Ok, ok, so this is a little late, but better late than never. I went from feeling a couple of weeks ago like I didn’t want to decorate at all this year, to going full-out (full disclosure: my mom convinced me to do it. I’m glad she insisted)! Here’s how I decorated at the last minute, without it looking last-minute. If you haven’t seen what my place looks like the rest of the year, here’s a link to the Apartment Therapy tour from earlier this year.

FIlter: Hefe

The rest of the pics are after the jump!

Here’s a soundtrack while you browse, it’s my favorite Holiday music ever, and never fails to get me in the spirit:

No excuse for a tree this big in my small(ish) space. I swear, it looked a lot smaller in the lot! In any case, I’ve gone with my tried-and-true “Woodland Creature” theme, complete with feathers and featherballs, and a garland made of ribbon and dried vines (you can get both in any craft store). Though with a tree bigger than I expected to have, it might be time to shop for some reinforcements to fill it up.

However, what I really recommend for a tree is what I did last year: get a tree from Living Christmas, if you live in Southern California (I missed the boat this year). They send you a living tree, complete with care instructions and a friendly email on the days you’re supposed to water it. They’ll even let you “adopt” a specific tree to come back year after year, and you can see it get bigger over time! Coolest. Thing. Ever.

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This is as dressed-up as my sectional gets for the holidays, but…

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…this is more like it. Above is some driftwood I have hanging in the bathroom year-round. This time of year I use it as an “alternate tree”.

Filter: Amaro

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Speaking of alternative trees, I bought two birch branches at the Los Angeles Flower Market, hung them from the ceiling with some twine, and picked out a few ornaments to hang on each one. They turned out rustic but stunning, and the eyehooks I used were unobtrusive enough so that I’ll just leave them in the ceiling to do this next year.

Filter: X-Pro II

You can get pinecones (like the massive ones I tossed by my TV, and used as a backdrop for the infamous brass mice) at the LA Flower Market, too. If you don’t live in Los Angeles, most cities have botanical/floral wholesalers who will also sell to the public, you may just have to dig around a bit.

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These flexible, faux hollyberry branches were also purchased at a craft store, and they live in a different place every year. Last year, it was a bookshelf, and the year before they were on my bedroom dresser. This year, since I now work from home, they’re a nice reminder of the season right at my desk, and I accented them with ornaments.

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These felt snowflakes were originally attached together as a table runner, but I dig them much better cut apart and just tossed around.

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And I used felt mistletoe (also available at West Elm) as a finishing touch, in the doorway to the bedroom, natch.

As you can probably tell from the filters, I just joined Instagram, and I’ll be posting more decorating pics there regularly. Follow me @BLCKSMTH.