2013 christmas tour - 12 days of christmas

Today is the day my friends. I'm thrilled to be able to play with 11 other great bloggers for the 12 Days of Christmas Holiday Tour and today is my turn to show you around.

But it's too cold to stand outside yapping, let's go inside and get warm with some gin hot chocolate.

Everyone in my family has a Christmas collection and mine is snowflakes. So you will see them all over the house, on lamps, doorknobs, wreaths and of course, the tree. Keep an eye out for them. It's kind of like a holiday where's waldo.

Each year the mantel gets something different (check out 2012 and 2011) and this year it told me it was feeling pink. So pink it is, with a little red and white thrown in. Can one ever get enough of ribbon at Christmas? (the answer to that question is no by the way)

My girls and I decorate a gingerbread house every year and this year's estate was extra sweet.

Herbie loves the holidays as much as the next guy so he pulls out his festive antlers for the season.

Amelia has already started her Christmas collection - nutcrackers - and she's off to a good start. Santa just might have a few other in store for her this year as well.

I can't wait for Christmas dinner this year so that I can put my fab new plates from B by Brandie to use. They really are beautiful plates and their colors pop right off the table. The patterns reminded me of snowflakes and you know I'm a sucker for mixing patterns, so these plates fit right in.

We spend just as much time feasting in the dining room as we do tearing into presents in the living room on Christmas, so we like to have the tree right where we can see them from both spots.

Christmas is about the lights, right? And what better time to appreciate the lights than at night. I know, I'm a regular Sherlock. So I give you... nighttime pictures.

Thanks so much for coming over. Anyone over the age of 12 knows what a crazy time of year this is, and I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to stop over and say hi. Be sure to check out all the other great homes that have been featured so far on the tour.

Day 1 - Evolution of Style
Day 2 - Shine Your Light
Day 3 - Dixie Delights
Day 4 - The Creativity Exchange
Day 5 - Dimples and Tangles
Day 6 - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Day 7 -  Driven By Decor
Day 8 - Simple Details

And tomorrow Oak Ridge Revival is hosting!

Now who's ready for more hot chocolate?

repeat performance or keeping it fresh

I've been slowly working on getting my house Christmas ready and one of the things that keeps a pep in my step for this yearly ritual is the idea of mixing it up. What will I do with the mantel this year? What type of tree should we get? Lights outside or not?

Sneak peak of my mantel from Instagram

I don't find it stressful, I find it comforting. It is almost as if I'm adding another layer of warmth just as it gets extra frigid outside. It gets me in the spirit and sparks special memories and traditions. (Cue the Hallmark movie cheese ball music)

What about you? Do you put everything in the same place every year? Do you clear the decks and start fresh each year? Do you have any weird traditions or items that you must do/pull out before it feels like the holidays have started?

And don't forget to catch today's feature on the 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes. I've listed the first three homes below.

Day 1 - Evolution of Style
Day 2 - Shine Your Light
Day 3 - Dixie Delights

Happy Wednesday!

12 days of christmas tour of homes

Hope y'all had a great weekend. We are all fighting some phantom flu/cold bug that just won't leave our house and it took all the energy the hubs and I could muster to go out with the girls and get a tree. We managed to get it in the house, but now I need a burst of health to get it decorated. But, I know where I'll go for some holiday inspiration.

Today is the first day of The 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes. My tour won't be until next week (thank god) but today please do head over to Evolution of Style and see what a beautiful job Jenny has done with her home.

Follow along for the next 12 days for great inspiration and eye candy galore!

Have you finished your holiday decorations? Do you get a real tree or fake? Do you want to come over and help me with my tree? Happy Monday.

holiday pushers

We are officially in the thick of it people. Thanksgiving is behind us (in the US), Chanukah is wrapping up and Christmas is coming. Cue the hysteria. I made an effort to not get online over the Thanksgiving holiday, not even my phone, and it was kind of like a digital master cleanse. It felt damn good I have to say and when we got home last night from a weekend of traveling and I was ready to gear up for Christmas. I didn't feel behind or stressed, I just felt...holiday-ish.

Then I sat down to my laptop and the stress settled in. Holy crap. I've gotten a wicked number of emails and articles and announcements telling me I can get 15% off here, 50% off there, use these coupon codes on these days, and jump three times in place while drinking water and tapping your head. And that doesn't even crack the book on all of the gift guides. Oy! I am on overload already and it is only December 2nd.

Jane Means

How do you manage all your holiday cheer? Do you keep up with all of the 'advice' or just go with what you know? What % lures you in to a sale? (I got an email for 7% off and let me tell you, that is NOT a sale. That's just foolish)

the 12 days of christmas tour of homes

What?!

I go from no posts to two posts in two days? I am just that exciting. True.

It is rather important to me to take the time to enjoy the season/holiday we are in and not jump ahead to the next one. Poor Thanksgiving gets run right over with the excitement for the big daddy of the year - Christmas. So I exercise as much strength as I can to not pull out anything for Christmas, not even a song on the radio, until Thanksgiving is over. The excitement is even bigger then when we finally unwrap all of those great things that stay in a closet 11 months of the year.

But, I am also one for planning ahead and I love to mark things down on my calendar. So with that in mind, I'm excited to let you know that I'll be joining several other fabulous bloggers this year for The 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes.

Now not only does this mean you have 11 days of holiday eye candy to look forward to, but best of all, on the 12 day will be a great link up party so that you can share your holiday home as well! I can smell the pine and peppermint already.

So mark you calendars and get ready for some holiday cheer!!

try not to labor too much

The only thing better than heading into a weekend is knowing it is a three-day weekend. Summer is slipping through our fingers so soak up every last minute of it.

For those in the US - happy labor day! And for all of my other friends, happy weekend!

a break from celebrations to celebrate

Thought I'd take a quick break from my birthday/4th of July vacation week to share some fun news. My bedroom is featured in CNN's Open House series (along with my friends Emily and Bethany).

Now that is a great way to celebrate a birthday!

Check it out and see a lot of great spaces.

Happy holiday weekend y'all!!

happy mother's day

In honor of the holiday that should be celebrated every month (in my opinion), I thought I'd take a moment to say a big Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Jan. I owe every inch of my design sensibility to her, she taught me everything I know. I could tell you the difference between Biedermeier and Baroque by the time I was 10 and I was picking out estate jewelry before I could talk. And thanks to her I've toured every old home on the eastern seaboard and been to 46 state capitals. She is a great teacher and friend and there is no one I would rather go shopping with.

Basically what I'm saying is this...

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And for something only she will understand - this is as close to a card as you will ever get. xoxo


And speaking of moms, don't forget to check out the Simply Baby Spring Blog Party today. My girl Heather, from Vivid Hue Home is hosting this week and I know she's got something special cooked up.
And stay tuned in the weeks to come for great ideas from

• Rhymes with Smile- Katherine
• Forever's Like a Dream- Kelley

How are you going to celebrate Mother's Day?

where's the fire

Happy Friday all!

This week I poured over the new issue of Matchbook probably at least once a day. I tell ya I can't get enough of that thing.

One image that I kept coming back to was this one.

Bailey's house in Matchbook

OK, so really it is three images, but I'm looking at the same thing in each one - the very cool match strike collection.

While they are by no means a new thing, I seem to be noticing them more and more in magazines. They are a great sculptural element and make a great addition to a coffee table, mantel or vanity. Much better than the free matchbook in the bathroom for sure. You can find vintage ones in antique stores and Etsy and I think they would make a great thing to keep an eye out for on vacations and trips. A unique souvenir to bring home.

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This one is just funny.

I think I found a new collection.

I'm off to get my arse in gear for tomorrow's celebration. Eve is turning two! It won't be the big celebration we had last year, but good times are on the menu.

Also, I'm over at A Lived in Home today talking about some things I've learned from DIYing. Make sure to check it out.

Have a great weekend!

merry vacation to all

I had grand plans to have a whole house tour and shovel out one last dose of Christmas cheer. However, the cheer of real life got in the way and I'm having too much fun to sit still long enough to put together a proper tour. So these pictures will have to do.

Merry Christmas and see you in the new year!!