Ornamentary, my dear Watson

Well, my trusty local radio station has returned to all Christmas, all day long, and that means it’s time I give our humble abode a solid dose of holiday cheer to go along with all those festive tunes. When it comes to decking our place for Christmas, I always start with the basics and build my way up from there. So that’s where I’m starting with today’s post — the basic holiday ornament.

While browsing the holiday aisles at IKEA last week, Jared and I happened across the sparkle-rific ornaments in the photo above. Pretty snazzy, right? And all for the low, low price of $2.99. Woo hoo! We grabbed two boxes to bring home to the ol’ MO, though now I’m wishing we snagged a few more because in the world of holiday decorating, ornaments are the guaranteed all-purpose item that look great just about anywhere. Here’s where we’re rockin’ the sparkle this year:

The trees: This one’s no surprise but still important to mention. Every tree looks great with a splash of shimmery ornaments, and in my book, the more you can pack on, the better.

The garland: This is a super easy way to take basic lighted garland up a notch. These teeny tiny ball ornaments add a special punch of sparkle without overwhelming (or weighing down) the strand of garland.

The lamp: Remember the lamp I decked with bats for Halloween? One quick switcheroo later, and it’s all ready for the holidays. Hollow, glass-base lamps are perfect for stashing extra ornaments. Finally, a place for all those pink ornaments I bought in college!

The vase: I swapped the flowers for a box of ornaments for an instantly Christmassy centerpiece.

The candlestick: Instead of using the typical tapered candles, a single ornament atop a candlestick adds an unexpected twist.

So is your holiday decorating in full force yet? How/where do you use ornaments in your house? I’d love to hear your ideas!

XO,
Katrina