We all know that small children can sometimes dampen our decor plans. I want things to be pretty AND kid friendly, especially during the holidays, but the two don’t always seem to mix. Milly is at the age and has the kind of personality that makes me nervous to have a tree in our living room (where I normally place it). Not only for my glass ornaments’ sake, but for her safety the tree will be going in our entry this year – a separate level from the rest of the house.
The entry is open to the living area, but I still wanted to have something festive where we spend a good portion of our time. I saw these little Norfolk Island pines at Home Depot a few weeks ago and thought one would be perfect for our living room. I mean, what’s one more plant in my house?
They had a nice selection of plain trees and trees with red ornaments already attached, but I can’t leave well enough alone and decided to buy the plain and decorate it myself. I first gave the pot (which was a Christmas red) a few coats of this paint. I wanted to keep the decor really simple and clean, but fun and something the kids could help with and touch.
I picked up some ornaments from Hobby Lobby in the “A Tree for Me” section. For under $10 I was able to get lots of little plastic ornaments in a few different sizes and shapes – all in silver and gold.
I got out some wire cutters, round nose pliers, and wire, and Xander and I got to stringing.
We put about 12 ornaments on one piece of wire, not thinking too much about it, but trying to get a few of each size and shape.
Then I simply brought the two ends of the wire together, twisting them tightly to secure the ornaments into a little cluster (like you would the tie on a loaf of bread). See Milly’s hand in the bowl? While we assembled, she went back and forth between throwing ornaments and scratching their glitter off – thank goodness for plastic ornaments.
With the help of the needle nose pliers I twisted the remaining wire around a tree branch, and there you have it. I think grouping these cheap ornaments makes for a unique statement, that looks expensive and doesn’t distract from the beauty of the tree.
The tree fit perfectly next to the nativity in the kids’ corner of the living room. The stable and animals are a favorite that my mother-in-law purchased a few years ago. My mom found this beautiful set of Mary, Joseph, the angel and baby Jesus last year, and I enjoy talking about the birth story with Xander and watching him play with the figures. There is something really lovely about well made, classic toys, isn’t there? I’ll be back on Monday to share more on my philosophy about that.
What stage is your family at with Christmas decor? Are you trying to decorate with small children or pets? Are your older children giving their two cents on the matter? Have you even started thinking about Christmas decor, or are you a “must wait until after Thanksgiving!” kind of person?
I see these at home depot every year and always wonder if my kids would be happy if we just got one of those instead of the traditional christmas tree. i love the simple decorations you did with yours. gorgeous!
Super cute idea Gwen 🙂 Have a great weekend!! xo Kristin
I have the littles and pets, so I know what you mean. I think this is really a great idea. We might use that to add a little holiday cheer down in the family room. I love your nativity as well!
I'm wondering how my little one is going to do with the tree this year too. I was actually thinking about going with a smaller live tree. I love the simplicity of yours! I also really love that nativity. The wooden toys are so much prettier than the cheap plastic ones and can be passed down for years to come!
Thanks, Bethany! I know…it took me a while to find one I liked!
Love it! And I really like your mixed (plastic) metals. My typical color scheme is white and silver, but I am SO excited to add some gold to the mix this year! AND…I was so glad to hear that your nativity scene was not made by your dad or husband. 🙂 I have been wanting a really simple nativity scene. We have the Little People set that we drag out each year, and the kids love it. But I really like yours. And yes…I was just looking at Christmas pictures from years past and laughed when I noticed our Christmas tree decorated from only the halfway point to the top one year. Can kids and "pretty" peacefully coexist? I want to believe yes. And so I continue to attempt the delicate balance. But try not to get too bent out of shape when a trash bag pumpkin shows up on my doorstep. 🙂 Thanks for the fun idea, Gwen. Hope your weekend is super!
Ha, they're not that handy. 🙂 Thanks, lady! Hope you had a great one, too!
can you share where to buy the stable and animals if still available? i love it!
Hi! They actually came from a shop in Lexington, MO. Sorry I can't be more help!
I just figured out the brand of animals! They are Holztiger. If you google, they are readily available! Hope you are able to see this reply. Thanks for reading!
I love this idea!!! I'm super concerned about the tree this year with my two year old but since it lives in our living room and we have baby gates up I think I'm somewhat safe! That nativity is so beautiful! I would love to have one my kids could play with. It's the most important decoration to me since its the true meaning of Christmas!
Blessings,
Kayla
http://adelightfulplacetodwell.com
I've been trying to cluster ornaments, fairly unsuccessfully…never thought of using wire!! These look amazing, and so are your photos! So thrilled to find you through Kristin, I'll be staying awhile and poking around…hope that's okay!
Hi Cassie! Thank you! I appreciate you stopping over, I've been meaning to do the same on your blog for a while now, and I think I'll head on over now!
Nice to officially meet you!
This is so pretty, I never thought combining various ornaments could be so pretty!
Decoration for both Christmas and Easter is to attract the kids in this home. They are one who feels happier than us.
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