For many years Christmas in my home has meant glass balls on a vintage aluminum Christmas tree. . Last year I decided to shake things up a bit and instead we used a Dicksonia Antarctica as our “tree.” Things have gotten even odder this year. It’s the year of the fallen branches. 
I had mentioned to my husband that I thought maybe this year I would use a decorative branch and just hang a few ornaments. I was thinking something smooth, like maybe a curly willow branch but with more horizontal bits for ornament hanging.Then he came home with a fallen branch he found in the park. It was a beauty, crusty and full of character just like the ones I shared with you yesterday. Sold! Or rather, reclaimed! I went and gathered a few more.
The result…
Not everyones Christmas ideal but we're really enjoying the spare quality of the branches. Especially since they came with some decorations of their own.
I also really enjoy doing up the mantle for the holidays. This year I decided to augment my collection of small trees and glittery things with tillandsia and succulents. I had so much fun putting this together!
Digs Inside & Out had a wonderful sale over the Thanksgiving weekend so I picked up a couple new tillandsias to add to my collection as well as a few to give as gifts for friends and family (don’t worry I’m not giving any secrets away, they’ve already got them!).
I picked up this vintage planter (cheap!) at an antique store and filled it with tiny succulents from the orange big box store. It’s true! For those of us in cooler climates who can’t just head out to the garden for cuttings HD is a great resource.
I just love this combo!
I think subconsciously the overall branch and plant scheme developed because the house is full of tender plants overwintering indoors. Why not build on it?Of course after I took the photos above we had an amazing sunny morning that changed the entire mood. The cool Christmas blues, whites and silvers were suddenly upstaged by warm golden tones. What’s a girl to do but take more pictures?
We also added a touch of Christmas cheer outside with our glittery door wreath tied with a red ribbon. 
And a pair of small chartreuse dwarf Cypress.
Later when the “Christmasizing” was complete the husband mentioned that he thought it peculiar that the wreath always went on the outside of the door where we were unable to enjoy it. The next day he brought home our very own inside the door wreath.
I love it; all of it!
ReplyDeleteLovely decorations. I agree about the wreath... I don't get one often for that very reason, but maybe this year I'll place one inside.
ReplyDeleteHow unique is all of this? I just think it's beautiful! What a sweet and thoughtful husband you have.
ReplyDeleteLove all the little succulents in the pots scattered around amoung the decorations. Very festive it all is.
ReplyDeleteI love it Loree! You certainly have got a interior decorator streak in you. And the Danger Husband is so right about front door wreaths.
ReplyDeleteBe the light warm or cool, it's a wonderful look.
ReplyDeleteyour fireplace area is gorgeous! and i like the wreath inside too! thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThis is truly inspired and original! I love taking the holiday decor in a natural direction! that warming winter gleam is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteLove absolutely everything you've done with your decorations here! What a great idea of your husband's to have an indoor wreath. I especially like the Christmas branches, my mother-in-law used to do that every year (as well as a tree). She was British, and claimed it was a British tradition.
ReplyDeleteYou have a FANTASTIC hubby!
ReplyDeleteThose branches are wonderful.
Great tree!
ReplyDeleteWe have used branches as curtain rods in the past...
but this is GOOD!
Wyatt's Mom
Your interior design posts are the bestest! I just KNEW you were the kind of person who would also use tillandsias, but those elegant and sparse arrangements are to die for! Very Anthropologie.
ReplyDeleteFirst rate ! And what great idea to put a wreath inside-particularly like the juniper action there ..sort of a segue into Martinis ?
ReplyDeleteYour home for the holidays looks lovely. I love branches and put them in vases in the house.
ReplyDeleteI love the branches! I'm a Christmas tree kind of girl, but I really dig what you've done in your space. Very festive! Great planters!
ReplyDeleteMagazine-worthy! I was feeling kind of burnt out already but this has totally inspired me to work on some holiday decorations. And the Protea should totally replace the Poinsettia as official holiday flower.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, girlfriend, I hope the magazine editors are looming because your decorating is so, so worthy of a wider audience. So much inspiration and fun too. And I love your hubby's thoughtfulness. He deserves a huge kudos for his contributions. Girl you've got it going on. Seriously! :)
ReplyDeleteLove the Christmas branch and all the other cute arrangements! Don't worry about not entering our contest, you've got a bunch coming this Spring :)
ReplyDeleteI know where you shop at!!!! Haha I can tell because I recognize it all, I'm in the floral dept. at New Seasons Orenco Station and I recognize among other things the protea, cypress trees, and juniper wreath are probably from one of our stores! Have you seen the live succulent ornaments? I don't know if they carry them in every store but they are to die for!!! I want every one!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful decorations. Love the plants. A door wreath inside is a good idea. Enjoyed the photos - all of them. You have a lovely home.
ReplyDeleteI was looking to get inspired for the holidays so headed to a very posh shopping center. Huge letdown, same old/same old. Should have saved myself the trouble and just checked out DG. I'm thinking of foregoing a tree too and using that money to hit the florist hard, to turn the house into a conservatory of flowers, branches, berries.
ReplyDeleteChris U, thank you!
ReplyDeleteJeffB, what the heck start a new tradition. If you get a fresh one it will help make your house smell good too.
Darla, yes I am pretty lucky in the husband department, and thank you for the "unique" compliment.
Spiky O, every year after I take down the Christmas decor the house looks so spare and drab. Not this year! I've got a couple of other vintage containers to plant with succulents and jazz things up. I can't wait!
Greensparrow, hey thanks! It was a career choice for awhile, but I abandoned it in favor of retail management. Yikes!
thank you ricki, the golden light is so fleeting this time of year I was glad I got to capture a but of it.
gina, glad I could help!
Janine, I wish we had more of it! (the warming winter gleam)
Alison, I've never heard that (British tradition), now I'll have to investigate it!
thanks Jenn!
Wyatt's mom, interesting idea! I like it!
RFG, you really know how to throw out a compliment ("very Anthropologie").
ks, funny! I wish I liked martinis, I've tried, really hard. But alas...I hate them.
Hoover Boo, I think I could really get out of hand hauling home things I find on walks, like more branches.
Thanks Laura, and there is nothing wrong with being a Christmas tree sort of gal, I love walking around at dusk when I can see them all lit up in peoples homes. It's such a wonderful festive look.
Suzie, omg! I love it! Yes lets start a Protea Christmas revolution!!!
Grace, you are really good for a girls ego!
Megan, you guys are the best!
heather, ha! You are quite the detective! And you are correct on all but the cypress trees, those are from the orange big box store. I haven't seen these ornaments of which you speak. Are they in glass balls?
Evelyn, thank you!
Denise, yes!!! Do it! I always used to rationalize buying flowers during the holidays because I wasn't buying a tree (using the aluminum one) you're on to something and I hope you'll share pictures.
Now that's really original way to decorate--way more creative than the usual idea of the tree. I'm sure the old aluminum tree had some serious attitude, but the big branch is a thing of beauty to live with.
ReplyDeleteYou have a great eye, Loree. It all looks beautiful, and very "you." I think it's sweet that your husband brings branches and wreaths home for you. Nice that you share the same taste.
ReplyDeleteHahaha oh that's funny, we have them too. The ornaments are awesome, I can barely even describe them, some of them are just in pebbles in little glass pails, but most of them are just free-hanging, not in balls, with little embellishments like moss or even beads and rhinestones glued to them. I think you'd get a kick out of them if nothing else, you should definitely try to track them down if they don't have them at your regular store.
ReplyDeleteI am so envious. It looks fabulous. Our primary decorating theme is remodeling dust!
ReplyDeletelove the clean fresh crispness of the mantle-scape
ReplyDeletebeautiful inspirational images all around !!
James, oh my yes, attitude in spades! Are you old enough to remember when clear tape turned yellow and had a cellophane look to it? The previous owner repaired some of the branches with it...I love the look of it.
ReplyDeletePam, sweet indeed. Coming up on our 6th anniversary this Saturday, I am lucky.
heather, ok I made a trek into the Concordia store today hoping to see them, and I did. My first reaction was horror (sorry), I mean they have pins stuck through them!!! That's murder! But then I walked away and did some shopping and by the time I left and visited them again I was starting to warm up to them. I must say whoever is making them does get points for creativity!
Patricia, but in the end the reward will be worth it right?
DD Michelle, thank you! Arr you going with the aluminum tree this year?