Easy Outdoor Holiday Decor

While I love the look of a home adorned with classic Christmas lights, my husband and I have never attempted to bedazzle our own home with outdoor lights for three reasons:

  1. I honestly have no clue how to rig them up without looking ridiculous or setting the house on fire
  2. We’re lazy
  3. Our marriage wouldn’t survive this clueless endeavor 😉

However, as I mentioned in this post, I’m big on wreaths for the holidays, and I’m all about dressing up my front porch.  Consider Exhibit A…

These are the same planters that I use for my summer flowers, and can be easily transformed into great holiday decorations by shopping in your own backyard.  When I started, these planters still had the frost-bitten remnants of summer/fall flowers:

Sad, I know.

But with different types of evergreen branches from trees around my yard, glittery pine cone details and some silver spray painted branches, those sad planters transform into festive front porch features! 

These planters are as easy to put together as a flower arrangement.  You just arrange and design them in a way that is pleasing to your eye.   The deep green center cuttings work well to give height and fullness, where the lighter colored branches give a nice contrast.  The red glittered pine cones and curly-q’s add some nice pops of color, and the silver spray-painted branches give a little more height and interest.  Easy!

You can see a glimpse of my front door in the photo above – I told you I love wreaths.  I found these Smith & Hawkin cranberry wreaths at Target last year, and couldn’t resist.  With last year being our first Christmas in this house, I knew they would be perfect for the front doors. 

And the theme continues with the wreaths on the windows…

And we haven’t even gotten to the inside yet.

How do you decorate outdoors?  

Linking up to:
Dittle Dattle – Amaze Me Monday
Between Naps on the Porch – Metamorphosis Monday
Thrifty Decor Chick – Before and After Party
Savvy Southern Style – Wow Us Wednesday
At the Picket Fence – Doors & Porches

14 Comments

  • Reply
    ℳartina @ Northern Nesting
    December 2, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    Jenny your urns look GORGEOUS and I love the red wreaths on your front doors! Martina

  • Reply
    Comeca Jones
    December 2, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Veeeery nice can you hear me cheering!I love the cranberries.

  • Reply
    Lisa @ Shine Your Light
    December 2, 2011 at 4:46 pm

    Jenny I'm in love with your urns. Can you come do mine? Pretty please???? I cut down half my backyard to make a garland for the front door and somehow got poison ivy in the process. Who gets poison ivy in December? Only me:)
    Love the pops of red in your arrangements…they look like they were done by a professional!

  • Reply
    pam {simple details}
    December 2, 2011 at 9:04 pm

    The cranberry wreaths are perfect for your front doors! Your home is beautiful and the wreaths on the windows-my favorite style!

  • Reply
    Rachel @the house redeemed
    December 3, 2011 at 12:31 am

    I just love your entryway! I'm such a sucker for cranberries too!!

  • Reply
    Carly {xoxo teacherista}
    December 3, 2011 at 4:41 pm

    Stunning! Amazing transformation of your planter and love how you hung the wreaths on your front door!

  • Reply
    Stacy Curran
    December 4, 2011 at 11:40 pm

    You SO don't need lights….the house looks GORGEOUS!
    Stacy

  • Reply
    Kim @ Savvy Southern Style
    December 5, 2011 at 1:57 am

    Beautiful home and yard and love your Christmas decorations.

  • Reply
    A Vintage Vine
    December 5, 2011 at 4:18 am

    Jenny your out door decor is incredible! I still need to do some…I haven't even put out lights yet…I need to get on the ball, thanks for the inspiration!

  • Reply
    Breana
    December 5, 2011 at 5:50 am

    I haven't yet decorated my outdoors–ever, in the three years I've had my house. I put a wreath on the front door, and last year I added electric candles in the windows. I'm hoping to add lights and maybe window wreaths this year. Thanks for the highly inspirational pictures!

  • Reply
    LaurenFaythe
    December 5, 2011 at 3:42 pm

    Your house looks beautiful! I hope you post inside pics soon!

  • Reply
    At The Picket Fence
    December 7, 2011 at 9:30 pm

    This is sooooo beautiful Jenny! I felt so much better seeing the remnants of your summer flowers since I still have some looking like that on our deck. LOL! You made such gorgeous arrangements in those urns and I love the red pinecones…totally stealing that idea! 🙂 The berry wreaths on the doors are perfect too. Thank you so much for sharing this at the Doors and Porches Party!
    Vanessa

  • Reply
    Anonymous
    September 26, 2012 at 2:25 am

    What do you use in the bottom of your urns to hold the greenery in? Dirt or what? Looks great!

  • Reply
    jennyf
    November 15, 2014 at 5:20 am

    Wet sand ?
    Check out video "How to create a winter-safe planter" on the Canadian Gardening (magazine)site.

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