Christmas living room junk home tour
Merry Christmas friends! And today is a special one indeed…
Today I’m sharing the final part of my Christmas home tour which is the coziest room in the house… the living room! Which also includes this year’s Christmas fireplace mantel and Christmas tree.
If you missed the Christmas kitchen tour, check it out HERE
So let’s go for a walk through a snowy forest, shall we?
Christmas living room junk home tour
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This year’s theme is all about a natural Christmas. Imagine walking through a snowy forest trail. Branches heavy with new fallen snow, the sounds of nature, the crunch underfoot…
I spend a LOT of time on the bike trails through our local forest, so I wanted to bring the feeling of being out there inside my home. It’s been my sanctuary and escape all year long, and it’s a vibe that brings joy and comfort, no matter what is going on.
A cozy white living room
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The living room has a different arrangement this Christmas, and I’m really loving it! One sofa is now parked in front of the big picture window, creating the perfect spot to peek outdoors and bird watch with coffee in hand.
With white slipcovered sofas freshly washed, it’s light and bright like new fallen snow, while getting cozy with just the right amount of cozy pillows and blankets.
And yes… the slipcovers wash up magically! They really do.
Read more on the sofa adventures at:
A NEW Ikea Ektorp winter living room HERE
How I brought the massive Ektorp sofas home and put them together HERE
Right Sky? She knows! This is her very favorite spot to take in naps, especially in the evenings when I relax in front of a Netflix series in this very spot myself.
Isn’t the (cozy kitty with the) cozy Christmas Sweater pillow perfection? It’s a cozy and neutral look perfect for all winter long!
Learn how I made the Christmas Sweater pillow HERE
View the Christmas Sweater stencil HERE
And inside that vintage crock is something special…
A vintage crock cookie jar
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The whole thing is special in all honesty!
This is a crock with a lid gifted to me from my sister. It came from her husband’s family so it’s old and precious. Inside I store peppernuts, a little grab and go spicy cookie infused with ginger, cloves, mace and star anise. I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about them! Maybe I should.
Anyway, this crock comes out only at Christmas so it remains special. Isn’t a beauty, isn’t it?
Scrap wood Christmas trees
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Beside my and Sky’s fav spot to sit, there’s this little rustic side table that houses my coffee and TV remotes on top.
On a shelf below is the perfect spot for these little industrial Christmas trees (shown how HERE).
Aren’t they the cutest?
There’s other little surprises in the room as well.
On the TV media stand sit these little rustic scrap wood trees from 3 different years. They are easy keepers as they store like a dream and look good everywhere!
Find how I made each style under DIY Christmas Trees HERE
On a corner side table, I took advantage of another shelf with a vintage crate filled with ornaments. I was about to put the ornaments away when I realized they were so pretty just being them!
The sections of the pop crate made color blocking them easy.
Simple pleasures…
And the whole reason for the fresh forest vibe this year…
Natural Christmas tree with rustic tree crate
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Is this year’s Christmas tree! I had fully decorated my faux flocked tree when the vibe just wasn’t speaking to me. You know that feeling? So it came down and I picked up this untrimmed natural forest tree instead!
It’s massive… and perfect with just lights and nothing else.
And it’s spectacular at night. It took a massive amount of lights to hit every branch, and it positively SPARKLES at night. No decorations are needed!
Read HERE – How to build this rustic DIY Christmas tree crate
The tree crate is new too! I actually styled it to go with the white flocked tree from last year, but after changing tree gears, it ended up being perfection for this tree too!
The Christmas tree this year stands pretty much in the middle of the upstairs, which is a first! I can even enjoy the other side of it when I’m working my blog office right behind it!
The teddy bear is also extra special. It is one of the last crafts my Mom made herself out of a faux fur coat.
Now that you’ve seen the living room, let’s take a closer glance at this year’s Christmas fireplace mantel…
Christmas fireplace mantel
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For this year’s Christmas fireplace mantel decorating, once again real branches came out to play! Wind fallen evergreen branches were scavenged from the road side, then placed into position along with a string of tiny lights that don’t get hot. They don’t really show up in the photos, but they offer a tinkling glow that is perfection without taking over.
The branches were lightly sprayed with spray snow to highlight them a little more against the dark fireplace.
Read how to achieve realistic faux snow indoors HERE
Teamed up with a couple of vintage windows and candles, and wooden antique skis propped to the side, it’s a snowy natural forest vibe that appears to suit the larger scaled fireplace.
Read how the fireplace was built HERE
Complete with a cozy, real wood crackling burn…
Christmas cards in stockings
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Christmas cards are tucked into the stockings, which makes for an easy grab and read when desired. I like to read the cards and reflect on the givers.
And while a pretty Christmas home tour shares allllll the good, not all went as planned this December. But I think it came with a bigger lesson…
A little December backstory…
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December was a funky kind of month for me personally. I knew I was running late on some projects so I was pushing things full speed ahead not really enjoying the moment…
… when I injured my leg. I thought nothing of it until it became a bigger issue.
Nearly all of December I was working for 10 minutes, then resting the ‘ol leg worried how serious it was going to become. It was like the powers that be wanted me to STOP and reflect. Was go go go the most important part of December? No. Not by a long shot.
The most important part was about enjoying simple moments and appreciating the fact that I was actually pretty healthy compared to lots. Yes, my leg was propped up a lot, but that gave me more time to chat with my son, and soothe the stress away while I cuddled with the purring cats.
Once things improved, my stance on all the Christmas madness changed. I no longer cared about ‘doing all the things’. I just did what felt right while slowing down to enjoy some moments too.
Cherish everyday moments.
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So my wish for you is that it doesn’t take an injury for you to cherish and remember the special moments of this year that brought on life changing things for so many. And while there is difficulty, there’s also joy in between as well. It’s about making the most of any given moment anywhere you are. Don’t you agree? Try and see the good through the fog of challenge?
Here’s wishing you good health, with an abundance of gratitude for the good things life has gifted all of us!
I’ll be taking a little time off for the holidays to put my feet up, enjoy a little Netflix, plenty of cat cuddles and texting and chatting it up with my son and hopefully a few visits to my beloved forest trails. If you’d like to follow a few live moments caught on video now and then, follow me over on Instagram HERE!
Merry Christmas dear friends! And thank-you for visiting this year’s Christmas living room junk home tour and following my own stories, antics and projects all this year! Your visits help keep me doing what I love most… to encourage and inspire others through creativity.
All the best!
Donna xo
Take in the Christmas kitchen home tour HERE
Donna,
I LOVE that tree!!! I looks so perfect in it’s imperfectness ?. I really think that it is the coolest Christmas tree ever! Your fireplace looks so pretty, I can almost feel the warmth coming from the picture and the windows on the mantel are so clever! Your house looks amazing, thanks for the tour.
The house looks wondrous! And I love the new arrangement; I’d love to snuggle up with the cat in front of the window with a coffee and look out :). The craft gods must have it out for us! I was nursing a knee injury in December! I totally agree with you about cherishing everyday moments. Merry Christmas Donna! I hope you have a restful and relaxing time off!
Merry Christmas Donna! Your home is beautiful. You have given me so many ideas for years. Stay Safe, Well and Warm.
Beautiful home and I am in love with your fireplace. Thank you for sharing your home with us. Merry Christmas ?
Merry, Merry. Your talents are endless and I love your style, simple and very inspiring. I love how you take salvaged pieces and create so many different items. I am in awe of your talents and stencils. Love reading your blog and seeing what you come up with. I live in coastal North Carolina, and we designed our house to take advantage of the fact that I grew up on a farm. So my style is Coastal Farmhouse. Loved your Christmas Trees stencil and had to make your Christmas Tree mantel sign. I love it! Thanks again for all the great ideas, wish I could make them all!! Enjoy your down time and look forward to your creations for 2021!
I adore this! Just love the simplicity of it all. Trees are beautiful all on their own, and the lights add just the right amount magic!
Merry Christmas Donna!
Lovely Christmas tree room Donna. The tree is perfect as is. Makes me feel like I am in the woods playing as a child again. I love trees and branches and this tree gives you the whole package with branches and branches and greenery and a sparkle to boot. Put your feet up, reflect and relax. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.
I just want to say thank you for all that you do to keep me entertained! Also, I think your stencils and projects have really been excellent this year in particular. I first got drawn in by your staircase years ago and look forward to your emails. Thanks for inspiring!
Oh my… thank you so much Lenore! What a lovely compliment! Merry Christmas and thank-you for continuing to follow along for so many years!
Your Christmas living room is simply gorgeous Donna! I love the natural and rustic vibe that gives it all the warms and cozies. I’m sorry to hear that you injured your leg and I hope you are doing better. I can relate as I have a chronic back injury that affects my sciatica in my right leg. When it acts up I’m forced to rest every 10 minutes or so when I’m standing to work on projects. No fun when I’m up against a deadline! But like for you, it reminds me that I need to slow down take it easy and that I don’t have to do all the things. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
How beautiful! I can relate to the leg injury. I had a sort of funny mishap this month while putting down a fresh bowl of water for our dog. As I was bending over, all of a sudden I knew I was going too far forward and ending up “surfing” the kitchen floor! Good thing its hardwood so instead of hitting it like a brick, I kind of slid on my hands and knees for a while. Knee was pretty sore and my hand got a little banged up on the baseboard. I kind of started laughing when I realized what I must have looked like (thank goodness only the dog saw me :)) Anyway, ice and elevation helped the knee a lot & like you, it made me slow down and take a real long look at how much I was trying to do and tell myself it was okay to minimize. No visitors are coming this year, so as long as the decor has my seal of approval, its okay. Take care of your leg, be well & have a safe, happy new year!
Oh dear, so sorry to hear about yea ‘ol leg, Donna. I hope it feels much better soon. And good on you for giving yourself a well-deserved break and a kitty cuddle or seventeen. Please look after yourself and may 2021 bring you lots of joy, wherever and whatever you decide to do.
Love the layout you’ve got for Christmas! The natural tree in the center is awesome. And the crisp black, white & evergreen look really shows off all your wonderful rustic wood creations. Thanks for the tour! Definitely enjoying some down time over here!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones ☻♥ xoxo from Holland!
Beautiful home! And I love your projects this year – especially the scrap wood Christmas trees. Always enjoy reading!
BEAUTIFUL….love the natural christmas tree with just lights. No other decorations needed!!!