From Messy to Merry

Well. This is the first time I've intentionally taken before and after photos for the purpose of this blog. I'm not going to lie, it took some extra planning and foresight, but I am excited to bring you my first official b. & a. blog post!

I believe that anytime following the day after Thanksgiving is fair game for Christmas decorations to start popping up. My life-long love of ALL holidays persuades me to believe that each holiday should have its time in the spotlight. That means the day after a big holiday, you can fairly begin to decorate for the next one.

Since I was out of town for Thanksgiving and the Apple Cup last weekend, I was unable to decorate my home using my above-mentioned "rule." Even though I am one weekend-late, I am happy to present my before and after decorating attempt. By the way - I did not clean up at all for the before shots, so you're seeing my home as-is!

{living room before}

{living room after}

{mantle before}

{mantle after}

In my attempt to bring some creativity to this post, I taught myself how to make an online photo collage - real quick like. The one below literally took me five minutes, tops? Super easy (thanks to photovisi). It features some close up shots of some of my other decorations like the nativity, table centerpiece, and a close up of our UW Huskies themed tree (all photos taken with instagr.am).

My decorations aren't all etsy or trendy-like. Most of my decorations come from Target with a couple of hand-made hand-me-downs from my grandparents. My husband buys all of our Husky ornaments online, and I don't even have personalized stockings. I'm saving that for when we have kiddos someday. I think more than anything this season is about bringing warmth to your home by celebrating of the birth of Jesus. Merry {early} Christmas!

Keep your eyes open for a semi-consistent post that I'm planning on calling O.o.t.W. {Outfit of the Week}.