Sunday, December 13, 2009

My Christmas House Tour

We were a little behind this year getting our decorations out, and I don’t know that we’ll bother getting caught up at this point. So I went a little lighter this year than last (2008 tour here), but I like it.
Our tree looks pretty much the same from year to year. I like that too. That’s how traditions get started. Years from now my kids will be saying “remember this ornament? that was the year we…”

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Last year I did add a whole bunch of silver pinecones and antiqued silver ornaments I got at Dollar Tree, and I’m still in love with them.

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This year the tree is in the room with the fireplace, so I didn’t do a garland on the mantel. I used some of the same elements as last year, but kept the look cleaner.

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I was excited to find the two vintage aqua Shiny Brite ornaments at the thrift store a couple weeks ago. I love how they add a little pop to the otherwise all silver. I used blue books in place of the brown ones that are normally there to carry out the scheme.

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I have a few things displayed on the accent table.

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The white houses are actually candles, again from Dollar Tree. The little ones under the dome came in sets of three (trees/house combo).

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A trio of Santas stands watch over my Scrabble tile message center.

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In the front room, I have another Santa and another little house.

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When I was a teenager, my dad took me to England and Scotland, and I bought a Lilliput Lane cottage as a souvenir, which are popular collectibles over there. That one is packed away somewhere, yet to be unearthed since our last move, but I recently found three of them at the thrift store for about $1.50 each. This one is called, appropriately, “Holly Cottage”. (I sprinkled fake snow around it, so I guess that’s what makes it Christmas-y.)

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And finally, on my kitchen counter I have this display, simple and festive.

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If you like the apothecary jars, I recently did a post about making them. It’s part of my ongoing Thrifty Gifty series of DIY gifts, most of which can be made for under $5 with supplies from the thrift and/or dollar store. I’m at 12 and counting, so check past posts, and I’ll have more this week.






Christmas Tour of Homes with The Nester





30 comments:

Shell in your Pocket said...

Oh..how I love the peppermints...so festive and fun!
sandy toe

Jessica said...

Love your tree.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Really beautiful. Love the scrabble letters!

Hattie said...

The mantel is my favorite part. I love the blue, silver, and tan together. It looks vintage, but really fresh at the same time. Beautiful!

Nicole said...

Pretty!

Heather said...

Oh I love your mantle, it's gorgeous!! And your apothecary jars are so cute!! Great job decorating, Merry Christmas!

Decor To Adore said...

Your home is just beautiful. May many wonderful Christmas memories be made within its walls.

Our home is having an old fashioned handmade Christmas this year. I hope you will stop by.

cindy said...

Love everything Holly! Your tree looks just like a Christmas tree should look, and your apothecary jars are amazing :)

Debra Howard said...

What great ideas. It is always so cool to put items under glass. Great decorations.
Debbie

Ribbonwood Cottage said...

Wow, I really like your decorations and loved the mantel. Just perfect. You have a great home....every picture is beautiful!
Blessings,
Debbie

Briana said...

Your mantle is simply beautiful! I love the colors and how it all came together! Merry Christmas!

Amanda @ Serenity Now said...

Luuuurve your tree, Holly. :) I love seeing how creative everyone is with their trees. :) I am absolutely in love with all of your little cloches. I want some of those Dollar Tree candles now!!! Your home looks amazing! :)

Marianne said...

Your home looks lovely and I agree with you on the tree decorations. I often think that I want to change it. But I like how the ornaments become more special every year I see them again.

Melinda said...

A lovely tour of your home--it seems like a lot of people are scaling back on decor this year.

Melinda

Ashli said...

The Scrabble tile message is an idea that I totally LOVE!

Free Samples said...

Awesome decorations! :)

Michelle said...

Hi,
Your home looks beautiful, it's so simple and festive. I have been enjoying your blog, you have great taste!
XoXo

K Mommy said...

Love your mantel and the scrabble letter idea! Thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Everything is lovely!!

Laryssa Herbert said...

So pretty!

Girly Stuff said...

The scrabble letters are my favorite!

Girly Stuff said...

The scrabble letters are my favorite!

patti said...

Great blog! Love your banner. Did you do it yourself. I am trying to spiff my blog and definitely need to know more about adding a custom banner. Great decorations too!

ashley morgan said...

The cotage on the domed cake stand...fabulous! I'm so on the lookout for a village piece to copy that wonderful idea!

The Pleasues of Homemaking said...

Holly,

I like your "lighter" look! That mantel looks fabulous. My tree looks the same every year too. My daughter and I add a new ornament each year. So it's fun to remember why and where we chose certain things. Plus it's a girls day out for us when we go ornament shopping - building memeories!

Love the little house and the candle houses! Your home looks just beautiful!

Manuela

Ruth said...

Your home looks so very beautiful!!! I love the jars and the tutorial is so great. I have a couple of jars but can't wait to make more. You have found some really great things at the Dollar Tree. I don't think I've seen any of that there. Maybe I need to look again.

Thanks for sharing.

Ruth

Anonymous said...

I love your scrabble thing! Great idea! I am stopping in from Nester's place. To see my tour click on the 'Christmas 2009' tag on the left sidebar of my blog.

Anonymous said...

I love your mantel!! So pretty! I adore apothecary jars!! I am going to read how to make them!!! So excited!!

Natasha said...

Everything looks so pretty! I love your gorgeous candle display and your tree is magical!

Best wishes,
Natasha.

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

Those little house candles are so cute. Our dollar tree never seems to have the good stuff! I loved all of your holiday decor.