Welcome to the start of my Christmas home tour. If you are coming from Claire Brody thanks for following along on the blog hop! I have joined 36 other bloggers for Blogger Stylin’ Home Tours, the brain child of Lindsay, White Buffalo Styling Co. I am excited to get inspiration from everyone else participating this week and peek into their home tours for Christmas 2015!
Here goes the Christmas tour of my 1950’s Connecticut Cape Cod…
I heard the other day that 10% of our happiness is based off of our circumstances and 90% of our happiness is based off of our perception of our circumstances. This is my first year decorating for Christmas in this home. We moved in January of this year. It is a lot smaller than our last house, we really don’t have a spot for a big tree. I tried to create a really Christmasy feel, hopefully to not miss that large Christmas tree that is such a focal point for the season. I have to remember that it is all about our perception, and my family perceives a warm spirit so that is all that matters.
This is right off of our front door, you can see the old door bell chime. I use a tea cart to store boots and basket full of catch all things. I added some white glitter trees that I had and a fresh pine branch from our tree, with an artificial branch. I find that when I mix artificial with fresh it makes the artificial look 100% better.
This fresh wreath from Lynch Farm didn’t stand a chance on my front door, I wanted to be able to see it all the time and smell it! I hung it in my window by using large pieces of leftover fabric that I stapled to the top of the window molding. I added the scarf around the fabric so I didn’t ruin the scarf. It adds an extra layer and ties in the subtle pop of pink.
I collect white pottery, and these built in bookcases are the perfect spot to display them. The white makes it easy to add in Christmas decor. I mixed in a lot of little trees through our home this year rather than a large tree. There is honestly no room for big tree, without moving furniture out and there is no place to put extra furniture! I have my glass ornaments that I normally put on our big tree, so I added them to trays and bowls.
I posted a picture of my family room on my Instagram. I said that I was deciding what to do for a tree this year. Several clever people commented and said to put a small tree in my window seat. I loved the idea and I hadn’t thought of that. I took out the cushion and added two trees from King Christmas. Thanks Instagram friends!
I have a lot of Christmas in bins in my basement still, its scary. And a collection of vintage santa’s is in one of the bins. I love this little guy, he got to come out.
I like to layer art in the front of bookcases to add some charm and depth. I hung my VOL25 holiday art with washi tape from Target. That washi tape is my new obsession, I plan to hang Christmas cards with it on the back of our door. I just have to hide it from my girls, why do kids love tape? That little pink heart was a vintage ornament that a good friend gave me from her late mothers collection. I framed it in a shadow box frame from Ikea. It was very thoughtful of her to share one with me, I cherish things that mean something. She said her mother would buy one new ornament each year and add it to the tree, she does that now too.
I recently painted this sideboard white, I love it so much more, especially for Holiday decor. We keep our manger here that we fill with a piece of straw when we give to others, you can read more about that HERE. It has been one of our favorite traditions along with our countdown calendar that you can find HERE. Both keep us centered on the real meaning of Christmas, Christ and serving others.
“Have yourself a merry little christmas” was the start to my christmas decorating this year, you can find it HERE. You don’t need to go out and buy specific christmas decor to create a holiday look. I used old books that I tore the covers off of and bound with twine. Pinecones that I sprayed with silver spray paint and pine branches that I cut from a tree and put in an ikea glass bottle. I framed a black and white photo of my parents engagement that was taken in the winter, it looks like a vintage postcard. Try using what you have to create your holiday home, those items will mean the most to you.
I have some red christmas pieces that I wanted to be able to use and they ended up working great in our black and white kitchen. Red berries from a tree just say classic christmas to me. I try to find a spot to incorporate it in our home every year.
This gold bookcase from West Elm is filled with white dishes that we use often. I just added some of my red christmas collected pieces and layered fresh pine to complete the look.
The buffalo check and sweater pillows are from Pottery Barn, they tie in the red. I get asked how I hung the antlers often, so I guess I will share my secret…command strips. I did the strips in a couple of spots. Command strips work great for plates too. I layered a gold wreath that I bought last year over our chalkboard with garland you can find HERE and HERE. This spot is really where we spend most of our time, while listening to Holiday music. So it has to be a cozy spot.
We like to try to make a few homemade things around Christmas and keep it simple for my girls to help! We made the little pom pom scarf for our giraffe friend, fun for my oldest to use a needle to thread it. We made the candy wreath a few years ago, you can see the tutorial HERE. We always make homemade caramel with my mom and make cookies with my sister. Traditions are memories.
Thank you for stopping by our Holiday home tour. I hope you are able to add some pieces to your home that bring the perception of the holiday spirit. I will be back to share some more of our Holiday home later this week.
Check out everyone on the tour for today-
Check out The Makerista to start the tour tomorrow!
I will be back this week to share more Christmas in my home. Make sure to sign up to receive my recent blog posts in your in-box so you don’t miss one! (Click on the photo above to take you to my other tours).
I want to curl up and never leave!!! It’s all so gorgeous!!! xo
That is actually what I do! Especially if it is cold outside, I can’t deal! Thanks for your sweet comment!
Gorgeous Holiday decor and beautifully styled. Love everything
thank you so much, I really appreciate you saying that.
So lovely and cosy and I adore all the little touches you’ve dotted around like the greenery, the vintage pieces and the berries! I adore seeing how smaller homes ‘do’ Christmas because as lovely as it is to see large homes decorated, I know I just don’t have the room for a lot of decor in my home and while I do have a tree, it means stashing 2 chairs and a huge fiddle leaf fig in my bedroom!! Ha! I love the idea of a few smaller trees instead, I might have to try that next year 😉 xxx
Ha! Yes you totally get it! I really didn’t want to deal with moving big things, I am lazier than you! Thanks so much for your sweet words!
Classic and beautiful and filled with meaning! I’m absolutely in love!!!
that is the sweetest compliment, thank you so much!
Love the red with all the white in your home Brooke 🙂 So cozy! xo
Thank you Kristin, you are so sweet. It was fun to add a little bit of red this year!
Brooke, everything is so beautiful and cozy! It looks like Christmas in a movie 🙂 I love it and am so happy to have you on the tour!!
Thank you so much Lindsay, means so much to me. It is an honor to be in your tour. xxxxx
your home is always so beautiful! i love the touches of pink! and that kitchen floor gets me every time.
So pretty and cozy! I always love how you style your banquette and dining room!!
The idea for two trees in the window seat is great! Our living room is a small space too and so I had to remove a chair in order to fit a tree. Your space looks so cozy and warm!
amandakatherine.com
I could warm up my coffee while the babies nap and work from that cozy winterland home of yours all day every day. What a beauty, I am getting so inspired by all these lovely holiday homes.
Your home looks so cozy! I love the little pops of red you added here and there 🙂
Thank you Caitlin! And thank you for noticing!
Wow! I love it all! It’s so inviting and cozy, I’d love to cuddle up in any one of the corners. 🙂
Thank you so much Gwen! I appreciate that….and we do cuddle up a lot!
Can I move in? Your home is one of my favorites and the longer you are there the more gorgeous it becomes!!
Thank you Laurie- that is so kind. You are sweet to notice that.
Gorgeous home you have! Love it!
thank you so much!
Absolutely love your home, so stunning!
Thank you so much Christine!!
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thank you so much! Happy you are here!
Hi I throughly enjoyed you Christmas tour… Fell in love with the smaller cream fur pillow with the fringed edges, could you tell me where I could purchase this and also the garland with all the cream bells ? Thanks so much!!
Thank you! The kidney one with the long strings on it? That is from a company called Loloi, I bough it at a utah store called The Black Goose Design. The bell garland I have had for a long time, I can’t remember where. I have a link to one similar here http://nestingwithgrace.com/candy-christmas-wreath/
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