You’ve finally taken down all the Christmas decorations, and the house looks SO bare. You’re really missing that festive feel. It’s just too soon for Valentine’s Day decorations. What do you do?
One of my favorite winter decor themes is Snow. It will also work wonderfully in conjunction with Christmas decor, but the best part is that it can stay up through January. This theme can include all the happy things related to snow… snowmen, sleds, warm mittens and scarves, no school, snowflakes, hot chocolate, evergreens and more. I prefer to keep it colorful with a touch of cuteness, but I’ve found that natural & neutral elements create a beautiful winter feel.
Fresh flowers from my husband. Our grocery store has inexpensive bouquets for around $5. I like to use red in my winter decor for its warmth and vibrancy.
As I’m writing this blog post, snow is coming down, big beautiful wet flakes! Schools are closed everywhere. It’s a SNOW DAY!
Isn’t this beautiful?!!! I still get excited when it snows.
I tend to go big, no holding back. Decorating is no exception. Keeping it simple is sooo difficult for me. I don’t just decorate the inside of my home; the outside gets a bit of decor as well. It just helps to create a welcoming invitation.
The vintage sled is from my childhood. It was passed down to my 4 kids. One day it will be used by grandchildren. Many fun memories were made on that sled!This is an estate sale find. Thrift stores usually wait till the Christmas season to bring out things like this, but estate sales will sell decor for every holiday all at once. Everything is usually 75% off on the last day of an estate sale. This cute sign replaces an outdoor Christmas wreath.Childhood bears that were loved dearly by my now grown children! They get the special job of greeting visitors every winter. Their faded fur is a hint to just how many years they’ve been doing this. Isn’t the child sized shovel adorable?!I like to decorate my potting bench in the winter. This thrifted wreath was bought a few years ago at our local ReStore. I scored it after Christmas on clearance…. bargain!
From after Thanksgiving through January, the theme for our kitchen is always the same each year…. SNOW DAY! It evokes wonderful memories of cancelled school days, playing in the snow, and treats of hot cocoa and warm homemade cookies. This theme is a family tradition.
This vintage Ethan Allen hutch is where I begin decorating for Christmas. Many of the items are vintage, as well as gifted, or thrifted. Lots of baking goodies for warm cookies after playing in the snow! I have always liked decorating with the color combination of red and blue…. probably because our first home was a little blue cottage with red shutters, porch swing, and door. Many snow themed decorations are in these very colors. A garland made of snow cuties and candy! This was a dollar store find. I had to buy that thrift store wooden spoon! My sons won the snowman cookie jar and bowls at a white elephant Christmas party. They gave them to me for Christmas to add to my snowmen collection. The tin baking equipment belonged to my mom. Our kitchen coffee bar is all dressed up for the winter months. This old Hoosier cabinet was a dream find and looks even better with the retro espresso machine.In years past, we used an old blue farm table for our coffee bar. Notice the snowmen fabric used as a skirt on the table. The hanging vintage sled is a winter favorite for our kitchen. A hot cocoa station is a must for snow days! Ours is kept in the corner of our kitchen… cocoa in a vintage lunchbox and marshmallows in an old Carnation cocoa tin.
My daughter was disappointed when I took down Christmas in the dining room this year. It was sooo colorful and festive. She inspired me to step up my game and continue the SNOW DAY theme into the dining room.
The charcuterie sled is the perfect centerpiece for our dining table. This room definitely needs color because it has no windows to the outside world. Colors brighten the space. It was a challenge to achieve something special for January. It looked sooo pretty for Christmas! (Check out our country Christmas cottage in the previous blog post to see what I mean.)I have a small collection of vintage sleds. When I find one for $10, I buy it. Such a bargain! This one looks adorable with the vintage tablecloth repurposed as snow. I made the snowman using an old T-shirt and flannel scraps. I enjoy sewing, but this cutie was put together using hot glue. Easy peasy!Garlands are so festive! I make many of my own and especially like hanging them on our antique cabinets, including this one. The whimsical snowman garland was made from fabric scraps. The lace, ribbon, and ric rac were bought at an estate sale for cheap. There were tons in an overflowing box, a crafter’s dream box!After Christmas, I changed the flowers in the hanging basket by adding more white poinsettias and also adding red roses to the bouquet. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, roses seemed ideal. A couple years ago I bought at ReStore a big plastic tote filled with all kinds of fabrics and quilting squares for just $10. There were 4 snowmen fabrics that have come in handy for decorating. I like the red, blue, green and yellow colors on them. Just my style!When my kids were little, they began giving me snowmen for gifts…. because I really really like snow! That was the birth of my ever growing family of snow cuties. I used a $1 roll of wallpaper from ReStore to line the back of the shelves. I just used tape to temporarily keep it up. I often use dollar store wrapping paper on these shelves. This is a fun cabinet to decorate!Every year my mom-in-love crochets ornaments for the family. One year it was snowflakes, no two alike. So pretty! The paper snowman ornaments were made by tracing around a large cookie cutter. It’s the same snowman pattern as the garland.I found snowflake lights for under $5 on Amazon…. my one big splurge for the dining room! Twinkling lights take it to the next level of coziness. The snowman wreath made of two grapevines was an estate sale find a couple of years ago; I bought it out of season for next to nothing and stored it till winter. It’s kind of fun decorating with items stored away for months before using. For decades I have given my kids dollar store mugs at Christmas time. I carefully select the mugs to fit their personalities. It’s a tradition, and yes, we have LOTS of mugs in our cabinets. Bonus… When the kids were growing up, I always knew who left their mug out!The vintage Carnation cocoa tin is a gem. It’s perfect for dog proofing marshmallows in our hot cocoa bar. So cute AND yummy! Dollar Tree sells peppermint and chocolate stirring spoons at Christmas. They’re always a popular cocoa bar feature. I found the wooden HOT COCOA sign at Hobby Lobby. Of course, I bought it on clearance!!!This is a past year’s cocoa station. Notice the cute snowman wreath. It has traveled throughout our house. One never knows where it will hang next year!
When it comes to decorating, I am a maximalist, unashamedly. My husband and I both enjoy collecting vintage items, hence, the maximalism. One of the ways I have learned to display vintage treasures is through vignettes, where collections or items from a shared theme are styled. Snow is a beautiful theme for vignettes.
Blue ties these snow cuties together for a sweet vignette. This is a sentimental vignette. The skates belonged to my mama. As a young girl, she once skated in them around our patio after a heavy ice storm. I was in awe. The sled was a gift from my husband’s 90 year old Uncle Bill, an estate sale find. He hooked us onto estate sales. The painting was from a dear friend who taught me so much about unconditional love. A mantel is a wonderful place for styling vignettes. This display from several years ago was inspired by the beautiful chalkboard quote. I intentionally used green, white and a hint of blue for this winter vignette. These colors seemed to fit the quote.A grouping of 3 items creates interest to the eye. I tend to choose sentimental things… things that have meaning and tell a story.The snowy birdhouse was a gift from my niece many years ago. Displaying gifts causes me to think of the givers and to pray for them.
One of my favorite places to decorate is the greenhouse, where our plants are tucked away for the winter. Usually, I’m the only one who sees it, but that’s OK. I do it because it brings me joy. When I go outside, where it’s cold and barren, I smile as I approach my greenhouse door. It has that comfy cottage vibe which always feels like home.
The snow covered wreath on the greenhouse door is adorned with rusty old gardening tools. The red metal chairs were a friend’s curbside find; given to me and painted bright red. I still make snow cuties… never too old for snow much fun! She’s ready to help water plants in the greenhouse.My parents bought this Sears & Roebuck snowsuit (that I’m wearing) for my older brother about 50 years ago. It was then handed down to me to wear while delivering newspapers in the winter. It’s definitely vintage… and definitely tighter, but still just as warm for a cold snowy day!
I hope you have been inspired with all kinds of ideas for decorating in the winter. Creativity and resourcefulness make it possible to decorate, especially after Christmas, without having to spend a dime. To shop your home, using what you already have, will create a cozy and meaningful winter decor. That’s the type of home where others are comfortable and blessed.
❄️Let it Snow!❄️ ….because inside it’s comfy and warm!
Comfy Lane Cottage 
I love how you brought the sleds inside and hung th
LikeLike