Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (with Nicki Koziarz)
Winners announced here! Congratulations!
*Give Away has Ended*
It’s Day 11 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!
If you’re just joining in, start at Day One here.
My guest is my friend and Proverbs 31 ministry partner Nicki Koziarz. She is an author, speaker, and fixer-upper farm dweller. She is giving us a clever holiday and winter-time decorating idea I think you are going to love. Here’s Nicki…
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Pinterest. The breeding ground of all Christmas comparisons.
From tree decorations, to the perfect wrapping ideas for gift, it’s easy to look at all this perfection on Pinterest and suddenly feel like we don’t measure up in some kind of Christmas way.
But, I want to show you that just because you can’t make a Pinterest picture transfer to real life, you can still create something beautiful.
You can let the Pinterest’s success of others encourage, not discourage you.
Recently, I was searching on Pinterest for ways to decorate my table for Christmas. This was my inspiration picture (from Tuesday Morning).
I knew I could either look at this picture and become discouraged or I could give this my best shot and see what I COULD do. Here’s three things that helped:
1. Get honest about what you do have.
Comparison loves to convince us to see everything we don’t have. And we begin to write that “if only …” dialogue in our minds. So, I looked at that inspiration picture and realized I had almost NOTHING in it. But, I took a look around my house and realized I didn’t have everything that inspiration picture had, but I had plenty of beautiful things that still fit the vibe the inspiration picture had. So I grabbed this and I grabbed that, and before I knew it, my table was full.
2. See things as enough.
Comparison loves to make us miss what’s right in front of us.
I knew those plain white candles didn’t look as lovely as the ones in the inspirational picture, but I thought about what I could do instead of what I couldn’t. And then it came to me. I went out to my yard, cut a few rosemary stems and tied them around the candle. The simplicity was beautiful to me and I saw it as more than enough. Sometimes we just need to look right in front of us, beauty is there.
3. Perfection is overrated.
Comparison also loves to convince us that if it can’t be perfect, why even try?
Well, if you look closely you’ll see that in the inspirational picture the table runner has no wrinkles. In mine? Well, there’s a few! (smile) And I’m okay with it. Because someone once said, “Finished is better than perfect.” I agree. And hey, I’m sure my guests this Christmas won’t even notice the wrinkles.
What ideas do you have for decorating for the holidays? What are some simple items you put out to make your place festive? Let us know in the comment thread.
Happy decorating,
Nicki
Day 11 Giveaway
To help you keep you filled up with confidence this Christmas season and not let comparison compromise you, Nicki is giving away a copy of her newest book, Why Her?, her Rachel & Leah Bible study book, and a special signed copy of The Fixer Upper Farm Co. Journal! A combined $50 value.
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Nicki Koziarz is a wife, mom, two-time best selling author and speaker. She and her husband own a farm they affectionately call, “The Fixer Upper Farm”. They are first generation farmers, which is just a fancy way of saying they have no idea what they are really doing. Nicki has been featured on Life Today and contributes to the First 5 writing team at Proverbs 31 Ministries.
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I love decorating! This gives me some great ideas
I was not gifted with the art of decorating, but I’m ok with that. And I can totally appreciate a decorated space. I LOVE what you did with your table.
Your table is lovely! Each year the decorations get simpler and simpler, my parents’ nativity, our small tree, some other little things. I’d rather spend my time with homemade gifts. There’s enough to do without making oneself loony!
Your table looks lovely, Nicki! I have some Christmas village pieces that I put on the closed Piano with some fluffy, fake snow around it. We also have a small tree on the piano that we have there all year long and we change up the decorations to fit the holiday or season. It is decked out for Christmas now. It’s amazing how little things can add up!
Your table is pretty! I dont do too much for decorating but I do enjoy having the tree up and putting out the Chriatmas collage that we have.
Your table is beautiful! I spend much time comparing myself to others and all that they have. While decorating my home, I use a simple dough bowl from my grandmother…I put a candle in the middle and surround it with pinecones and boxwood sprigs….simple and not fancy. May you be blessed to be a blessing!
Would love to have Nicki come decorate my house!!! I love live poinsettias – red, of course – candles and bright ornaments in glass jars.
Natavity sets are always my favorite for the Christmas season
I do a simple table runner with a Christmas candle on my dining room table. Nothing too fancy.
gather some pine cones, spray paint them gold or silver o both, and put them in a simple bowl–makes a nice centerpiece. Add a flameless candle to punch it up a little
I love nativity sets. I put our one I made in our MOPS group almost 32 years ago. Now my grandchildren can enjoy it!
I have a small Christmas village collection and I love to decorate with my Willow Tree nativity.
I love your table, I love the rustic look an feel of the pine cones
I love lights. Candles on my fire place with greenry, My table is done in snowmen. I have the manger scene on a table of its own. Christmas tree lights in white.
I LOVE your table! The Pinterest one was way too tall anyway…you’d have to be 7 feet tall so see over the trees in the middle to talk to anyone on the other side. I have wanted to read Why Her for a while, but just haven’t had the budget….maybe I can win a copy and not have to wait for a Kindle sale.
I used to have Pooh Bear stuffed animals dressed up as Santas from around the world. I put those around the house to be festive.
I love to take colored round ornaments and put them in bell jars, wire baskets, bread bowls, hurricanes, and inside domed covered pedestals. It brings color & festive cheer to each room.
I have a Nativity statue that was my mom’s and a small tree with balsam fir changing lights. I love both and they are enough.
I use my mom’s mice collection as part of my decorations.
Please. Pick me. I want this giveaway. ??
We do compare a lot more than we say I’m thankful and with age I realized my differences tell a story I can share with others. It’s a lesson I want to teach my son early so he doesn’t expect perfection. I always that’s a great idea or that is a different way of looking at that maybe we should try that way. This holiday I will just put my special touch on things and take ideas from other houses I visit.
So I struggle with decorating with all of my “old” things! But in the bathroom I have some cute shelves so I placed silver and red balls on the shelves some large striped balls on the counter along with some tea light holders and tea lights! Some silver stick like garland pieces! It looks pretty good! I used a mis match i
Of things I had! Thanks for your tips! Merry Christmas
I love looking at Pinterest and getting ideas for decorating and gifts. I made a snowman on my front door last year! It wasn’t perfect like the picture, but it was still a lot of fun and my neighbors really enjoyed it!
We decorate mostly with snowmen and nativity scenes and they are in every room! :)
I keep it simple with a small tree, a few snowman decorations and a couple battery operated candles.