harrison HOME... for the holidays

 

WELCOME... 

 

to the harrison HOME holiday housewalk!  This year I took a step outside my comfort zone and added small pops of red in our holiday decor.  I am known to decorate "wintery" as opposed to "Christmasy" but this year I was inspired by a red plaid fabric I found back in October, while still keeping with a simple, natural theme.  So thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to stop by the hot chocolate station before you go :)

 

.............................................. "OH Christmas tree!"

 

 

decked with ornaments from Christmases past, the tree stands proudly in a basket rather than the traditional tree skirt..."OH Christmas Tree" is written on the chalkboard behind the tree and the topper is kept simple with our initials and some feathers.  I didn't go all out with the trimmings this year, letting the ornaments be the focus

 

 

................................................. natural elements

 

 

 

some greenery hung by burlap and a collection of pinecones give the living room a natural feel

 

 

 

.............................................. vintage appeal 

 

 

mercury glass trees and German glitter glass stars sparkle atop the black cabinet that proudly displays vintage silver and white porcelin dishes dating back to 1918

 

 

 

a silver bottle brush tree with a touch of gold for sparkle sits among the paperwhites ready to bloom

 

 

 

 ................................. the stockings were hung by the "faux" chimney with care

 

 

a simple yet bold sign takes center stage on the family room mantel

(sign inspiration from here)

 

 

 

a pine cone wreath hung from twine continues the natural theme

 

 

 

............................................. the simple things 

 

 

a hot chocolate station filled with marshmallows, red and green chocolate sprinkles, chocolate chips, and chocolate pepermint stir sticks

 

 

some glittery ribbon and fresh boxwood clippings top off the simple gift wrap

 

 

 

 

draped like a necklace, jeweled garland adorns the antler towel holder in the guest bath 

 

 

 

 

.................................................... the red moment

 

 

a red plaid pillow on the banquette...

 

 

a homemade advent calendar...

  

 

 

and some sparkle on the table make for a cozy spot to curl up...

 

with a hot cup of cocoa.

 

 

happy holidays from harrison HOME to yours!

 

- jen -

 

 

 

 

www.jenniferrizzo.com 

 

HAVE A CUP OF CHEER: A HOT CHOCOLATE STATION

Old man winter is on his way, and what better way to prepare for that than with a hot chocolate station! I put one together in a three tiered metal basket that sits out on our counter and it is a hit!

 

The bottom and largest basket has the hot chocolate, marshmallows,  chocolate pieces, green and red chocolate sprinkles, and chocolate dipped peppermint stir sticks. 

 

I know it might seem like a cop out having pre-made hot cocoa mix, but people I am telling you..Williams-Sonoma hot chocolate mix is A-MA-ZING! 

 

 

The second tier started out simple with white mugs and some candy canes for color... That lasted all of a day  an hour, the candy canes were disappearing one by one, and the mugs were being filled with left over candy from the gingerbread house "decorations"!  It has slowly turned into a hot chocolate/candy station, but it is fun and everyone is loving it so I will definitely keep it up past Christmas...we will need to stay warm here in the Midwest well past December 25th!

 

Cheers to staying warm and cozy all winter long!

 

jen

COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS: OUR ADVENT CALENDAR

The tree is up, the halls are decked (all of which I will be sharing with you in the days/weeks to come) and the countdown has begun!  This year I decided to do something different with our advent calendar....

Using the same cards as I did last year I decided to write something different on the back of each day... bake Christmas cookies, donate a toy to charity, visit Santa etc.. (I wanted to make one that said "go sledding" which you would think would be a given in Chicago, but  it was 70 here yesterday... and no I am not loving it, snow makes everything all the more magical!)   But I digress... all are things that my three year old can do and hopefully learn important lessons from, like participating in our neighborhood annual Toys for Tots drive where over 500 new toys were donated this year!  I have to admit it does take some more prep work on my part though, I have to check the next days card to be sure I have everything needed to complete the task!  It's only been 4 days but we are loving it and will definitely keep this tradition going for many years to come! 

Hope you are all busy enjoying your traditions also!

 

jen