It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!! I’m sharing some of my favorite parts of our house and bonus the cutest buffalo check gift tags!
I remember my first Christmas as a mom. I would sit in Rowen’s room late at night nursing him, letting the reality of the tiny miracle in my arms sink in as far as it could possibly go. Suddenly, I related to Mary on a whole new level. I think I know what Luke was referring to when he said that “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” as she held her sweet boy. Word was spreading quickly of his delivery, faster than she had probably ever imagined. But as everyone came to worship this little boy, the newborn King who had come to save the world, she relished in the fact that she was his mother.
Those few months were brief. Life has certainly gone by too quickly. But as new years come and go, I don’t think I’ll ever forget those sweet moments. Since I’ve been a mom, Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning for me. It’s deepened my understanding of our heavenly father. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, not because we get to deck our halls and drink hot chocolate, it’s because a savior came. I think the lyrics to Everything Is New by Joel and Amy Davis describe the season perfectly:
My eyes have seen salvation from The Lord
Prepared for all, revealed for me to see
What once was hidden, no longer mystery
Light has come, the glory of our King
My eyes have seen the power of The Lord
His mighty arm exposed for all to see
He is redemption, He’s come for you and me
Victory is here, the glory of our King
Good News, Great Joy
Everything is new
Hallelujah! Everything is new
I long to see the coming of The Lord
His glory on display for all to see
He is Jesus, the advent of our peace
He’ll split the clouds, He’ll come and set us free
Glory to God in the highest
Hallelujah, sing across the earth
Glory to God in the highest
We sing your praise in all the earth
Good news friends. Light has come. Hope has come. Everything is new.
If you know me, you know I’m a DIYer. I love a challenge and I love to experiment. Last year, we converted our front living room into a play room for the boys which meant we lost our Christmas tree space! How many of you walk into a house you want to buy and the first thing you think is, “where do I put the Christmas tree?” (I know I’m not the only one!) Christmas is a big deal for me!
When we lost our usual spot, we had to get creative, but to be honest Ryan and I were both over the gold glitter tipped tree we had in previous years (#glitterfordays is not always a good thing). In searching Pinterest, I stumbled upon this adorable wood Christmas tree from Shanty 2 Chic.
I mean, it was darn near perfect. It didn’t take up a lot of space and was a definite show stopper. So we got to work and created this truly priceless piece. Since I’m all about buffalo check, we decked the tree (and the halls) in buffalo check accents that we adore.
Of course, we do have a little mini tree for the boy’s playroom that holds all of the collectable ornaments. Their Oma gets them new ones every year to add to the tree…sometimes they don’t make it to the tree and get flushed down the toilet…but for the most part, they make a debut every year. #smh #momofboys
The rest of the decor is a simple collaboration between myself, Target and Hobby Lobby (no surprise there!) I like to add just a few pieces each year but I try not to get too carried away because I may be inspired by a new pattern next year. God bless Ryan. And my boys. I can’t help it. I get it from my grandma. It’s in my DNA.
I loooove making my own gift tags each year. One, it’s more cost effective. Two, it’s easier to customize it to my style because I don’t always find what I like in the stores! This year I continued the buffalo check theme and created these custom tags using fun designs I purchased from Creative Market and paired it with fresh rosemary clippings from my backyard. Though I do have to say, my poor rosemary bush is looking a little….pruned. I may need a new one soon!
Scroll to the bottom, past all the pretties to download the gift tags!
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You can probably guess where I got most of the items, but here is a list just in case!
PILLOWS: Target 2016
ORNAMENTS: Target and Hobby Lobby 2016
LADDER CHRISTMAS TREE: Target 2017
GREEN BOTTLE BRUSH TREES: Target 2017
TREE PENDANT/ORNAMENT GARLAND: Me
TREE KNOBS: HOBBY LOBBY 2016
BUFFALO CHECK TREE GARLAND: Target 2016
STAR: Michaels 2016
SLEDS & CHARGER: Target 2016/17
BOOK PAPER TREES: These were old Starbucks decor from 2006 that I revamped later on.
MINI CHRISTMAS TREE: Target 2015
MINI WOOD PALLET TREE: Me
FABRIC GARLAND: Me
BUFFALO CHECK LETTERS: Target 2017
JOY SIGNS: Me
Click on the image below to download the gift tags!