The magic of Christmas is undeniable wouldn’t you say? The cozy greenery, the festive lights, the happy music….it’s all just so charming and magical.
And, I think it’s especially magical to set a cozy, Christmas-themed dining table for guests to enjoy. I know this year will look a little different than previous years for so many, but I say let’s all make the best of it and do our best to make it as wonderful and magical as possible. I think it just may be more important this year than any other year in my adult lifetime considering the challenging year we’ve had.
It was especially fun to decorate my dining room this year for Christmas, because I’ve given this space a much needed face-lift which made decorating it for Christmas so much fun. The facelift was actually complete last year but, I changed things up a bit to give it a fresh, fun, new vibe this year. Since we had to cancel literally every single Christmas function that we would normally do here in the month of December not a lot of people will get to see it, but hey.….I do it more for my own satisfaction and joy than anything else. I LOVE a cozy, Christmas-y home and COVID wasn’t going to steal that from me along with all our normal fun activities.
This year for some reason I was all about flocked greenery. So I bought some new and transformed some old.
For my table centerpiece I went fairly simple, but in a large and in charge kind of way. I didn’t want a lot of flowers and fuss with a super formal arrangement so I just used different types of greenery stems to give it a more casual vibe. To keep it simple I used flocked greenery stems from Michaels Craft Store, but I made it a substantial floral by filling up my large dough bowl with various types of greenery.
I removed all of the floral pics I had here from the fall arrangement and re-used the same styrofoam base.
Using four types of greenery stems….some with pine cones, some more leafy and some heavily flocked…I arranged them in my dough bowl for the basic look that I was after. Then I began clipping individual stems from the greenery picks so I had more versatility in placing them where they needed to be.
This picture is blurry…..so sorry about that.…..but, I wanted to show you the different styles and textures as best I could considering I didn’t take any pictures of the individual stems.
I like that it’s casual and simple and yet still has some pizzazz.
As for the garland around my chandelier….this was some greenery I’ve had on hand for years. It’s still in good shape so I hated to go buy new even though I wanted flocked this year. I decided instead to flock it myself.
I used this from Michaels to create my flocked look. It definitely doesn’t look as thick and nice as the ones that are pre-done, but it did the trick. It softened up the green garland just enough to make a difference and help create the look I was going for. You just lay out the garland and spray it in layers, letting it dry in between. I wasn’t patient enough to wait so I didn’t do as many layers as I would have liked. But, I was still happy with the result.
I added a flocked wreath from Walmart to my old doors and a small flocked tree from Walmart to my console table. I tell you what….Walmart has really stepped up their game! They have such great Christmas decor for such great prices.
I just love the cozy warmth this greenery brings to my dining room.
In the corner of the room I have a tabletop Christmas tree. And, to create the flocked look here I actually used white spray paint, because it was all I had on hand at the time. Yep, white spray paint. And I added some of the flocking later on. The spray paint worked like a charm! FYI – it’s a great substitution if you’re out of the flocking spray.
These bells and most of these ornaments are from the Dollar Tree.
One of my favorite places for fun, inexpensive ornaments.
The chargers you see here are some that I made last year. A very budget friendly, easy DIY that I’ll share another time. The rattan chargers I purchased at Bed, Bath and Beyond as well at Vintage Market Days. I didn’t buy enough from Vintage Market Days and was pleasantly surprised to find some similar at BB&B to finish off my table.
And, lastly, you see I’ve placed three runners along the length of the table. I was lucky enough to find these on clearance at Hobby Lobby for only $10.00 apiece. A great find! I like the added softness and interest these bring without having to use a formal tablecloth. I wanted the somewhat rustic texture and color of the table to be visible with the all the Christmas greenery. I think it makes a nice mix.
I love the cozy magic of Christmas everywhere, but especially in my dining room. I’m going to hate taking all this down after Christmas is over.
I wish I could keep it up all year round.
But, then I suppose it wouldn’t be as magical at Christmastime.
There is a season and a reason for everything….right?!
I hope you are able to enjoy your Christmas this year in spite of the challenges we’ve had along the way. Here’s hoping 2021 will bring good news, joy and happiness!
Happy Life by Design!