Today I took down all of the Halloween decorations and packed them away. Or at least I tried to pack them away. Amazingly, our little stash of Halloween decorations doubled this year, which meant I was going to have to round up more boxes plus clear some extra space in the attic. (Nathan and I fell in love with the little foam haunted house kits from Michael’s Craft Store and made a whole bunch of them, which explained the doubling of the Halloween decor.)
But then a thought occurred to me. If I simply decorated with more organic-based things like autumn leaves, sticks, pinecones, nuts, rocks, dried flowers and the like, I could simply COMPOST IT ALL after the holidays! No more trying to wedge decorations back into a box (I can never remember precisely how everything fit anyway) and hauling it back up into our awkward attic space. No more storing boxes and boxes of things that only get used once a year. I really like this idea!
So to inspire myself, I’ve posted a bunch of pictures of organic-based holiday decorations. Maybe they will inspire you too. Let me know what you think.
Above: Very simple yet striking. This would be a great coffee table or dining room table centerpiece. www.brneyedgal.blogpspot.com.
Above: Ok, I actually think all of the pumpkins and gourds, even the wreath are fake, but you certainly COULD make these out of the real deal if you wanted to. www.freshome.com
Above: So beautiful on my fireplace mantel or on the piano! Sure, you would have to buy and store the apothecary jars, but they could be used throughout the year for several holidays. A good basic decorating device to have. www.hellobeautiful.mychelle.com
Above: Lots of ideas here. A good excuse to buy fun, colorful things at farm stands in the fall. www.potterybarn.com
Above: This wreath would be so much fun to make and would look so lovely either over the fireplace mantel or on the front door. If you hang it on your door outside, the cold will preserve it longer. www.thisnext.com
Ok, now I’m going to post some pictures of organic-based Christmas decorations. If you can’t handle seeing anything Christmasy just yet, stop reading now!
Above: Yup, I can make that! I don’t have pewterware, but I do have my grandma’s old crystal sorbet cups and stemware, which I could use. www.marthastewart.com
Above: My son’s school sells Christmas wreaths as a fundraiser every year. It would be easy to buy one of those premade wreaths and then tuck sprigs of holly into it. The wreath form isn’t compostable, but it is recyclable.
Above: Natural garlands, potted plants — none of it has to be packed back up into a box after Christmas, so I’m loving it all! www.homedesigninspirations.com
Above: Something fresh and simple for my mantel, although I think the lit the candles are probably a fire hazard. But you wouldn’t want to burn candles that pretty anyway. www.polyvore.com
Above: Forced bulbs like paperwhites and tulips are a great alternative if you start to get really tired of all the evergreens.
Above: You know, you could just EAT your Christmas decorations after the holidays if you didn’t want to have to worry about organizing and storing them for another year!
What do you think of this idea of decorating with things that can be thrown away or composted after the holidays? Do you already do this? Or do you too struggle with trying to figure out how to store all of your holiday decorations?
free stuff without surveys or offers says
Your style is very unique compared to other folks I have read stuff
from. Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity,
Guess I’ll just bookmark this site.