All Is Calm Christmas Porch
Today I'm sharing my front porch all dressed up for Christmas. I went a different direction this year than planned...it's much more subdued and calm than what I had in mind, and I'm not mad about it. I had planned to infuse some color because I loved last year's Pop of Color Christmas Porch so much, and I adore this year's jewel-toned Town and Country Christmas Tree. However, after adding fresh greenery to my blue-grey house, I knew the forest green WAS the color, and everything else needed to remain neutral to allow it to really shine. Thus, the All Is Calm Christmas Porch was born, and I can't wait to welcome guests through the sweet little forest of live greenery this holiday season.
This year I teamed up with my friend Rachel from Shades of Blue Interiors to share our Christmas porches. Rachel and I are Instagram friends, but I know one day we'll be real-life friends because we hit it off as soon as we connected on social media. She can build anything, then decorate it and blog about it, all while looking gorgeous, carrying a baby on her hip, and finding time to mentor me as a blogger. She's an incredible woman with classic taste and a warm, inviting style, and she encourages me every day to get better, grow, and continue using my skills to make this house a home. Her Classic Christmas porch blew me away, so go check it out! This antique decorative sleigh will probably be willed to my children because it's such a sentimental piece of our Christmas decor. I use it every year in some capacity and don't plan to change that. It's nostalgic, beautiful, and just the right size for bunny sleigh rides, according to my youngest, Noelle (stay tuned on Instagram for that adventure).
I just love getting creative with it every holiday season. I've even placed it under our Christmas tree and filled it with special gifts from Santa for our girls.
The real inspiration for my All Is Calm Christmas Porch was this NOEL sign I created. I got together with some moms at my girls' school for a crafting night, and this was the result...a beautiful, Nordic-style Christmas sign that hints at my husband's Hungarian heritage, and is the English version of my baby girl's name...Noelle. I love the colors, the font, and the timeless design, so I know I'll use it for years to come.
The sweet Dwarf Alberta Spruce trees I found at Lowe's provide the perfect backdrop for my Christmas porch this year. They have a great natural shape, deep green color, and make my porch feel like a miniature forest. I topped each one with a delicate satin bow, which was just the right amount of decoration they needed.
The garland around my front door is fresh cedar garland from Lowe's and I look forward to it every single Christmas season. I usually dismantle it and put it back together in a way I like...it's just so versatile! This year I added white glass ornaments and sugared branches to create a wintry scene I might be able to leave up through January.
I stole this basket from beside my Town and Country Christmas tree, stuck some birch logs I already had in it, draped my favorite Home Goods blanket over the edge, and loved the final product. I really like the softness of the blanket against all the hard surfaces on my front porch.
One of the best parts of this year's Christmas porch is that it came together so easily and took me only a few hours of decorating time. I'm a very slow decorator, so that was really satisfying for me! Also, I didn't add one single piece of decor that I will have to store...all the greenery will be thrown away when it dies. This whole situation is a win-win-win and I'm loving it.
One of my primary goals with design is to create a haven, a place of peace, for my family and guests. I have no desire for my home to be showy or perfect...just welcoming and beautiful. I want to bless everyone this home will ever hold inside, and I'm so pleased that this year's All Is Calm Christmas Porch does that before they even cross the threshold.[show_shopthepost_widget id="3844556"]I hope you've been blessed and inspired by my All Is Calm Christmas Porch, and I'd love to hear how you plan to decorate your front porch this holiday season in the comments below. Rachel and I will be back next week with our Christmas home tours, so be sure to check back...I think I'll finally be done decorating by then!Here is a sneak peek of Rachel's Classic Christmas porch, but do yourself a favor and go see the full reveal...it's beautiful!
Merry Christmas!