link party - 12 days of christmas tour of homes

OK, I showed you mine. Now it is time to show me yours. It can be your whole house, or just a room or festive corner. No matter how big or small you go, or what holiday it is for, show me how you dress your house for the holidays!

We want to see!!

the best of the 12 days of christmas tour of homes

Thanks everyone for all of your kind words on my holiday home tour! It is always great fun to see how everyone puts their own spin on such a traditional holiday. In case you missed any of the tours, click on any of the images below to get the full show.

And be sure to come back tomorrow to link up and show YOUR holiday tour!

 

   

Only 10 days to go! Cheers!

my home - 12 days of christmas tour of homes

The day has finally arrived! It is my day to host the 2nd Annual 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes and I'm thrilled that you're here. If you came from Cyndy's tour at The Creativity Exchange welcome. And if you are here thru a misguided Google search, welcome to you too. Basically, welcome one and all. Take a look around while I make your virtual cocktail.

In the entry this year I decided to reuse the ornaments and ribbon from last year's mantel for a bright and happy mix.

Speaking of mantels, this year's mantel turned out to be all about plaid, bark and fresh foliage. How very rustic of me.

Each year we save the bottom of our Christmas tree and make a candle holder out of it (writing the year on the bottom of the stump to keep track). It's turned out to be a great memory and it is fun to see how we obviously vary up our tree size each year.

This year's tree was no joke. Last year was tall and skinny, but this year is big in every direction.

When you put plaid all over one room, it has a way of seeping into other areas of the house. Plaid is too good. It will not be denied. So let's plaid up the dining room shall we?

Love mixing my B by Brandie plates and chargers with my grandmother's old Spode Christmas dishes. And I believe it was the excitement of that mix that led me to forget the silverware. Oh well, we are just drinking during this tour anyway, right?

A snazzy group of men (and some animals) standing at attention while we eat. Maybe they took the silverware. Amelia's ever growing Nutcracker collection has relocated to the dining room this year until Eve moves on from her nutcracker...discovery phase. I can only glue them back together so many times.

Christmas lights Amelia made her first year of pre-school brighten up the kitchen along with some drawings the girls did and our annual Gingerbread house. Oh, and what's that on the lampshade? Yep, that would be more plaid. I can't be stopped.

Herbie got his seasonal antler change and is ready for the season too. No one in the house is immune.

Even the hand towels in the bathroom have gotten festive thanks to Anthropologie. They say dish towel, I say hand towel. Tomato tomaato.

My parents finally got rid of the tree that they've had for 45 years (no that is not a typo - FORTY FIVE years) and willed it to us. So as I mentioned yesterday, we added the tree to the family room this year and it is already full of all of the ornaments the girls have made and collected over the years. I love having the tree that I grew up with, I swear it used to be bigger, and it is the perfect thing to look at while I sit on the couch with the hubs and endure another episode of The Walking Dead.

The pom-pom pinecones the girls' made a few years back sit happily next to the tree along with a mismatch batch of ornaments.

And that my friends is my house all dolled up for Christmas. Thanks again for coming and be sure to stop by Stacey @ Steward of Design tomorrow! And if you haven't checked out all the rest of the tours, what are you waiting for already?!

12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes Schedule:

December 1 - Jenny @ Evolution of Style

December 2 - Amanda @ Amanda Carol Interiors

December 3 - Amanda @ Dixie Delights

December 4 - Pam @ Simple Details

December 5 - Lisa @ Shine Your Light

December 8 - Kris @ Driven by Decor

December 9 - Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

December 10 - Cyndy @ The Creativity Exchange

December 11 - Elizabeth @ Little Black Door

December 12 - Stacey @ Steward of Design

December 13 - Andrea @ Oak Ridge Revival

  AND

December 16 - YOU - Link up your Christmas Home Tour

Cheers and Happy Holidays!!

handmade gumdrop ornaments

Each year the girls and I try to do a few crafts together that we can then use year after year. We've got a few years under our belt and it is fun when we pull them out each year and they say, "Remember when we made these?!" It's all about making memories, right? However I don't want one of those memories to be fighting (the girls) and tears (mostly mommy's) when things go south. Our craft window is short so simple and fast is my theme.

I have long admired these Colors of the Rainbow ornaments from Land of Nod and each year I think about buying them for the girls' tree. And every year that thought is followed by "Nah, that's silly. Surely I can find something cheaper." But I never do.

Then this year we were walking thru Michaels to get something random and totally un- Christmas related when I noticed a little spot that I'm sure I pass each and every year. Glass ornaments. Six for $5. And with the ubiquitous 50% off coupon I always have thanks to my Michaels app (yes I've got a Michaels app on my phone) the decision was made. Ladies and gentleman, we've got our craft.

The piles of craft paint I keep in a junk drawer finally paid off. We went home, popped the top of those suckers, squeezed some paint inside and rolled them around.

This is when I would show you pictures of "the process" but A. it went so fast (that's just how easy it is) I didn't have time to man the girls and take pictures and B. it is really so easy there isn't really much to show. It took us longer to pick out which colors to use than to actually make them.

Once all the paint was swirled around inside I let them dry over night upside down (with the open top facing down) so any excess paint could drip out. And in the morning I had a table full of happy little gumdrops to put on the tree. The colors are rich, they are as happy as Santa himself, and they scream "Wahoo!" I for one love an ornament that screams with glee. It worked so great we went back for more and I made a whole pile of red ones like the Serena & Lily numbers for my mom's tree.

Here is the sneak peak of them on the girls tree. Look for the full reveal of the ornaments, and the rest of the house tomorrow as my house is up on The 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes.

Cyndy @ The Creativity Exchange is up today and I can't wait to see her home all decked out. Here is the full schedule of goodies:

12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes Schedule:

December 1 - Jenny @ Evolution of Style

December 2 - Amanda @ Amanda Carol Interiors

December 3 - Amanda @ Dixie Delights

December 4 - Pam @ Simple Details

December 5 - Lisa @ Shine Your Light

December 8 - Kris @ Driven by Decor

December 9 - Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

December 10 - Cyndy @ The Creativity Exchange

December 11 - Elizabeth @ Little Black Door

December 12 - Stacey @ Steward of Design

December 13 - Andrea @ Oak Ridge Revival

  AND

December 16 - YOU - Link up your Christmas Home Tour

So have you tried any DIY projects this holiday season? Have you ever been embarrassed to admit the amount of craft paint you have in your junk drawer? Any ideas what I can make for a 1st Grade Holiday Party?

See you tomorrow!!

getting in the spirit

Holiday Pinecone Trees we made two years ago

It's that time of year. The time to stress over things that are meant to bring joy, not grey hairs. You can count on articles, news segments and how-to-lists on how to deal with holiday stress just as you can count on your Facebook feed to get flooded with Elf on the Shelf pictures each and every season.

All the articles say the same thing, but yet none of them every seem to help. But I'm here to tell you what to do to not just survive, but enjoy...

Last Year's Christmas Tour

Ha! I wish! If I knew that trick Oprah would bring back her show just for me to spread the word. Nope, I have no trick or great idea. Just like everyone else, I take on too much, complain too much and then feel too much hysteria to enjoy this 'magical time of year'.

Each year I try something different with varying degrees of success. This year I'm trying not to worry so much about getting it all done at once, but slowing down and taking my time. We got our tree this weekend and worked on it for a while, then took a break when we all started to drag and watched a movie instead. It'll get done. A pleasant mommy is more important than a decorated tree.

DIY jewel colored votives

Now that's not to say it won't get done, I've just decided that I don't need to work at a breakneck pace. No one is keeping score...right?

So let's be honest. How does this time of year make you feel? Do you make an effort to slow down and enjoy? Do you take it all on and use it as a chance to spread more holiday cheer? Do you just leave town?

giveaway winner and a present for everyone

Good morning sunshines. Thanks to all who entered for a chance to win some fab fabric from Williamsburg's newest line. Lucky Lisa M. you've got a cheery email from me in your in box. Congratulations!


And I couldn't leave the rest of you empty handed, what kind of blogger would I be? So be sure to stop by Dixie Delights today and see what Amanda put together for day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes! Did you see Amanda Carol's home yesterday? So beautiful!

12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes Schedule:

December 1 - Jenny @ Evolution of Style

December 2 - Amanda @ Amanda Carol Interiors

December 3 - Amanda @ Dixie Delights

December 4 - Pam @ Simple Details

December 5 - Lisa @ Shine Your Light

December 8 - Kris @ Driven by Decor

December 9 - Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

December 10 - Cyndy @ The Creativity Exchange

December 11 - Elizabeth @ Little Black Door

December 12 - Stacey @ Steward of Design

December 13 - Andrea @ Oak Ridge Revival

AND

December 16 - YOU - Link up your Christmas Home Tour

As for me, I'm still pulling out all of my Christmas stuff. Nothing like working right up to the wire. What about you? Is your house all decked out for the holidays? Have you put up any twinkle lights yet? Is it ever possible to get those suckers to not tangle up thru the course of the year?

12 days of christmas tour of homes

Happy December everyone! For those that celebrate, I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We had a great time in Chicago, but have all come home with nasty head colds and a nice layer of ice on the ground. Winter for sure has arrived.

The countdown to Christmas is officially underway and it is time to get into the spirit with the 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes! Jenny from Evolution of Style and Lisa from Shine Your Light have gathered a great group of women that I'm lucky enough to be apart of.  First up is Jenny at Evolution of Style and she has set the bar high, let me tell you. Be sure to check out her beautiful home all holiday'd up, and look at all the great tours still to come. Be sure to get your home ready for the link up on December 16th!

12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes Schedule:

December 1 - Jenny @ Evolution of Style

December 2 - Amanda @ Amanda Carol Interiors

December 3 - Amanda @ Dixie Delights

December 4 - Pam @ Simple Details

December 5 - Lisa @ Shine Your Light

December 8 - Kris @ Driven by Decor

December 9 - Jennifer @ Dimples & Tangles

December 10 - Cyndy @ The Creativity Exchange

December 11 - Elizabeth @ Little Black Door

December 12 - Stacey @ Steward of Design

December 13 - Andrea @ Oak Ridge Revival

AND

December 16 - YOU - Link up your Christmas Home Tour

Now go forth spreading holiday cheer nice and loud for all to hear!

12 days of christmas link party

A huge thanks to the best readers around for your wonderful comments on my house tour. That was the best Christmas present a girl could ask for. And since it is the season for sharing, now is your chance to get in on the fun.

Head over to Evolution of Style and share your holiday home. And if you missed any of the 11 tours, click on the images below for the full monty.

You can never have too many parties at this time of year, so head over to join the fun now.

I'm heading off the grid for the next few days for some quality fun time. So enjoy these next few days, no matter what you celebrate, and know that I will be toasting each and every one of you.

Cheers and Merry Merry to you!