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Nuts are a popular part of traditional Christmas decorations. It was common to have nuts out during the holidays for guests in many traditional Christmas homes, and still remains a tradition in many homes today. Nuts also pop up in the lyrics of Christmas songs, like “Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire.” If you want a traditional holiday vibe, you can’t go wrong incorporating nuts into your holiday decorations. Below are several creative ways to decorate with holiday nuts this season. The wonderful thing about using nuts in holiday decorations is how versatile and easy they are to work with, as you’ll see below.

It’s easy to make a garland by gluing some string to some nuts. Image: Etsy

A garland of holiday nuts

One of the most fun parts of holiday decorating is stringing together a garland. It’s relaxing and meditative. And you can make a garland out of just about anything: cranberries, popcorn, pinecones and, of course, nuts.

An example is the golden walnut garland in the photo above. You can make your own by hot gluing some nuts to twine. The one in the photo above is featured on Etsy, so you can also purchase one, if you’re not feeling too crafty. The metallic paint on the walnuts is a nice touch for the holidays. Silver, green or red paint would look good for a seasonal theme, too.

Nuts make great additions to holiday wreaths. Image: Etsy

A fruit and nuts wreath

Another idea to decorate with holiday nuts is to add some to a wreath. The wreath above has a fruit and nut theme and is also featured on Etsy.

However, it’s easy to make your own. You can add nuts to just about any holiday wreath. Some additional hazelnuts, chestnuts or walnuts added as accents fit right in with any seasonal theme. You might also consider painting the nuts in seasonal colors like gold, silver, red, white or green before adding them to a wreath. Metallic shades especially will help the nuts pop as part of the wreath design. You can also add seasonal items to a regular green wreath, like nuts, cranberries, pinecones and holiday ribbon.

Place some nuts around candles as an easy holiday decorating idea. Image: My Sweet Savannah

Walnuts and candles

Nuts also pair well with holiday candles. A seasonal scented candle  looks even more festive surrounded by walnuts, like in the photo above. It’s a simple matter of placing the candle in a glass display vase and surrounding it with the nuts. This idea couldn’t get any easier.

Another idea to decorate with holiday nuts is to get a deep, wide glass vase. Then fill the vase with a combination of nuts, cranberries, pinecones or other favorite seasonal items. Then you can place an LED candle on top of the items to reduce the fire hazard. These could work well as table centerpieces, accents on end tables or as part of a holiday mantel display.

Bowls of nuts can fit in with just about any holiday display. Image: Traumzuhause

Going simple with a bowl of nuts

And then there’s going as easy as possible: a simple bowl of nuts. These combine well with other seasonal items, like in the photo above. By placing the bowl of nuts with other seasonal items, you create a grouping that acts as its own cohesive display.

Create this idea in variety of ways to decorate with different holiday nuts in different areas of your home. You might have the bowl of nuts between two seasonal nutcracker dolls. The bowl of nuts could be next to some seasonal candles and placed on a seasonal table runner. It’s a good way to make use of different seasonal decorations you’ve collected through the years.

Loose nuts work well in a variety of holidays displays. Image: Miss Mustard Seed

Creative displays using loose nuts

Nuts that still have the shells on them look great even when placed loosely around other holiday items. For instance, this advent candle display looks great with some added surrounding nuts.

You can take this idea and apply it to other decorating ideas, as well. For instance, you could place some loose nuts around seasonal displays with Christmas figures. They can make great small accents in seasonal mantel displays. You could place nuts at the base of seasonal candleholders. Ideas like these show how easy it is to add some nuts to any seasonal display for an instant traditional Christmas tone.

What are your favorite ways to decorate with holiday nuts? Let us know in the comments.

The post Chestnuts Roasting: Decorate with Holiday Nuts appeared first on Freshome.com.

With the holidays coming, you probably have enough on your plate. Between sending cards, shopping for gifts, cooking large meals and entertaining guests, it can get to be a lot this time of year. One way to simplify your holidays is to go for some minimalist home decorating. With a few key design principles and ideas, you can have your home decorated with as few as one or two large focal point items. Other ideas rely on smaller accent items that are easy to place in the home. Take a look below for several minimalist holiday decorating ideas.

Ornaments of all kinds are an easy way to add festive cheer. Image: Cortney Bishop Design

Minimalist rafter ornaments

If you have exposed rafters in your space, hanging larger ornaments from them is a great way to get some easy holiday spirit into your space. This works especially well in a rustic chic design, like the space above. The ornaments are a wonderful festive accent and hanging them from ribbon looks simple and traditional. They also go well with the oversized red ornaments on the tree.

Even if you don’t have exposed rafters, you might think about this easy idea in other types of spaces. For instance, you could place a larger ornament in the middle of a wreath. You could arrange large ornaments in clear vases. You might also consider hanging them from the pull chains on ceiling fans. Any way you incorporate them, ornaments add an easy festive cheer that works as a great holiday accent.

Subtle wreaths can match the existing color scheme in the room, leading to less decorating effort. Image: AMR Design

Minimalist holiday decorating with subtle accent hangings

Another idea is to simply hang some accent wreaths in the space. Wide red fabric for hanging them adds some festive color. This is a great idea if you have a certain accent color in your space, like in the photo above. In that case, you can match the fabric the wreaths hang from to whatever accent color is in your space. This gives you a festive look and keeps to the overall style of the room.

Part of going minimalist for the holidays is to simply add accents to the room. Since you’re using fewer holiday items, you will not be able to overpower the usual style of the room. You simply want to add a bit of festive flair to the style you already have in the space. Another good example of this principle is the festive-themed wall hangings next to the window in the photo above. They keep to the red accent color that’s already in the room, but the holiday sayings add a festive look.

A larger garland makes a strong focal point. Image: Regina Gust Luxe Seasonal and Floral Décor

Colorful garland

Another key principle for minimalist holiday decorating is to find a piece that works as the focal point. As an example, the garland in the photo above is suitably large enough to stand on its own. Because it hangs from the mantel, it also takes advantage of the fact that the mantel is already a natural focal point in a room. The garland doesn’t have to work to draw attention away from natural focal areas.

With this idea, you can either hang the garland alone or find other subtle ways to add festive cheer. For instance, the ornaments in the tray on the coffee table and in the vases next to the fireplace are nice additional accents.

Go for branches over a traditional tree for a stark, minimalist look. Image: Carousel Media

Getting creative with branches

If you really want to go stark and creative with your minimalist holiday decorating, you might think about substituting your Christmas tree with a branch, like in the photo above.To make it festive, a garland and some ornaments hang from the branch. A neutral-colored present even sits underneath.

You might be wondering why anyone would possibly want a branch instead of a full evergreen tree. For starters, the stark look of the branch immediately gives a sense of minimalism. It’s a creative idea that works well in unconventional, artsy home designs. The neutral tone to the branch also helps it fit in with a neutral color scheme, meaning you don’t have to play with color too much. And a natural texture like a branch works well in rustic and country-themed homes, too.

Twig decorations are a classy, subtle idea that fit just about anywhere. Image: GreenCraft Associates

Subtle twig displays

If you’re looking for minimalistic holiday decorating ideas for your outdoor displays, the photo above shows how some twig designs can work wonders for keeping things simple. The twig reindeer set an immediate festive tone. The twig balls help add a playful style. However, the neutral color and natural texture of the twigs help the look stay minimalist.

You could even put some white holiday lights around the balls and reindeer to light them at night. Going for white lights keeps the look classy and minimalist. The trees in the photo are actually faux Christmas trees with lights on them. The stands are buried out of view.

The post 5 Minimalist Holiday Decorating Ideas appeared first on Freshome.com.

If you want to go for a Christmas color scheme that isn’t the traditional red and green, the second most popular option on the list is a cool blue and white scheme. The icy blue and the snowy white go well with the tones of winter. One way to have a blue and white Christmas is to go with a nautical holiday theme.

Most nautical themes make use of blue colors to match the sea, so a blue and white Christmas goes great with nautical decor. Whether you have a nautical theme in your home now or you’re planning one in the future, take a look below to see how to make seasonal decorating work with this popular home style.

Hanging oars on the walls gives an instant nautical feel. Image: Robeson Design

Blue and White Tree with Oars

The photo above shows how well a basic tree with blue and white colors pairs with a nautical theme in the living room. The blue on the tree matches the blue tones in the ocean painting on the wall. The white tones on the tree also match the white sands in the painting.

This photo also shows how easy it is to get a nautical theme in your home if you’re thinking of trying it out. By placing a simple painting with a water theme under some wall-mounted oars, you have an instant oceanic look. And that can go great with your blue and white Christmas.

Go subtle with collage wall art that has water themes. Image: Home At Last Interiors

White Tree and Nautical Art

Another idea for a nautical holiday theme is to go a little more modern and subtle. In the photo above, you can see how a simple white tree with blue ornaments makes an easy, minimalistic blue and white Christmas. The ornaments also match the aqua blue candle on the table and the blue throw pillow.

What gives this space a distinct nautical feel is the wall art. Part of the collage has a fish and there’s a sign pointing to a beach. The beach sign matches the other blue elements in the room. By choosing collage-style wall art with some water elements like in the photo above, you can easily create a subtle beach or water theme.

Seashells make wonderful additions to a Christmas tree. Image: At Home

Seasonal Seashells

The photo above is one of our favorite ideas for a nautical holiday theme. It incorporates blue seashells right onto the tree itself, making your Christmas tree a natural part of the nautical home theme. If you look closely, there are even textures that look like coral, as well as ships and a life preserver on the tree.

The tree goes well with little wall accents like the nautical wreath and the seashell mirror frame. The throw pillow on the chair also has a fish theme. And then there are the “NOEL” and “JOY” pieces on the table with sand dollars as the Os. It goes to show how you can get a nautical holiday theme with some easy decor choices.

Create a feeling of vacations near the water with a conceptual holiday diorama. Image: Jamie Merida

Diorama

The photo above is an interesting idea for a nautical holiday theme on a porch. The compass on the wall and the lantern on the table already give a nautical look. An evergreen wreath around the lantern gives an instant holiday feel.

But the real showstopper is the interesting diorama under the compass. The small trees and little holiday trailer give a look of holidays spent at the lake for some ice fishing. The white snow, trailer and trees combine well with the blue in the windows of the trailer, too. It even matches the white and blue-gray on the trim and siding of the home.

A tree with white decorations can fit with a blue and white nautical theme. Image: Jamie Merida

White Tree for a Nautical Holiday Theme

You could also try just going for a tree with white decorations since those are easier to find (not all stores carry blue and white Christmas themes). By adding some simple white decorations to a regular green tree, you can help it fit in with a blue and white nautical theme. If you have enough blue in the rest of the space, like the blue ship painting and upholstery in the photo above, you’ll naturally end up with a blue and white Christmas.

On the mantel, you can also see how natural evergreen fits around nautical elements like the lighthouse lantern and netting. Again, it just goes to show how surprisingly well nautical items fit with Christmas decorations.

The post Get a Nautical Holiday Theme Using Blue and White appeared first on Freshome.com.