For years I have wanted to decorate for Christmas in a Coastal theme. I've pinned a million pins on my boards with that particular look. Even though we don't exactly live near the beach right now I did in my 20's when I lived in San Diego and then when I moved to Hawai'i, the beach living was always in my heart. That's why my blog URL is called the "The Heart of the Sea Home" but for some reason when I began my blog many, many moons ago the blog name ended up being "Home...be Inspired". Years ago when I created a home inspirational binder, where I tore out magazine pictures or catalog images and I put them in each room section as I planned on decorating my home at that time. I took a picture of the binder cover which I named HOME...Be Inspired and my blog name somehow ended up with that title but it really should of been Heart of the Sea Home. Oh well! I guess I could change it......
Yep...I used all my scrapbooking supplies to make the cover. I still have this binder butI don't refer to it anymore, when I have gone through it I see that my design style is still the quite similar, country style or farmhouse we may say now. Today...my style might be described as Coastal Farmhouse or Country with a twist of Beachy.
This picture is from my last home that we rented and as you can see lots of white and coastal elements are used in the decor, the coastal décor has always been in my heart. I still have that couch which has held up throughout the years. We need to get a new one for the family room, it has seen better days. That couch gets a lot of use in the family room but this white Ikea Ektorp couch is still going strong. I have bought a few slipcovers over the years but that's it. It still is in great shape.
Moving on to this year, the Cottage definitely took on a Coastal Farmhouse vibe. Here is the front porch all decked out with lots of farmhouse style. I dug out the Holly galvanized bucket again that I made from last year and used the milk crate Mr. Incredible brought home earlier this year when he went dumpster diving, I loaded it with pine greens and birch logs put some twinkling lights and added the basket of white pine cones.
I brought back my white twig wreath with the homespun stocking and faux berries. I love how this little wreath turned out that I put together a couple of years ago.
At night with the garland and the crate lit up it looks very pretty, I loved coming home from Christmas shopping to the Cottage on Cullen all aglow. Nothing like twinkling lights!
I loved this ribbon that I got at Marshall's a couple of years ago and its the only bit of red I used this year was on the front porch.
Wasn't sure if I was going to keep the abalone shell sprig on the wreath or not but in the end it I put it on the Christmas Tree.
Here is the skinniest tree we have ever picked out. Even though it was a skinny thing, I really liked it's very triangular shape. I got a new wicker tree collar this year that was on sale during black Friday. I've wanted one since last year when I saw them on a few blogs. The one from Terrain for $14.00 but sold out really fast and wasn't able to get it. It really pulled the whole coastal Christmas Tree together and Mr. Incredible, gave his two thumbs up approval too. I had quite a bit of ocean type ornaments from my daughter's themed tree she used to put up and some I have collected over the last several years in after Christmas sales. The Mercury glass seashells and lanterns came from Ballards as well as the tree collar.
The turquoise Adirondack chairs were from Pier 1. The other décor items I had already as I shopped the house to decorate the Coastal Christmas tree. I put some coral pieces in the lanterns and grabbed my seastars and plopped them on the branches.
It looks so pretty lit up at night I don't want to take it down....even though it's pretty dry and needs to go. I suppose I'll start taking it down tomorrow while I watch the Rose Parade.
I wrap all of our presents in our color theme that I choose since I was using a lot of blues and greens I picked up this wrapping paper from Homegoods. I didn't have a whole lot of gifts to wrap so I didn't need a whole lot of wrapping paper, the girls got only MacBook Airs and PJs from Mom and Dad.
The cute North Pole Christmas Tags I got from the ever creative Michael at Inspired by Charm
The color scheme went with my Coastal Christmas theme. Thanks Michael love all your freebies, your such a creative genius. He has a whole post on recipe cards for all the seasons.
I wish I got a better picture of the Fireplace mantel it's so hard to get a good one with it all lit up at night. I definitely went on candle overload this year with the mantel. It looks so pretty with it's warm glow. It feels so cozy. We have not lit up the fireplace yet because it's been so warm in in Southern California.
I made this embroidery hoop (I picked up at a yard-sale) wreath with some fresh Cypress greens and silvery glittery Poinsettias that belonged to my Mother. I used some gold string and leftover scrapbook letters to string up the message Merry and Bright. I picked up a couple of those faux votive candles so I could still have a candle light glow without the greens lighting up the house on fire! I love their little flicker against the walls when turned on.
I used Paperwhites up on the mantel this year and they smell so good! I love using real flowers and plants in my décor, I wish I could afford to only use real but it gets too expensive. When we go to get our Christmas Tree every year I scavenge the lot for all the cut pine branches I can load in my car. I add the cut greens here and there throughout the cottage and even on the Christmas gifts. I really liked the Cypress springs. I got a couple of Lemon Cypress trees I put them in the window boxes but forgot to take a picture.
The Sugar cookies also where color and theme coordinated in greens, blues, golds and silvers.
I always make my Peanut Butter Balls, Chocolate Filled Oat Bars along with the Sugar Cookies. Every year my Mother and I would make Sugar cookies so I've been doing that for a really long time I've used this recipe from Williams-Sonoma that comes with the Message in a Cookie kit for the last several years and It's the best tasting sugar cookie recipe. The Peanut Butter Balls I got from a old teacher friend in Hawai'i and the Chocolate Filled Oat Bars recipe also from a friend in Hawai'i that recipe came from Mother of little surfer kids, she would bring cookie bars down to the beach as a snack for them while they took a break from the catching waves.
My snow village was set up in one of the alcoves of the bookshelves and I put up some starry lights up in the sky.
Christmas cards were also displayed on the bookshelf with my aqua ball jar collection.
I hope you enjoyed my little tour of our Coastal Christmas Cottage this year! I didn't decorate a whole lot this year it was very paired back as compared to years past as I caught a cold right before the Holidays. But it did feel good to go a bit more simple this year. Tonight is New Years Eve and we will be staying home as my youngest daughter has been very sick. She has Infectious Mononucleosis but was misdiagnosed, the Dr. thought it was Strep throat and she has had an allergic reaction to the medicine. I feel so bad for her, she has been miserable. Today she has finally had an appetite, she had to make a trip to the ER yesterday and they gave her an IV of fluids and steroids. I'm hoping she is on the downward slope now. I do hope you are all healthy and will have a wonderful New Years and a prosperous 2018!
