Christmas House Tour 2012

Our home is our refuge, a place where we can be ourselves and not worry about anything else.  It's truly a blessing to call our "own".  Growing up, I always loved how my mom took care of our house.  I took so much comfort and security in feeling the warmth and coziness of all the love she provided through cooking, decorating and doing projects around the home.  For me, it is the best art canvas to be able to put your own mark and identity on it without any reservation.   The greatest compliment that my husband ever gives me is that he is thankful for coming home to a house that is cared for and given so much love.  It's amazing how just filling your home with what you love will create such a difference in your mood and attitude.

Now that the 2012 Christmas season is in full swing, I thought I'd share a glimpse into our home.  It's nothing fancy but it's the little touches that bring meaning and cozy warmth into our surroundings.   Here is a little sneak peak into our sweet abode during this beautiful Christmas season!  More posts to come on some crafty items I have worked on in the past few weeks.  Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

  

Old jug filled with lights on an old step stool I restored for Eli.  I spray painted it red and he

loves using it to help in the kitchen or to reach the potty in the bathroom :)  Jug makes a great night light!

 

 Homemade NOEL sign and snow globes (tutorial to come).  Tree from Michael's (with 40% coupon)!

 

Compilation of new and old jars on an armoir I refinished.

 

Snow Globes....Anthropologie inspired!

 

Pencil tree in kitchen (handed down from my mother, thanks Mom :).  Homemade snowball garland

and star (tutorial to come). 

 

Homemade shelves out of old wood laying around in basement.  Love me some white

and turquoise in the kitchen.  Owl, recycled glass, and mason jar love :) 

 

Wooden box from Michael's (40% coupon...literally cost $3.00). Refinished with paint & walnut stain.

Mason jars and little milk bottles with Epsom salt for snow, cranberries and tea lights.

 

Love open shelving in kitchen.  I like sprinkling Christmas bulbs and pine cones throughout the house. Spray painted terra cotta plant pot and pine cones with silver spray paint.  Large bulb hanging from 

basket is handmade mercury glass.  Fun and easy project!

                                         

 

Homemade chalkboard from old picture frame at Goodwill ($1.99).  Clear glass pedestal 

bowl from Christmas tree ($3.99)  filled with Epsom salt, cranberries and a green pine candle.

You'll notice the subway back splash behind it.  We just did that project recently and will post

a step by step tutorial.  It's a very affordable, cost effective way to do a back splash.

Our Advent calendar.  This was a purchase we made before Eli because I loved the look of it so much.  Eli loves to play with it and that is his stash of candy canes that we have to put up high or he would eat them all in one sitting.  Candy cane obsession right now :)

 

Stockings hanging from TV stand till I hang them from mantle. Eli's is a Christmas gift purchase for this year.  It is from Pottery Barn kids and was on sale for $17.  I thought that was pretty good since it was comparable to the Target stocking prices.  Out of all the options, he picked out the train stocking all by himself :)

 

Our beautiful nativity set that I scored at Pottery Barn last year after Christmas.  It was normally $200 and I was able to get it for $20.00!!!!!  I am in love.  It has gold edging which gives it an old/aged look. I just recently found the stable at Goodwill for 99 cents.  The candlestick/vase in the base is hand blown glass from Christmas Tree (it had a little chip on top so I got it for $5 and its huge!).  I spray painted branches silver and white from the woods and hung some handmade ornaments on it.  Those are mercury glass and Epsom salt bulbs made last year.  Fun and easy :)

 

I wanted to add some character to our plain/builder grade style cape home.  I found this old farmhouse mantle at a thrift store in Fairfield, Maine. Its believed to be from early 1900's.  It's definitely not in perfect condition but I loved the look of it.  With a little paint and walnut glaze stain, it came out beautifully!  I painted the wall black in behind the little electric stove we purchased last year.  Believe it or not that little stove is very efficient and it helps keep our home comfortable when we turn the heat down.  I wanted white and mercury glass as decor on mantle cause I feel it makes a timeless statement.  Those white trees flanking the mantle are from Christmas tree, one of my favorite places for holiday seasonal decor ($1.99 for both because they were stuck together till they miraculously came apart when we got home and they fell out of the car on the ground:).  The little mercury glass owl is from Christmas tree ($1.99 last year) and the tiny silver bird is from Michael's ($1.50 on sale couple weeks ago).  Mercury glass candlesticks were a cheap purchase last year after Christmas when Target was having their 70% off sale on all holiday decor.  There are a couple mercury glass votives from Kohl's on sale ($5.00 for both) and the JOY sign was a purchase we bought our first Christmas together.  The wooden tray on top of the electric stove is a dollar store find from long ago that I spray painted silver this year.  I topped it with a large cinnamon pine cone from Michael's ($2.00 and it smells AMAZING), and a little white vase (crate and barrel $3.00) with a little faux poinsettia in in.  The basket is a free find from one of my dad's moving jobs (Thanks Dad:), which we store blankets for this cold winter season.  The pillow in it is a DIY inspiration from Pottery Barn last season.  I used a white pillow cover I had laying around and cut out green felt leaves and hot glued them into a wreath formation.  I then took little white snowball poofs from Michael's and hot glued them sporadically all over the wreath.  I loved how it turned out !!!  I love myself a bargain :)  Only thing I splurged on in this picture was the mirror.  I had been searching for over a year for a sunburst mirror that I loved and proportions had to be right.  I found this beauty at a vintage/thrift store in Newburyport, MA, a sweet coastal town that we went to this summer. 

 

We decided to go faux this year.  Last year at Target we scored this fake tree after season for $60,   originally $300.  Instead of a traditional skirt, I used our sheepskin rug from IKEA (bought last year for around $20.00.  It's real and oh so soft!!).  Our theme on the tree this year was bright and cheerful. All decor was purchased last year after season REALLY REALLY cheap. The garland we used is left over burlap from my brother's wedding.  It is really wide so I tide it in knots every couple feet to give it a cinched look.  The tree is covered in white snowflakes from the dollar store which really sparkle when the lights are on.  We do love getting a real tree and the experience of it.  However, I also enjoy decorating right after Thanksgiving so having a real tree doesn't do well for that span of time.  We compromised and bought a tree that looks semi real even up close because it has 3 different pines mixed in on the tree.   Nate loves bright colors and says this is by far his favorite tree decor since we married 5 Christmas's ago.  Thanks Love! :)

 

 

DIY Christmas art this year.  Bought the 3D MERRY sign this fall in dollar section at Michael's. Found this sparkly green paper for $1.00 at Michael's as well.  White frame is from IKEA a while back.  Hot glued MERRY to the paper and for $2.00 you have a piece of holiday art.  Simple, quick and very easy.  Totally my cup of tea :)

JOY sign....a great memory of our first Christmas together as a couple.  

Close up of the silver wooden tray, large cinnamon pine cone and faux poinsettia.

Close up of the teal blue ornaments. 

 

Close up of burlap tied into a knot around the tree. 

 

This is our kitchen after all the changes and updates we have made over the past 2 years.   Here is the run down of changes we have made and so happy we did!  I think the kitchen is the best bang for your

buck when redoing a home. 

1.  Sanded, primed, and painted all the cabinetry.  Previously oak.

2.  Purchased stainless steel appliances

3.  Spray painted hinges and some of the hardware black.  Bought drawer pulls to match which were really reasonable.   

4.  Big purchase this year with our tax return:  Granite counters.  

5.  Purchased Farmers sink from IKEA (really inexpensive compared to other places).

6.  New faucet from Lowes

7.  Subway tile back splash that we put in ourselves

     

**To Do List for the Kitchen as of Today:

1.  Crown molding to the top of the cabinetry and paint to match.

2.  New lighting above sink and bar

3.  New door to basement

Thanks for taking the tour of our home here at Christmas.  What Christmas projects have you been doing lately?  Would love to see and hear :)