ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS DECOR
Alternative Xmas decor
Christmas is fast approaching, and in advance of teaching my dogs how to “dougie” around the Christmas tree without knocking it over, I am well in the mood to talk Christmas decorations with those like me who un-apologetically do what the f*ck they want at Christmas.
If you’re reading this, hopefully you’ve been following me long enough to know that when it comes to style (in and out of the home), there is only one rule; DO YOU. I’m ever the advocate for creative expression when it rings true with who you are, and that’s exactly why I wanted to show you some out of the ordinary xmas decor by people who did their thing… and OWNED IT!
So if you’re looking for ideas on how to stand out and be a little bit extra… I mean, different, with your decor this Christmas, read on…
ADVENT CALENDARS DON’T HAVE TO BE BORING…
Or only filled with chocolate for that matter!
Just ask the peeps over at Papercrafter Magazine who are literally experts at pretty much any card craft you can think of. Here they’ve DIY’d a fabulous advent tree and filled each pocket with a sweetie… such a cute idea!
This advent tree crafted by Papercraft Magazine can be made using the template on their website. Click here if you fancy a stab at it yourself.
Or perhaps you want to go with something a little more daring; such as these playful advent balloons by Royale Ziegler of events design brand “ButfirstParty”.
I must say, balloon decor has really sucked me in this Christmas season and you will see exactly what I mean a little further down the post…
Quite possibly the cutest and most unique advent calendar Idea I’ve ever come across. Well done Royale!
TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS BAUBLES ARE TOTALLY NOT MY THING!
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but if something is EVERYWHERE, or everyone is doing it, I don’t wanna know. And I mean literally. But there is one exception… and that is entirely around whether or not something is me… and traditional baubles (i.e angels, fairies, santa etc) just aren’t for me.
I guess it’s a bit rich of me to sit here going on about how much I despise grandma baubles and really traditional decorations when Christmas is actually a religious tradition… but given that I don’t follow a religion (I’m an omnist), I celebrate Christmas more as a Thanksgiving kind of occassion if anything. Anyway, back to my point… which is, booooooo to anything that doesn’t please me visually at Christmas.
In otherwords, the more colourful, original and expressive the better! And these guys have got my design pulse RACING!
How cute are these confetti ornaments by Jessica at Confetti Land…
These bad boys were handmade and Jessica shows you how you can make some of your own over on the Confetti Land blog.
And if colourful decor isn’t really your thing, how could you possibly say no to a bit of leopard print? Which, by the way, is totally on trend right now…
(not that I follow trends tbh but whatever).
These Gisela Graham baubles are so fashionable and would look fantastic on a black tree.
I AINT GOT NO TYPE… BOLD XMAS TREES’ THE ONLY THANG THAT I LIKE!
If you didn’t guess from the title of this post, I like my Christmas decor BOLD and BRAVE (a bit like my taste in men but that’s a post for another time). As usual, when I’m planning my own Christmas or event themes I almost always look to Pinterest for inspiration; and this year I found some that just totally set the bar high for me.
Prepare to be amazed!
Sugar Cloth’s Balloon Tree
If you’re looking for something with that added wow factor- this design doesn’t scrimp on it at all. Again, I’ve been so into using balloons myself for my own Christmas decor this year so I was naturally always going to want to rub my face up against this little cutie.
Learn how to make your own balloon tree over at Sugar & Cloth.
Or perhaps you’d like to go for TROPICAL PINK GLAM like Natalie over at the Arsenic Lace blog. Guys, this whole theme is all kinds of me and I’m kinda mad that I couldn’t think of a concept to recreate this, this year because I already had my heart set on my theme…
However, there are certainly big similarities between our style choices and you’ll see for yourself in the next week when I reveal my own Christmas tree and decorations.
Absolutely obssessed with Natalies Tropical Christmas theme, with this gorgeous pink tree and super playful accessories.
Joy Cho at Oh Joy blog went in super creatively with these stunning holiday party trees which are made using a combination of oversized baubles or disco balls and paper things… yes, I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the other paper things so I am calling them paper things.
A HOLIDAY PARTY TREE BY OH JOY!
Joy made this post in collaboration with Air Wick and there is a full tutorial on her blog if you want to have a stab at it yourself.
I am also totally here for the next two very whimsical christmas trees because they have so much character and really tell me so much about the designers and the person they designed them for…which is what I believe every designer should aspire to do.
LINDI HAWS CHRISTMAS DESIGN
This tree was designed by Lindi Haws for the Michaels Dream Tree Challenge 2017. See original post here.
pencil shavings studio candy colour tree
Shot taken of Rachels Holiday Home tour over at the Pencil shavings studio.
And if you got small children at home, I’ve got you covered with quite possibly two of the sickest childrens xmas trees I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
An avengers themed christmas tree
I came across this dope ass avengers themed tree via the Pretty My Party blog and I fell in love with how much effort has clearly been made to make Christmas special for some very little (or not so little) people.
I recently posted this one to my instagram stories to see how many of you thought this was tacky and more of you voted that it’s tacky than dope… C’mon man, this is for the little people. This isn’t tacky- this is genius. (I bet those people have awful decorations- yes I SAID IT).
Anyway, here’s a look at the tree..
This Avengers themed tree is such a creative way to make christmas special for all the little folk… or for the Marvel enthusiasts of course.
NO SPACE FOR A LARGE TREE? NO PROBLEM!
I know lots of people are always looking for ways to bring the festivities alive with their decor but lack the space to do so. Don’t worry, you are not alone! And there are actually so many people who are in the same boat, which makes the next idea absolutely genius.
The virtual tree
Yep, you read it right; a projected tree. All the glamour, with none of the space requirements. Quite possibly the easiest, alternative decor idea I’ve seen in my life.
The ideal home blog shows you how to create Christmas focus without Foliage.
DIY YOUR WAY TO THE MOST “YOU” CHRISTMAS DECOR EVER…
As you might have realised, most of the alternative, non-mainstream decoration ideas above have so far been created by hand. YEP, a DIY Christmas is becoming just as popular as popping to Argos to get your Christmas tree. But what I love the most about the DIY decs is that they all bring out the individuals be-you-tiful personality, and that’s the most important thing…always.
For example, I know that my own theme this year is over the top as hell. Lots of pinks, oranges and balloons. But, that’s exactly what I like and one will never change that. My mum is doing a “London” theme, and is also a design enthusiast so will no doubt be making the Christmas tree look special in her own little way too. So frankly, as long you keep it YOU with your style, in and out of the home, I will always be on team YOU. :)
As I write this, I’ve spent some of the day getting my own Christmas decorations together and boy, can I say that DIY balloon walls/ arches are time consuming af. But would I change the amount of effort I’ve put into any of it? Hell no.
Here’s a look at some DIY decorations that I’ve found inspiring, and I hope one of these inspire you to consider DIY’ing some of your own too :)
Splatter paint Christmas trees by A Kailo Chic Life
Kara at the Kailo Chic Life blog has some of the most inspiring DIY tutorials ever, including these gorgeous splatter paint Christmas trees.
DIY Christmas Baubles by Laurel
Over at The Bubbly Life blog DIY’ed these absolutely stunning sayings baubles, that apparently didn’t take much longer than 5 minutes! Isn’t it wonderful when crafts end up looking fabulous in a few mins?
I am particularly loving the Sleigh all day bauble and they’ve already got me thinking about next years’ Christmas theme!
Laurel’s Christmas Sayings baubles only take a few minutes to create.
DIY Christmas Crackers by Bespoke Bride
I hadn’t actually thought about making my own DIY Christmas crackers until this year. I attended a crafting event with the London Craft Club for Halloween and they told me all about their cracker making workshop, which sadly I’m not able to attend on the dates they’re on.
But seeing these sexy little crackers made by the ladies over at Bespoke Bride made me realise that decorations go beyond baubles, and boy did they get it right.
Learn how to make your own christmas crackers that are fun, modern and way more personal than your normal crackers! They would also make ace favours for a christmas themed wedding!
Bespoke Brides also have a super cute printable wrapping paper that you can download from their website to make Christmas even more colourful!
The cutest Christmas gift wrap which you can print from the Bespoke Bride website.
AND TO GIVE YOU A SNEAK PREVIEW OF MY THEME THIS YEAR…
Telling my Insta followers how long it’s taking me to finish my balloon wall and get my tree up!
But as you can see, my theme is colourful af. If you want to give it a name, I’d call it, retro-carnival vibes…and that’s exactly what I’m living up to this year. It’s not for everyone… My Ye’ is different to your Ye’… but this is all me and I can’t wait to see it all come together.
The final look will follow in a few days, but I hope you guys enjoy making Christmas a little more YOU this year. Are your decorations already up?
Sx