christmas decor Archives - Insanity Is Not An Option

What’s Your Outdoor Christmas Decor Theme?

What’s your outdoor Christmas Decor theme? Christmas is the season of magic. Make that magic special for everyone in your family by letting them all have a part in the decorating this year! Just so you know, I did receive fun decor from Oriental Trading® to facilitate this post, but all opinions are entirely my own.

Last year, we lost a lot of our outdoor Christmas decor to four nasty storms in a row blowing through (hello, island living!). It wasn’t very magical, but I was determined to rebuild (dramatic much, Christy?). I pretty much figured since I was starting from ground zero that I could actually create a theme outdoors and I set out on a mission. Inside? I stand my ground. White and blue lights, a well-organized tree, a mantel that I love, an elf that moves while we sleep…the whole nine. Why not do that with my outside Christmas decor theme as well? It all started with a Santa, and surely it would come together as neatly and as perfectly as the indoor decor always does, right?

WRONG! This year (and it was about time, I might add), I decided to include the babies in my decor shopping experience. I’m frugal so I like to bargain shop. Oriental Trading Company is one of my favorite go-to online shops (because I don’t have to leave my house or jammies to shop and it’s affordable) and that’s where I found the inflatable Santa (PS – he can not only hang from the gutter as shown, but he also comes with stakes and can stand up in the yard). From there, I thought we’d stay Santa themed. Bug’s “Letters to Santa” box was a good local find. Then we picked up a flamingo and you can probably see where this is going.

We had Santa up on the rooftop (or falling off, you can look at it as you like), we had the mailbox locked and loaded, and then…a flamingo? Wait, this wasn’t the plan at all!

This is kind of where the madness began.

In the form of a 9′ lighted, animated dragon (his wings really FLAP), a redneck Santa in a pickup with penguins hanging out the windows and stuff (OK, that was my pick to be honest), a daschund for every season, and so much more. Basically, my yard is now a hodge podge of Christmas magic of the most unorthodox (and totally fun to come home to) kind.

Bubby kind of put the icing on the totally-random-I-have-no-theme-to-my-decor cake – so to speak – when he made a plea (OK, he begged) for the narwhal. We all know my favorite Christmas movie is Elf, so I quickly caved and now there’s a narwhal swimming in the ocean (it’s green grass, but you know…it counts). Byyyeee Buddddyyyyy!

So, if you ask me what my Outdoor Christmas Decor Theme is this year, I’m just gonna have to admit…it’s a hodge podge of mismatched, inflatable, fun nonsense, but it works for us, and it truly makes me (and the babies) smile every night. To H. E. double toothpicks with perfection this year. The world’s a mess. Let’s all throw caution to the wind and just have fun again. I’m enjoying seeing my not-so-planned-out decor every day and so can you. Oriental Trading® can help. I’m starting a hot-mess of a movement, who’s with me?

DIY Beachy Christmas Mantel + Wreath

By Christy 2 Comments

If you love all things beachy and want your passion for Christmas to match your home decor, you’ll love this economical DIY Beachy Christmas Mantel + Wreath set up kindly facilitated by my friends at Oriental Trading®. As always, all ideas, opinions, and photos are entirely my own.

Y’all! It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s getting colder outside (for the record, not really cold enough for the fireplace to be lit here, but still, it’s pretty and we can turn the AC on too), Christmas is coming, and I am so beyond excited for my favorite decorating season and holiday in general.

All the magic, all the lights, all the music, all the elves, all the snowmen, all the feathers! Wait. What? Yes, this year while decorating my hearth, I wanted something a little unique, still beachy, and full of fun, so I got some inspiration from Fun 365, and I made a boa wreath the center of my Christmas mantel set up.

DIY Beachy Mantel + Wreath

Making the wreath was relatively simple. If you know me, you know nothing I do is just plain simple because I tend to overthink things, but this was a quick DIY once I really sat down to do it.

I got one large white foam wreath ring, one large blue feather boa, two smaller white feather boas, and my handy-dandy hot glue gun (and this time I didn’t even burn my fingerprints off!). I simply glued one end of the blue boa to the back of the foam ring and started wrapping it all the way around, leaving even-ish amounts of foam exposed so I could weave the white in between later. Once I was satisfied with the way I had the blue laid out, I glued the other end. I then tied the white boas together, glued one end in the back, weaved that in a double row in between the blue, then glued the end in place where it left off.

Fit like a glove (yea, I was surprised too!). I love the beachy, bright color combo and it set the mood for the rest of the mantel so I got to work on that!

Some green garland at the back of the mantel adds a little bit of a traditional touch and ties in nicely with the greens I already have throughout the house. Some festive snowflake lights, a few sparkly trees, ornaments, and mason jars with blue marbles in them added so much festivity without a whole lot of money.

Shells, ornaments, and sparkly reindeer…OH MY! It’s the simple things, some you already have in those bins in the attic, that really perk up a mantel when you pair them up just right.

This year, I bought some new stockings because our mismatched leftovers just didn’t seem right. I mean, if you’re going to hang them by the chimney with care, you ought to love them, right? A little embellishment is always a good thing, so I found sparkle letters for all of us to add a little more glitter to the mix. You really can’t have enough sparkle during the holidays, can you?

Now, your hearth can’t stand alone as the only decorated part of your house. You need a tree, surrounding decor, all that jazz. You can find just about everything you need at Oriental Trading®, so start there first. But when you realize something is missing, that perhaps your tiki bar isn’t dressed up enough, head to your local dollar store to fill in the blanks, stay on budget, and still make your house a happy and sparkly holiday home!

A couple of decorating tips before I go, and these are important:

You can NOT decorate for Christmas without Christmas music. The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.
Do watch the Hallmark Channel as often as you can.
You aren’t really celebrating the season, or living life to its fullest, unless you watch Elf at least five times during December.

From my house to yours, I hope you enjoy the season of magic every chance you get. Whether you live on an island, or in a super cold climate (I’m sorry), be sure to deck the halls with all things sparkly so that everyone who enters feels all of the love and magic of the season. I still believe, do you?

I Still Believe in the Magic of Christmas

By Christy 5 Comments

Do you still believe in the magic of Christmas? If you’re like me, you’ll want to turn your beach house into a Winter Wonderland with affordable decor from Oriental Trading. Just so you know, I did receive free and festive decor to facilitate this post, but all opinions and photos are completely my own.

Do you remember when Christmas was magical? You woke up on Christmas morning when you were ten (or younger if some jack wad ruined it for you before then) and all in the world was right? There was a Muppet Drum Set (the EXACT ONE you wanted…the ONE you asked Santa for) sitting under your tree, just waiting for you to make beautiful music (and drive your family insane). You’d asked Santa, he listened, and you were happier in that moment than you had ever been in your whole life, and possibly happier than you’d ever be again. THAT is magic; that is the magic of Christmas.

Let me let you in on a little secret: I still believe in the magic of Christmas. The exact minute I realize it’s time to buy the Thanksgiving meal is the exact moment that I start busting out the tree, the lights, the mistletoe, the…well, everything magical. To be honest, I really haven’t had a Christmas as magical as the one that I had when I was ten since then. Not because I didn’t get the exact gift I wanted, not because I wasn’t with the people I loved, but because nothing will ever compare to the magic that I felt that year; at that exact moment. But I still try to capture the magic…do you?

For all of these reasons, I completely, totally, and ridiculously deck the halls for Christmas each year. It looks like a winter wonderland (snowflakes on the ceiling and all) in my southeast Texas home because Christmas is magical and I want my children to always feel the magic of Christmas (long past their 10th birthday so shut your piehole if you want to be the jack wad that ruins it for them before then). But decking the halls, like all of them, can get quite expensive if you don’t know where to turn. It totally doesn’t have to be though. Making the magic come alive for Christmas is as easy as building up your decor over the years, stopping by your local dollar store, or (my favorite option because I don’t have to leave the house or get out of my jammies) shopping online with Oriental Trading Company.

Just little touches around the house, everywhere, can bring the magic alive for you and the kids. How adorable is this paper towel holder, for real?

Walkways through the house are great for lighting. To me, and apparently to my kids, lighting just makes the mood in the house feel more magical throughout the season.

A naughty and nice coffee station is a festive way to perk you up in the morning. (See what I did there? Perk. Coffee. I crack me up.)

Of course, no Texas Christmas would be complete without a cowboy boot candy cane count down.

Turning a beach house into a winter wonderland does have its challenges though. But as long as you get your elf to play along, you can make your beachy decor work during the season of magic. Thankfully, Mikey the Elf is a really good sport!

I love turning countertops into fun and festive spaces the kids can enjoy. Bubby, in particular, thinks this Snowman Candy Dish that I got from Oriental Trading Company is the BEST. THING. EVER! OK, maybe it’s the peppermints that he’s truly fond of, but I’m more partial to the dish.

Our tiki bar even got a makeover for the season. Isn’t it magical?

We all know that the tree is probably the MOST important decoration you can adorn during the Christmas season so decorating it to fit your seasonal theme, as well as your typical decor, is key for bringing this all together. Since I’m partial to snowmen during the holiday season, and beachy and sparkly things adorn my home for the rest of the year, it’s no surprise that we decorate our tree with a combination of both. Flip flops, glitter, and snowman candy cane ornaments for the win!

Do you still believe in the magic of Christmas? If so, how do you transform your home into a winter wonderland? If you find the whole process too time consuming or expensive, you might be looking in the wrong places. This year, and every year, turn to Oriental Trading Company for all of your holiday needs. Fun, festive, and affordable holiday decor you’ll display for years to come. Look, we all have to grow up, but we don’t have to grow old and stop believing in magic. Embrace the season, enjoy, and just believe in the magic of Christmas again! I believe; do you?