here. A great way for little ones to learn the Christmas story through play!

'Tis the Season for Christmas Cards!

I realize Thanksgiving is this week, so I'm technically jumping the gun on Christmas, but when it comes to sending out holiday correspondence, the sooner you start thinking and planning, the better. You may be interested in checking out some of my Christmas card options here. Have something else in mind? For a limited time, I'm waiving my custom design fee of $99 and only charging $15 for custom design work when you print through our shop! Just mention the Mostaza Seed blog in your order notes.

My Morning View

I've been pretty good about getting up when Nick gets up to go to work (6AM) and I must admit it's much easier to do so when I am greeted by A. A hot cup of coffee, B. Our first real Christmas Tree (last year we were moving and chose to only do a table top tree), and C. This splendid, tunis blue mid century rocker chair that I purchased for $10 at an estate sale! Yup. It was only $10 because one of the arms was loose, which my fabulous husband fixed in a jiffy! There were a few small stains on the upholstery, but they came right up with a bit of Shout and elbow grease. The pictures are a bit dark because I did take them at o' dark thirty, but you get the idea.

Thought I'd invite you into my morning view:)