This Is the Absolute Best Time to Put Up Christmas Decorations

How to Decide When to Decorate for Christmas Without Stressing | redleafstyle.com

Inside: Is decking the halls stressing you out? Here’s the easiest way to decide when to decorate for Christmas. Every year, the great debate begins. When to put up the Christmas decorations. People have decided opinions about when to start decorating for the holidays. Too early and you’re labeled a fanatic. Too late and you have less Christmas spirit than Scrooge. But how soon is too soon? And, how late is too late? Usually, I ponder this question when munching on leftover Halloween candy. See I never stay in my own home for Thanksgiving. That means no day after Thanksgiving holiday decorating. And by the time I return home on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I feel like I’ve lost precious holiday decorating time. But that pile of laundry won’t clean itself no matter how long I stare at it with Matilda eyes. And if I drag the Christmas tree from the garage that evening, we all know that box will sit unopened in the hall for at least a few days. So, do I wait until the following weekend to start decorating? Turning Christmas decorating into a weekend project makes sense. But then I’ll lose an entire week of...

St. Patrick’s Day Decorating 2016

Are you looking for some St. Patrick’s Day home decorating inspiration? It takes just a few green accents to give your home some St. Patrick’s Day flair. I focused on adding some St. Patrick’s Day spirit to my entertainment center area. As the focal point of my living room, I wanted to give the bookcases and dresser some green without going overboard on the holiday-themed décor. I added in just enough green to make it fun. Take a look at how I decorated for St. Patrick’s Day and you’ll see how some bright pops of green can help you celebrate St. Patty’s Day, welcome spring and bring a happy mood to your home. How I decorated for St. Patty’s Day: – Hung up a $3 “St. Pats Day” felt banner from the $1 spot at Target – Added some green plants, books and bowls to my bookcases – Spray-painted mason jars gold and added chalkboard signs (tutorial coming soon!) – Added a green wine bottle and a gold wine bottle (that I spray-painted) to the décor – Mixed in a $4 bouquet of daisies from Trader Joe’s While I’m not usually big on decorating for holidays that come and go...

How to Decorate For Now—Not Later

How to Decorate for Now – Not Later

Inside: Don’t wait to feel happy in your home. Whether you rent an apartment or own a home, making a few small decorating changes can dramatically improve your mood. Do you ever feel like you’ll decorate better or try harder at your next house? You know, the perfect one? I struggle all the time with wanting to wait and do the bigger and better decorating projects at my next house—the one I’ll presumably own not rent. This usually happens when I’m frustrated with the small space my rental offers, the inability to change the wall color in the kitchen and my unwillingness to put the money into updating the fixtures on a place I rent. But, I wonder, do homeowners struggle with this too? Do you struggle to find the courage, time, or creativity to transform your home from one that’s ‘fine’ to one you adore? I’m betting so. If you’re not dreaming of owning a new home like me, then maybe you’re waiting until you have enough money to buy that new rug or you’re counting on inspiration to finally strike so you can paint your bedroom the perfect wall color. If it’s not one thing, it’s another....

Top 5 Posts of 2013

Top 5 Posts of 2013

As 2013 comes to a close, I thought I’d share some of my most popular posts from the year. I really tried to step up and post more this year. And, I tried to share new tips, projects and ideas that you hadn’t seen before. I truly want Red Leaf Style to provide inspiration and excitement about decorating your home because I have so much fun with it. Here’s to an even better 2014 and a look back at what you loved in 2013: 5) Are You Stuck in a Decorating Rut? Do you ever think your home just feels boring? It’s just…the same? You want to change it up but you don’t know how? You’re in a decorating funk, my friend. I’ve been there too. You just have to get out of your usual way of doing things. Here are five ideas to pull you out of that decorating rut. 4) 15 Ways to Clean With Baking Soda Do you have a box of baking soda in your cupboard? Lucky you. That humble little box holds the ingredient to clean, refresh and deodorize your entire home—and it’s completely natural. Here are just fifteen ways to clean with baking soda....

Christmas Mantle 2013

Christmas Mantle 2013 | redleafstyle.com

Welcome to my Christmas mantle this year. I went with super traditional red and green, with a bit of gold metallic mixed in. What’s most exciting about my mantle though is that I decorated it for the holidays without buying anything new! After shopping around the house for items I liked, using last year’s Christmas ornaments and repurposing branches trimmed from the Christmas tree, I had a pretty display. I already had all of the containers, candlesticks and tins used on my mantle. I don’t remember when I bought the big wide ribbon. It was in my Christmas storage box, along with all of the ornaments. I guess I did buy the supplies to make these Christmas tree cones. (But it cost me less than $4 to make the three cones.) Instead of garland, I used the branches trimmed off the bottom of my Christmas tree. The antlers (found on the ground by my boyfriend) seemed appropriate for this time of year. Does it look Christmasy in my home or what? What do you think of my mantle this year? Let me know in the comments… Keep Up With Red Leaf Style! Follow Red Leaf Style author Kirsten Hudson on...

Decorating For Christmas: New Holiday Art Print

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Art Print

I’ve been obsessed with a trend I’ve noticed around the home blogging world lately: decorative pillows with holiday sayings on them. One of my favorites is this “Baby It’s Cold Outside” pillow over at The Nester. It’s an unexpected touch of festiveness without looking over-the-top Christmasy. I think I’m also into mixing words/type into home décor right now. As a writer, I’m a big word nerd. I didn’t feel like committing to a pillow. (I’m hard on them.) So, when I spotted this print with its modern merry look, I had to have it. I don’t even remember how I found the artist, Lindsey Nichols at The Curious Nickel, but when I saw that she was based in Kansas City, Missouri I was even more excited because buying her print meant supporting local art! Well, this pretty baby arrived today! I popped her into a simple black frame I already had, and right now she’s hanging out on my mantle. I’ll probably move her around the house several times and I can’t wait. Psst. Lindsey’s having a sale over at her shop on Etsy. Buy two 8×10 prints, get one free. I took part in her sale, so I...

Making It a Christmasy Christmas

2013 Christmas Decorating | redleafstyle.com

Every year I get the urge to make it really Christmasy Christmas. By that I mean a fully decked out house with lots of Christmas cheer. I’m talking festive decorations in every room, Christmas cookies, fudge and baked goods out on display and a big real Christmas tree. As I start decking the halls though, it seems like there’s always more to do than there are days in December. Living in apartments or rental houses never helped either. Before, I didn’t have the space or the décor (picture lots of college furniture) to make my home look as merry as I envisioned. But this year I did it. Even though I live in a rental house, I managed to give my home some holiday style—and it didn’t take a lot of effort or money. The only Christmas decoration I actually purchased was my tree. By simply reusing what I already had or crafting decorations myself, I made my home quite festive for Christmas. Now, it’s  time to just enjoy it. I hope you enjoy it too! Here’s a little taste of what my Christmas mantle looks like. I’ll write a full blog post on my mantle soon! My Christmas tree...