It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

Christmas! Just typing the word makes me smile. It is such a magical time of year.

I am running a little behind and just got my tree up. I always put my decorations up the weekend after Thanksgiving. However, this year I had the help of my five year old niece, so I waited an extra week for her. My tree is a little different this year than previous years. I usually decorate a fancy-like tree, keeping with a certain color and/or theme. Last year, the tree was lime green and copper.

This year I wanted more of a rustic look, not so froo-froo fancy. We kept the colors limited and went with red and gold-to-copper colors, but instead of using floral mesh, we used grapevines for texture. Grapevines? Yes, and they are much cheaper than the floral mesh.  I had planned on using grapevine garland...but it was $14! Yikes, that is way too expensive for me! Instead, I picked up 4 grapevine wreaths for $2 each, on sale. To make the wreaths like garland, snip the large outside vine and unwind the wreath. Easy.

I know you are ready for the pics of my tree, so here ya go. However, my disclaimer is that it is stinking hard to photograph a Christmas tree! 

I added burlap for the skirt.



And here is my mantle. I didn't do anything extravagant with it - 4 glitter trees, a Merry Christmas banner, floral mesh, and a Santa picture. I still need to add some grapevine to the mantle.

My centerpiece on the dining room table is a framed chalkboard with some glitter presents. Easy and simple.

And since my niece was in the Christmas decorating mood, I let her decorate a tree all by herself. She picked the ornaments and where to put them on the tree. I think it is the prettiest tree I've ever seen. We used a sheepskin rug as the tree skirt since it looks a little like snow...or a polar bear as my niece said.

Do you have your Christmas decorations up yet? And advice on photographing a Christmas tree? Have you used any non-traditional items in your Christmas decorating?