Christmas Home Tour 2013

Welcome! Come inside and my little elf will show you around.




There he is! His name is Mario. He's...an Italian elf?




Because my decorations are neutral in the back of the house, I decided to go with a pop of red in the front.




Off the entryway is the dining room. A small centerpiece and a bit of ribbon is enough for everyday, but I do plan on putting together a tablescape for Christmas Eve.










Once you turn the corner into the living room the décor is completely different. It's cool and neutral, which blends perfectly with the room.













Mario is all ready for Christmas in his holiday sweater. I think red is his color.




Seriously, could he not be a dog model?



He doesn't move once you put the sweater on and I had to walk around him to take the picture. I wish my kids would take note!

On the other side of the great room I continued the neutral décor, but I did add a few pops of red.













Looking from the kitchen into the living room.




And from the living area to the kitchen.




I also put a tree in my boys' game room. I needed a place to put our sentimental ornaments and the ones that the boys look forward to seeing every year.






Thanks for stopping by!

It's Officially Christmastime!

I hope you had a great time with your family this Thanksgiving. We have some great cooks in our family so I couldn't help but overindulge. It was so nice to spend the day with family and catching up since we don't see each other much. As I looked at my friends' postings about their Thanksgiving I noticed many of them used the family gathering as an opportunity to get a big group photo. I will definitely do that next year and have no idea why that didn't occur to me before. I may take tons of pictures of my house, but I have a horrible habit of not taking family pictures unless you count Mario photobombing. My boys leap out of the way of the camera or use it as an opportunity to make faces, and then I give up. I did have professional pictures taken this year, which I have neglected to do the last several years. I love these pictures so much and I've realized this is just something I'm going to have to do every year no matter how hard it is to organize. Do you want to see?



I think this picture was so worth the kids' tears, tantrums, and screaming about how they are going to look like a nerd in a button shirt. My 5 and 7 year old cried so hard they passed out in the car on the way to our appointment. It's a good thing they're cute!

Here are a few more.






   


   


  


This post was supposed to be about Christmas decorating and took a turn as I started typing. I'll get back on point now!

I should have been finished decorating by now since I started so early this year, but between holidays and an illness it's been difficult. I'm hoping to finish up later in the week or by the weekend if nothing else crops up (fingers crossed). This is why I should always start decorating and gift buying early. You just never know what life will throw at you!

Here's a sneak peek at what I've been working on.



It's very different from last year's decorations, which were mostly red. It felt out of place in my neutral and calm great room. I found myself counting down the days until I could take it down. I wanted to decorate with colors that would blend in with my current décor this year. This was not easy for me since I'm used to decorating with traditional Christmas colors, but I'm really loving the way it's turning out. The only red you will see is in the kitchen and even then it is in very small doses.



Thankfully, I'm almost finished decorating so it shouldn't be long before I have pictures for you. How are your Christmas preparations going? I only have a few gifts left to buy so I'm feeling good this year!

Silver and Gold Thanksgiving Table

I had great plans for my Thanksgiving table this year, but I waited too long to decorate. I could not find even one pumpkin last week! I did find one lonely mum in a Halloween basket that I grabbed, but I already killed it. Yes, in one week. Oh, well. Thankfully, I always have my hurricanes and large mercury glass vase that works in a pinch. I can get so many different looks by switching out the branches and vase filler. My dining room is on the formal side and already has a mix of silver and gold décor, so I just added glittery branches and pinecones in the same colors.




You might notice the new pictures and sconces. Yes, this dining room is finally done!



Well, there are always little details I would love to add, but they are minor and can be added later. I really wish I had room for a buffet, but it’s more important to have the biggest table possible with almost all of my extended family living nearby. I keep picturing a mirrored buffet piece under the sunburst mirror. Wouldn’t that look great? I think so too, but I just don’t have enough space.

Here’s the view from the other side.



I wasn’t sold on the sconces for the longest time, but I’m so glad I didn’t return them. Once I added the LED candle I just loved the ambiance they create. Isn’t that what we always look want in a dining room? My husband says they remind him of being in New Orleans. There’s that too, I suppose. Men always have the funniest comments when you ask for their opinion.




Just candlelight






The copper mercury glass candleholders on the table were from my fall mantel, which is now all decorated for Christmas. I moved all my fall décor to the entry and dining room, and only decorated the great room for Christmas since I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year. I didn’t want to disrespect Thanksgiving! Actually, it doesn’t matter to me since Thanksgiving isn’t about décor for me. It’s all about the turkey, baby! I know not everyone feels this way so it might be Christmas in the back of the house, but it’s all Thanksgiving in the front.

My owls from the mantel found a new place on the console table (along with my half dead mum).




The view as you walk in the door.



I like that the dining room mirror and artwork can be seen from the front door. It feels so fancy! The dead mum kind of ruins it though and Mario is photobombing again.

One last look…









Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

How to Paint Laminate Cabinets

I know I'm not the only one that has been completely confused about how to paint laminate cabinets since they are more plastic than wood. All of my bathrooms have them, but the ones in my boys' bathroom was in serious need of a paint job. I remembered seeing a primer at Benjamin Moore a while back that claims to work on wood and plastic. The best part is that it's water based. I've never had good luck with anything other than oil-based paint and primer for wood surfaces, but the long drying time made me want to try this new primer. I'm so glad I did because not only does it dry faster, it's so easy to work with and gives me the same satin feeling results as an oil-based primer and paint. Here's what I used.

The Primer



The salesman said sanding isn’t necessary with this primer, but I still lightly sanded the surface just to be on the safe side. It is super thick and has the consistency of glue and I was really impressed with how well it bonded to the cabinet. I lightly sanded it again once the primer dried to get a smooth surface for the paint, but was careful not to sand off the primer.

The Paint



It's hard to see the label because of the paint drip, but it’s Advance waterborne interior alkyd.


Here it is finished!



I used Rockport Gray on the cabinets and mirror frame we built. FYI-If you build a mirror frame make sure you paint the back of the wood before you install it. We didn't do that and the white color on the back of the boards is reflected in the mirror. Thankfully, it's only in certain spots and not really noticeable unless you look really close.




I have three boys, but only one toothbrush is in the holder. Where could the other two be?!





Here's the progress I've made so far.



Since all three boys share this bathroom, I decided to go with a sports theme since it's something they all like. I couldn't find a cute "locker room" sign that didn't cost a fortune, so I bought a chalkboard sign at World Market and made one myself with a chalk marker. I really need stencils to make the letters look nicer, but I wanted to make sure it would work. The sign also might get a coat of paint.

The shower curtain has been here for a while and I haven't decided if it's going to stay. I'm not sure if I like the navy with the cabinet color. The walls are BM Dove White, which makes the bathroom feel clean even if it is not clean 90% of the time with three boys using it. The pictures over the toilet will be getting new frames, but I'm happy I was able to re-purpose the prints from my son's room. I found a great locker room shelf at Homegoods for a good price that just needed a bit of stainless steel spray paint. I can't wait to accessorize it!

I'm also debating whether to change the hardware from chrome to oil rubbed bronze. I think it would look so much better, but it would be quite expensive and I really just wanted to give this bathroom a mini-makeover with mostly paint. I haven't bought cabinet knobs since I've yet to decide on the hardware color, but just typing this out makes me lean towards the oil-rubbed bronze. What do you think? Once I make that decision and whether to replace the shower curtain I think this makeover will be completed quickly. I'll keep you updated!