Holiday Home Tour 2017

HOLIDAY HOME TOUR BLOG HOP

Can you guys believe we have less than two weeks to Christmas?! This time of year is always full of beautiful things and in honor of that, I’ve teamed up with some amazing fellow bloggers. We’re inviting you into our homes to share our Christmas decor and hopefully give some inspiration! At the end of this post, I’ve linked to everyone’s posts so you can “hop” on over and check out their homes. We hope you have fun!

WELCOME TO MY HOME

I am so excited to show y’all what I’ve been working on and to be part of this holiday home tour! This year was big for us – we bit the bullet and ordered our first tree (the one we used the past two years was handed down to us more on that later).

Once the tree came in, it inspired the light and bright look you’ll see throughout the rest of the house. I love how the flocking brightens up our entire living room, and I added pops of red and ice blue for some color. Last Christmas we had just moved in, so my decor was much simpler – even more reason to go all out this year!

THE LIVING ROOM

The other day I re-read a blog post from this time last year for the first time in months, and I was shocked at the amount of sadness I could feel from my own words. God works in wonderful ways, and I am so happy with where this year has taken us. Especially at Christmas I like to reflect on all of our blessings, and there are too many to count this year.

Not that we haven’t had our share of ups and downs, but it’s been a year of positive changes. For me, the big thing was connecting with others. In addition to the wonderful Instagram community I’ve become involved in, I have met so many wonderful friends in our little town, including a new best friend. We are cut from the same cloth and she loves home decor as much as I do! Right before Thanksgiving we spent a day crafting and she helped me make this little Reindeer Aviation sign that has become one of my favorite things this year!

Lilly got groomed this morning and decided she looked too good to not be included in the photo shoot!

Ok, back to the decor. From our living room, you can see into our sitting room which is my favorite place to sit and drink ~~wine~~ coffee. I love having somewhere to sit that’s not in front of the tv – sometimes it’s nice to actually spend time talking with each other .

THE SITTING ROOM

The sitting room leads into the dining area and kitchen, which are our next stops on this decor tour.

THE DINING AREA

One of my all-time-favorite bloggers was the inspiration behind my tablescape. She used these mercury glass trees on her coffee table! I reused my burlap chargers from Thanksgiving and gave them a fresh look with a Christmas salad plate from Pier 1.

The coffee bar is one of my favorite little spots to decorate each season. It’s such a fun place for little odds and ends like my porcelain piggy and that adorable red truck.

THE KITCHEN

Some would say you should use your kitchen countertops for cooking. I am not one of those people.

Now we’ll walk past the front door and back through the living room to get to the next part of our tour. And yes, that is a dog in a sweater on that pillow. Sometimes I question my choices. But if something makes you smile every time you see it, it was a good choice – and this pillow does that for me!

My dad built the console table in the walkway and he did an outstanding job! I love having sentimental pieces in our home that I know we’ll pass down one day. We also finally have a nativity scene this year. I’ve always wanted one, but couldn’t ever find one that felt like it should be mine. My mom and I went shopping Thanksgiving weekend and came across this one at Hobby Lobby. She actually saw it first, and as soon as she showed it to me, I knew it was the one. Having it in our living area is a great way to keep the meaning of Christmas front and center.

This walkway takes you back to the office, bedrooms, and guest bathroom. I didn’t decorate our office since I don’t spend much time in there anymore (it’s one of my favorite rooms and I practically lived in it when I worked from home…I’m slowly turning it into a craft room), but I did put a tiny bit of Christmas spirit in the guest bedroom and bathroom, as well as the master.

THE GUEST BEDROOM AND BATHROOM

There’s no holiday decor in this picture, but I am still obsessing with how well our guest bedroom makeover turned out! I kind of want to sleep in this room the next time my husband goes out of town, just to see what it’s like .

Back in February my husband and I spent the weekend updating the guest bathroom. I’ve left it alone since then, so it was fun to get back in here and make a few quick changes. There’s no rule against decorating bathrooms for Christmas!

Last but not least, I decorated our master bedroom.

THE MASTER BEDROOM

I have always wanted a Christmas tree in my bedroom and with the addition of our new tree this year, I made it happen! This tree is sentimental for many reasons, and I’m so glad to have it in a quiet place where I can admire it. About three years ago just before David and I got engaged, my mom was diagnosed with a really rare form of cancer. She underwent two surgeries and a few months of intense radiation, which saved her life, thanks be to God.

My mom loves Christmas more than any person I know, but because her treatment was during the holiday season, she had no energy and no interest in decorating. I was living at home with my parents at the time, and my dad and I decided to surprise my mom with a small Christmas tree and generic ornaments that she could help decorate (which was much easier on her than us dragging down her enormous tree and decorating it with our family ornaments while she watched). One afternoon when my dad took her to radiation, my brothers and I got what we could out of the attic and put up decorations around the house. When she got home she was so surprised! We spent the evening putting up our new Christmas tree right next to her chair where she sat every day resting.

My mom made a full recovery, and when David and I got married the following May, my mom generously gave us that tree. We have loved using it, and this year my mom was in town and helped me put it up! Since this tree is so special to me, I decided to place most of our sentimental ornaments on this tree too.