SIMPLY CHRISTMAS AT FRENCHGARDENHOUSE

I was so very excited to decorate our FrenchGardenHouse for Christmas this year. Everyone loves decorating for Christmas, but some years it's hard to get inspired. Not this year! I've decorated our home with lots of holiday magic in hopes that everyone who spends time here will feel welcome and loved. Welcome to our French Holiday Home Tour! I'm sharing some of my very favorite decorating ideas with you today as part of the Simply Christmas Home Tour. I'm joining some of my favorite and talented blog friends to share our holiday homes. Wait until you see everyone's home decorated for the holidays! If you are coming here from Randi's beautiful home at Randi Garrett Design, I know you have already been inspired beyond imagination. Randi has such a talent for bringing beauty and elegance to her home, and she is truly one of the sweetest blogging friends I know. Let's get started. My decorating style is a mix of fine antique things and more natural, casual and simple objects. I really want our home to feel hospitable, inviting and comfortable. HERE ARE 5 WAYS TO ADD HOLIDAY BEAUTY TO YOUR HOME. I hope these ideas will help you bring the beauty of the holiday to every corner of your home. DESIGN A DAZZLING TREE. Dress your tree with a special twinkle spirit, and add personal touches or homemade decorations that have sentimental meaning to you. Don't be afraid to let your creativity shine, your holiday home is a reflection of you and your family, so get as personal as you want to. This year I added my collection of antique French religious crowns to give our tree character, and to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. To make it especially glittering and glowing, I added golden leaf picks, it's something I've never done before, but I love this! It really brings the tree to a whole other level of beauty. You can see more of our tree here > , and see it in the evening with the lights turned down low here > HIGHLIGHT WITH NATURE'S BOUNTY. Our mantel gets a Christmas make-over with festive fresh garland and olive branches. All great holiday displays start with gorgeous greens, so I added olive tree clippings from our front garden to this beautiful garland for fullness, and to add the French Country feeling I wanted. When you decorate your mantel for the holidays, take everything from the mantel and build a stunning new display like I did here. Because your tree is most likely the glorious focal point of the room, keeping the mantel slightly more simple is perfect. I love how this year's mantel turned out, lush and a little bit wild, with gorgeous chartreuse pears to enlighten the deep greens. You can see more of my French Country Mantel here > ADD GRACIOUS ROMANCE. In front of our Christmas tree, beside a roaring fire, I set up a small dining table for a a romantic, out-of-the ordinary dinner party just for two. The tree is such a dramatic backdrop, that it's a shame not to use it! I pulled the two antique French Country armchairs right in front of the tree, then slipped a small round table between them. I wanted the table setting to be festive and inviting, and a little "over-the-top", so I layered an antique lace tablecloth over a darker burgundy cloth to really show off the amazing hand work in this cloth. Antique plates and silver mingle happily with contemporary French champagne glasses for a table with one foot in the past, and one in the present. Here is our romantic table right before a special meal. I've already poured the champagne in the glasses, and dinner is served. I'll be sharing the recipes for this Holiday Dinner later on this month! {A Cherry Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin, a special Festive Holiday Salad, and stunning Dinner Rolls!} I am planning to use this little table for a few special tea times with girlfriends, too. I think that the beautifully glittered wrapped gifts will be an especially alluring favor to give each friend, filled with a small take-home gift. Take the full tour of our Parisian Noel HOME TOUR > CREATE A HEAVENLY RETREAT. I'm taking you from the living room straight to the master bedroom! Decorating your bedroom for the holidays makes your whole house feel cozier. This year, I went all out and added a frosty white tree in our master. I kept the decorations muted with silver and grey echoing the antique French vanity and the raw silk French grey curtains. I can't believe I've never done this before! It makes this room so festive, and the absolute best place to rest and wrap gifts, write holiday cards, or watch a Christmas movie. Keeping the color scheme subdued, this room is my refuge for recharging creatively, and otherwise. You don't have to buy holiday decorations for every spot. I like to highlight the antiques in our home for the holidays. They really always take center stage! On our antique French vanity, I added some silver glittering candles to the sterling candleholders, and a grey silky bow that matches the ribbons in the Christmas tree to my favorite French figure of a young girl. It's all that's really needed. Closer to Christmas, I may or may not add a small wreath to the mirror, or a small holiday bouquet of white roses and holiday greens. I've scattered a few of my favorite things on the vanity, a photograph of my Mom and me when I was a little girl, a wedding photo of Mr. FGH and myself, and my adorable little people keep me company when applying the daily make-up or re-touching lip stick. You can see more of our master bedroom decorated for the holidays and learn about our favorite family Christmas tradition here > ADD GLITTERING ACCENTS. Surfaces that catch and reflect light, like crystal, mercury glass, silver, and gold are a gorgeous way to add some sparkle to your room. They make the most of natural light during the day, and truly make the evenings magical. I added a simple green garland to the top of our French headboard, twisted in some glittering tulle, and added a small strand of wired miniature lights. The crystal vase {which is really an antique biscuit jar without the lid} filled with white flowers and evergreens and a few Christmas ornaments in silvered glass complete the "decorating" in this part of the room. Wishing he could be on the bed under this cozy throw, Bentley, our Lab, managed to get into the photo, at least! {Honestly, he is a darling, but I sometimes have to put him in the garden during home tours, because he always wants to be right where the action is.} Thank you so much for spending time with me at my French GardenHouse, pausing for a moment from the hustle and rush of the season. I hope that you are inspired to create some Holiday beauty in your home. The next blogger on the tour is Jennifer of Decor Gold Designs...a girl after my own heart, I know you will love everything she has prepared in her home for you today!

Decor Gold Design

Antique Religious Crowns and Figures Signature Holiday Candle Antique Linens Antique Silver French Champagne Glasses Linen Red Embroidered Napkins Antique One-of-a-kind Furniture Vanity Antique Bottles and Jars Aubusson Silk Pillow Malibu Throw Here are the other friends on the Simply Christmas Tour you can visit:

Randi Garrett Design|FrenchGardenHouse|Decor Gold Designs|EdithandEvelyn|Life on Virginia Street|Dimples and Tangles

See you next week for lots more holiday, antique and decor inspiration!