There’s something to be said about making your house a home; a place where you long to be, a place that gives you comfort and peace, and a place where you truly feel content.
While I love to travel and get out of the house, I always look forward to getting home. I can admit that for the most part I’m a homebody and can always find something to keep me busy or happy, without having to leave the house. Making our house our own has been a work in progress over these past four years, it takes time to find all the right pieces, but I’m so happy with how everything has turned out and love that each item has its own special spot and purpose.
I find decorating to be such a fun outlet, a great way to express my creativity and personality, and I love creating a space that my whole family can enjoy and feel completely comfortable in. Along with decorating, I always strive to keep things organized, efficient and decluttered. This past year I’ve focused on living with less, living a cleaner more natural lifestyle and thoughtfully filling our house with only the things that spark joy (thank you, Marie Kondo).
During the Fall and Winter months, I love adding seasonal decor and extra cozy pillows and throws to the beds and couches. I can’t say I’m a lover of snow or winter but I have to admit the snow-covered trees and houses are pretty magical. It went from Fall to Winter overnight and this drastic change in weather has gotten me even more excited to pull out all the festive decorations, and anxious for the fun Christmas things to come! The cold temperatures have only encouraged me to hibernate and stay inside where the coffee is hot, the fireplace is on and Hallmark Christmas movies are playing all day long. If you’re like me and are a fellow homebody that lives for the holidays, then pull out all your festive decor, knits, throw blankets and all things cozy, and let’s get ready for the most wonderful time of the year!
If you’re looking to add to your collection of throw blankets, pillows or anything seasonal then make sure you stop in at Anna’s. It is a Winter and Christmas wonderland everywhere you turn, and there are so many beautiful displays full of unique items that you are sure to fall in love with. I’ve pulled together some of my favourite items from Anna’s to create a few festive corners throughout our home that incorporate comfort, Christmas and coziness.
Living Room
Our living room is usually where you’ll find us all hanging out, either watching TV, playing a game or visiting with family and friends. With the fireplace being in the living room, it’s my favourite place to be, especially during the Fall and Winter months. Growing up we had a wood fireplace in our living room and I always loved laying by it to warm up, falling asleep beside it after a long day at school and setting our clementine peels on it and filling our house with that wonderful citrus scent. A fireplace adds another level of coziness to your home, not only because it gives off that glorious heat on those cold winter days, but because you can decorate the mantel with all the festive trimmings like stockings, garlands and lights. Transforming my fireplace mantel and living room is probably my favourite area to decorate, especially for Christmas.
How to create a dreamy, festive fireplace mantel:
- Add fake or fresh garland (Anna’s carries both). I’ve selected this gorgeous fake Cedar Pine garland that not only looks real but drapes so nicely on the top and sides of the mantel.
- Nestle some decorative pieces. I’ve chosen these adorable wooden buildings in different shapes and sizes, as well as these fun bottle brush trees. Think about adding objects that vary in height to achieve balance and interest.
- Hang your stockings! If you have some fun stocking holders you can always spread them across your mantel and use the decorative holders as your decor rather than adding in trees, houses, etc. like I have. I’ve chosen to cluster my stockings together at one end. I love how the different patterns and materials all come together to add so much visual interest and texture. Anna’s has such a great selection of stockings to suit any decor style from nautical, rustic and traditional.
- I also thought these wooden ornaments looked adorable hung with the stockings. You could always attach one to each stocking and DIY a nameplate for each person in your family.
Anna’s has everything you need to create a fabulously festive mantel for the upcoming holiday season, keep it simple or go over the top, either way, they’ve got what you need!
Kitchen
Don’t forget to add festive pieces to your kitchen as well, I like to try and add a little Christmas cheer to all the main spaces in our home. Adding seasonal items to your kitchen can be as simple as; swapping out your everyday dishcloths with festive ones, displaying your little snack/dessert plates, pulling out Christmas mugs and adding small decorative pieces to your counters and window sill. I always keep a wire basket with some of my favourite cookbooks on my kitchen counter, and I find that this is the perfect spot to easily mix in some festive pieces. I’ve placed my cute Santa plates, that I purchased from Anna’s, propped up inside my basket. I love that they’re not only easy to grab and use but that they’re on display and visible as soon as you enter our kitchen because it’d be a shame to hide these cute Santa’s inside a cupboard! Anna’s has such a great selection of seasonal decor for every room in your house from small artificial trees in a variety of different sizes, garlands, nomes, Santa’s and so much more. Clustering a couple of small pieces on your countertop or window sill really makes a difference and can add just the right amount of holiday cheer!
I also love switching our coffee blends to go with the seasons as well. As much as I love all things pumpkin, it’s refreshing to try something new. Anna’s has so many wonderful coffee and tea options, and they make great gifts as well!
Bedroom
Creating a serene and cozy space to retreat to at the end of the day is so important to me. Throw pillows and blankets are a must for living rooms and bedrooms, and I love that Anna’s always has such a large selection of everyday options and of course seasonal ones as well. It’s so nice to see non-traditional Christmas and Winter options like these black and white tree patterned pillows too, they’re perfect for adding in with your regular decor and they look great mixed in with your traditional red shades and plaids too. Throw pillows and blankets instantly make a space warm and welcoming, and they add so much texture and visual interest, so get creative and mix in some different patterns and textures to give your space a quick lift.
I don’t like to have too much stuff on my bedside table but a couple of bottle brush trees add the perfect touch of festive vibes and colour without taking up too much space. I love that these trees come in so many different sizes and colours and can be placed in all sorts of small nooks and crannies. A diffuser is a must in our bedroom as well. I love diffusing seasonal blends throughout the day and a sleep time blend at night. Here’s a great Winter blend that will have your house smelling warm and cozy:
Warm House Blend
- 4 Lemon
- 4 Orange
- 4 Peppermint
- 4 Rosemary
Anna’s offers so many wonderful essential oils, diffusers and oil products to use throughout your house, and don’t forget, they make great gifts too.
I hope you have just as much fun as I do putting together all your holiday decorations. Whether you’re like me and can’t wait to get all the festive things out or like to wait until December, make sure you pop into Anna’s. Even a homebody like me enjoys getting out to peruse all the festive goodies while sipping a hot tea, it’s the next best thing to being cuddled up at home!
