When I began decorating for Christmas at our house my intent was to be a normal person – you know, the tree, the fireplace a dining tablescape, maybe the entrance, etc. But as I said in the video I REALLY wanted the living room to stay more neutral and yet the kids love color (as kids do), and there was so much Target product from The Wondershop that the kids loved (you have to take them, it’s VERY FUN). So I thought, perhaps I’d bring that color and those other styles into their rooms in a few little touches. Maybe a mini-tree, a garland, a Santa pillow. Done!
But then I remembered that I’m not a normal person. My job isn’t a normal job and my level of execution exceeds normalcy because I know that hundreds of thousands of people will see the results. Besides you guys have seen both kids rooms a ton so in order to really show new content and new product I would need to really go for it. So I did and we all LOVE IT. I mean, of course they do. Going to bed and waking up to the magic of Christmas for 7 weeks is EXTREMELY FUN.
So I hope you guys enjoy these rooms, get some ideas from them and not think that I’m a crazy person promoting the Pinterest perfect life. I remember a couple years ago after I really went all out at our first house with three white trees, and one of my best friends – a mom of two, text me after seeing the post and said ‘Really Emily… THREE TREES? GREAT, now do I have to do three trees?’ She was kidding and wasn’t meaning to make me feel bad, but I also want to be sensitive to that and be clear that by me decorating our kids rooms it’s to show alternative styles, colors and ideas, not to start this trend that kids NEED to have this. I will say that if you buy a small artificial pre-lit tree that you can use every year and have them DIY some ornaments mixed with inexpensive shatterproof balls, it doesn’t have to cost a lot or take a lot of time. So I hope you get some ideas, but feel no pressure. Disclaimer OVER. 🙂
Birdie is barely 2 and while she has a lot of opinions, she is still the age where we can dress her up as Hulk Hogan for halloween, and say put a lot of blush and metallics in her room. Sure, she helped me decorate but let’s be clear that this room is kinda my fantasy room.
The room is small and it has a lot of whites and pinks so while I wanted it to go festive, I didn’t want a ton of contrast to make it busy.
I found that tall champagne metallic tree and loved it, and added the two smaller (white tree and tinsel tree) to create a mini-grove to fill out that corner. Whites, golds, blushes and silvers with pops of brighter pinks really set the tone and created a pretty magical vibe in what is already my favorite room in the house (maybe).
The ornaments are a combination of shatterproof balls, soft plush toy-like animals and whimsical shapes from The Wondershop. They are all around $3 and there are a TON to choose from. Yes, I do have problems with them staying on the tree as they like to play with them, but who cares.
To fill out the photos we wrapped a ton of presents in Target paper, going more glam-my and feminine.
Those tags are SO CUTE, and my only regret is not having some of these presents be real so that I don’t actually have to do the Christmas Eve wrapping scramble.
On the other side of the room we added another little vignette with the tinsel tree, bottle brush pink trees and put a cute message on the message board that lasted for exactly 10 minutes.
I think we styled the kids’ rooms 6-8 times over that week because anytime they had a chance to come in after it was styled but before we got photos or video, they would dismantle it. Their excitement was an 18 on the 1-10 scale so I just had to let them go for it and know that this shoot would be more of a scramble than usual. Thank goodness Target isn’t on set and Brian shoots our family/home videos alone so it was easy to maneuver and less disruption for them.
Over above her bed I added a cute mirrored garland and brought back the PillowFort swan head. And for those of you asking, it is pretty light so it doesn’t create any sort of danger having it above her crib if she were to take it down.
Now that I look at it, we really didn’t do too much in her room. And now I know exactly what we’ll do next year. Sure we’ll let her pick out a few more ornaments, but my plan is not to do something totally different (that’s what the fixer upper is for).
Look at me, all proud of my fantasy child Christmas room. I do really love it. If you are interested in where we got the furniture or year-round decor, head here. All the holiday pieces are from Target’s Wondershop.
1. 6′ Prelit Rose Gold Christmas Tree | 2. 2′ White Tinsel Tree | 3. 36″ Silver Tinsel Tree | 4. Rose Gold Tree Topper (in store only) | 5. ‘Merry Christmas’ Garland | 6. Fable Animal Ornament (in store only) | 7. ‘Happy Holidays’ Gift Tag | 8. Mini Faux Fur Tree Skirt | 9. Doe Throw Pillow | 10. Fashion Blush Christmas Ornament Set | 11. Gold Gem Ornaments (in store only) | 12. Silver/Gold Bakers Twine | 13. Pink Tree Ornament (in store only) | 14. Pink Unicorn Ornament (in store only) | 15. Feather Bird Clip Ornaments | 16. Velvet Mushroom Ornament (in store only) | 17. Gold/Silver Reindeer Figurine (in store only) | 18. Gold Trim Ribbon | 19. Gold/White Stripe Gift Wrap | 20. Gold Tree Gift Wrap | 21. Gold Dot Gift Wrap | 22. DIY Light Box | 23. Cabin Snowglobe | 24. White Unicorn Ornament (in store only) | 25. Velvet Jungle Lion Ornament (in store only) | 26. Mini Assorted Ornaments | 27. Red Bottle Brush Tree (similar) | 28. 24″ Silver Tinsel Tree | 29. Ivory Bottle Brush Tree (similar) | 30. Silver Gem Ornaments (in store only) | 31. Pink Gem Ornaments (in store only)
Beautiful! My daughter is also 2, and I have put a small pink tree in her room for two years now. So, I absolutely think this is normal! It’s so fun for kids, and really makes the season sparkle. I love what you did in Birdie’s room and just got a ton of inspiration!
So cute, so whimsical, so Emily. I know how you feel about the pink/dollhouse/tool bench/being progressive parents paranoia. But you’re doing such a wonderful job! Just having you and Brian as parents gives your children such a head start on being wonderful people!
I love your Christmas decor so far. It’s definitely inspirational but I will not lose any sleep over having to reach that level in my own home so don’t you worry about that! Target knew what they were doing when they got you!
Your living room left me speechless and birdies room is over the top gorgeous and I’m speechless again. It’s like a picture perfect soft colored vintage christmas wonderland that overwhelms me with nostalgia for all things of beautiful Christmases past. You nailed it! Playing with ornaments was my FAVORITE thing to do every year after we decorated.
Also, I heard a story once (I can’t remember if it was a real friend, a parenting book I read or an “article” I saw online) but I know it was true…anyway, the little girl had toy cars to play with. And she flipped them over, tires up, and tucked them into bed with blankets. (I’m sharing simply bc it’s a cute story…tickled my funny bone. I’m not looking to engage in any type of back and forth about parenting choices/gender roles/etc!)
I actually deleted that portion of the blog (I hadn’t meant to publish this post yet) because I’ve been thinking about it so much more and I want to write a whole post about it. I’m so wordy and I love nothing more than thinking about decor + feminism (my two favorite subjects) so stay tuned for a whole post 🙂
I bought the colorful Your Message Here and picked up a very similar reindeer from Home Goods. Now, I know how to style them together for my dining room sideboard. TY! The sideboard can be seen from the foyer and everyone gets a kick out of it when they visit.
On your PS: I’d love to see an example of incorporating touches of pink in a “boy” room without looking forced–maybe an opportunity to style Charlie’s room with some blush? : )
I struggle with the same thing because I love blush pink so I used it in my daughter’s room but have the same aversion to gendered color/toys/anything, especially for children!
YES. Lets do that. I deleted that portion of the conversation but stay tuned for a whole post. xx
My strong-willed teenage daughter lobbied for a Christmas tree in her room. When I found one for $40, I thought ‘why not?’ It’s so cute all lit up for the holidays. I’ll have it put up for her when she gets home from college this year at Christmas time. It’s the little things!
Just curious why one would think it’s wrong for pink to be feminine and blue masculine?
It’s not necessarily wrong 🙂 and i’m going to write a whole post about it, but if we send these messages about color and gender then we might be sending them about other things when it comes to gender as well – interests, careers, ideas, hobbies … Placing a gender on anything as parents is what i’m thinking about … Stay tuned for a fully fleshed out post… xx
Great answer, Emily. I agree. Also, then boys avoid pink because “female” is devalued in our society. Girls can load up on all the blue they want. Some folks freak when a boy chooses pink.
Other than the fact that it is assigned totally randomly (pink historically was the colour for boys) and perpetuated by stores as part of gender-based marketing to generate more money, I think it is just really weird to give colours a sexual trait.
This video is really good at explaining it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JDmb_f3E2c
I personally do not understand the need to assign feminine and masculine traits to rooms. I mean, I really do not comprehend it, maybe someone could explain that one to me.
I think the reaction is to the limiting idea of one color being for one gender. Also, I have seen a disturbing cycle as an elementary art teacher, the littles come in loving all colors, soon they strongly identify by gender with one color or another (always pink and purple for girls, always) by 2nd or 3rd grade some little girls are rejecting pink as “too girly” because they have already absorbed the idea that things identified with girls are negative. Our cultural hierarchies are so strong they seem to be absorbed by all children – never a bad idea to tell all our children that they can express themselves in multiple ways and will be loved regardless.
This is pretty and all but WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE JEANS?
they are my FAVORITE MOTHER jeans. I linked them up in this post: http://rstyle.me/n/cssxv3sdhw
This is so beautiful! I think I might get a tinsel tree for my daughters’ room – they would love it. I also appreciate your disclaimer. I know we all “know” these things, but it’s really helpful to have them said sometimes (like Orlando has been doing in his insta-stories. It helps perfectionists like me get a handle on what is real and what is make-believe or over the top for the sake of a story, and then I can go enjoy my life more).
Oh good 🙂 I know I get in trouble for apologizing too much so i’m trying to find that balance. Your comment makes me feel like its a good idea to not pretend this is normal or expected for everyone. 🙂
Just to say I too thought it was lovely and thoughtful to point that out and I’m really looking forward to your desing and feminism post!!! thanks you for being wonderful 🙂
Do not feel guilty at all for going all out decorating your kids rooms for the holidays! One of my favorite Christmas traditions as a kid was “helping” my mom decorate my room. She had a little table top tree she would put on my dresser, desk or nightstand and lots of cute little ornaments and tinsel. I too would spend hours playing with ornaments. It’s such a magical time of year for kids and I’m sure Birdie will remember her own Christmas tree bedroom forest fondly! I love how you made pink work for a season that mostly embraces green and red and I wish that I could convince my boyfriend that we need a champagne colored Christmas tree in our house….
So curious….How do you hang the garland on the wallpaper safely???
command strips! they haven’t ripped it off before so hopefully they don’t now ..
Wow, you get Mom of the Year award for sure, and Brian Dad of the Year for going along with all this! What a wonderful privilege for your children to grow up surrounded by so much beauty and zest for life. And I love that you allow them to dismantle the trees and play with the ornaments and really experience all the fun on a kid level. Lots of fun and inspiring content!
One of my favorite memories as a kid was helping decorate the tree. Sometimes it looked crazy since my favorite item was the tinsel “icicles” that got lopped on everything. I look back at pictures and think now how ugly it looked but as a kid it was magical. I am glad my parents gave me that fond memory.
Hi Em, I love the way you’ve decorated Birdie’s room for the holidays. Is the actual artwork (not something similar) above the bookcase available for purchase? It really speaks to me and I’d love to have that same print.
Hmm, I took a closer look. I’m guessing it’s an original and not a print. If so, can you share the artist?
It’s by Brenna Giessen! https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrennaGiessen
YAYI I had totally forgotten and didn’t know where to find credit .THANK YOU. xx
Thanks so much, Brynn. I’ll check it out.
I loved your disclaimer lol!! I’m not normal either. I deck our house out including a full sized tree in our room and small trees and some other simple decor in the kids rooms. It’s just FUN!! I love Birdie’s room!
We always had our own Christmas decorations in our room growing up! I have two toddlers and could not wait to get them their own tree this year. They love having something of their own and they can take the ornaments off and move them around as much as their hearts desire.
Oh my goodness! I love it so much I can’t stand it. I’ve got a boy Birdie’s age and his room is about to get sooo festive. Screw gender norms right? Kid’s getting a pink tree.
Thats right 🙂
How do you keep her from knocking the tree over while playing with it (them)? Bolt them to the floor? Now I want Birdie’s room (just put in a bigger bed for me).
Where is the pink lamp from? I scoured previous posts on the room and didn’t see it sourced!
Thank you!!!
Pretty sure it’s this one: https://www.target.com/p/montreal-tall-table-lamp-base-includes-cfl-bulb-project-62-153/-/A-52942480#lnk=sametab&preselect=52416115
thank you! I was wondering, too.
This is so stinking cute and inspiring!!! I’m feeling super festive this year as my daughter is nearly 3 so it’s the first Christmas that she’s into (and she’s a Christmas Eve baby so she thinks all the Christmas trees are for her birthday =P). I am looking forward to your design + feminism post too. We didn’t know the gender of our daughter until she was born so her nursery was super gender neutral. But now that she’s a toddler I really want to redecorate her room, but I’m struggling with the direction. I’m dying to go the blush route but don’t want to put her in that box….anyway, I look forward to hearing your take on it! Thank you for all of the inspiration!
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OMG!! Precious. Precious. Precious!!!!!!!! Loooove your style soooo !!!!!
I love this! And I love your early disclaimer that it’s not all a Pinterest life. I think any extra cheer is so delightful especially given how crazy this year has been. So the more trees, the better. Or even just lights!
Aaaaw this is so wonderful 🙂 and if it helps: I always had a small fake tree in my room when I was little and I looooved it!!! My mom always decorated our ‘proper’ tree and then the living room would be closed off so it’d be a surprise on Christmas eve (I’m German, we’re weird and can’t wait until Christmas morning….) and I loved, loved, loved when we got my tiny tree from the attic and I got to decorate it all by myself and then turn on the twinkle lights at night and be excited for Christmas. I thinkg its a lovely idea to give children some freedom to decorate in whatever way they like and as a real tangible reminder that Christmas is coming soon 🙂
I LOVE your silver shoes!!! Source pretty please.
Is there any chance that Target would take you overseas to the factories manufacturing these items? I would love to know more about how they ensure a quality of life, reasonable hours and fare wages for the people making $3 ornaments. Please share this type of behinds the scenes content with us. I strive to be a responsible consumer, if such a thing can exist, and I’d love for you and Target to take things to this next level.
I love that idea. We’ve actually talked about it. I will say this – Target gives A LOT back to communities and is great for our economy. They recently gave 1 billion to public education. I know they do a lot more, but I was pretty impressed with that. We should celebrate the great in all companies and the big guys often do great things, too. xx
YES TO THIS. I have posted a couple comments which seem to have been deleted, and that is very frustrating. I’m not saying anything negative. I love you and I love design, and I love the community here. But I am deeply frustrated with the state of our world, and I believe that capitalism and this mindless consumption are a big part of the problem. I don’t have the solutions, but I would love to open the forum up to that conversation. These are the questions that I believe we all need to sit with and consider very deeply: 1. Regarding equality and fair labor: Who makes this stuff, and what is their quality of life like? How do you know? Are you sure? Are you ok with that? How do my actions contribute to and exacerbate the problems of inequality in the world? What actions can I take to create change? 2. Regarding sustainability: What happens to this stuff when I’m done with it. Is it recyclable? How long does it take to biodegrade? Do I really need this? Are there more sustainable options I can look to before I buy something new? How can I decorate my home… Read more »
YES TO THIS! I posted a comment on Instagram that got deleted, perhaps because it was controversial. But this is exactly what my frustration over these types of posts stem from. I am an interior designer myself, and I love to create beautiful spaces and have fun and enjoy life. BUT. I’ve been really disheartened and disillusioned by the industry since I realized the people who are making serious money are in the business of selling a lot of STUFF. And the problem is the massive inequality between the people who make the stuff, and the people who enjoy the stuff. AND on top of that there is the sustainability issue. The bottom line is that most of this stuff will end up in landfill within a generation. And we can’t keep promoting this mindless consumption. I didn’t come here to be a hater or bring negativity. It’s something that’s breaking my own heart. How do we stop sleepwalking? THIS is part of the problem. How do we fix it? I don’t mean to pick on Emily or the team or Target. Y’all are at the top of the game and I have admired you and modeled my career after… Read more »
This is the most darling post ever on your blog. Sweet!
I really love that the photo of you is immediately followed by the photo of Birdie in the same chair. It’s like your Christmas jou turned you back into a child.
*joy
I love it! I’m usually not a fan of tall, skinny Christmas trees (#realchristmastreeshavecurves) but when clustered together they look really cute.
Love these selections!! So helpful .I love your style! So fun to see your take on high end design?
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Emily,
This is a dream! I love this!! As always, your posts are so funny, well executed and very inspiring. Target is so lucky to have you working for them because you make their stuff look so amazing and high end. I love it!
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