CHRISTMAS 2018 HOME TOUR

Merry Almost Christmas!  I’m so excited to show you our Christmas 2018 Home Tour.  Just ask any of my family members and they will confirm I am truly a Christmas decorating nut, one year I put up 4 Christmas trees!  Every year I like to switch things up a little, it’s just too fun for me to leave it the same every year!  Sadly last year I failed getting a tour up on the blog, it didn’t happen because we we’re really busy with photography classes and planning a Colorado trip, but I’m here this year.

I mentioned I blew my budget on a few things, but they were essential…I needed new Christmas trees, they were really old and bad, but I made a ton of my own decorations this year.  I have a lot of tips and tricks for maximizing Christmas decor on a low budget.  That won’t be in today’s tour, but next week I will blog about all my secrets and ways to save money.  I’m all about balance.  Be sure to sign up for the email list so you don’t miss anything good!

In case anyone is interested in any decor items related to the tour I’m going to link where to buy them below, although many things are no longer available.

These white branch trees have been a favorite for a few years in our home.  Originally I bought them at Restoration Hardware, I found nearly identical trees at Amazon for a lot less.  The ones above are RH and the one shorter one below is from Amazon… save and go with the Amazon ones!  This year I put them in gold pots.

I love adding Christmas cheer to my office, plus the room is in the front of the house so we all get to enjoy it.  I’m thinking I may leave these trees up after Christmas and do something Valentine’s Day-ish with them.  Alexis my sassy mannequin is in full Santa spirit as well.

Those with a good eye did you notice our plantation shutters?  I love them, I planned on reviewing our process but they just arrived. We are ordering ones for the upstairs loft after Christmas so I’ll give you a review of how we ordered, how we saved, and the installation process.

Chandelier | White Slipcovers | Placemats | Charger Plates 

Last year we had 3 Christmas trees, but this year I toned it down a bit and got a little more creative.  I always need my dining room tree though!

Sofa | Rug | Mirror | Coffee Table

My lovable golden deer head, Goldie Fawn, (yes I know that doesn’t make sense) freakin’ loves getting decked out for Christmas.  I love the sparkle that mirrors give to a room and the berry wreath really warms the area up.  I just love wreathes over mirrors.

Hello, meet my naughty purchase of the year… this Christmas tree, I’d link it but it’s already out of stock everywhere.  But it’s tall, pre-lit, and gorgeous!  I’m all about the flocking this year baby!  I think the merry burlap bag is just so cute too!

So what I did to cut costs is do a lot of decorating with the 500 pinecones I collected.  I bleached them, made wreaths, and now garland. The garland took a long time but I love it!  See my gingerbread salt dough garland back there?  The Merry Christmas banner was a new purchase, and I tied some old burlap ribbon to it to jazz it up.

A couple years ago I was shopping around for a trendier nativity set and I couldn’t find one I loved so one day I decided to spray paint my existing set gold and it’s LOVE!!  Jesus loves his glam makeover… missing are the 3 wise men and shepherd boy… what can I say?  There was no room at the end table.

I hung letters for each child and I’m really glad I didn’t name my kids Alexander, Sidney, and Sophia right now…hahaha.  Brian says I have a stocking problem, yeah… I do buy new ones a lot, but I can’t help it.  These knit stockings are awesome and also come in red.

Fireplace Screen | Chandelier | Table | Chairs

And our guest room always needs a holiday cheer!  The desk on the opposite wall turns into my gift wrapping station this time of year, it’s so helpful.

Merry Pillow | Tray | Daybed | Frames | Duvet 

Now for the loft, up here has a funky relaxed teen vibe.  The vivid stripes on the bookshelf make styling a breeze and so fun.  Below is where I put a Christmas tree last year but we decided it was time to mix it up.  So I collected boxes of various sizes over the last few months and wrapped them up and added lots of fun pizazz.

Many thanks to Ashley who helped me pull off our Christmas present snow scene, I couldn’t get this area right and she helped me work out the kinks. She was a trooper waiting in that 45 minute Hobby Lobby checkout line with me… I only wish I was kidding about that.

Canopy Bed | Rug | Tray

Our bedroom I needed to keep a little simpler or I would never go to sleep!  I made most of the decorations in here, the pinecone wreath, garland, and the snowy winter burlap tree.  Brian is obsessed with our flannel sheets by the way!  I can’t blame him… those things are good.

Mr. Nutcracker said he’s for indoor use only but I put like 40 coats of clear varnish on him.  So fingers crossed… let’s see how he does!

Thanks for stopping by my Christmas 2018 Home Tour, I think it’s the most magical time of year!  I will soon blog my tips and tricks for decorating, and don’t worry we’ll have many more Christmas and holiday projects on the blog…more projects, food, and fun!  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!