holiday decor tips and garland diy.

There's a fine line between spreading a little holiday cheer and glopping on the winter wonderland. Here are 5 tips to make sure you don't go overboard (even though I always want to).

1. Don't forget about the fabrics. Instead of relying solely on the Christmas chotchskies, try adding some Christmas fabrics to your motif. Get a couple of new decorative pillow covers or add a colorful blanket. I went a little rustic with plaid and cherry red but other ideas include a wool blanket and red velvet covers or maybe a bright fleece blanket paired with ski lodgesque covers. The options are endless!

2. Don't forget the windows. No, I'm not talking decals. I found this idea on pinterest (obvs) and recreated with scrapbooking paper. The craft is easy - just pick up some holiday scrap booking paper (I bought two $4 packs from Michaels) and some yarn for connecting and you're ready to go.

First, cut various sized circles out of the scrapbooking paper. Next, take three circles (small, medium, large), glue together and place inside a book so they dry flat. Once dry, lay out a pattern (random or organized) and just tape to the yarn.

Note: make sure to tape the yarn to the top of each circle so they don't flip over

3. Keep it simple in the bedroom. Normally I don't even decorate my bedroom but I saw this fur ball garland and I couldn't help it. To keep super minimal, I stuck with a couple white decorations and added some ribbon and a small bulb to my aloe plant. You can also do things like replacing a few photos on a photo wall, adding a wintery blanket or displaying a favorite mug on the nightstand. 

4. Same goes for the bathroom. You won't find any Christmas hand towels or toilet covers in this apartment. Add a couple of Santas, some leftover garland and call it a day. If I had more space, I may have changed out the plant to something a little more wintery. And if I had more money and an all white bathroom, I may have purchased these vases and tied some ribbon around the tops.

5. Keep it light hearted. When all else fails, find and place decorations that make you smile, laugh and enjoy the holiday season. Add a cheesy dog stocking, a hidden snowman in a sea of herbs and oil chaos or a tiny tree on top of your workspace. Holiday decorations are all about getting you in the Christmas spirit so do whatever it takes to make it happen!