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I am so excited to share with you my Christmas Nutcracker Dinner that I created on our back porch for The Home Depot’s Holiday Style Challenge. We live in Southern California and entertaining outside is something we love to do all year long. With our large fireplace and heaters in the ceiling of the porch, we dine outdoors — even in December!

This year I created a Nutcracker themed dining room with the items I found online on The Home Depot’s website. I love the gorgeous tree, the beautiful table items, and the Nutcracker accents.

I made a very special wooden centerpiece that holds lots of candles and I can’t wait for you to see how I made this. This evening will truly be an amazing dinner for our family.

The Nutcracker Themed Tree

The Home Depot sent me this amazing Christmas tree. It was so easy to assemble and took me less than half an hour. The tree came in three parts and everything was pre-wired. I love that it comes with a remote control and a timer.

I decorated the tree with three types of ornaments. They are the Home Accents Holiday 80 mm Shatterproof Ornaments, the Northlight 5.25 in. Assorted Classic Nutcracker Ornaments and the 3.25 in. (80 mm) Celadon Green Shatterproof Christmas Ball Ornaments. The tree collar is a Home Accents Holiday 27 in. D Red Metal Christmas Tree Collar.

I made my own burlap ribbon because it’s really hard to find it in 8 in. and 11 in. widths. I bought one roll of burlap fabric and made all of the 8 in. wide burlap ribbons for the tree and the two 11 in. wide tie backs for our outdoor curtains. The total cost was $11. (An easy way to cut burlap is to measure the width you need, and pull out one string of the burlap fabric along the width line. By pulling the thread, you will have an obvious line to use as a cut guideline.)

When it is lit, the tree looks absolutely gorgeous. I added this fun, LED Nutcracker as well for additional flair!

Wooden Centerpiece with Hanging Votives

I think the most dramatic element of my Nutcracker themed dining room is the wooden centerpiece I made with the hanging votives.

This centerpiece can be used in the dining room, on a patio table, and just about anywhere. You can adjust the height of the votives in the jars and also hang anything from the rope. The bottom trough of the wooden centerpiece can hold appetizers or in this case, dried eucalyptus with Christmas ornaments.

How to Make a Wooden Centerpiece with Hanging Votives

Materials needed:

• Four 1 in. x 8 in. x 8 ft. Premium Kiln-Dried Square Edge Whitewood Common Board
• Everbilt Manila Twist Rope 1/4 in. x 50 ft.
• Everbilt Jute Twine #30 x 190 ft.
• Nail gun and nails
• BEHR 8 oz. TIS-512 Classic Gray Transparent Water-Based Fast Drying Interior Wood Stain
• Mason Jars (I used 19 quilted crystal 8 oz. jelly jars.)
• Votive Candles

Cut the boards in these sizes:

• Sides: Cut two boards to 4 in. x 72 in.
• Bottom: Cut one board to 72 in. x 7 in.
• Vertical Pieces: Cut two boards to 48 in. x 5 1/2 in.
• End pieces: Cut two boards to 7 in. x 4 in.
• Pieces to support vertical boards: Cut two boards to 3 7/8 in. x 5 3/4 in.

I built this wooden centerpiece to specifically fit our outdoor table. You can adjust the size to meet your needs.

Once the boards are cut, attach the sides to the bottom with a nail gun. Nail the end pieces on each side.

Cut the vertical boards so that they are in the shape of a paddle. I made the cuts 10 in. from the bottom and cut the paddle width down to 3 in. across.

Place the vertical boards into the trough and add the pieces that support the vertical boards on each end. You want the vertical boards to fit snugly but still be able to remove the vertical boards for storage. 

Drill a hole in the top end of each board to thread the rope through. 

Lightly sand the edges of your wooden centerpiece and stain the color of your preference. I love the Behr Classic Gray water-based stain.

Look at the difference!

Set up the wooden centerpiece on your table. Add the vertical boards and thread the rope through the holes and tie a knot in each end to secure the rope. I tied jute twine to the top edge of mason jars, filled them with votive candles, and tied them to the rope.

Creating the Nutcracker Themed Table

For the table, I shopped most of the items on The Home Depot’s website online. I selected the green and white ticking placemats and added these glasses. I also found these wine goblets online. Even though they look like exquisite glass, they are made of recycled plastic. How amazing is that? Lastly, I selected the 11.02 in. RYO White Dinner Plates (Set of 6) by Manhattan Comfort to finish the settings. I am so happy with these items and can’t wait to use them indoors and out, all year long.

I made nutcracker cut-outs to decorate the top of the plates and placed a wooden nutcracker on top of each. Then I made nutcracker snowflakes and hung them to the ceiling of our porch.

Decorating The Outdoor Fireplace

I also decorated our outdoor fireplace. On one side I hung stockings, and added three nutcracker ornaments from my personal collection. I also hung this artificial eucalyptus wreath (with wire strung from the trellis on each side).

On the other side of the fireplace, I placed another Nutcracker with LED lights.

This was a magical experience and I cannot wait to host this Nutcracker themed Christmas dinner with our family.

I absolutely love the holidays – who doesn’t! So when The Home Depot asked me to be a part of their Holiday Style Challenge this year, I was ecstatic! My theme for this challenge is holiday greenery, which is perfect because trees, wreaths and garlands are exactly what our entryway needed.

We moved into our home last Spring, so we’ve only had one Christmas so far in this house. Last year, my focus was mainly on decorating our living room, so this year our front porch and foyer are being shown some love.

Planning and Shopping

When I sat down to plan where and how I’d decorate, I knew two things. One, I wanted to add some holiday cheer to the exterior of our home and two, I wanted to create an inviting scene that stayed true to my love of neutrals in our entryway. I easily achieved both goals thanks to the wide selection of quality, affordable products on The Home Depot’s website. To say the least, they have everything you need to decorate your home for the holidays! Also, as a mom of two with a newborn during a pandemic, the fact that I was able to have everything shipped directly to our door with contactless delivery made my life so much easier

Outdoor Holiday Decor

Want to hear something crazy? We’ve owned three different homes, but have never put up exterior decorations for the holidays. That ends this year. Since our front porch is very small and completely uncovered, I knew I wanted to keep things simple while using products that could stand up to the elements.

Enter this beautiful 7.5 ft LED angel standing proudly next to our front walk and a gorgeously full pre-lit wreath hanging on our front door. These were the perfect items for our home and I love the way they look – especially at night!

I tasked my husband with assembling the angel and was surprised at how quickly he had it set up and ready to go. The height of this display is truly impressive and makes the perfect statement piece for your front lawn or porch.

The wreath is battery-operated and just requires a few batteries and a quick fluff out of the box. Its 30-inch diameter is the perfect size for our front door, and I love that it has a few different settings, including a timer!

Potted Flocked Christmas Tree

It may seem funny to some, but one of the things I think about whenever we’re looking at a new home is how it’s going to look at the holidays. This home was no different. From the first showing we had here, I thought a potted Christmas tree would be the perfect addition to this corner. I never got around to adding one last year, so this year I made sure to include one! This one is the perfect size at 6.5 ft tall and about 40 in. wide. While you can certainly decorate it with ornaments if you’d like, I’m in love with the way it looks on its own.

Decorating Our Entryway Table

The small table in our entryway is one of my favorite spaces to decorate and, as one of the first things our guests see, one of the most important! I was able to achieve the look I was going for with a pre-lit 3 ft flocked Christmas tree and a beautiful white poinsettia arrangement. I love the look of this downswept tree and the height it adds to the table. It would also be such a great addition to a dining room sideboard or even a fireplace mantle! It looks so pretty lit up as well.

No entryway table is complete without a floral arrangement in my opinion and I absolutely fell in love with these pretty white poinsettias. They come ready to go in a sturdy ceramic vase and I think they add the perfect amount of holiday flair to this small space.

Banister-Ready Garland

What makes garland ready for a banister? A few things: battery-operated lights so you don’t have to worry about running cords around your stairs, realistic greenery and plenty of length. This garland checks all those boxes and the fact that its flocked had me swooning from the start. I was able to decorate our railings without any additional hooks, tape or accessories by simply tucking or wrapping the shapeable garland around the existing features and hardware. Voila!

The Perfect Wreath

This beautiful 36 in. flocked wreath is battery-operated and comes equipped with a timer. It’s the perfect addition to your front door, windows or even above your mantle! I plan to use it as-is, but it would also make the perfect base wreath for additional picks, ornaments and figurines.

Neutral Accent Items

I wanted to make our foyer look and feel a little extra cozy. So, I chose a couple of neutral accent items to decorate with. We usually keep a green plant in a basket on the floor, but for the holidays I’ll be removing the plant and replacing it with this insanely soft knitted blanket. This throw looks adorable in a basket, but would look equally as pretty draped across a sofa, comfy chair or even the foot of a bed!

I also chose this natural jute area rug to place under our front door and went with a large 4×6 size to add some nice texture to the space. I think a jute rug is the perfect statement piece for neutral lovers like me!

It was so much fun taking part in this year’s style challenge with The Home Depot! I hope this post provided you with some holiday greenery ideas and inspiration for decorating this holiday season!

Decorating our exterior for the holidays is a first for us this year, and I couldn’t be more excited! This festive space came together easily with a faux wreath and trees, Christmas lights and front porch essentials from The Home Depot. Let’s take a look at all of the details and I will include styling tips along the way. Then, I’ll share some nighttime photos so you all can see it sparkle!

Mixed Greenery for a Natural Look

One of my favorite elements of holiday decor is all of the greenery! I decided to keep things simple with this gorgeous faux mixed pine wreath and two artificial trees. They capture the natural, winter woodland look that I love with no upkeep, and will last for years to come!

The pretty wreath includes battery-operated lights to give our porch a magical glow in the evening, and its generous size fills out the door. Tip: When it comes to scale, make sure you choose pieces that are large enough to make a statement.

These 4-foot trees are pre-lit too! I placed them inside two galvanized resin planters for extra texture.

Front Porch Essentials

To fill out this festive entryway, I added some front porch essentials! The Home Depot has so many great options to choose from.

First, I used two rugs for a layered look. I love this geometric indoor/outdoor rug for added texture, and this cute coir doormat for functionality. Both will stand up to the winter elements.

Second, I added these cute copper lanterns for warmth and shine! Here they are all together so that you can see the sizes. This set of three LED candles is the perfect match. Tip: Decorating with pieces of varying heights and materials, adds interest.

Winter Wonderland

For a touch of fun, I included this 5-foot LED snowman! My kiddos love him and he was so easy to set up. For even more winter wonderland charm, we hung icicle lights along our roof. You will get a better look in the night time photos! Tip: Check out these light clips for attaching lights to your shingles or gutter.

Natural Winter Wonderland Exterior Decor

Here are a few more photos of the completed space! Which piece is your favorite?

It’s so hard to choose favorites, but the mixed greenery wreath is definitely one of mine! I can hardly wait to see this space dusted with fluffy snow. Now, let’s take a night time look.

Holiday Sparkle

There is nothing like that magical, night time sparkle when it comes to exterior holiday decor. I had so much fun designing and styling our winter wonderland exterior for the season and hope that you found it inspiring! The Home Depot has everything that you need to decorate for the holidays. Find these festive items and others online and in the store! For more home inspiration, I would love to have you visit me at Caitlin Marie Design. Hoping your season is merry and bright!

The Holidays and winter are my absolute favorite time of the year. We love spending time as a family creating arts and crafts of every kind. I was elated when The Home Depot invited me to create a Santa’s Workshop themed space for the Holiday Style Challenge. We have been spending a ton of time at home lately and this gave me an opportunity to transform a space and create a fun environment to make memories for the season.

Ordering and Shopping

The Home Depot has everything you need to decorate your home for the holiday season and this year I chose to shop online. Their mobile app is amazingly easy to use. I used the shopping list feature to plan my project, which made adding items to my cart when it was time to order such a breeze. The mobile pick up option was the perfect solution with my busy schedule. It was also great to have decor shipped to my home in no time.

My style is typically neutral, and I love a minimalist theme but the Santa’s Workshop theme definitely had me thinking in color.

Decorating The Space

I started out with decorating the space right outside the window of the main room. This LED Yultide Lane Tinsel Snowman is the cutest and provides a warm welcome with just the right pop of color. It is the perfect addition to your yard decor for the season.

Santa’s Workshop is never complete without a directional sign to go with it. I created this quick DIY with lumber, spray paint and tools from my local Home Depot store. It was fun and easy to make and was ready in no time.

I decorated the window with this gorgeous wreath from the Royal Easton Collection. The wreath comes adorned with festive ornaments and ribbon. It is also pre-lit with a timer which is great for your indoor or covered outdoor spaces.

The Workshop

Beyond the window is the workshop space. In this space you can find this Starry Light Flocked Tree. Standing at 6.5 ft this tree comes ready with a nice base attached and is the ideal addition to your home for the holidays.

I added these LED Fir Wreaths to complement the tree. These also come pre-lit with a timer as well.

The minute I saw these antique milk bottles, I knew I had to have them for the workshop. The merry messages, acorns and holly berries are wonderful for the theme.

I kept the table simple by adding this mini flocked tree to complement Santa’s work tools.

To the corner of the room sits a basket with a plaid woven throw. This soft throw is perfect for the holidays.

Gifts are also an especially important aspect to any workshop. I decorated by wrapping old boxes with builder’s paper and ribbon that I had on hand.

I also created this train using wood crates, poplar rounds, rope and eye hooks. This DIY was also super easy and can be used for your indoor or outdoor as well.

The Full Reveal

Creating the Santa’s Workshop themed space was a dream. It was so much fun. A huge thank you to The Home Depot for inviting me to participate in the Holiday Style Challenge and for sponsoring this project. You can shop for all your holiday needs at The Home Depot. You can also check out my blog at ScotsHill House or follow me on Instagram for more DIY tips and tricks.

Photo Credit: Leksi Sterritt Photography and Torie with ScotsHill House