Our (In-Progress) Holiday Home Tour + 30% Off Pillows & Throws Today

Today I'm going to take you on a little tour of our in-progress decorating in our home.  I'm making an effort to not be a decorated-in-a-day person for Christmas this year, as I like to keep adding layers each week/day as we get closer to Christmas.   We'll display Emma's "artwork" as she creates it, add more fresh greens in a week or two, string more lights when the mood strikes, and just take our time enjoying the process. This year I'm in the mood to do lots of old fashioned homemade crafty projects with Emma (popcorn stringing, gingerbread ornaments, cranberries & oranges, pinecone garlands...) and we'll look forward to working on those little by little each week. 

In this little tour, you'll notice a lot of pillows and throws : )   In fact, it might feel like the entire house is decked out - but really, it is just to the credit of pillows.   They are the first thing I do each season (along with the tree) and they add instant warmth and coziness.  So, in celebration of our first layer of holiday decorating, I'm offering 30% off all Pillows & Throws today.  The pillows are perfect for your own home and the throws make great gifts.

30% Off All Pillows & Throws   |   code :  PILLOWS-30

Shop the Pillows & Throws Collection, here >

We put the lights up right before Thanksgiving (so we could switch them on that night after the feast!) which is why you still see a giant pumpkin and "signs" welcoming everyone to Thanksgiving...

I'm in the mood for big and full greens this year - the more wild, unruly and natural the better.   Our tree follows suit, as well.

I love how this 30" frasier fir wreath has taken over the entire door.



Ignore the string of light from the tree straight to the outlet... still rounding up extension cords.

Pillows :  Clay Velvet, Large Snowflake Hooked & Leaf Block Print Rectangle

Pillows :  Clay Velvet, Large Snowflake Hooked & Leaf Block Print Rectangle

I love this cozy view.  This year I have lots of layers of color, not just red.  I love the deep green of the "Family Tree" Hooked Pillow, the warm Amber Velvet and the colorful hooked stockings.

Pillows & Throws (Left to Right) :  Heathered Grey & Cream Throw, Amber Velvet Pillow, Family Tree Hooked Pillow.

Hooked Stockings

This is my absolute favorite cozy corner in the house.  I picked up that tree top at the florists and strung some darling star wire lights on it.  It took 3 minutes and makes this little corner sparkle - my kind of christmas decorating.

Pillow : Classic Navajo Embroidered Pillow ($48, $60),  Amber Velvet Pillow, Chocolate Cable Knit Throw ($120 $140)

I picked up those red stockings at our favorite local antique store.  I'm not sure they are actually old, but I love the long simple lines and old fashioned feel it gives the mantle.  I'm sure they would be so simple to make.

Pillows : Hooked Snowflake Lumbar, Clay Velvet, Slate Wreath Block Print 



Pillows : Hooked Snowflake Lumbar, Clay Velvet, Slate Wreath Block Print 

Paperwhites time!

Again, the power of pillows.  Just adding these two Navajo Embroidered Pillows has transformed our room into a cozy Christmasy feeling space.

Clay Velvet Pillow

Cream & Sugar + Small Tray

I love how this little pillow made a very pink girly room into a festive spot.  

Hooked Snowflake Lumbar Pillow

These gold stars are up all year long, but they feel especially festive this time of year.

Notice, no photos of the floor... covered in toys : )

My office/mudroom gets the a tiny little Starflake Pillow and the whole room feels festive.

Hooked "Starflake" Pillow

Can't wait to make these Nativity cookie cutters.  For now, I love that they are my kitchen Nativity set.

Love these twins on our french doors!

(photo from last year)

If you are new here, you can visit this link to see my Christmas Kitchen Tour from last year to see more of our kitchen.  It looks similar this year... but just not as clean so I didn't photograph : )

Love these star twinklers.

The tiny tree has moved to the kitchen corner... just love it so much that I move to wherever I am.

Happy Decking the Halls and taking your time to enjoy making your home sparkle with your loves : )

My House on 11 Magnolia Lane's Holiday Open House

The girls from 11 Magnolia Lane are hosting a Holiday Open House and have invited me to kick-off their series. 

I've included a couple of photos below, but you can see the rest on their blog!

Stop by to see the rest of my home today, and follow the rest of the series through December 13th.  Enjoy!

A Peek Around our House the Night (okay, two nights...) Before Christmas

Here is a peek around our house just before Christmas!  Last night Santa (a.k.a. Mike's parents!) made a stop at our house and left this antique sleigh complete with red and robins egg blue paint - isn't it perfect?

I filled our urns with sprigs of cedar and piles of ornaments (non glass, but glass-looking).  The glittered ones look so great and sparkly at night.

Our tree, a Frasier Fir, is decked with upholstery strapping and ornaments, as always.

All of the gifts (but one from Mike to Emma) are wrapped in brown paper and satin ribbon.  I know brown kraft paper is really popular right now, but I've loved it for as long as I can remember.  For the last 30 years my Aunt Lisa has wrapped gifts in her signature craft paper and plaid ribbon.  At some point, maybe 15 years ago, I adopted her wrapping style.

Emma loves to unstack and re-stack the presents.   She particularly loves the packages with the red satin ribbons, which happen to be hers... smart girl!  Maybe she can read her name written on the packages in gold sharpie.

I love this pillow featuring a vintage woody wagon that I picked up at Pottery Barn.

The mantle has fake (gasp!) white pine sprigs with real magnolia leaves inserted in it.

I love the combo of the two AND the real magnolia leaves seem to make the fake pine look real.  Bonus.

A bay leaf wreath in the kitchen.



Potted paperwhites in the kitchen.

Packaged snowflake cookies ready for delivery.

A Bay Leaf Wreath in the dinning room.

A tree in our bedroom dormer.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Cape Cod Co. Lantern & Dining Room Update

Finally, there is light in the dining room!  

More specifically, a light.  Or should I say, a lantern.  The lantern. 

After chatting with Mike's mom, Joy, about my vision for the fixture, I told her that I wanted something that felt authentic for a "Cape Cod" style house.  Being Joy and an expert in all things unique and special, "Have you looked at Cape Cod Lantern Company?  They are in Chatham.  I believe they make all of the lanterns at Chatham Bars Inn."  Only Joy would know great things like that sitting in KC!

  Do you remember my post about our stay at the Chatham Bars Inn?  I oogled over the authentic fixtures and lanterns that hung seemingly everywhere on the property.  The photo above (no, that is not my family room...) is of the sitting room at the Inn.

So, I immediately searched their site and found the "5652 Concord" Lantern.  Not only did I love the style but I loved that this particular style was a nod to our New England home, Concord.  Perfect.

I love it.  It is simple, yet very striking.  The scale is lovely, which I was a little concerned about before it arrived... would it be too big?  Not big enough?  But, alas, it is just right.

I love that it is an authentic, handmade representation of our time in New England that hangs in the center of our home.  I imagine that we will take it with us to all of our future homes.  As Mike and I drove through Mission Hills on our way to dinner last weekend, I noticed all of the graceful lanterns that hung in front of the front doors of the large stately homes... maybe someday...

I'm not big on souveneirs, I mostly rely on photos instead of sweatshirts, but I have to say... This is one great souvenir!

I had it made (all of their fixtures are handmade to order) in Antique Brass finish with clear glass to compliment the original brass fixtures in our house.   The un-laqured finish will weather and age with time. 

 You may also notice a peek at our Christmas decorations that are beginning to take their places.  In our windows, I've hung fresh bay leaf wreaths.  They smell soooo good.

Here is another look at the room - a couple of stacks of plates, compote of tangerines, etc., piled in the center of the table from my holiday header shoot for the blog.

Another "authentic" decision for the room was to feature photos from our travels.  As I was getting ready to order some random prints of botanicals and birds, I decided to take a more authentic approach to the artwork that hung in our home.  I decided to have 11x14 photos from our favorite experiences displayed in the room.  

They are framed in frames that are painted the same color as our trim, Navajo White in Satin.  The walls are painted navajo white in flat.

Above : Stowe, Vermont and Martha's Vineyard

I included a caption of the place and date of each photo.

We plan to keep adding to our collection... maybe someday we'll have an entire wall gallery devoted to it... I imagine it in a long hallway - in the same stately home in which the lantern hangs in our entryway.