The big elephant in my living room is the wall unit that takes up the whole wall in one end of the room. It is big and tall and has lots of room for decorating. And I always try to please it by filling it up! The smartest thing I ever did was to flip all of my books around and so now I have a neutral canvas to add all the decorations I want.
Let’s begin at the top. I have one of those spot light units on the ceiling and it is perfect for hanging things. Last year I had hung globe ornaments in red, but this year I am trying to eliminate red as much as possible. These globes were painted green with acrylic craft paint. I love being able to transform things without having to spend money. I just buy a bottle of the paint and I have it for months.
Thank goodness for my friends who inspire me because now I feel that the room is really done! Maybe even over done, but that’s okay because if you can’t go overboard on Christmas, when can you?
Moving on we come to the middle shelves. Do you see those tall white objects? We have taken to calling them the Empire State Buildings in our house.
And that little tree, it is a thread spool. I wrapped some green velvet fabric around it and placed it on a base which I had painted white. The base is from another broken snow globe…. are we seeing a theme here?
The handle of the basket has been wrapped with a string of tri-colored beads. Those beads have been with me forever and I reuse them every year. Timeless!
And placed on my Chivalrous trunk is the natural wood centerpiece switched out for Christmas. The box holds an assortment of sentimental Christmas cards. And in the place of honor is my sweet Pumpkin man.
The trunk was a hot mess but I decoupaged it with book pages last year and it made a world of difference in the look. You see how easy it is to transform something without spending a ton of money and you have the satisfaction of knowing that you actually made it yourself. The trunk is one of my most cherished pieces in the house.
The red tree topper is a pretty piece of paper rolled into a cone shape. Easy peasy!
I hope you have enjoyed my living room tour. And if you’d like to see what my living room looked like last year, take a peek here. I’ll be back next week with some more and I want to show you the spice rack vignette. Do you re purpose your existing decor or do you buy new things each year?
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Michele
Wednesday 21st of December 2016
Hi Mary, i hope you are sitting in your Christmas living room and finding the time to enjoy it! What fun to surround yourself with meaningful and fun repurposed items. I wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas!
Mary
Wednesday 14th of December 2016
Mary your decorations are lovely,I love your sitting room its so inviting and cosy.Happy Holidays
Mary
Tuesday 10th of January 2017
Thank you so much Mary. I may sometimes go overboard but I love that cozy feeling especially in the winter when the fireplace is lit.
Katrin
Wednesday 14th of December 2016
Mary I repurpose a lot and I bought some things new this year, but really only a few because repurposing is so much fun!! How cozy and lovely is your living room Mary! I love all your details and that they all have a story! I want those empire state buildings too, they are so great and that house you drew, I love it! Your garland is perfect for the wall unit, it looks great! I'm sure you'll enjoy this room a lot with your family!!
Mary
Tuesday 10th of January 2017
Katrin when I figured out what I was going to do with those empire state building wood pieces I was so excited. Sometimes the silliest things will make you giddy!
Jolena
Wednesday 14th of December 2016
Oh, Mary! I love how your scrap fabric garland turned out! I don't think it is possible to "over do it" at Christmas and in your case I think it is just perfect. I love the idea of using the back of the canvas...is that a Mary Englebreit print? I have had a fascination with her work for over 20 years and it looks lovely in your room. I am so glad that we have become bloggy friends! Merry Christmas!
Mary
Tuesday 10th of January 2017
Jolena, thank you for the inspiration. Adding that garland made such a huge difference to the room. It really adds coziness and warmth to that behemoth of a wall unit. I don't know what the print is, it is just a Christmas card that we had which I display every day. I think some of these cards are works of art in of themselves and I love displaying them all over the house. I too am glad we have become friends. I hope you had relaxing holidays.
Jas @All that's Jas
Wednesday 14th of December 2016
You never run out of ideas, Mary! Nice save with the snow globe! I think my favorite is the spice rack! Brilliant idea! And the pumpkin man survived! Ha! You decorated your little heart out, no wonder you were so busy lately! Now you can sit back for a while and enjoy! Happy holidays, my friend!
Mary
Thursday 12th of January 2017
I really had a lot of fun this year Jas. The more I repurpose things, the more I find other things to repurpose. It never ends. haha!