Here it is December 5, and most of the blogosphere has already shared their Christmas tours or are sharing this week. Today I’ve got my Eclectic Christmas Home Tour Part 1 for you, and I’ll be following up with Part 2 & 3 next week. (I worked much of the weekend and work today through Thursday during photography hours, so you’ll just have to wait!). This year I am doing things differently and at my own pace. I took a break from all of the holiday hops, though I plan to join them in 2018. I just knew that when I hopped back into blogging after the summer, I needed to do it on my own terms and for me. With a baby on the way, and juggling jobs at the moment, I am glad I did that because there is no way I could have kept up anyhow. With all of that being said, I am truly thrilled to be sharing my master bedroom, guest room, living room, and stair case with you today. I’ve added simple touches here and there, and am truly happy with our holiday home… it feels cozy, inviting, and most importantly, it feels like us.
I’m sharing this tour over here:
We’re going to start the tour in my favorite room of the house, my master bedroom. This time of year, this room becomes my Hallmark Christmas movie viewing station, and it has just enough twinkling lights to make it feel perfectly magical.
(I have used affiliate links throughout this post. These cost you nothing extra, but I earn a small commission through purchases made through my links. I truly appreciate your support of my small business! I’ve also created a shoppable gallery at the end of this post for your convenience.)
In the master bedroom this year, it was all about creating a serene and special place for myself, because these days I go to bed between 8 and 9 pm and hunker down with holiday baking championship or Hallmark channel, and just need a peaceful retreat from the day. Above the bed I’ve added star fairy lights I purchased at Target last year.
On the bed itself, the bedding is the same, but I’ve added a couple of gold sequin pillows as well as a soft sky blue pillow from Modern Plum in front of my white faux fur pillows.
I turn on these star lights when I lay in bed for the night, and turn them off just before I go to sleep. I have a couple of other sets if string lights in this space as you will see, and those stay on until Chris goes to bed for the night.
This year I had so many plants to bring inside for the winter that several are living in my bedroom window, and a tropical tree is in the corner of the room. In the past I’ve had a flocked Christmas tree in my room, but I decided to sell it this year…. and instead I added string lights to my little tropical tree.
(PS- the kind people at Rothys sent me these lovely tartan plaid flats for an instagram collaboration, and I love them so much that I wanted to show them off here…. they are ridiculously comfortable and I can wear them all day at work on my feet with no issues. They are pricey but I assure you they are worth every penny! This is not in any way sponsored or an affiliate link, but I wanted to share because I love them. And you may recognize my leather Anaya camera bag that I got earlier this year- again not a sponsor or affiliate link, but just a huge fan of the bag!)
Next to my tropical tree on the wall sits my vintage accordion rack which always holds seasonal hats and scarves for easy access. this year I added a few simple paper ornaments my parents gave me a few years ago. And how lovely is that plaid cashmere scarf I found in brand new condition at Goodwill? It feels so soft on my neck.
I am not certain, but they appear to be made of recycled paper and have a great large scale and shape to them.
To the right side of the room along my own wood dresser, I didn’t add any decor and kept it simple as always as you can see.
The wall where the TV sits did get some festive touches…. after all, that’s where my eyes are aimed as I am basking in the glory of Hallmark movies.
The dresser got a bit of attention with copper look geometric string lights, and a couple of wooden vases filled with pine sprigs from a tree in our yard.
It’s simple, but together it all just feels right to me in our space.
And you may have spied one more small little touch… I could not leave our jackalope without any festive baubles. A simple faded blue vintage ornament was just what he needed.
Now let’s take a peek into the guest bedroom…. it’s a very “temporary” space, but it will be used this holiday season. After the holidays it will completely change as we make room for baby boy. For now, I’ve made it as comfortable as I can with what we have, a fabulous new shag rug from Boutique rugs, and a little sparkle of Christmas.
As you can see, I’ve had to make room in here for many or our plants as well. As Christmas decor made its way into the dining and living room, plants made their way upstairs. Literally the only actual Christmas touch in this room is the little tinsel tree on the nightstand.
That is actually the very tree we used in our vintage ornament gender reveal. Above the bed on the left is a vintage paint by number I got several years back at the Country Living Fair as a gift from my mom. And next to that hangs a gorgeous soft wool wall hanging from Ore & Wool. I believe that both of these items will find their way into the nursery somehow. The gray tasssel throw is an oldie but goodie from West Elm that they no longer sell, but I found a similar one here.
Let’s move on to the space where our family spends the most time together this season, and where we gather around the tree to open presents…. our living room.
This past weekend, we took our annual trip to the tree farm and selected a tree that is just right for our smaller space and lower ceilings. That evening we headed to the town Christmas parade and tree lighting and returned home to dinner in the crock pot (I made this white chicken chili which we are loving!), and tree decorating. Although Chris had football playing on the TV in the background, I was able to play my Christmas tunes as we took turns putting ornaments on the tree. Oh, and I mentioned this yesterday, but worth repeating…. my mother in law gave us our very own Christmas Tree Wand which connects to the power of the lights so you never have to crouch down to plug in your tree again… you simple turn it on with the wand! It’s been amazing, and Emmy loves to play with the wand.
As you can see, our tree doesn’t have a theme, and isn’t especially stylish, but it’s chock full of memories. The red wooden bead garlands came from my great nana, and I love thinking of her as I put them on our tree. The star was purchased when we first moved to Maryland and were in need of a tree topper. It’s simple, but just right. As for the ornaments, they are a collection of ornaments passed down from family, as well as gifts we have received over the years, and some the kids have made. Emmy especially loves the meaning behind each one, and sweetly this year handed me the special ornament that said “Jake” on it and said, “I think you’d like to put this one on the tree.” It brought a tear to my eye as this will be the first Christmas without my beloved dog, and I’ve certainly thought about him several times as different things remind me of him this season.
This year for the skirt, I used a piece of vintage mudcloth from my favorite mudcloth source on etsy. I just wanted to keep it simple, and blue is always my favorite color. With so much red on the tree, I needed some blue to balance it out.
Plus, I tell myself the mudcloth also helps balance out the other opposite corners of the room which are all filled with tropical plants. 😉
Aside from our family hanging out in this space, the fur members of our crew also prefer to lounge in here and bask in the glow of the lights. Snowball also prefers to bring the rattiest toy possible just so that it can interfere with my photos. Thankfully, Emmy selected a new pink pig for her for Christmas, so maybe we can finally ditch this brown matted beast that was once Chewbacca.
On the coffee table I’ve added a simple white feather tree, a holiday candle, and a few disco ball ornaments to my leather tray.
Now let me share with you one of my favorite elements this year, our black and white Christmas village mantle.
Emmy and I had the idea to find thrifted houses and paint them all white and create a scene. How lucky was it that one day I stepped into my local thrift shop and found a plethora of plaster village houses in need of paint? I selected several, and brought them home to spray them white.
Along the mantle I placed buildings on either side, added in miniature bottle brush trees, vintage miniature deer I already had, and a white snowball garland my parents once gave me. Twinkle lights and disco ball ornaments, of course, completed the look.
From the mantle I hung my white vintage fringe which always stays there because I love it, a natural wooden bead garland I made this year with beads I found at a yard sale, and a moravian star garland my parents gave me. I also hung some sparkly ornaments from the hooks as well as a little wooden “naughty” tag for a little whimsy. Naturally, my mantle wouldn’t be complete without a plant or two.
I’ve also decorated the hearth with a couple more village houses, some artwork and images in black, white, and gray, a disco ball, and some yarn trees my mother made for me.
This year we’ve told our kids about the real magic of Santa Claus, so our house is all about continuing to believe in the spirit and creating magic for one another. With that in mind, I selected a favorite quote from The Polar Express for my letterboard. The forest photograph came from our trip to Seattle (I found it at a flea market there), and the LOTR quote print can be found here.
On the opposite side of the room from the blue sofa sits our gray west elm sofa. I like to change out my pillows for the season, and I’ve gone with grays, blacks, and whites on the sofas this year. (You can find all of the pillows featured in the shoppable gallery below the post, minus the deer which I could not seem to find anymore!!!)
Just behind the sofa in the corner sits a vintage wicker shelf Emmy spied for $2 at a yard sale this past Spring.
Because I love to hang so many garlands from my mantle, I always move the stockings on Christmas Eve. This year, I hung them from the wicker shelving unit as a temporary holding zone.
Our stockings are all very special to us as they’ve been needlepointed by my mother-in-law for each of us over the years, Chris owning the original, of course. She puts so much time and effort into each one, and makes each so that it reflects our own personalities. I’ve told her that she could just do a cuff for the new baby, but she won’t have it. I know it tires her eyes and hurts her fingers… but I am so excited to have yet another beautiful hand made stocking to cherish over the years.
The actual shelf itself is full of some special pieces as well. On the top shelf is a vintage flocked deer that I found years ago. I also have a pair of white ones, but he is my only brown one. Behind him sits a plate that Emmy painted that has been used over the years for Santa’s cookies. This year, we will just admire it and let the kids eat extra cookies… and soon I plan to write about how we shared that news with them and made it special.
On the lower shelf sits a vintage ceramic house my mom painted years and years ago and I remember well from my own childhood. A few years ago, my dad fixed the wiring in it so that my kids could enjoy it. It was always one of my favorite decorations because I loved the colorful bulbs when I was a child.
As you can see, our living room is full of the Christmas spirit! And if you look at the ceiling, you can even see a little disco ball magic happening as well.
As you exit the living room through the doorway, immediately to the left is the staircase.
Over the years, Sawyer has collected several nutcrackers, and this is the second year that we’ve lined them up the staircase.
I don’t think I have shown you this space since the original reveal, so it’s kind of fun to be sharing it again. Sawyer has so many special, meaningful and quirky nutcrackers, and surprisingly, not one of us has tripped on any of these or knocked them over! They fit just perfectly without being in the way.
I love his wizard the most, but he also has a soccer player, vintage santa, several colorful ones, and even this guy…. aaaaargh!
I love that he can enjoy seeing his collection on display every time he heads up to his room. It’s certainly one of my favorite spaces in our holiday home and just makes me smile.
Phew…. well, that was a lot for today! I will be back as soon as I can with Part 2, our kitchen and dining room; and Part 3, our porch. I am looking forward to sharing more of our holiday home with you and hope that you find some inspiration to decorate your home with the meaningful pieces that bring on the rush of holiday memories to you. This time year is not about all of the things, but about the people who mean so much to us…. as I decorate my own home, I try to keep that in mind. I decorate it for my children, for my parents, for my inlaws, and I especially decorate it for those who have passed and are no longer here to share with us, family, friends, and beloved pets… I am grateful for the pieces of their own collections that they’ve left behind for me to enjoy and pass on to my kids, and thankful for the time that we had together.
Now, I’ve put together a gallery for you in case you found anything you might like for your own home. I thank you for taking the time to spend with me today and supporting my blog. Happy holidays!