Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

Simplified holiday decor

I can’t believe, as I type this, that Christmas is one week away!  The month of December has gone by in a blur! Are you sick of seeing pictures, articles and blogs about Holiday décor yet? If not, I thought I’d share just a few snapshots from around my house. I decided to keep things simple this year … and I kind of like it! How did I do it?

1. I was very selective in what I put out this year. It was a good opportunity to go through my boxes of decorations and clean them out! Instead of lots of little knick-knacks, I primarily used greenery, ornaments and a few holiday signs/artwork.

2. I kept to a very simple color palette of blues, greens, grays, and whites.  What? No red?  Could I do it?  I’ve always used a lot of red in the past.  I’ve got some red outside and in a few little spots … but for the most part, I am really enjoying the softer, soothing colors. This month is crazy enough as it is, right?

 
As you’ll see below … Boxwood is my friend!  I just love it’s bright green color and part of me would love to just keep it up all year round.
 
 
 
I like to swap out the artwork above my fireplace with this mirror and boxwood garland.
 
 
 

 

 
 

 
 
Look! Some red!  I just love this nostalgic little sign, so I couldn’t resist.

 
 
And of course there’s some red on the Gingerbread house Kyle and Braden made!
 
 
What’s your decorating style … do you go all out or do you like to keep things simple?
 
 
 
 

Holidays at my house …

Well, the baking is done; I just mailed Holiday cards out today and I’ve got just a little more shopping to do.  I always love to see how others have decorated for the holidays, so I  snapped a few pictures from around our house to share with you.

My motto was to keep things simple this year … using natural things like greenery, flowers and fruit and basic holiday items like ornaments, bells and candy canes to decorate.  I then sprinkled in a few of my favorite little holiday signs and critters.

 
I decided to do the garland a little differently this year … instead of wrapping it around the tree, I have it hanging down in spirals from the top.
 
 
I also bought some cute button garland from Ballard (sorry, you can’t see it very well in this picture.)

 
I always love hanging up these colorful stockings handmade by Dan’s mom. (She even made 2 for our cats!) They have a lovely vintage look and feel.

 
Sometimes something as simple as a collection of round glass ornaments in a pretty color is all you need for a little sparkle.

 
I opted out of full garland along the banister this year in favor of these simple boxwood stars.

 

 
Vintage sleigh bells are a great way to fill a tray … and this Spiced Eggnog candle from Anthropologie smells heavenly!
 

 
I love this O Holy Night print I ordered from Jones Design Company.  I just popped it in a rustic frame I bought at Hobby Lobby.

 

Hope everyone is enjoying the season. Be sure to take time out from the hustle and bustle to do the special things that makes you happy!
 
 

Easter Centerpieces

I hope everyone has a lovely Easter weekend.  Since we are not hosting brunch this year and just returned from vacation … I must admit, all of my pretty spring/Easter decorations are still in a box … but I thought I’d share a few of my favorite centerpiece ideas from Pinterest.

How sweet is this idea?  Filling eggshells with dirt, succulents and other tiny blooming flowers.  After brunch, you could plant them in the garden (as long as your hubby will do the dishes!)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So simple …
Wheatgrass!
Ok … isn’t this cute. Too bad my cat, Leo, would bite the heads off all the tulips. (Not the bunnies!)
 
So elegant … Lilies of the Valley make me swoon.
Many blessings to you and your family on this holiday weekend. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day

How are you celebrating Valentine’s day this year?
Did you whip up something like this for breakfast?
Nope, me either.
To be honest, I don’t do much Valentine’s Day decorating … but there sure are a lot of pretty ideas out there.
Source: flickr.com via Randi on Pinterest
Source: Randi on Pinterest
Source: etsy.com
I wish I could say I whipped up something like this for this evening …
But that’s not going to happen.
Maybe next year?
Hope there is love in the air at your house …. Happy Valentine’s Day!

How will you set your Christmas table?

Are you hosting a meal for the holidays? I love setting the table for Christmas. It just seems like the perfect occasion to go all out. I love the deep rich traditional holiday colors, and it’s the perfect time to bring in pretty metallics like silver and/or gold.

I pulled out a few pictures of my table from Christmas Eve last year to share.  Because we do a multi-course traditional Czech Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve with my husband’s side of the the family, I usually set the table in our kitchen, along with another kid’s table because it is our biggest open space where everyone can sit together and there is a lot of going back and forth with different kinds of soups and traditional foods for each course.

My centerpieces were surprisingly easy to pull together … just some fresh pine boughs, a red rose, an amaryllis and a little gold ornament cluster tied together and placed in those square glass vases we all tend have several of. Then I added a few pomegranates and artichokes I bought at the grocery story and a few dried berries and nuts I had purchased at Crate and Barrel.
Add in some sparkly, votives, some berry napkin rings, some placards I printed out with a fun font and a favorite tablecloth … and there you have it.

Regardless of how you set your holiday table, I hope it is filled with people you love and foods that make you smile. Enjoy!