Christmas Home Tour 2015 - Part 1

Hello Friends.

So happy you all are able to be here today as

I join with some of my friends in the Holiday Homes Blog Hop.  

Welcome to our home.  Usually I try to come up with a theme or  design element to follow for our Christmas decor each year. This year was no different however, my theme was quite different for me - I chose 

             "Keep It Simple"

  I decided to use items I already had and simply embellish them with bits of paper, ribbon, flowers, and ornaments I also had. Then I mixed in a few special Christmas items that we absolutely love. I decided to use typical reds and golds instead of my usual neutrals this year and I have fallen in love with this new (to me) concept -  a very simple and yet festive bit of decor for our home.

   Today I am sharing our living room and dining room. I will share the family room and kitchen area on Friday as I join our

         Share It One More Time 

ladies with their home tours.  

Come on in grab a cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa and a cookie or two and we'll get started.  

As you came in you walked through our front porch which I shared last week.  

As you come through the front door you will step into our foyer which is open to our living and dining rooms. You will notice all the pops of red among the gold and black of the vintage industrial and rustic pieces I use year round. (We are in the midst of redoing this area and have tabled it to be finished after the new year. This means lots of projects I'll be sharing with you all then.) 

 I have a simple little vignette on this table using one of my beloved Old World Santas and a little sled I piled high with wrapped packages.
  I made the "Believe" sign from an old canvas we had that I no longer used.  I just simply painted over the top of it. 

On the shelf below this little vignette I placed two wire baskets with burlap liners. These add that vintage industrial feel I have fallen in love with lately. 

 Filling one with pine cones and ornaments add texture to the room while filling the second basket  with pretty wrapped  " faux" packages add a lot of color and interest. These packages are actually books I wrap with pretty papers and add embellishments. 

 To the right is our living room. 

 I keep the color palette neutral in this area so I can change it up with pops of color to reflect each season - and for this time of year it's red and gold with a touch of black.  For a quick change of added texture and color I like to use interchangeable pillow covers on our throw pillows.  A very simple solution without a big investment. The ones you see here are stenciled drop cloth, sweater, and a DIY felt and drop cloth wreath.  

Next to the sofa is a round table that I added a very simple bit of color to by covering some old books with wrapping paper.

 Then I simply added a gold vase filled with "faux" berries, flowers and twigs.  Easy, colorful and full of texture.

Below the table is another old world Santa and a vintage wire basket filled with more "faux" packages.  I tied a wooden Merry Christmas sign to the front of it.
   

I hung the little paper wreath I just made with a gold threaded burlap ribbon on the china hutch.  This cabinet houses my tea cup and saucer collection right now but I have other plans for it in the future.

I set our tree in the middle between the two rooms this year. 

 I was really not sure about this arrangement at first but it has grown on me and I actually like it now.  It looks so pretty from either room and gives a beautiful ambiance to each in the evenings. 

 Usually I try to do a theme tree and have all the garlands and tree topper on before my annual Christmas tree decorating party with the grand kids each year.  But this year I let them do the whole process from taking the tree out of the box to putting the skirt under it.  I think they did a marvelous job and I have to pat myself on the back for not moving one ornament from where they placed it.
Although they always tell me they like my themed trees they actually like putting all our older ornaments on it. They love putting them on and telling stories about why each one is special to them.  Then there is always the joy of finding their very own ornaments that we have collected over the years.  I let them chose a new one for the tree each year so our ornaments are an eclectic collection
from "Miss A's" snowman addition for this year:

    to handmade ornaments like this wreath:

            
     to this vintage wood angel and more.          

I also like to add sprays of berries and pine cones that I pick up at the dollar store along with garlands of burlap ribbon and white pearl beads. Although it's not a designer tree - it's our tree and we all love it.

Next we'll head into the dining room where I have done very little to decorate. With the tree in the center of the two rooms it becomes the highlight of this room also.

I  made a centerpiece for our table using the lanterns I recycled this fall. I placed them on a crochet doily resembling a snowflake that my Mother made many years ago. 

I added a little wooden snowman scene to the smaller one along with a big red bow and some jingle bells.

And the larger one received a small snow covered church in a snowy glen with bottle brush trees.  It also has a large red bow with a snowflake on top. 

Heading down the hall towards the family room you will find the vintage French table I did a couple of years ago.  I love bringing color into this dark area of our home.

As you can see I started with the chicken wire window and added the ornament wreath  I made earlier this month.  The red and gold just pops off this frame.

On the table is a vintage wire basket with a burlap liner filled with more "faux" gifts and a gold spray painted pine cone.  

Adding to this little vignette are some of the little trees I have made over the years using burlap, ribbon or paper.  I have placed them on candle sticks to give them variegated height and interest.  They are also sporting the reds and golds I love this year.

And so ends this first part of the tour of our Christmas home.  Join me on Friday along with the other fabulous hosts of Share It One More Time when I bring you the rest of the tour.
Until then enjoy creating something you love. Be sure to visit the rest of the homes in this exciting Holiday Home Tour. 


Follow the #holidayhomes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see all the wonderful tours.

1. Casa Watkins ~ Winter Home Tour, Part 3

2. Kolb Corner ~ Christmas Dining Room Tour and Holiday Homes Blog Hop

3. Green with Decor ~ 5 Must Haves for Christmas Decorating: The Family Room Christmas Tour

4. Karen's Up On the Hill ~ Holiday Hallway and Holiday Homes Blog Hop

5. Twelve on Main ~ Farmhouse Christmas Dining Room Tour

6. The House Down the Lane ~ Holiday Homes Blog Hop: Red and White Christmas Dining Room

7. Creatively Homespun ~ A Vintage Christmas Dining Room

8. 2 Bees in a Pod ~ Guest Room Christmas Home Tour

9. Sew a Fine Seam ~ Dining Room Decked Out For Christmas

10. Knock It Off Crafts ~ Holiday Homes Blog Hop: Festive Master

11. Vintage Paint and More ~ Christmas Home Tour 2015, Part 1

12. Inside the Fox Den ~ Candy Coated Living Room

13. Penny Love Projects ~ Holiday Home Tour

14. Made In a Day ~ Mini Holiday Decor Tour

15. Refashionably Late ~ Holiday Home Hop

16. Pretty Practical Home ~ Simple (and Cheap) Holiday Porch Decor - Holiday Homes Blog Hop

17. Intelligent Domestications ~ Christmas Traditions Home Tour 2015

18. Our Crafty Mom ~ Outdoor Holiday Decor: Front Entry

19. Lehman Lane ~ Green and Gold Christmas Dining Room

20. C'mon, Get Crafty ~ 2015 Holiday Homes Blog Hop

21. My Pinterventures ~ 2015 Holiday Homes Blog Hop - Festive Family Room

I will be linking up to the parties listed on the Where I Party page.  Please be sure to visit them - you'll find so much creativeness and inspiration at each one.