Today We are Sharing Our Simple Christmas Decor and The Mannequin Tree!
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year but living in a home that is constantly under renovation has made decorating a little bit challenging!
This year I decided to keep the Christmas decor simple with most of it being in our newly renovated kitchen and breakfast room area.
An antique seed box sits on our old farm table in the breakfast nook, and it’s so easy to swap out the contents seasonally.
It was filled with white pumpkins and dried hydrangeas for Fall, and now it’s ready for the upcoming holiday.
Recently, I swapped out the chairs at the farm table with four cane backed French chairs that I found for $20 each!
They are in fantastic condition and look perfect in the breakfast nook.
The seats may get reupholstered in burlap or grain sack at some point, but for now I have left them as found with a lovely velvet seat.
(Update: See what they look like now! Click HERE!)
Evergreens grow abundantly in our yard so I asked hubby to grab some clippers and go out and cut some greenery for me.
I love being able to use fresh clippings from the yard for the holiday decor.
I filled the seed box with the fresh greens and layered in some of my favorite pieces……..an old chippy statue of The Holy Family, sheep, a few vintage Christmas ornaments, and two white flickering candles (battery operated).
Battery operated candles are amazing, and totally look like the real thing, and they are so much safer than burning real candles.
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My favorite battery operated candles are the ones I found on Amazon!
I love that they have a timer on the bottom so it can be set to turn on and off at a certain time.
When they are lit, they look exactly like a flickering candles without being a fire hazard!
Of course, the Mora clock got a little “dressing up” with greenery, a boxwood wreath, and a bird sitting in a nest.
My mother (Edith) loved Christmas and always insisted that the tree have a bird’s nest in it.
She believed that if your Christmas tree had a bird’s nest in it, then you would have good luck all through the next year.
I have several nests and always try to incorporate them into my tree and Christmas decor in memory of her.
Mannequin trees have been all the rage this year, and I’ve loved all of the pictures floating around Pinterest of these dress forms dressed in Christmas finery.
I have an antique dress form that I’ve had for years, so I decided I would try making a mannequin tree this year.
All you need for the “skirt” is lots of greenery, a glue gun, and an old belt.
I placed an old leather belt around the waist of the dress form, preferably a wide one, and then I hot glued the greenery directly onto it.
Using a hair dryer on the cool setting helps to set the glue quickly.
Once the holidays are over, it will be easy to just remove the old belt with the greenery attached and throw it away, leaving the mannequin intact.
Of course, if you use faux greenery, it can be saved and used the next year.
The top of the mannequin was wrapped with burlap and tied around the waist to cover the ends of the greenery, and I adorned her with a couple of antique rosaries, added a few ornaments to the “skirt”, and topped her with a crown!
Of course, a bird sitting in a nest was a must!
I love the way she turned out and she was so easy to make!
The French Provincial buffet always gets decorated.
This year I added greenery to an old garden bird bath, placed an Holy Family statue and some of my sheep under a cloche, and added a boxwood wreath to the mirror.
I hope you enjoyed a peek at our Christmas decor in the kitchen as well as our Mannequin Tree!
Cheers, Cindy
I have a wire framed mannequin that I bought at Hobby lobby a few years ago. I have used it tin the past to display my scarves and jewelry. It now has a vine growing all over it. I may add some Christmas to her !! You have made a
beautiful home.
Happy Holidays.
I love it! Where did yOu purchase your lambs?
Thanks so much!
We’ve sold most of them in our online shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/edithandevelyn
Do you have any crowns and do you ship to south Africa?
Hi Dot! We do have a few crowns listed in our online store. Here’s the link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/edithandevelyn. We can ship to South Africa. If you see something you like, send us a message via our Etsy shop and we can get you a shipping quote.
Oh so very beautiful! You did a great job on the mannequin tree! I am so ready for Christmas! It has been 107* here for about 10 days… Keep cool my friend..
Cindy, I love your nativity scenes under the glass cloches. Do you sell any of them in your shop and if so which ones are they?
Hi Marian! We have listed many of them in the shop, but unfortunately all of them has sold. We don’t currently have any available.
What is your nativity set called? Where did it come from? It is beautiful!
The nativity is an antique statue of the Holy Family!
Where can I find the sheep that’s on the table ?
I purchased many of them from various estate sales. We also have one available in our online shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/edithandevelyn
Your religious décor pieces are absolutely stunning!
Where did you buy the nativity with the older Christ child.
Estate sale!
Love all those “crowns”!! Wherever do u get them? Thank you!
My sister has a dress form LOVE what you did with yours and I know Susie would love it also !!! And again great job !!!!
Thank you Pauline!
Are you planning to make one of those mini nativist use under the cloche and crown and add to your shop? I’d like to buy one.
Hi Jennifer, we don’t have any plans to add this item to the shop, but it would be easy to make one!
Your Christmas decor looks beautiful!
Thank you Pamela!
Absolutely gorgeous! You have such a creative flair. Can you share how you attached the boxwood wreath to the mirror? I have been wanting to do the same thing but I’m not sure what would hold. Thanks! Merry Christmas!
Hi Emily! I just used a small suction cup that has a hook attached. You can pick them up at any of the home improvement stores!
Everything is just beautiful!! Have fun on your trip South 🙂
Everything is so incredibly stunning!!!!! I see you like religious relics too!!!! I only have a small collection since pieces are hard to find around here. Off to see what you have in your shop now! Have a safe trip……
~Des
Thank you Des!
Please let me know if those lamps ever end up in your Etsy store. 🙂
Lol! If I ever decide to part with them, I will give you first dibs!
All of it is so beautiful…visiting from the forum 🙂
Patty@thatssopretty
getting notifications of new posts 🙂
Thank you so much Patty!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I feel like I just flipped thru Veranda magazine. You did a spectacular job…it’s really beautiful, Cindy.
Beautiful, of course! Happy pickin’! I’m going to make that trip with you one of these days!
Thank you Debbie! Yes, we need to do a Southern pickin’ trip!
Hey, I want you to be my new BFF. Haha. In love with the dress forms and tree “skirts.” :))
Thank you Dena!!
What a beautiful Christmas decor post…I have a feeling that everything you post is going to end up in a magazine!
Tell John to stop preening and pay attention to the road and driving! Really, y’all have a safe trip and I’ll see you at the sale.
Judy
See you soon Judy!