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In Betweenie Time

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that in betweenie time…the one smack dab behind christmas and before spring…that weirdo spaz of a couple months where everything is sortof in limbo…

that one…

it’s our subject today.

 

I was recently asked what I do with that time…do I redecorate?  Is putting spring stuff out jumping the gun?  What if it’s snowing outside, do I still let snow-themed items stay in the house even though St. Nick is packed up in the storage bins?  What is a avid redecorator to do?

Well…I can’t tell ya ‘the rules’ about redecorating during the inbetweenie time…but I can tell ya what I do.  Take for instance this area at the second floor landing…

It was like that for Christmas – ornamental, isn’t it?

Not really good for post-holidays.  So I took down all the Christmas stuff and was left with this blank slate again.

Then I worked back the normal stuff and added a little color here and there for a more springy-but-not-overboard look:

Don’t even look at my floors.  I am heaping shame on my head as we speak.

So the homemade sunburst mirror was really the anchor for the entire look.  I love the gold color with green so the green glass vase, the green books and the cylindrical vase with artichokes was a natural and easy choice to bring back in.

Then came the crucial decision – what to put in the vase.  I love faux flowers during the inbetweenie time – they are the only thing in bloom – so I grabbed a spray at Michaels for under $2 and stuck it in.  The orangey red color looks so rich with the mirror.

And to play off the gold literally bursting off the wall, I snagged a little brass elephant at Goodwill for $1.21.  I’m sortof obsessed with elephants right now.  You already knew that though 🙂

In the end – I think it’s just enough color to make it feel not-so-holiday-ish but makes me look forward to spring.

What do you do to decorate for the in-betweenie-time?  Color?  Monochromaticness?  Do you go clean slate and minimalist?  Or are you one of those that decorates for every.single.holiday so you literally go from Christmas to New Years to MLK day to Squirrel Appreciation Day to National Cornchip day, etc.?

And yes – those are very legitimate holidays.  I looked them up 🙂

psst – In the market for a brass elephant?  Here’s some etsy options – elephant 1, elephant 2, elephant 3, elephant 4

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  1. I love the little brass elephant! In between everything I go for a bit more of a clean look. Not as many decorations up for a few months. Although on our console table I used spring colors/decor because I needed a little cheery place! 🙂

  3. Cute elephant! After de-holidaying our apartment, it’s been hard trying to figure out how to accessorize the rooms. Thankfully, we’ve been busy making over the living room so I haven’t had the time to worry about accessorizing.

  4. Great bargain on the elephant!

    I usually put my Christmas decorations up right after Thanksgiving and keep them up till the middle of January. After that I usually keep it minimal with the seasonal decorations. Usually just a door wreath, table centerpiece and possibly one or two small items on the console.

  5. I actually have bins of decorations for the major holidays (Mardi, Gras, St. Patty’s Day, Easter, Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving, etc). Yes, Mardi Gras IS a major holiday. I have some pinks and reds up with a little Valentine’s Day thing going right now. We have never been into Valentine’s Day, but I think it is fun for our little man to be able to celebrate it if he wants to so I decided to make it a fun time for him this year.

  7. Love the updates you made to your space! It’s cheerful which I feel like is totally necessary this time of year. For me, after I take the Christmas decorations down I’m ready for a holiday decor break. I have a Valentine wreath on the front door and that’s about it.

  9. Looks good, love the reddish color of the flowers. I like to do holiday themed changes just on our foyer table and mantle. I’ve got Vday stuff out now, then Easter stuff comes out! I am in love lately with the framed holiday subway art that is all over Pinterest.

  10. Aww I love your elephant! Interestingly brass seems to be huge today as Centsational Girl did a post about polishing brass, or spray painting things brass! I also saw another post where someone spray painted elephants and turned them into bookends….I may have to spray paint me some brass elephant bookends!

    I also really love what you did for in between decor. This is a huge dilemma for me every year and this year I have been slacking majorly, I need to jump back on the redecorating bandwagon soon!

  11. It looks great – I really really love your mirror! I have a hard time with the inbetweenie time of year! I really want spring to be here, but realistically we have 4 more months of winter! So I put up some pretty Valentines things just to add colour to all the dreariness!
    Jo-Anna

  12. I always debate over decor at this time of year too. Anything set out after Christmas seems so understated and unfinished – or maybe Christmas is just over the top with decor and festivity – …and glitter! Love how you’ve coined it ‘inbetweenie time’ – cute! Your choices look great!

  13. Maybe it’s a sign of things to come… your obsession with elephants….. My brother-in-law was a missionary kid who grew up partially in the Philippines, and always says that elephants are a symbol of fertility. Get it, girl!!!

  14. I love the flowers you added! I might have to take a trip to Michael’s now! I usually struggle with this same thing. This year I un-decorated from Christmas, but just sort of left things for a month. I’m just now starting to do the re-decorating and I’m getting spring stuff out. I love Spring, so I’m okay with starting early!

  15. Oh my goodness, thanks for linking the brass elephant from my shop, rewanted!
    I think your blog is beautiful, as is what you did with your space. I love your antique console cabinet and everything you did with it! Thanks so much!

  17. Katie,

    Seriously, your creativity kills me… you’re freakin amazing!

    On a more awkward side note: My husband and I have a “thing” for artichokes (kinda like you do for elephants) and was wondering if you remembered where you got yours? They are just such a cool shape and I love the colors they bring into the room.

    Any help would be awesome!

    Thanks dude!

  18. Sorry Katie – I can’t sympathize because my bday and CNY (chinese new year) both fall in the end-of-Jan/begining of Feb area. Seriously, just move your Bday (half bday??) and all is good =P

  19. I love your little vignette — and what a cool piece of furniture! Funny that you posted your brass elephant today, hopefully great minds think alike, because I posted my ‘faking it’ brass elephant today using dollar store toys!! 🙂 and I LOVE your hair cut!

  21. It’s not in betweenie time, it’s Mardi Gras time! Now is the time to deck out the house in purple, green and gold! Beads! masks! glitter! It’s the best time of the year!!!

  22. I’m more of a leave it up year round kind of girl. I hate the hassle of bringing things out just to put them away again. My mom-bless her- totally has herself together and decorates seasonally. For winter she makes it more about snowflakes and snowmen so they can stay up longer and just puts out a few Christmas items around the holidays.

  23. I go the most crazy decorating for Christmas (don’t we all?), but other holidays do get a bit of a shout-out even in the in-between time. Right now I’ve got a little bunting up (this one pictured behind my daughter in this old post: http://www.skooksplayground.com/2011/02/one-fly-little-elephant-baby-carrier.html) for a bit of the V-Day mojo. I’ve also got a few little appropriately love-y pictures clustered on my bird cage (Mr. Skooks got it for me for Christmas . . . like this, but bigger: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11278990). That’s about all. Just a little touch for fun. 🙂

  24. I tend to want to clean and get rid of stuff in that in between time. So, this time of year there are always LOTS of donations leaving the house. (there’s a huge pile on the front porch waiting to be picked up as we speak) That makes a nice clean start for spring. And the first thing I do design-wise is start adding in a few pops of yellow (lacquer tray, art, fresh daffodils). It gives that hint at spring without being all in your face. 🙂

  26. I totally know what you mean… I’m in the process of doing my mantle… what on earth works for jan-march? I like your solutions too… I just try to recycle things I have around my house and it always works out!

  28. I have the same sort of feeling about this time of year – away with Christmas but not time to trot out eggs and baskets yet. I find that I can start bring out pinkish things to take advantage of Valentine’s day, easy decorating with paper crafts, and also a lot of planning.

    I started hatching ideas for an upcoming blog project today – fixing up a busted lamp!

  30. I decorate for seasons, not so much holidays. I don’t really go overboard, I kind of just decorate the ways always do and add in natural elements for the season that seem appropriate. I’m not very themey. There were so many cute valentines day projects out there, I kind of wanted to join in, but then that’s not really my style, so I just enjoy everyone else’s. The only holidays that I decorate are christmas and Halloween.

  31. You never posted the winner of the Lowe’s gift card in that post. Are you planning to post it soon? The contest ended 1/31.

  32. On January 2nd I put Christmas away and break out the Spring decor. I feel like January is the longest most depressing month of the year so I bring in springy greens and flowery candles. It helps me get through winter.

  33. I just saw on pinterest that for a wedding they had a brass elephant on everyone’s plate as a gift. very cute.
    I’m having a hard time with inbetweenie time. It’s cold at night and in the morn, but it’s been hovering at 68 everyday. But no spring flowers. Do I switch out the plaid pillows for the more summery ones?
    Every single year after Christmas goes to the attic, I want to paint and redecorate every thing. Start new.

  35. Oh I love the pop of orangey-red in the flowers! And I lurvve elephants too, my fav animal lol.

    Oh and seriously, Squirrel Appreciation Day? I found out about it one day a couple weeks ago, when I was really peeved about this squirrel we have in our attic, its literally building a mansion in there or something.. its so noisy it sounds like the squirrel is in the house! Anyways, I’m google-ing how to evict this stupid squirrel, when lo and behold….. its squirrel appreciation day.
    Did I feel bad for not appreciating my squirrel? not one bit.

  36. After the Christmas, I like things a bit minimalistic. We’re in Ukraine right now, and there is a lot of gray and white outside, but during the winter the sky can turn a gorgeous shade of blue. I bought a bunch of pysanky eggs (handpainted eggs) that are that shade of blue with a white and silver village scene painted on them to put in a bowl; I set them out with a painting from a local artist of an Orthodox church in the winter that has that same blue and a Pakastani vase- the well-known pottery there has a variety of rich blues. All that to say- it’s a little bit of pretty inside when it’s so yucky out!

  38. Katie! You made that mirror? Shut the front door! Please tell me that I have just inadvertantly missed the tutorial on your blog…. Cause I need to know how you did that. I am in lurve. 🙂

  43. I’m DYING here…DYING I say. I’ve been looking for your tutorial on that mirror and can’t find it. I thought to myself “Self, why don’t you check the comments b/c surely another crafty commenter has the same question”. Sure enough they do! But the link, that missing link. Can you post the link again? For some reason it’s blank for me up in that there comment! Thanks!

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