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Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a nice holiday break and survived this week getting back in a routine! We had a great Christmas and really enjoyed the time off. It was the first time ever that we haven’t traveled right after Christmas and I was a little worried that we might all go crazy with boredom but I have to say.. it was really nice! I guess we’re getting used to a slower pace, enjoying the outdoors and just staying home more. Goodness knows we’ve all had plenty of practice with it over the last year. ;) I took this pic on Christmas Eve. Kole is 10 and right at that “suspicious” stage when it comes to Santa but just to be safe he left a last minute note in case Santa didn’t know what he wanted. “All I want for Christmas is headphones (sorry I was kinda rushed). Love, Kole. PS thanks for coming.” Ha ha.. I laughed when I saw it. The girls helped him get the plate ready for Santa and then he wrote that quick when they had already gone upstairs and were waiting for him to start a movie. Hence the “sorry I was kinda rushed” explanation at why he wasn’t writing a more thoughtful letter. I love kids. :)
Santa remembered his headphones. And also threw in some hot wheel race tracks. I snapped these pics quick a few days after Christmas. Kole is so close to outgrowing toys like this, but I’m in the business of keeping my kids young as long as possible so if he’s willing to still spend some time each day with cars I’m going to help make that happen. Especially while we are spending so much time at home. Santa also left a note with the headphones about sensible iPad time monitored by his parents which Kole wasn’t as excited about. Ha. Thanks Santa. We owe you one.
I noticed after I snapped these that I caught the “Stay-At-Home Order Update” on the news. These pictures will definitely mark a year to remember!
{Theatre Room details and sources HERE}
I have been busy getting my Christmas put away and my house clean and back in order. You all know I put up a crazy amount of holiday decor each year so it’s always a good time taking it all down. Ha. It’s so much work, but I do have a system that makes it easier. I put my 3 kids to work helping me bring everything upstairs to our theatre room. Then I sort, purge, categorize and organize everything and put it all away in my attic. I snapped this pic after I had finally put everything away other than my holiday throws and pillows. Felt so good to see the floor in this room again! ;)
And yes. I recognize that this is an unhealthy amount of Christmas pillows to own. But I give myself a pass because Christmas decor brings me joy like nothing else! Plus I share decor for a living. So while my motto is usually less is more, I allow myself a few exceptions. ;)
In the past I’ve stored my holiday pillows and throws in black garbage bags but I wanted a better system. I searched on-line and finally decided to give these Jumbo Storage bags a try. They came in the mail yesterday and I’m in love! So perfect for pillows. I have 6 smaller pillows in this bag (4 stacked in the back and then 2 in the front).
Or I can fit 4 of my large pillows. (2 stacked with one on the side and one long lumbar pillow in the front.) Some of my favorite Christmas pillows are more than half off by the way! I know.. not as fun to buy holiday decor at the end of the holiday when it’s time to clean up, but definitely when you can score the best deals.
{storage bags/souk wool rug/roll arm sectional/arc floor lamp}
I’m so excited about these storage bags! (I got the largest jumbo size.) They stack on top of each other nicely and have handles on the sides so they are easy to lift and carry. But the best part is that I can see what’s inside of them! So much better than the garbage bags I was using. I never knew what I was pulling out of my attic until I had pulled the sack out and emptied it. These 4 bags are holding all of my Christmas pillows and then I ordered one more (they come in a set of 2) for my throws. These would also work great for storing comforters or other large blankets. If you are short on space my recommendation for pillows is to re-use the same inserts over and over and store the pillow covers folded nicely in a drawer or bin. That’s what I did in my previous home with limited storage.
This door off of our theatre room leads to our attic. Our theatre room and this attic weren’t in our original house plans when we designed the house. We had extra space over our garage and when our architect told us it would be easy and inexpensive to add an extra room and an attic space for storage we jumped on it!
I’m very glad we did because this little inside storage space has come in so handy. It was supposed to be an unfinished attic, but I decided to add drywall and paint and cheap carpet and I’m so grateful for it now. This is where all of my holiday decor lives and I feel like I live in this space from about September through January. Ha. I always get asked how I store my Christmas trees. I just keep them in their original boxes! I know it’s hard to smash them back in, but I’ve found that’s the easiest way for me to store them. I can stack the boxes on top of each other and fit quite a few in a small space. I keep them at the back of my attic (behind and to the side of our outdoor reindeer).
Addison was a huge help with the trees this year. She was just the right size to sit and smush! Ha.
I use a lot of clear storage bins and ornament bins. They are hard to see in this picture because they are tucked in the back. Trees and reindeer I just store out in the open on the right side of my attic. Things don’t get very dusty in this space because of the carpet so I don’t feel like I need to cover them.
On the right side where my attic ceiling slopes I lay all of my garland. I just stack it carefully! The brown trunk holds stockings and tree skirts. I’ve also been asked how I organize my bins and if I organize them by rooms. I don’t because every year I decorate my rooms differently so I organize them in themes. All of my snowflakes are in a bin, small reindeer, gold stars, small wreaths, greenery, pink ball ornaments, silver ball ornaments, etc.
On the left side of my attic I have all of my Fall decor. Just a few clear bins with wreaths/swags on top. Then all of my faux flowers for Spring! I store them upright in vases and baskets.
I stack art and signs along the inside wall. 4th of July decor lives here too!
Half of the attic is Christmas and then the other half is everything else. Christmas decor makes me happy. Did I mention that already? So does organization. So organized Christmas decor?
I’m here for it.
:)
Below are some of my personal favorites and a few other great solutions for organizing/storing holiday decor. Happy 2021 everyone! I’m so happy you’re here. We’re going to have fun together this year. :)
1 – Holiday Plate Box 2 – Christmas Wreath Bag 3 – Storage Bags
4 – Ornament Storage Box 5 – Clear Plastic Container w/ lid 6 – Clear Storage Box (6 pack)
7 – Christmas Tree Storage Bag 8 – Underbed Ornament Storage Box 9 – Gift Wrap Organizer
Oh my goodness that attic is #dreams it must be so much more fun to browse your holiday decor like you’re in a cute attic than to dig through old boxes in a dark shed lol!! :) Always love your Christmas decor and fully support your cushion obsession! Hope your lockdown with your cute family is going as cozily as it looks :)
Abby you made me laugh.. so happy you support my obsession with pillows.. ha! ;) Thank you for such a kind comment! Happy new year to you and your family! xo
Happy New Year, Erin. Your son’s note to Santa is so sweet! Made me grin. Keep him believing as long as possible. :) Great organizing system. I would LOVE to have an attic space that I could walk into like you are able to. Alas, we have to climb a ladder to get to ours. Your system looks very efficient and doable. Thanks so much for sharing. I do hope that things with the virus improve, but I don’t think that is likely for a while yet, especially with the variant floating around. Be well and stay safe!
Thank you so much Jeanne and happy new year to you! I know.. ladders make things a lot trickier don’t they!? It’s so convenient having this space to store things. Every house needs an attic like this! I hope your year is off to a good start. Are your girls home? Kole has been doing school from home this week so it feels like we’re back in a routine but also not! I hope you’re all staying healthy! xo
I purchased an inexpensive fake tree about 10 years ago; when I pack it away I wrap large black trash bags around each section, tape them tightly closed, and easily put the parts back into the original box. The tree has held up very well for all these years, surprisingly.
Such a smart idea! Love that. I might have to try that next year. Tape would definitely help! Thanks for sharing! :)
Hi!! I love your blog! I was just wondering how you store your Christmas doormats?
Thank you!
Hi Rebecca! Thank you so much! I didn’t mention them in the post but if you look at my attic picture you’ll see some rugs and doormats stacked! They are by the reindeer and right in front of a dollhouse we are saving :)
I love everything about your blog. I don’t recall how I stumbled upon it but you are wonderful. Thank you!
Sarah that just made me smile so big! What a sweet thing to say. Thank you!! I’m so happy you found me. :) xo
I love this bag storage for pillows idea! I store my pillows in an unused bathtub but always have to pull them all out to get to the next season! I’m ordering a couple to see if they fit and will help my organization a bit more! I’m a pillow person, too! So easy to cozy up a space and when you move them from room to room, give a fresh look so quickly! Thanks for the storage idea!
I’m so happy that was helpful Janet! I agree.. pillows are a such a fun and inexpensive way to freshen up a space! I’m happy I’m not the only pillow hoarder out there! Ha. There are worse things right? ;)
Happy New Year, Erin! I love seeing photos of your beautiful home and reading your posts with all of your organization ideas! Thank you!
Thank you so much sweet Debbie! You are so kind and I truly appreciate your support! Your kind comments always make me so happy. :)
OMG!
I love your posts but this definitely is one of my Favorites!! :)
Your attic/storage is the Best!!
Happy New Year!!
YEA! This made me so happy Dina! Thank you so much! I’m so happy you liked it! Wishing you all the best this year! xo
Hi Erin! Your home and family are beautiful!! I’ve been following your blog for some time now and i have a question that I don’t think I’ve ever seen you mention…… how do you keep that tiny figure?? Do you workout every day? If so what is your workout routine? I have 3 of my own, 9, 8 and 6 and i also work 40 hours a week…. I work from home but it is still a very real 40 hours a week of very real work work. Know what I mean? I have so little motivation to workout! I’ve always loved all your posts about everything but that question always pops up in my mind…. how does she stay so fit?? Happy New Year to you and your family. You would never know the kind of year that went on reading your blog. You can actually feel your happiness and positivity coming through your words and pictures! Thank you for that!!
Krista your comment was so kind it about made me cry! Thank you! So incredibly thoughtful of you to say that. About my positivity and being fit! Although I have to tell you that I’m not feeling so fit at the moment because I gained a few pounds over the holidays. Ha. A little too much home time and nothing to do but eat! ;) Honestly I really enjoy exercise and try to fit it in every day. I either get on our treadmill for 45 minutes in the morning (early before I get kids going for school) and/or Kenny and I go on a walk/hike in the evening. I enjoy that time to clear my head and either listen to a good podcast or be outside. I struggle with motivation when it comes to food! I really don’t enjoy meal prep at all so I’m usually grabbing whatever is fast and easy and not making the best food choices so I’m always trying to work on that. When I want to lose a few pounds I eat less (usually not better.. just less.. ha) and workout a little more, but it’s definitely getting harder the older I get! I certainly don’t have it all together, but I do exercise most days just because I need it mentally! Not sure if that helped at all! I know how hard it can be to fit it all in. If you can find a type of exercise you enjoy and look forward to as an outlet that definitely helps. :) Happy New Year to you and your sweet family! xo
Happy New Year Erin! Oh how I miss my attic space that we had in our other house! I love all of your storage tips! I wish that I had kept the boxes for our Balsam Hill trees now! It’s a pain storing them in the storage bags. I bought a few more Christmas pillows this year, so those storage bags will come in handy. Thanks again! Have a fabulous day! xo – Shari
Thank you so much sweet Shari! Happy New Year to you too! xo
I love your website and your happy, upbeat mood. Christmas is my favorite holiday, too. My house is much smaller than yours so I have to rent a storage locker to put everything away. Since everything has to be enclosed to protect against dust, I put tissue paper between layers of garland, floral picks, etc. It works really well to prevent crushing.. your home is just beautiful.
That’s such a smart idea Kathy! Love that. I’m going to remember the tissue paper tip for next year! Thank you so much for your kind words about my blog and house and mood. :) SO sweet of you. That means a lot to me! xo
I have a walk-in attic similar to yours but it is unfinished. Is your attic heated/cooled also? If not, how do things do with the heat of the summer?
Hi Linda! We don’t have heat or air conditioning in my attic but it isn’t an issue for us because in San Diego weather is so mild all year. It never really gets hot enough or cold enough to do any damage. I know that wouldn’t be the case in other cities!