a fresh start for 2011

The holiday season was a beautiful one around our apartment, but all good things must come to an end, and today was the end for our christmas decorations. Everything came down and is now packed away in the closet. I loved that this was our second christmas in this apartment, and that I could go back to the same place I put things away last year, but putting things away this time was exciting too. This time next year I'll be working and we'll be in a new place somewhere. So it was fun to put away all of our little ornaments and say "see you when I'm an SLP, snowman/bulb/santa/candy cane/tree!"

 

While I love holiday decorations, I also love the clean, fresh start you feel when they come down. Our living and dining room look so clutter free now, which is a nice way to start the year.


I also love how this time of year is kind of open in terms of decorating. There is no set theme, idea, etc. to guide me; nothing but my own imagination! In keeping with the clean, fresh start, I wanted to keep whatever I put in place of christmas decorations crisp, natural, and airy. Enter, box of clementines that I've been munching on recently.

I brought back out the cream and straw colored placemats to keep it airy and light, replaced the silver ornaments with bright orange clementines, and arranged a pine branch behind the bowl to remind us that it's still winter! (which we might need reminding of with the unseasonably warm weather we've had to far this year....)

A fresh (and delicious) start to the new year, for sure.