Today is Boxing Day

Boxing Day is celebrated on the 26th of December, the day after Christmas. In Britain it was the custom for "tradesmen" to collect their boxes; money or gifts from their employers on this day.

We Americans don't celebrate this holiday, but I'd like to imagine that Boxing Day is a day for putting all of the boxes and trappings of Christmas away.  For me the day after Christmas seems like the right time to start organizing and purging to plan for the new start in the new year. Therefore  I'm looking toward ways to organize my home and my office.  Here are some of my favorite images of organizing the home from Pinterest

 Peg board with a vibrant color is an updated version of an old time way of organizing this craft room.

  A unified color scheme keeps this bathroom feeling clean, fresh and organized.

 Colorful tea cups is a fun way to organized jewelry in a jewelry drawer...the jewels are color coded to match the tea cups.

Pegboard in a color keeps this garage by Martha Stewart looking fantastic.

 

  Great use of pull out drawers...if you don't have a designated craft room, this would be great in a kitchen, laundry, or a mudroom.

 Although I'm usually not a huge fan of plastic organizers....I like the way this cabinet is organized to hold paperwork, school supplies etc. This seems like a great way to reign in the daily chaos of having school age children.

 These are baby food jars with chalk board painted lids....love this green solution!

 Beautifully folded shirts and sweaters are kept organized by wood brackets...One of these days I'm going to learn how to fold shirts so they look like these.

 I like this idea for organizing paperwork and bills...though I would like to have these behind doors so I don't have to look at them.

 Nicely done linen closet...this person fit quite a lot in a little space.

 A colorful craft room is kept organized by a mix of baskets, notebooks, and magazine holders.

 A pretty wallpaper is a nice touch in this pantry.

 This vibrantly painted pantry is a cheery way to store kitchen goods.

 I love this potting room.  I wonder if the boxed hold seeds.

Christmas Decorating with Bulbs

 Every fall I place a large bulb order with the wholesale company Van Bourgondien.

They have great products at a great price... unfortunately they are not paying me to say good things about them....I just think they are a great resource and I continue to be very happy ordering from them.  I usually end up buying more than I can handle...and then it becomes a bit of a chore to find a pot and a spot in which to put all the bulbs.  This year I bought some moss at a local nursery to help the decorations look a little more professional.  The owner of the nursery let me in on a little secret.  The moss can actually be dug up from your yard.  Because it's so damp here in Connecticut, many people will have this type of moss growing under trees in their yards.  I haven't looked around yet, but I'm pretty sure that I do indeed have some of this lovely stuff growing in my yard.  Next year I'll know better!

 Vibeke Design

Vibeke Design

 June Stocking

via Loi Thai

Decking the Halls: Starting with the front door

Martha Stewart

Great Christmas decorating starts at the front door.    A lovely garland, a wreath, and planters with seasonal greens is a classic look.  Of course it helps to have some beautiful architectural details to decorate, like this fabulous front door with leaded glass sidelights and transom.

All of the homes below are beautiful examples of how the combination of elements have a lovely welcoming effect.

Aerin Lauder House and Garden

Canadian House and Home

  

Canadian House and Home

Unknown

Better Homes and Gardens

Canadian House and Home

 

Unknown

Sometimes a simple wreath is all you need to make a lovely holiday statement.  Below are some of my favorite examples.

 Martha Stewart

  

Martha Stewart

Country Living

Unknown

Canadian House and Home

I love a pair great urn shaped planters with fabulous greens and twigs of different textures and colors.  The one below is unusual.  The other examples are a bit more typical.

Unknown

Canadian Garden

Canadian House and Home

  

Vineyard Gardens

 

5th and State Blog

Pocket Full of Posies

White Christmas Dreaming

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...both inside the house and out.  White is my inspiration for holiday decorating this year.  I'm going to use white flowers, white candles, and white paper snowflakes.   I'm also looking forward to a little white outside, in the form of snow....hopefully we'll have a little snowfall right before Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

all images pinterest