Decorating with Care

Written by Victoria Van Vlear

Photography by Jessica Sigmon

An old-time Christmas feel comes to the North Carolina home of our former Brand Ambassador.

For many of us, Christmas décor is a collection we’ve built up over many years and that brings us nostalgic joy every time we pull it out. Jessica Sigmon, the blogger and Instagrammer behind Itty Bitty Farmhouse, has returned to that method of nostalgic collecting with her own holiday décor. “I originally found my style by getting premade Hobby Lobby décor, but I don’t do that anymore,” she says. “Now I make more memories collecting the décor.”

Jessica’s front porch is a fun mix of live and faux garlands and pops of red. “I change out all the plants, cushions and pillows and décor,” Jessica says. “I looked through old American Farmhouse Style magazines to find inspiration. I go through all the old ones from that season and then incorporate my theme.” For a live garland, she has a trick to keep it looking good: “Soak it in the bathtub for a few days,” she says. “Then you really get it moist, and it helps you to keep the moisture in and it takes a while to dry out.”

Jessica was the 2023 Brand Ambassador for American Farmhouse Style, and since finishing her column last Christmas, she has a precious son, Reid. It’s a perfect year for her to continue to collect sentimental décor and create a hometown Christmas feel.

House Happy

Jessica and her husband Michael have lived in their North Carolina house since 2019. It’s a charming 1,600 square feet, and the couple has spent the last five years updating rooms, including replacing flooring, adding wallpaper and lots of wainscoting. Jessica picks a Christmas theme each year for her house, and this year, she chose a hometown feel. “I wanted an old timey Christmas,” she says. “I have a handmade vintage village, and a village Christmas tree. I wanted a vintage farmhouse feel.”

With so many different garlands and trees throughout the house, Jessica has to be strategic not only about where to put them, but how and when to buy them. She started out with all faux garlands that were less expensive, and she’s slowly replacing them. “Each year, I buy a new, real faux garland, the nice ones,” she says. “I only do one a year, because it’s expensive.” That way, she’s able to spread out the cost while still decorating her spaces each year.

Jessica starts her holiday décor both inside and outside the house with garlands in almost every room, including bathrooms and the kitchen. Then she adds Christmas trees and other Christmas touches to make each room feel special. “I try to keep 50% of [our everyday décor],” she says. “I start November 1, and it takes me at least a week.”

O Christmas Tree

One of Jessica’s main decorations are the eight different Christmas trees she has inside and outside. “I don’t decorate all the trees, but they are up aesthetically,” she says. “When I walk into a room, I want to see a Christmas tree, not an empty space.” The largest one is a flocked faux tree in the dining room, to which Jessica added Christmas village houses to work with her theme. While the trees inside are faux, “we do a real one outside, and real ones in the planters,” Jessica says. Because she puts them up so early, she tends to take them down right after Christmas. “I’ll leave the real one up and some of the ones that aren’t decorated,” she says. “But I do take down the overt Christmas stuff.”

The dining room is Jessica’s favorite in her house during Christmastime. “That’s where I always put my big tree,” she says. This year, Jessica added a variety of Christmas village houses as ornaments, and the flocking adds an air of classic wintertime.

Baby’s First Christmas

Jessica’s son Reid was born in August, and Jessica is excited to experience his first Christmas. “I’m excited for him to get to do all the Christmas events and activities with us,” she says. She’s already thinking about future decorating, wanting to head toward brighter colors. “I’ll do more traditional Santa decorations with bright colors to help him enjoy Christmas,” she says. Now she and Michael get to build memories with their growing family, and decorating for Christmas is a central activity to the Christmas season.

In the kitchen, faux garlands liven up the open shelves Jessica has. “I like to add in the little garland pieces, the little mugs and everything on the shelves,” she says. “I always think, ‘What can I use and what can I get rid of for the season?’”

Christmas Tree Pastry

This food is a great Christmas party share, since it both looks and tastes delicious.

What You’ll Need:

2 packages crescent rolls (8 count each)
6 ounces soft cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Pie filling or jam, as needed
Dark chocolate chips (optional)
Powdered sugar, for dusting

What You’ll Do:

Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Mix together the cream cheese and 1/2 cup powdered sugar, until fluffy.
Roll out the crescent rolls and separate them into the individual pieces of dough.
Add the cream cheese, pie filling or jam and dark chocolate chips (if using) into each crescent roll, then roll them up.
Place them on a baking sheet in a Christmas tree shape.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Lightly dust the tree with powdered sugar before serving.

Crockpot Candy

One of Jessica’s favorite Christmas traditions is making candy with her mom. Here’s one of their classic recipes.

Farm Fresh

What You’ll Need:

16-ounce jar lightly salted, dry-roasted peanuts
22 ounces (2 11-ounce bags) white chocolate chips
5 ounces (half a 10-ounce bag) dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup toffee bits
Festive sprinkles
Sea salt (optional)

What You’ll Do:

Place the peanuts at the bottom of a slow cooker.
Add the white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter and toffee bits.
Turn the slow cooker to low and cook for 1 hour, then stir until the chocolate mixture coats the peanuts.
Cook for another 30 minutes and prepare a sheet pan by lining it with parchment paper.
Drop spoonfuls of the candy mixture onto the parchment paper and add festive sprinkles and sea salt, if using.
Let the candy cool completely, about 30-60 minutes, before serving.

Pattern Master

Blogger and Instagrammer Jessica Sigmon of Itty Bitty Farmhouse is an expert when it comes to choosing patterns in permanent décor elements like rugs and wallpaper. Here’s a look into her process.

In the guest bathroom, Jessica keeps up most of her everyday décor, adding only small touches that will make the room feel festive but also stay functional. “I like to do a little bit of garland over the mirror, and then a simple mercury tree on the sink,” Jessica says. “You can still use the bathroom functionally.”

Seasonal longevity. When looking for a rug or wallpaper, try to picture it in the space at different times of the year. “I want something that will go from season to season,” Jessica says. That means you need to choose one that you won’t dislike in the summer because it’s dark or in the winter because it’s too light. Find what will suit your style and aesthetic year-round.

Feature focus. Do you want your wallpaper or rug to be the main feature in the room? That’s not always the case. “I like to choose a blended but mesh pattern so it doesn’t stand out to your eye,” Jessica says. If the wallpaper will be the room’s main feature, choose a pattern that’s bright in color and bold in design. But if you want another element to be the focal point, let your wallpaper or rug fade into the background with a more subtle pattern.

Go with what you love. This may seem like a cliché, but what’s on trend at the moment may not be what you want on your walls or floor long-term. “I’m loving the floral block with the old timey look right now,” Jessica says. Know yourself: Will you want to switch out the rug or wallpaper within the next few years? Then a more trendy pattern would work. But if you like to pick something and keep it forever, make sure you really find a pattern you love, even if it’s not the trendy style at the moment.