December 2019 | 93s a child, Kelly Elko would lie
underneath her family’s
Christmas tree and stare up
into the branches covered
in flickering tiny lights.
“There’s something about that nighttime glow
that is so special,” the design blogger says.
“I put as many lights as I can on my trees.”
Even when the twinkle lights are off,
Kelly’s holiday decor sparkles with vintage
collectibles throughout the 1903 Colonial
home in Summit, NJ, she shares with her
husband, Steve, and their twin daughters. The
most treasured of those collections are the
candy-color Shiny Brite ornaments on a pair
of trees in the dining room. “I set my theme
around their bright retro colors,” she says.
The ornaments’ pink, aqua, silver, and red
repeat in other keepsakes Kelly has found
while thrifting. In the foyer, a pair of mercury
glass snowmen and a red
lantern inherited from
her father sit atop a weathered
wooden trunk Kelly found
at an estate sale. “When I’m
shopping estate sales for
holiday pieces, I always hit
the basements and garages
first. That’s where I find all
my bargains,” she says.
One such find is the focal
point in the living room: an
old chalkboard resting on the
mantel. She changes the
illustrations seasonally with
the help of Julia Townsend, a
neighbor with a knack for art
who chalks Kelly’s ideas.
“She brings my visions to life,”
Kelly says. At the base of the
chalkboard is a snow village
of inexpensive ceramic houses
and trees Kelly details with a
black Sharpie. “I like to doodle
on the houses to make them
my own,” she says.
Recently, the creative
challenge of finding ways
to decorate with her existing
treasures has replaced the
hunting and gathering, but
there’s one thing Kelly won’t
cross off her list. “I would
never pass up a Shiny Brite!”A
CURB APPEAL
Kelly, with husband
Steve and daughters
Olivia and Vanessa,
decorates at the
front door with a sled
from her childhood.
REPURPOSED
O B J E C T S
Vintage soda bottles
displayed in glass
cabinets during the
year “skirt” a feather
tree at Christmas.
ILLUMINATING
I D E A S
Kelly turned a pair
of demijohns into light
fixtures above
the kitchen island.
DECK THE WALLS
The red metal bow
finds a different
locale in the kitchen
each year.
COZY CORNER
A simple switch
of pillows gives
the rattan settee a
seasonal look.
S M A LL
WO N D E R S
“Grouping small things
has big impact,” says
Kelly of her colorful
holiday lights displayed
on a cake stand.