I know this is a crazy busy time of year for everyone and I must say that this week has been a doozy for the Parsons’ family. We have been slammed with stuff to do and appointments and obligations from every side…family, work, church, school. That’s why I’ve been quieter than usual on my blog. It was just not possible to get a post out mid-week. We’re expecting a winter storm this weekend here in MN and I’m sort of hoping we get even more snow than expected, so we have a good excuse to stay in our jammies and cocoon ourselves from the world for a couple of days. (I also hope to get a chance to paint, because I have not been able to since before we left for Thanksgiving and I miss it!) But, today, I am a part of the Farmhouse Christmas Tour with an amazing group of bloggers and I’m sharing my blue and white Christmas living room…
If you’re coming over here from Lauren’s blog, welcome! Well, welcome if you’re coming from anywhere, but she is the “stop” before me on this holiday tour, so that might be how you found me today.
I really wanted to have my entire house ready for this tour, but I just couldn’t pull it together. Not only is a good part of my house still a work in progress (we just moved into it the summer of 2017), but we were having the tile in our foyer done this week and, as I mentioned above, we had a few dozen other things that needed my attention more. So, today, I’m just sharing our blue and white Christmas living room. It’s the room that got the most Christmas-decorating attention and, while I might tweak a thing or two, it’s the room that is the most finished.
A blue & white Christmas tree
The star of the room is definitely the tree. I got it last year when I partnered with Balsam Hill. It’s the 8′ Noble Fir with incandescent lights.
Last year, right on the heels of a move, I didn’t have it in me to haul out all of the decorations, so I only hung a fraction of ornaments on the tree. This year, we are more settled and the house is looking more like “us”, so I have been relishing decking the halls. I’ve had my Christmas playlist filling the house and I’m singing as I’m sorting through disorganized bins of decor, trying to figure out how to best dress this house for the holidays.
The tree was tucked behind the sofa last year, which never really felt right. It looked like the tree had been sent to the corner for being naughty. It was also a pain to decorate, as I had to literally stand on the back of the sofa to hang some of the ornaments. This year, we tried it next to the doorway and that is the magic spot.
I really took my time decorating the tree this year and it’s my favorite tree ever. It’s classy and elegant, but it’s not so perfect that it still feels homey. For the past few years, I have swagged white felt garland around the tree. Last year, though, it looked a little sloppy on this particular tree. I think because this tree is fairly dense, there just wasn’t enough room for the garland to hang. So, this year, I paired the garland with a wired blue/gray velvet ribbon and it’s tucked around the tree, almost in a cascading spiral. It works so much better with the shape of the tree and I like the pairing of the two colors and textures.
The ornaments are all blue, white, silver, or natural wood, so there is an overall harmonious color palette. There is a wide array of ornaments, though, from storebought to handmade, from vintage to new, from cheap (plastic balls covered in blue glitter) to higher end (like the Wallace Bells.) And yes, I have even included ornaments my kids made. I don’t feel obligated to use all of them, but I used a few of our favorites that they actually made themselves.
I also tucked in sprays of white berries, and artificial lamb’s ear, and pine cones. Under the tree, I’ve used the tree skirt I made out of antique toweling a few years ago. You can find that (sort of) tutorial HERE. (It still makes me laugh when I think of Kriste and I trying to sort out the geometry of this project!)
On top of the tree skirt, I used the Christmas Village Wood Tree Collar from Balsam Hill. (Sadly, it’s sold out, but they will probably have it again for next Christmas.)
It comes lit, which is awesome, but it is lit with LED lights that put off an orangey glow. I used them for a couple of days and then decided to tuck a string of white incandescent lights behind and in the wood village and now it “matches” the lights on the tree. I have learned this year that, aside from the LED candles, I just cannot do LED lights. Not the warm ones, even. If they ever threaten to take away incandescent bulks entirely, I’ll have to hoard a lifetime supply.
Anyway, the village tree collar adds the perfect finishing touch around the base of the tree and I love how it works with the skirt I made.
To the left of the entry, I added a wool pom-pom wreath (from Anthropologie a few years ago) on the doors of the pine cupboard.
To the right of the large archway that leads into the kitchen eating area, I put the dresser displaced by the tree. Miss Morisot (my Manet copy) got treated with a garland (the Angel Pine from Ballard Designs.)
This specific dresser is a little big, but I actually like having a piece of furniture there.
On the lamps behind the sofa, I tied on some homemade “snowball” poms. (You can find the tutorial for those HERE.)
On the table next to the sofa, I added a small tree (purchased from HomeGoods last year) contained in an antique 2 gallon crock.
And I have my usual bowl of mixed nuts with an antique English nutcracker I bought on Etsy a few years ago. My Oma always had a bowl of nuts sitting out, so it reminds me of her. I do actually snack on them, too!
I dressed the open shelving with some greens, tealight candles, and Dala horses from World Market.
I found the little tealight holders at a yard sale a few years ago.
And now, we’re back around at the fireplace. The mantle is decorated in faux greens with some yarn pom-poms and LED wired lights. (Oh, I can handle those LED lights, too, and I think it’s because they aren’t as bright.)
Blue & white Christmas mantle decor
The white flowers were purchased from the dried floral section and I’m not sure exactly what they are! I had them in my “pinecone bin” leftover from last fall.
I bought the marble stocking holders last year from Home Goods and the stockings on sale last year from Crate & Barrel. (The pillows were from there, too, but they don’t carry either of those products anymore.)
I love how our living room turned out. It’s cozy and classic – just the look I wanted for this room for this blue & white Christmas living room.
Next on the home tour is Liz’s gorgeous house on the blog Love Grows Wild and you can check out the other home/room tours below…
Today’s Posts:
Lauren McBride
And if you missed yesterday’s posts, you can get to those by clicking the links below!
Thursday’s Posts:
Maison de Cinq | Boxwood Avenue | Ella Claire | Rooms for Rent | Maison de Pax | Farmhouse on Boone | Thistlewood Farms
Friday’s Posts:
Miss Mustard Seed | Love Grows Wild | Tidbits | Liz Marie Blog | So Much Better with Age | Mountain View Cottage | Lauren McBride
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