written By Megin Potter | Photos by Susan Blackburn Photography
[From the 2025 Holiday Magazine]
To dress up your space without spending days
(or a fortune) doing it,
skip the razzle-dazzle.
Shoot for sweet and subtle.
Practical and organized, Colleen Pausley’s structured style is timeless and enduring. Ten years ago, she started sharing her home design journey through her blog, Life on Kaydeross Creek. It’s been an adventure. In the decade since, she has made friends, grown creatively, discovered new tricks to teach others, and, along the way, watched as her own personal style evolved.
Pick Your Pleasure
Before you dive into holiday decorating, inventory what you already have on hand. Then, choose a jumping off point, like the colors in a plaid blanket or a pretty wrapping paper, said Colleen. By selecting and sticking to a singular color or theme, your home will have a cohesive look. Older pieces can be painted to match, and if you have a jumble of different colors and styles of décor you love, plan on displaying them grouped together in separate spaces.
Vignettes can create a moment within your space that tells a story, said Colleen. In the kitchen, add a collection of wooden cutting boards decorated with a pretty ribbon adding warmth and charm, while in the living room and entryway, leatherbound books create height and interest.
By arranging family photos with holiday images in a cluster of mismatched frames, Colleen’s wall art does double duty in December.
Invite in the Magic
To instantly infuse your home with cozy warmth, add holiday pillows and throw blankets, said Colleen. Flannel and plaids are traditional patterns that evoke a classic Christmas feeling.
Faux greenery sprigs peek out from trays, wooden crates, bowls, pitchers, and just about anything else you can imagine. Unadorned tabletop and bristle brush trees round out the look.
By shopping after-season sales, Colleen finds different styles and shapes of greenery and combines them to create a more realistic look. The key to pulling it off, however, is bending and shaping it to fit well into the vessel you’re placing it in, said Colleen.
Witness the Wonder
Pops of red, the quintessential Christmas color, look festive against a neutral background. Adding gold picture frames, brass bells, copper pots and candlesticks, gives the rustic farmhouse a gilded age glow-up.
For a bit more charm, tie a pretty ribbon onto an antique piece. “Antiques add that history and magic,” said Colleen. “Mixing old and new brings in that soul and history.”
And, at the center of it all? A showstopping Christmas tree that nearly stretches to the second story ceiling, bringing the magic to life! Decorated with sentimental ornaments from family vacations, and the one her husband, Kevin, made when he was a child, as well as white lights, which add a little more Christmas magic.
Wrap it Up
After the last cookie has been eaten, the last package unwrapped, and the holiday hubbub has died down, organization is the name of the game.
Hang tablecloths and wreaths instead of storing them flat so they hold their shape without getting crushed, recommends Colleen. Cut a slit in an old toilet paper tube and you can use it to keep wrapping paper neatly on the roll. Another useful tip - tape a plastic sleeve to your storage bins, and you can easily swap out the labels tucked inside as your collection of holiday decor evolves.
For tips and tricks, DIY holiday projects, and much more, check out Colleen’s Be-You-tiful Interiors eBook. This winter, she will be writing her second eBook, packed with inspiring ideas on how to add that holiday charm to your own home. For more information, follow Life on Kaydeross Creek on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and at mylifeonkayderosscreek.com