For the first decorated room/area reveal this Christmas season is the room/area
that you first see when you enter my home . . . The Foyer for Christmas.
This year, rather than filling the house with many of my Christmas treasures that
I have collected over the years, I am trying to embellish the things that I already have.
This way I do not have to banish lots of accessories into the attic.
Now it is not to say that I am not using many of my Christmas treasures,
just scaling down a bit.
I chose to feature some of my favorite Holiday pieces
on the antique French buffet.
Those pieces would be my gold crystallized deer
and my cute pair of partridges. I really need to find a pear tree!
Now this particular deer is so like the deer I have in my yard.
Always bent over eating everything in sight!
I have a pair of topiaries that have been on the buffet for quite a while.
Instead of putting them away and replacing them with Christmas/holiday items,
I just embellished them.
I had a bag of gold glittered balls that I had used for filler.
I just placed some of these glittered balls into the topiaries.
Another thing that I embellished was the large topiary
that was in the Great Room. I moved it to the foyer and wrapped a pine garland around it.
The flocked tree is in the great room near the foyer area.
Full reveal of the tree coming soon!
As you can see the foyer is open to the Great Room.
I usually spend a good amount of time decorating a space for Christmas.
However, it was a nice change to have been able to decorate this space in 30 minutes.
This Christmas may be a little bittersweet.
As many of you know, our home is on the market.
We truly have mixed feelings about leaving this house,
but we look forward to a new adventure of building our “right sized” home some day.
We are not sure if we will be in this house next Christmas, thus the bittersweet feeling.
However, wherever we are, I look forward to my favorite time of year when I can
decorate with sometimes an over the top attitude.
However, this year, I am truly trying to keep it more simple.
Well, my idea of simple that is!
Have you started decorating or planning yet? Are you keeping it more simple this year?
Have a most beautiful day!!!
The foyer is perfect in it’s scaled back embellishments this year. My foyer probably took less than ten minutes. ha ha. Can’t wait to see the full reveal of that tree!
Loving what you did! The topiary is my favorite, well….no. The tree is. Ok, I am having a hard time picking a fave. Loving the colors you picked on the tree and the deer are adorable!
Beautiful Shirley! I have not started decorating yet. We are still hanging pictures, lol. We will start decorating Thanksgiving day.
you keep it simple at christmas! I like the over the top attitude better. it suits you!
Beautiful job Shirley! It’s snowing here – AGAIN. 😛 Have a wonderful week xox
Gorgeous Shirley! There is nothing prettier to me than greenery at Christmas and the addition of the gold glittery balls on your topiary is beautiful in its simplicity. Looking forward to your reveal of your tree. Wishing you safe travels for Thanksgiving. ♥
I will start decorating the day after Thanksgiving. It will also be bittersweet for me because this was my parent’s home and then ours and we are planning to sell it in the spring. There are 5 bedrooms and only my husband and I now. I want one floor or at least the master, laundry and a family room on the first. It is just too much house to take care of anymore. As we speak they are putting a new roof on our house and my head is pounding.
I love your flocked tree. In the past couple of years I have started embellishing what I already have instead of taking everything down and replacing everything with Christmas decorations. This is easier and my house still looks great for the holidays.
Your entry is so elegant and beautiful and at the same time warm and welcoming. The embellished topiaries are so pretty accented by the glittered deer and partridges. I love the idea of embellishing what you already have instead of trying to find places to hide your accessories. That is always such a chore! This year, I have tried to do some of that myself. However, I feel that I still get a little carried away. I hope that you enjoy your day!
I love the partridges and deer, the foyer looks just gorgeous! I am always trying to embellish what Imhave at holiday time, that way I don’t have to move my French antique treasures out of the way. Your home always looks beautiful, Shirley, you have such a great design style.
Shirley, Everything is beautiful! Love your white and gold flocked tree. I have sold No Minimalist Here and all social media associated with the blog. I’ll still be reading my favorite blogs and I hope we can stay in touch through my new account on Instragram and Pinterest. You can find me under Sherry Carroll.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Best,
Sherry
Oh no Sherry!….Will miss your blog..but will definitely keep in touch personally and through your social media……Happy Thanksgiving to you too!!!
Hi Sherry, sorry to hear you are no longer blogging. I will check your Instagram and Pinterest!
Pinky
Oh I am SOOO looking forward to seeing the tree!!! It looks gorgeous so far. I adore the pineapple ornament! Yes, I noticed that:) Love how you embellished all your topiaries. Are the 2 smaller ones on the buffet faux or real? I wish I could find some GOOD faux ones. I also love the little blue and white eggs on the wall. Everything is just beautiful, Shirley! Enjoy every minute of this Christmas season. XO
Your foyer is lovely as always. Love how you embellished those topiaries! It’s hard to go simple for the holidays…but I keep trying. I can decorate my foyer in under 10 minutes…but not til Black Friday. While others are shopping, I can fa la la around the house! 😉
Hi Shirley, your tree is so beautiful and that stained glass window is amazing! Love, love, love it!
xoxo Jo
Shirley, everything is gorgeous. I so love the partridges and your stained glass mirror – well I just love it more every time it is in a post. So looking forward to seeing the tree.
Have a beautiful Thanksgiving. Blessings to you and yours.
Beautifully done Shirley- love how you used the scale with the Christmas deco. Your tree is looking beatiful too!
S-M-A-R-T gal to embellish rather than drag everything out this year! I know that you love to decorate full on, but with your house up for sale I know you have to make some choices. You chose – as always – quite well!!! Why NOT embellish what’s already at hand? I did a lot of that this year, too, albeit for different reasons. The deer are so graceful! And how fitting that you have the partridges out when Keith Partridge (David Cassidy) is having such dire health problems right now. It’s like a tribute to him in my eyes! (I LOVED me some Keith Partridge back in the day!!!) I don’t think I’ve ever seen little partridges like that for sale around here. They would be so perfect for many, many Christmas vignettes! Your foyer is perfect for welcoming guests without overwhelming them!
Shirley, this is really very pretty – classy and tasteful. I like your attitude of using what you have. I had to laugh when you mentioned embellishing your French scale. That was one item I put away this year for the first time for holiday decorating. I’ve begun in my sunroom, where I generally like to play with new ideas, then move on to my standards elsewhere in the house. I can imagine the mixed emotions you’re having in your home this year. Looking forward to seeing that newly flocked tree. The sneak peak is gorgeous.
So beautiful, nice job. i can’t wait to see the full reveal. I remember when we had to put our home for sale in NY too. T am still missing it. Enjoy yours while it last.
Sorry for the typos.
Your foyer is lovely! I’m with you on keeping things simpler this year and plan on decorating with mostly natural and hand crafted elements. I’ve been on a decluttering mission, and have realized that I prefer living with less “stuff”. Happy thanksgiving to you!
Funny that you mention your new decorating style, as I am doing the very same thing. Sure does make decorating for the holidays easier and quicker. A pretty bow or some greenery can do wonders. We don’t have to use everything we own every year. Embellish is my new favorite decorating term.
You make it beautiful even when embellishing or simplifying! Looking forward to seeing the reveal of the entire tree, as the glimpse of it is so pretty! How nice to decorate early and then have time to relax and enjoy your holiday. Wishing you a special Thankagiving with your family!
Shirley, your foyer is is beautiful! Embellishing the topiaries gives them a festive feel without having to remove them! I think that is a great idea and I am beginning to think it would be easier than all the removing. I can wait to see your gorgeous tree! Your style is perfection my friend!
This blog is filled with gorgeous and beautiful pictures. Thank you for getting me in the Christmas spirit.
It is so lovely. I agree with you about not fussing so much this year. Just the thought of it tires me out. I love the idea of embellishing what you already have out. I think I will be following your plan.
Your scaled back Christmas foyer is lovely. I particularly like your partridges in search of a pear tree!
Your home is holiday elegant Shirley! I’m sure this is a bittersweet time in your life, I have been wondering about how the sale was going…difficult during the holidays having to show it, but I know people will oh and ah at your beautiful decorations and decor. Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m not a blogger, simply a reader. We are “right-sizing” and cutting our square footage in half; moving mid-January. I will have to cut my Christmas decorating to about 20% of what I now do as I generally over do the holidays because of the grands. So, it is definitely our last Christmas in this home that has “swaddled” us for almost 20 years. As you say, bittersweet. On the other hand, it’s an adventure and a great opportunity to “start over” and take along all the memories. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family and here’s to some great future adventures 😉
Love, love, love your foyer and your tree. I think the deer are my favs, but that
beautiful stained glass window is to die for!!! I adored the foyer dressed in velvet
pumpkins also!!! You are my decorator idol!!! LOL!