Christmas House Tour 2015

Dec 20, 2015

I wish I could have posted this two weeks ago, but such is life. I will have almost one week of a fully decorated house and presents bought, which means it's finally time to rest...and wrap presents. The wrapping is what gets me every year. But, at least my house is ready!

Let's start with the front door. I knew I wanted to frame the doorway with garland. I had bought real wreaths for the front doors and was irritated with the needles everywhere so I decided to get inexpensive garland and tripled it to look fuller. I used a combination of new and previous year's ornaments to create this look. I had 30 minutes from the time I got off work until the kids got off the bus to get it all together. My 7 year old had asked me to use more red in our Christmas décor and I bought these red ornaments without thinking about where I was going to use them. I was just finishing up when he walked up the driveway and told me,"It looks so beautiful!" It doesn't get much better than that!




The foyer with my giant reindeer lounging on the entry table.



Our elf, Jingle, found a new friend.



The dining room with the new china cabinet. I had plans for built-ins on this wall for wine storage, but I got antsy and decided to buy a cabinet instead. The price was really good in comparison to what a wall of custom cabinetry would cost, too.






It's amazing how much furniture this room can fit. There's still more than enough room to pull out the chairs. There's only a few things left to do before I can call it done-a new chandelier, accessories, and window treatments.




I went with traditional red in here this year because I found the Kate Spade runner at TJ Maxx for such a good deal. I had just looked at it the day before at a department store so I was thrilled. Unfortunately, they didn't have the matching napkins so I had to buy those at regular price.



I wanted to do something a little different with the napkins and found a great tutorial on pinterest to fold them into bows. It's perfect because the napkins and runner also have a bow embossed on it. This year we're going to have a Christmas brunch and the dotted glasses are for mimosas. I found the red stemless glasses at Homegoods and I like how versatile they are. I can use them as water glasses or as wine glasses for future holidays.




The living room is much more neutral. The red in the dining room is nice, but it would drive me crazy if I had to look at it all day. The tree is silver, gold and cream to match the rest of the room. And you might notice my new coffee table is here! I've needed a new table for so many years because the other one has been through three rough toddler/preschoolers. I thought I was going to buy a gold table with a stone top, but that one was too small for the space. I also decided to keep the cream rug in here indefinitely even though I initially bought it for the dining room and that changed my plan, too. I needed more contrast and decided a natural wood gives me that and also ties in the kitchen and breakfast room natural wood colors.



Here's a closer look. The carved edges and black iron legs with claw feet keep it from looking too rustic. I grabbed a few décor items from the rest of the room to put on it until I can go shopping for larger scale items.


 
 
I moved the tree to the corner by the TV. It was interesting moving a fully decorated tree, but I did it by putting my fingertips under the feet so it wouldn't scratch the floor as I dragged it. Surprisingly, it was relatively easy and no ornaments were broken. I only bought a few new ornaments this year. My tree appears to be different every year, but it's really just because I change the ribbon. I'd love a taller and thinner tree so I could fit in next to the fireplace, but changing everything up for a new house at once was a little too much for me this year. Maybe next year.
 
 

 
 
I kept the mantel simple and instead of string lights I added LED candles. I especially love the look at night. I added real greenery to the faux magnolia garland as well as red berry picks. I needed a touch of red to match the stockings I have yet to add. It's a little crowded with five stockings on the mantel. I'm thinking about just putting out the kids stockings this year instead. Santa usually just gives us chocolate that we don't need anyway!
 

 
 
This view drives me crazy because of the TV. I'm planning on a gallery around the TV to distract the eye, but finding the right artwork is hard. The mirrors are way too small, but they were cheap and look better than a big, blank wall.




I also bought a new end table. It also has claw feet to match the coffee table. I love the bigger size, which I really needed for this corner.



Much better view this direction!



I've shown you most of the kitchen, but here are a few pics to recap. I did move the poinsettias and reindeer to the dining room. I was nervous about the red flowers staining the marble after seeing one that fell stain the floor. Thankfully, the magic eraser got that out.






Our silly elf enjoying his marshmallow bubble bath.

 
 





The breakfast room hasn't been shown much love, but I'm slowly adding some details to it. Last night we hung up a new chandelier I'll show you soon. It still needs a lot of work, but the Christmas décor makes it better.





I love my candy tree! The boys each got one of these to put in their rooms to decorate. They chose colored lights and all of their favorite ornaments. I guess that makes up for the silver and gold tree in the living room!

We recently had our family pictures taken. I wanted something season-less since we don't get them done that often. You can really make a Christmas card out of any picture though, so here it is!



And I can't leave Mario out! This is from last year, but I still laugh every time I see it.



Now, it's time to wrap up those presents!



New Kitchen Pendants

Dec 14, 2015

The kitchen pendant lights have been a thorn in my side since even before I moved into the new house. I had my heart set on pendants that were just too modern so I decided to wait until I found something I liked just as much. I found ones I loved even more and then realized they were way out of my budget. Ahhhh! I finally decided to take my husband's advice and to just pick something. I took the vision of French gold chandys out of my head and started from scratch. I finally found something I liked that goes with the rest of the lighting in the house and at a really good price. I'm thrilled with the way they look now that they are finally hung up!


 
It's hard to see in the picture, but there are bits of antique brass that bind the iron circles together for a bit more interest. 
 


And some closer details of the Christmas décor.



My first hot cocoa bar! The kids love it.



So does Jingle the elf.

 
 
He's hanging out here today.
 



And a picture from the living room to the kitchen. You might notice I bought a new end table and coffee table. It was just delivered before we went out of town for the weekend so I'm still working on the accessories. Once that's finished I'll show you more pictures.


I also had a china cabinet delivered for the dining room that I'm working on filling up.  It's an exciting time as everything is starting to come together!


Foyer Update

Dec 6, 2015

Shopping my house is my favorite thing to do. Besides saving money, it's instant gratification. Move a few things around and you have an entirely new space. Sometimes it creates gaps to fill, but sometimes it doesn't and you get to mark things off your shopping list. This is exactly what I did when I received my new foyer rug last week.  I absolutely fell in love with this gray rug and if I could have run out to shop for the chairs to go with it, I would have. I did the next best thing and grabbed my two dining room armchairs to "just see" how it would look. I loved the color combination and the arrangement so much I decided they are going to stay there indefinitely. Luckily, I already have six side chairs in the dining room that can be arranged so it looks complete. I just saved money and didn't have to wait on new chairs to arrive. That brings me to another tip. Before ordering new furniture, use existing furniture to create the layout you want in your room. It will ensure you are buying the right pieces for the space. That is, unless it's my living room. I can't decide for the life of me if I want the chairs or the sofa to face the TV. I switched it again this morning. Never ending!


 
 
The dining room with six side chairs (sorry, if I'm blinding you)

 
 
 




This spot functions so well, too. It's a great spot for women to drop their purse when they walk in the door or wait for someone by the door. I've also realized it's a quiet spot to talk on the phone and still have an eye on the kids in the living room.

After Christmas, I'll be finishing it off with lamps, pillows, and artwork. It's a little hard to decorate around that huge reindeer on the table. I'm not one that's big on Christmas decorations other than ribbon, greenery, and ornaments. I had to have this guy though! I think he needs a few berries in his wreath, but I'm exhausted so maybe next year.



I ordered these new garlands for the stairs, too. They are pre-lit and battery operated so there are no wires to trip over. I only added a few ribbons and large pinecones since it's full enough on it's own. I would show you what it looks like lit up, but I'm nervous I'll mess up the timer!







I am finishing up the Christmas decorations today and will be showing you the rest of those soon. I'm also getting a few new pieces of furniture Thursday. I can't wait to see how they finish off the living and dining room!







 

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Dec 1, 2015

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My Thanksgiving Table

Nov 25, 2015

My new dining room furniture is all dressed up for the first time and I couldn't be happier. I love the simple and neutral décor this year. It just feels right and has made me smile as I walked past it all week. Not only will it be our first Thanksgiving here, it will also be our first meal in this room. I can't wait to share it will all of our family tomorrow.









I need to get to work ironing those table linens and scotch-guarding those chairs now. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and a successful Black Friday!

New Living Room Furniture and Fall Mantel

Nov 15, 2015

I know I'm a little behind with fall decorating since most bloggers are gearing up for Christmas, but I'm behind on everything these days as you can tell by my lack of updates. Some people are very particular about not decorating for Christmas until Thanksgiving is over, but that's not the case with me. I will happily eat my turkey next to a twinkling garland any other year. The only reason I'm not dragging out the tree is that I never got to really enjoy my fall décor since I just decorated my mantel last weekend. Don't worry though, I am prepping for Christmas in a big way so I will be ready to go as soon as the pumpkin pie is finished. A new magnolia garland for the fireplace, a dried boxwood wreath for the kitchen vent hood, a huge deer statue for the entry, and other goodies are waiting for me in the hall closet. I can't wait! But, first let me show you my fall mantel!

 
 
 
Yes, that's my new mirror! I got a great deal on it from Wayfair considering how large it is. Everything I'm buying is large these days because of the tall ceilings in the new house. It's definitely a different look from my former cottage-style home. The house is French country and as easy as it would be to decorate just in that style because of its popularity these days, I want a few transitional pieces included so it doesn't look like I went completely "French chateau." It's a beautiful look, but I would get tired of it after a while since I am fickle that way. That's what happens when you truly love so many different decorating styles. I blended my traditional horse and ornate candle snuffer with the contemporary candle holder from Target I'm using as a vase. It makes my heart sing... for a little while. I did tell you I'm fickle!

Now, comes what I am so excited to show you! All of the new furniture I have ordered so far has come in. I only have a few small things to buy and then I can focus on the accessories that will really pull it all together. Will I meet my deadline to have the downstairs done by Christmas? Probably not, but it will be good enough by then.

I have to apologize in advance for the terrible pictures. This house is so difficult to photograph because of the tall ceilings and large windows. I'm sure I will eventually figure it out. These shots were my third try and they are a huge improvement from the previous ones.

One the first pieces of furniture I ordered for the house was this sofa. It took forever and a day because I changed the fabric to an indoor Sunbrella that looks like linen. I know it will be worth it in the end because real linen is like kryptonite if you have kids and pets.



I'm still working on the lamp situation. The new standing lamp is from Pottery Barn. It has a bit of dark gold in it to complement the mirror over the fireplace. The gray shade on the silver lamp is what goes with it, but I was trying to see if the gray shade would also work on the silver lamp and forgot to switch them back. Unfortunately, that silver lamp just doesn't work here and will have to be replaced. I'm hoping it will find it's way into another room.



Eventually there will be drapes above the three transoms. I'm avoiding that for a while because I know it will cost a fortune.



I wasn't quite sure if I was going to place the sofa in front of the windows or put the chairs there. I've tried it both ways and they both look good, but I think it's going to stay in front of the window after living with it a few days. There's just something more comfortable about having it this way. Now, that means I get to pick a rug and coffee table based on this arrangement. It was the main reason I was holding off on both until now. If you remember, I really bought this rug for the dining room and temporarily parked it in here.

The new cream chairs are from Pottery Barn, but also covered in a Sunbrella that looks like linen. I'm still a nervous wreck I'm going to spill wine or coffee on them despite their stain resistance so I usually drape a throw over them before I sit down. I think I might be worse than the kids when it comes to spilling my drinks.






Now, on to the other side of the room. In my previous home I always avoided taking pictures of the TV wall because it was such an eyesore. This new media cabinet makes me love this view. I'm not a fan of the artwork and mirrors, but I needed something temporarily because the TV on that huge wall by itself looked terrible. Eventually, I will surround the TV with better artwork. At least it looks finished even if it makes me cringe a little. I'm not even going to mention the fake florals. Let's just pretend not to see those. Let your eye skim around them.



I absolutely adore this media cabinet from Restoration Hardware and have eyed it for a couple of years. I never bought it because I knew there was a very good chance we would move even though I didn't want to admit we were outgrowing our house. I immediately knew this was going to be in my living room when we picked this house. The best part is that hardware! I really wanted the same hardware on my kitchen cabinets, but I couldn't find a way to make them work since the doors aren't flush with the frame. Believe me I asked the cabinet maker for these kind of cabinets, but it's not something they offered. The skeleton keys are very cool too for the doors on the ends. I have to admit I take way too much joy in opening these doors.






I still have quite a few things to do for this room-coffee and end table, rug, drapes, pillows, artwork, accessories, and a chandelier. Eek! It almost seems done until I type out the list. Honestly, I'm just hoping to get the new tables, a rug and a lamp before Christmas. If that happens I will be a happy camper.

Next, I will be showing you the new dining buffet and entry table. I promise I won't take a month this time!