Design tips from MM: How to make 650 sq. ft. festive for the holidays!

In the South, it's perfectly acceptable to put a Christmas tree up in October; but since we are now residing in the the Big Apple, I thought I would play by their rules ...just a little :) So...being the Southern Belle that I am, the minute Thanksgiving was over...the Christmas decorations went up! Take a look below to see how I turned our cozy,
​650-Manhattan- square- feet into a Christmas wonderland!

First things first... the front door! 
I found this bunch of frosted pinecones at Home Goods...I jazzed it up with some live greenery that I purchased in a variety bunch from Whole Foods. The bow is a combination of 3 different ribbons from M&J Trimming (If you have never been, it's a "must-do" next time you're in NYC!) 

Don't just think in order to have live greenery inside your home that it has to be in the form of garland. It can easily dress up any ordinary element in any room! Try adding it your lamps... I have attached these first with twine and then with decorative ribbon. 

Another easy way to add some inexpensive flair is through FREE printables... like these! I found most of mine on Pinterest but the Google search bar does the trick too! In order to create visual interest,
​try printing the images out in a variety of sizes. 
The "Joy" sign and the glittery snowflakes I found in the $1 section at Michael's craft store.

Adding groupings of candles to the cocktail table make for a cozy feel! My favorite Holiday scents are Branch Vermeil and Spruce Cuttings by Voluspa!
Another easy decor tip is to use leftover ribbon cuttings as curly Q's...make sure it's wire edged, though! Simply wrap the trimmings around an object to form the spirals.

It is no surprise that I have a bar cart...no home is complete without one, if you ask me! However, the holiday season calls for some extra sparkle (and drinks of course)! I repurposed this one from a once old, rusty cart...but that's another post for another time.
​For now, here is a list of some of my favorite places to shop for bar carts: 
If your budget allows, Society Social has THE BEST handcrafted, made in the USA bar carts! 
For those of us on tighter budgets, Target.com and AtHome have great options as well!
 
Now for the styling... I like to layer things to give it more dimension. The use of different materials and textures is great too! The use of trays is good for grouping things and creating different vignettes. I added a festive towel to the side arm, and who can say no to faux sparkly fruit in the ice bucket? Not me! But, my favorite part of all is the vintage beverage holder that my wonderful mother-in-law found for us while antiquing at Scott's (yet another post for another time)! It even has our name on it!! Adding some tinsel and battery operated lights (found at Home Goods) added that little extra something! 

The small details make all of the difference!
Add coordinating  ribbon to your stockings to tie them in with the rest of your theme, like I have done here!
Also, don't be afraid to make things multi-functional. I took our monogramed flower vase, added some tinsel, and tied it with a bow!  

Now for the grand reveal... Our 4' tree and our make- shift mantel! 
I made the "Merry Christmas" banner, myself...if you're interested in doing this, just make sure you remember to trace the letters on the back of the paper and to do it in reverse. Also make sure you punch 2 holes in each letter so they hang straight and not side ways.

650 square feet wasn't difficult to decorate but keeping in mind where all of this stuff was going to go after Christmas was over, was! 
By keeping things on the smaller scale and re-purposing items that we already had made it much easier.
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Thanks for reading! 
Cheers - Molly Mays