We Wish You A Very Natural Christmas

 

DSC_0296It may come as a surprise to some that I am a bit of a Christmas Grinch. Yes I’m obsessed with home decorating. But Christmas decorating has never been something I could get in to. The rule ‘red and green should never be seen’, I’m a big believer in that and think that’s why I’ve never never gotten into the Christmas spirit and decked out my house with 101 holiday decorations. But, with a 3 year old who is extremely excited for Christmas and a 6 month old who in time will be just as obsessed, I though it was time to ditch my grinch ways and turn our home into a into something Santa himself would be proud of.

BUT there are rules. No red and green. No tinsel. Minimal glitter. No over the top decorating and no battery operated plush chrismtas toys singing irritating Christmas carols (OK, maybe there’s a little touch of grinch left in me still…). So what I have come up with is a natural themed Christmas full of gorgeous white, timber and gold items. A theme that I love in every day decorating so figure I will also love it in Christmas form. With the help of some amazing small business, I have had the pleasure of styling with some gorgeous Christmas items within my own home to share with you how to style your own home this Christmas if a natural theme is up your alley.

PhotoGrid_1510560878252THE TREE. The main attraction and must have item when it comes to Christmas decorating. But, you don’t have to settle for a traditional green tree. These days white and even black trees are very popular. Or an alternative such as a twig ladder tree, a fabric banner tree or even wall decal trees and are a great alternative. This matte gold removable tree sticker to the left from Moonface Studio is a great alternative if you don’t have room for a tree or have tree destroying kids or pets… My tree was a bargain buy. Just $7 in the after Christmas sales at Kmart. I would absolutely love to have a real tree! Maybe next year I’ll be able to convince my husband that we need one.

  • Artificial Christmas Tree. Kmart.
  • Christmas tree wall decal. Moonface Studio. Website. Instagram. From $43.

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TREE DECORATIONS. A combination of natural and non coloured ornaments mixed with a little sprinkle of gold is a great combination for any Christmas tree. The ornaments pop against the green and although lacking in colour, are really eye catching when hung on the tree. I’ve used a combination of small business items, retailer items, home made DIY items, along with some cheap eBay decoration wish I’ve used just to fill the gaps. Buying a special decoration each year and adding it to the tree is a great tradition to have with the kids, and one that I myself will be doing from now on (since I’m no longer a grinch 😉). Personalised ornaments are also a beautiful addition to a tree and make decorating it all that more special.

  • Felt ball snow flake ornament. Hello Red Hen. Website. Instagram. $4.95/set 3
  • Personalised name baubles. Famille Designs Website. Instagram. $15
  • Recycled tea bag decorations. Import Ants. Website. Instagram. $18/set 4
  • Paper Diamond drop decoration. Pol & Pom. Website. Instagram. $12
  • Acrylic personalised ornament. Design Mummy. Website. Instagram. $15
  • Felt ball wreath decoration. Hello Red Hen. Website. Instagram. $12.95/set 3
  • Bamboo personalised ornaments. Arlo and Co. Website. Instagram. $15
  • DIY baubles. EBay (search plastic baubles) Prices vary from each supplier. You can also pick up similar ones from Target, The Reject Shop and Riot Art & Craft
  • Personalised LED baubles. Creations by Han. Website. Instagram. $18

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GIFT WRAPPING. My all time favorite gift wrapping is plain, brown paper. It’s cheap. You can use it for other occasions throughout the year. And it looks great! The simple combination of the brown paper, some twine and a gorgeous Christmas gift tag, to me is a beautiful way to present a gift. The addition of some fresh rosemary from the garden makes it that extra special. For this theme, you could also use a plain white wrapping paper. Some recycled newspaper or to add a little more sparkle, some gold glitter wrapping. For an added touch, a personalised bamboo name tag such as the ones from Arlo & Co not only look beautiful, but are also a gift as they can be kept by the recipient too.

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THE GIFT. Any lover of a neutral themed Christmas will love a gift to match! My pick for a gift any mum would love this Christmas is a Morphy Richards kettle and/or toaster available from Harvey Norman and other electrical retailers. The gorgeous Scandinavian design is ideal for the home decor lover who loves a well designed, on trend piece for their kitchen. I love mine, Merry Christmas to me!! Click here to view the Morphy Richards range. $149.

 

 

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FOR THE KIDS. Something a little extra special for Christmas is giving the kids their own santa sacks and/or stockings. This year, we will give each of the kids a Christmas Eve gift in their personalised Small Print Design stocking and then their other gifts in their personalised Santa Sacks from Just Because Prints on Christmas day. To really make the Chrismas Eve experience fun, why not put out a treat board for Santa and his reindeer. Some cookies and a glass of milk for Santa and of course a carrot or two for Rudolph. Grandad Pats Treasure Trove offer great boards which can be personalised with your family name. Details below. To go with the board, a personalised scrabble art frame (Love J Frame) is something the kids will adore. Howe & Zo are a fantastic Perth small business who handmade many gorgeous timber items including these Christmas blocks. My son already loves playing with them. I am so excited to watch the kids experience Christmas this surrounded by all these gorgeous items.

PhotoGrid_1510562244366CHRISTMAS TABLE. Whether you like to go all out and dress the dining table for Christmas lunch or simply add a bon bon with your regular tableware, it’s fun to spruce up the table in celebration for a day of fun with family and friends. I like the idea of a little decoration without too much preparation. So for our natural themed Christmas table, I have put together a few simple items including dinner ware and cutlery, a linen napkin with a personalised name tag, and a delicious scented soap bon bon from Murphy & Daughters. All sat upon a glitter placemat from Kmart to add a bit of sparkle. To add to the table, I have run some of the brown paper gift wrap down the centre to create a table runner and have used some lantern string lights also from Kmart, along with some gorgeous Christmas scented candles from Aria Rose Collection to finish the table setting. Touches of greenery, real or artificial, compliment the natural items used and make the table setting pop.

  • Fangipani scented soap bon bons. Murphy & Daughters. Website. Instagram. $11
  • Bamboo personalised ornaments. Arlo and Co. Website. Instagram. $15
  • Felt ball garland. Hello Red Hen. Website. Instagram. From $24.95
  • Gold glitter placemat. Kmart. $1.50
  • Irregular natural dinner plate. Kmart. $3
  • Lantern string lights (party section). Kmart. $2
  • Bamboo cutlery. Kmart. $3/pack 18
  • Wooden bead cutlery hold and garland made by me. More info further down the page in the DIY section.

PhotoGrid_1511060582794TABLE CENTREPIECE. If you have the room, it can be nice to include a centerpiece in the middle of your Christmas table. For this centrepiece I have used a white woven basket and filled it with a variety of Christmas items of varying heights to create an eye-catching centrepiece. The inclusion of candles and twinkle lights works well with the white and natural items and really makes the piece stand out on the table. The gorgeous timber Christmas scene from Habitat 101 is a gorgeous inclusion and one of my favorite Christmas decor items. The blonde timber model which lights up, plays music and has a little train which moves around will be loved by both the kids and adults.

 

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DIY CHRISTMAS. I wouldn’t be The DIY Decorator if I didn’t I include some DIY in my Christmas decorating now would I! Me and the kids had fun making some DIY goodies for the Christmas tree.

DSC_0047DIY beaded garland. A quick and easy DIY project simply using various sized wooden beads and some twine. I purchased my beads from eBay and the twine is from Spotlight. Simply create a loop at the end of a length of twine then string on your beads to the desired length. Finish with another loop then wrap around the Christmas tree. This would also look really nice with some twinkle lights wrapped around it.

 

DSC_0144Salt Cookie ornaments. Such an easy and fun project to make on your own or with the kids. There are no limits to what you can make with this recipe. We made some fairly straight forward ornaments but if you had the time (and patience) you could make some very detailed decorations. Simply make your ornaments, making sure you leave a hole to string twine through for hanging on the tree, and bake. Your salt cookie will then be rock hard and ready to decorate. You can paint them or leave them plain as the natural dough colour fits out natural Christmas theme well.

PhotoGrid_1510560743144CHRISTMAS SCENTS. Ginger bread. A roast cooking or BBQ grilling. Some if the wonderful scents of Christmas day. I also love to have a candle or two lit just for that something extra special. A Gorgeous mulled wine, ginger bread or a frosted cranberries scented candle is the perfect special touch for a special occasion. The air filled with a fragrant scent is a nice treat for your Christmas guests. They are also a gorgeous gift to give to someone if you a guest in their home on Christmas day.

 

 

  • Christmas candle in clear jar. Milkies Candle Co. Website. Instagram. From $18
  • Christmas candles in amber jar. Aria Rose Collection. Website. Instagram. From $25

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SOMETHING SPECIAL. Something personalised or a little different from the usual Christmas decoration, is a great idea for making your Christmas day that extra special. A family Christmas baubles to hang on the tree is a great way to personalise your decorating. It would also be a lovely gesture to give one as a gift to friends or family. These ones from Creations By Han are not only personalised, but also contain LED lights which you can turn on and off via an attached switch. They look absolutely stunning hanging on the tree! The stack of books from Perfect Print Co is one if my favorite items I’ve had the pleasure of working with for the blog. They are very unique and something to keep and treasure for years to come. And they look perfect amongst the other natural decorations in our home.

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EXTRA TOUCHES. If you are a real Christmas fanatic, you will want everything on the day to be extra special and Christmas related. These gorgeous hand made tea towels by Riverlane Studio are that perfect addition to the Christmas table for our natural theme. These are not only items perfect to use on Christmas day, but also to give as a gift. The screen printed range includes tea towels, aprons and bunting (which looks stunning draped around the Christmas tree). Website. Instagram. From $17.

 

 

PhotoGrid_1510809745719DECORATIONS TO USE ALL YEAR. Items such as these eco-friendly Christmas tree decorations aren’t just for Christmas. Using natural items to decorate with is a bonus because they aren’t red and green and so aren’t screaming Christmas. So you can use a lot of the items all year round. These decorative tress are from Import Ants and are actually made from coconut husk and other recycled products. Available in two designs, timber or wire base, they are long lasting, biodegradable and plastic free. And they tie in beautifully with the rest of our home decor and so I wont be packing them up after Christmas! Website. Instagram. From $13.95.

PhotoGrid_1510659608916SOMETHING TO EAT. And also something you can make with the kids. My son Jack loved making these shortbread cookies with his Christmas stamp from The Little Cook Australia. My go to recipe for yummy biscuits that are easy to make in no time at all. Butter, sugar, vanilla essence and flour. Easy! Google simple shortbread recipe for full ingredients and method. Once the dough is made, simply stamp with The Little Cook Australia round Christmas tree stamp and bake. We are going to whip up a batch Christmas Eve to give to everyone on Christmas day. And some for Santa of course. Website. Instagram. $8.95.

I know it’s a lot to take in, but I hope the gorgeous items in this piece have given you some inspiration for your own Christmas decorating this year. I have been so lucky to work with some amazing businesses and simply stunning decorative pieces over the last few weeks and have really enjoyed styling up a natural, winter wonderland. And I actually think that the Grinch in me may be gone for good!

*keep your eyes on my Instagram over the next few days as many of the featured businesses will be offering discount codes for their online stores. Lots of saving to be had! 

Zoe – The DIY Decorator 

2 thoughts on “We Wish You A Very Natural Christmas”

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