Time to Spruce Things Up for Christmas

Hello, my lovelies! 

Are you one of those types who trim their tree just seconds after the last piece of Halloween candy is dropped into a bucket? Who moves immediately from pumpkins to sugar plums? Snowplowing directly past Thanksgiving all while blaring Mariah Carey and sporting their finest ugly sweater? 

Yeah, me neither. 

In fact, I have a hard "no Christmas until after Thanksgiving" rule. For some reason, I get very defensive on behalf of Turkey Day, maybe because it's so easily looked over nowadays and I feel bad. Or maybe because I think the month of November should be filled with Fall and not Fa-La-La-La-Las. 

With that being said, once it IS the proper time to celebrate the holiday season, I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT! 

I haven't bought new decorations in a loooong while. So since we'd be adding another stocking to the mantel, I jumped at the chance to "spruce" up (see what I did there?) the space above our fireplace to celebrate Harrison's first Christmas with new garland and trimmings! 

This year I wanted bottle brush trees. I've had my eye on these cute little creations for some time, and just love how whimsical they are. You can find them almost anywhere, but the large white ones in the photo all came from Hobby Lobby. They have quite the variety, and with all holiday decor 50% off right now you can't go wrong. 

Hob-Lob is also where I picked up the garland, lambs ear clips, owl pick (how CUTE is he??!!!), and gold tree picks. The red and green berry garland, lights, and "joy" sign I already had, and the small trees I ordered from Amazon. 

My process for assembly went like so; 
1. pour a cup of coffee
2. play Christmas songs 
3. start with the big stuff - garland, berries lights, sign
4. move to medium - white trees, lambs ears, gold trees
5. finish with small - tiny trees
6. before ANY of this, drop the baby off at daycare and take a personal day from work so you can actually be productive. 

When adding picks and such to garland, think about clustering your decorations in groups of three. Mix various heights and textures for dimension, all while keeping visual weight in mind so the whole piece is balanced. 

Holy holly berries that is FESTIVE! 
Such an upgrade from the sad little strand of plastic green garland I used to throw up there behind my knick-knacks. And isn't Harrison's stocking fabulous!? I picked it up at a local boutique, and grabbed three extra in case I decide Eric and I need to match. Or we have 3 more kids...whichever comes first. 

I can't wait for Christmas morning. I dont' think Harry will have a clue what's going on, but if his excitement is anything like when he met the big man...I think we're in for a jolly ol' time. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 


Check out all of our home improvements and decor, by visiting the OUR NEST page.

Falling Back in Love with Fall

Greetings everyone! 

It's been a hot minute since we've last chatted. And I'm not referring to this post-Summer-but-still-not-Fall-because-it's-hotter-than-the-sun weather we've been having. My last post was shortly after Little Man was born, and he just turned SIX MONTHS OLD! 

We're halfway through raising a human from baby to toddler, and it's still the coolest thing I've ever done in my entire life. Last night he started to really get the hang of leaning down to grab and pick up his toys, and I was SO proud! The most basic moments of life have now become major causes for celebration in the Wellman house, and I'll tell you what, getting excited about eating sweet potatoes from a spoon really does put your life in perspective. 

People need to BE HAPPY about stupid things more often. It does the soul good. 

Speaking of being happy about stupid things. LOOK AT MY NEW DOOR MAT!!!! It brings me so much joy to kick the season off with a fresh place to wipe my kicks. 

It's pretty awesome when you don't have to actually say anything, and your doormat takes care of welcoming your guests for you. Basically, it's like an Alexa...for your feet. 

I've recently become a big fan of buying my outdoor underfoot accessories at Hobby Lobby. Last Spring I found they had a pretty great selection and were extremely affordable compared to other online sources. This particular week all rugs were 50% off too (find the above HERE and HERE). That plus the 40% off one regular priced item code they always have and I was ready to rock! 

I've also joined the bandwagon of layering a mat over a rug. Yes, the rug gets dirty because it's outside and you walk all over it every day. But guess what, that's why the good Lord made washing machines. It gives your entryway a welcoming feeling of warmth, not to mention the addition of texture and spacial balance between the door and doormat.

In the last few seasons, I've been pretty skimpy with my Autumn decor. Mums can get expensive, and nothing ticks me off more than buying pumpkins and waking up to find they've been stolen or messed with by the high-schoolers who walk by our house every day. (Click HERE to see the display I set up when we first moved in, and how much that stressed me out.) 

The winds of change must've been blowing because this year felt different. The new school opened up the hill so there hasn't been near the amount of foot traffic on our street, and the start of cooler days (finally) had me deep into those cozy Fall vibes. 

Since a couple of our annuals were still hanging in there, we kept them and swapped everything else out for mums and cabbage. Yes, CABBAGE! I am HERE for this vegetable and vow it will become a staple in my Fall plant purchases. Look at that beautiful purple color!! Also, can we have a moment of silence for those stunning yellow pumpkins that (for some lame reason) did NOT end up coming home with me??? I may accidentally go back to Reading Feed and Garden and buy some on the way home from work today...accidentally.

The rest of our stash included wonky guards that looked like they were tie-dyed bright orange and green, as well as fresh white pumpkins that match everything. 

Eric: "Why do pumpkins have to match ANYTHING?" 

Beth: "They just dooOMG LOOK AT THIS CRAZY ONE!" 

Eric: "Ooook. I'm cutting you off."

Inside the house, I discovered these glittery pumpkins I picked up from Hob Lob on clearance last year. The orange color was "meh", so I grabbed some white acrylic paint and gave them a quick makeover. 

Oooh YAS much better. 

I think I don't get as amped up to decorate for Fall as I do Spring and Summer because my general vibe doesn't typically include muted earthy tones. I'm more of a bright and bold kind of girl. So finding the balance between color, texture, and pattern this year really got my heart fluttering. I've also brought out and showcased any brass decor I had, which is always in style so win! 

Overall am super satisfied with the results! Now all that's left to do is spend the rest of these perfectly crisp evenings with my two favorite gents. 

Check out all of our home improvements and decor, by visiting the OUR NEST page.