Holiday inspiration part 1

Over the last few weeks I have been gathering image after image of holiday decor ideas for my Mom and I, this year we are changing everything up as far as decor and are attempting to make almost all of our Christmas decor. Thankfully we started in mid November! Its coming along great and we have a growing collection of lovely handmade items, they always feel way more special when you put it together with your own two hands. For today I thought I would share a few of the images I've been drawing inspiration from, seems I can't get enough natural elements this year... there is just something about having the smell of evergreens in the house that makes me all giddy.
It is so simple to bring the outdoors in, I may forgo a tree this year for something like that mantle of small potted plants. I love the idea of being able to keep the plants alive, who knows maybe I can even plant one somewhere in our growing garden. I've done the rosemary shrub before and walking into a home with rosemary is intense, the smell can get quite strong but is still lovely. And how pretty is that floating candle in the cranberries!? Such a simple way to bring in color, scent and lighting.

 photos via good housekeeping, martha stewart, hello yarn and bhg

Keeping with the crafting theme, its important to get everyone excited, especially the kiddos. This year my entire family (we are a large crowd of 20+!) is going to craft our very own wreath and will be participating in a contest to guess the maker of each wreath. Should be very interesting we have some fun personalities in my family. These would be the perfect craft for the kids to get in on and would still fit in with our more sophisticated holiday decor.

 photos via family fun, bhg, martha stewart and create paper blog

And because nothing says holiday decor like baubles and ornaments, here are a few examples of how to embellish a bit of your decor. You can find super cheap bulbs everywhere and for the less then gorgeous ones (why is there always one color or design in a package that doesn't really belong?), glitter can be your best friend. My Mom decided she wanted to change all her colors from the typical red and green to a chic purple, gold and green palette, very beautiful and classic. Have you done anything to get in the holiday spirit yet?

photos via apartment therapy, bhg and daily mail