Christmas Vignette

Just for fun...

With a red and white theme this year (and a few green, brown, and black accents), these were some of my favorite things that didn't show up on the Farmhouse Christmas Home Tour. And I was finally able to use some of that mismatched flatware I've collected at thrift stores and my French inspired numbered napkin rings for our Christmas Day meal.

A bit sad to pack it all up as I've enjoyed it so much. But everything has it's season and now I have a few photos to remind me how I decorated in 2012 (so I can do it again next year, Lord willing).

I still enjoy looking at photos of my mom's Christmas decorations and I'm sure my girls will do the same. So don't forget to take a few snapshots of your own home before you put the decorations to rest in the attic.

Here's to 2013!

Christmas Bedrooms... Simple Transformations!

Yes, you too can easily transform a bedroom from everyday into HOLIDAY! Frugally, I might add.

Most people pick their decorations FIRST and THEN try to make them fit the room, which is why many find it hard to achieve "the look" they are after. The key is in working with the scheme that already exists in your room and selecting the right accents to switch out.

I'll agree... my semi-monochromatic bedroom palette, may make it a bit easier. But by removing a few accents and replacing them with something that coordinates, and yet adds a touch of Christmas, you can convert just about any room in the house so that it has a holiday feel.

The Master Bedroom

Here's a "before" and "after" side-by-side photo so you can see what the room typically looks like and how it looked afterward (at least the bed, anyway).

I only did 4 simple things that impacted the room in a B.I.G. way.

1) I switched the one accent pillow from a tan plaid to a solid red pillow. Actually, it's not even solid red. Look at the back of the pillow...

I picked this up at T.J. Maxx for next to nothing! (This was the only money spent on the room other than the plants - but those don't count, do they?). After bringing the pillow home, I tied a ribbon around it to make it look like a package. (Perhaps I'll use the other side for Valentine's Day?)

2) I switched out the quilt at the foot of the bed. This one is borrowed, but I'm on the look out for the same quilt. I can see me using a red quilt like this a LOT.

3) I added some greenery to the antique watercolor above the bed.

4) I switched out the flowers on the night stand, adding the red Poinsettia and red foil paper.

That's it. Nothing more. Can we all agree that this is simple?

Later I did add some greenery and a couple of things from around the house to the dressers. Oh, and the antique angels of my grandmother's.

Again, the key here is two-fold...

1) Be willing to remove some items so as to keep the room from becoming crowded or cluttered. This also helps eliminate items that will distract from the holiday accents you are adding.

2) Be willing to match the accents to the room, not force holiday decorations that you "like" into a room where they won't work well.

Apparently our little friend, Tiki (visiting for the week), liked the rooms, too.

Okay, so maybe it was really just the soft bed and the fact that SHE got to get up on it!

Candlelight Christmas Tour

Humor me... I needed to work on my night time photography skills. It would be even better if I cold get off the automatic setting. Working on that. Slowly. S.L.O.W.L.Y. All the same, I thought a night time tour might be kind of fun. But I'll warn you, despite photoshop editing and all, a couple just didn't come out that great. I just couldn't get the color right. I'm learning though!

So let's start at the front porch...

Perhaps you remember I wanted to paint my door red last year? One down, three to go. Yes, there are actually two doors and one set of French doors on our front porch. This one is the main entry.

I spiffed up the pots with some greenery and balls and added one of the kids sleds and a sign I picked up this year. I had know idea that the phrase would have such deep meaning for Christmas 2012... seems like we can not get away from the obvious fact that we all need some "comfort" as well as "joy" this year. So thankful we can find that in our Savior!

Next is the entry hall. I didn't get the stair rail decorated this year (can't do it all). But I did get a couple of red pillows on the antique German bench to match the red checked lamp shade. That's about it in here. I hope to add something else before a church College party on Friday night.

On to the main room.... looking back from the entry...

I keep seeing that old galvanized pail... EMPTY. Needs some greenery! But I'm LOVING the elk antlers. Why didn't I use them years ago?

And around to the French Doors going to the back patio...


and on around to the the tree!

We opted for a cut tree this year... a noble fir. The stand is in a large galvanized wash tub, which really makes keeping it watered a breeze! Before the party, I might add some burlap inside.

And finally around to the mud room, pantry, and kitchen.

Perhaps I'll take some pictures of the kitchen and post those soon. But tomorrow, I hope to show you the master bedroom. (For more details on the main room, you can read my earlier post here.) We'll see how far I can get through the house before Christmas arrives.

Hope you're enjoying some cozy days making sweet memories with your families in your own home this year. There will only be one Christmas 2012.

See more great Christmas Home Tours HERE!

Deck the Halls... Simply!

I know the posts have been sparse lately, to say the least. We've been blessed to host out-of-state company on two separate occasions in the last 3 weeks, so I've been having fun with family and friends. In between I managed to get a few things up around the house to make it festive for the season.

I'm convinced with our media saturated lives, we crave the simple and uncluttered. Our eyes need a break! But they need beauty, too. Keeping the adornments simple and not over done allows us to focus on a few items really well.

And can I add that decking the halls shouldn't take a week to put up OR to take down? As much as I like to decorate, there IS more to life! Like building snowmen, reading a good Christmas book, taking a hike in the brisk afternoon air, baking cookies with the kids...

However, I will confess I took the opportunity to deep clean the main room as I put up a few things. It was sorely needed and easiest to do at the same time.

The fireplace mantle got the biggest transformation. I removed the large picture that normally hangs between the sconces and dug out an old window I had been saving for a project. The sconces themselves got red bows and old tree toppers (stars) were used to fill in along with a couple of red plates I had (usually I have yellow plates up on the mantle). As for the greenery... we have a wood stove that heats the house. Nothing can be close enough that would be flammable, so no stockings or garlands. But even with that limitation, I was pleased with how it came out.

To the left of the mantle I added more windows, a pine wreath (I just switched out the bow to coordinate, and a matching chicken. The green rosemary tree is a bit too small, but that will be planted in the garden later and I may add another larger one if I come across it.

On the right side of the fireplace is a large red armoir my husband made for me years ago (how convenient that it matches the holiday!). I removed some flowers on top and added antlers that an elk shed behind our house a few years ago. The sun bleached them white and they were perfect on top! Makes me think of reindeer antlers. I'm going to add another little rosemary tree on top in another galvanized pail to bring more green and some needed height.

A basket with a white pitcher and red mercury glass balls are all that was needed. I REALLY like these and I may buy a couple each year to put on the tree as well. They look rustic, antique, and glittery without being overdone.

The hutch is mostly the same, but I pulled out a few items and replaced them with red and white things. A few pieces of greenery and viola!

The NOEL angels were my mom's when she was a little girl and the antique bells were my grandmother's. I love using selections from their Christmas decor for my own decorating. Sweet memories!

The Italian made nativity was also my mother's, now an antique. It sits in a creche made by my husband on a table behind the sofa in the center of the room.

On the opposite wall is another half hutch that has very little to adorn it, but just enough. I removed a summery bouquet and threw a fun berry wreath around one of my VERY favorite pieces... a ceramic sheep. While this is MY favorite item, it's a joke for the rest of the family. When I bought it, I ran in a store while the family sat out in the car (not interested in the shop I was excited to see). After quite a while, I came out with the sheep that the store keeper had wanted to part with and gave to me at about half the original price. I was THRILLED. My husband? He started laughing so hard, tears streamed down his face! He couldn't believe I was so excited about it and that it looked... well... odd, I guess. Of course, this set the girls to laughing and apparently embedded in their brains as a permanent memory! I still don't see what was so funny.

Oh, notice the screen door to the right? I wrote about it earlier and long story short, the shop keeper accepted an offer I made and it's now at home on my pantry!

The china cabinet got the same treatment as the rest... just re-worked with those things in the right colors taking center stage along with a little greenery. I typically like to use fresh greens from around the yard, but these will be added closer to Christmas as it dries out too easily. If I'm going to spend money on the fake stuff, I like to at least get the kind that looks as real as possible.

There you have it. I don't think I spent even $20 on all this. Almost everything was from "Christmas Past" and got re-worked in some way or another. Or it was an everyday item in the right color palate. A frugal Christmas fits our family philosophy so that we can give more and not overly participate in the commercialism of the holidays.

The tree is yet to go up and I'll post additional photos of other rooms later. But for now, get to writing your own holiday or Christmas post as the Barn Hop Ladies will be hosting a special Monday event on December 17th where we will link up related holiday posts instead of the regular homestead post. That way we can share and enjoy more terrific ideas for the holiday season!

See more Holiday Home Tours Here!