Decking the Halls

Putting up Christmas decorations always starts fun for me, but always ends up being a bit more work than I remember. This year, there are more mantels to decorate and I wanted to use things we already had. Outside, I actually hung the garland and lights myself only to find them on the ground an hour later. Matt rehung them for me (almost) happily. I was bummed since I wanted to accomplish that on my own, but at least I tried? 

I went with fresh garland and just lights around the entry. The house is set away from the street, so really no one will see it except guests and us. It was my first round buying real garland. I clearly did not pick the lushest of them, which I will do next year. 

The larger LED lights are a cooler color than the traditional. I like how much it lights up the entry. I bought the wreath (all of them) and got crafty by making the bows. 

We use a fake tree inside. It is just easier and I love how it is already lighted. My mom gave me these fun yellow, silver, and black striped ornaments last year. I love the unexpected colors in the tree along with the more traditional ones. 

The fresh wreaths inside make up for the fake tree. They smell amazing. To keep them fresh, I spritz with some water every other day or so. The little bells garland and the crystal candlesticks are what I usually use as the centerpiece for Christmas dinner. 

These glass vases are always on the island, so I just filled them with some pine cones and garland. I am using that low vase to hold Christmas cards this year. 

Glittery little trees for the side table in the family room. 

The mantel in the family room has some great (fake) garland from Nell Hill's that my mom sent me on it. 

Also from Nell Hill's is this amazing lighted wire. It is battery operated, flexible and gives off great light. Genius for indoor decorating. 

I used this idea last year. It is an easy way to add cheer to a vignette. 

The mantel in the living room I kept simple since the tree is in here. I watched a video to help me tie the wreath bows. I used a plaid tartan and white polka dot ribbon. Then I used some bulb lights from Ikea and Moroccan tea glasses as votives. It will be pretty with the lights turned off at night with the tree. 

Since I was already all over the decorating, I finally put round bulbs in my new light fixture (vintage). I go in the living room and turn it on all the time now. Just to stare. Yep, obsessed. 

Here's to happy holiday decorating and a fun weekend. 

xo

Erin 

Before & After: Great Room

This house is probably going to be a work in progress for many, many years to come. Which is kind of what we love about it. The basement remodel is at the tail end and I cannot wait to show you the finished product. Until then, I can share with you at least one room that although not "done" feels like home. 

The main living space is the kitchen and family room. Before we moved in, it looked like this....

Although the built in bench and storage was good looking, it was not functional with how we use this space. Lucky for us the floors ran through and it was an easy demo. Now the room is open, airy and where we spend most of our time. 

The floors are one of things that sold us on the house. They are restored barn planks stained dark brown. They run throughout the entire main floor. Keeping them clean has turned into a bit more work than I had anticipated, but it is worth it. 

I cannot wait to actually cook something in that fireplace. The bar area next to it has turned into a make shift office. Need to relocate that mess pronto. 

Looking for new pillows, maybe a gray and white strip? 

Light fixtures for between the beams still need to be decided on. I am leaning towards an industrial or nautical style (like this). The house has a very country look (we literally live in horse country), so I would like to bring a bit more modern style to each room while keeping with the traditional feel of the house. 

One of those couches is most likely going down to the basement family room and I think two comfy, yet chic chairs will replace it. I am also dying for a new ottoman, so the one above may be heading South as well. So sick of all the beige. 

I hope to keep sharing more rooms over the next couple of weeks. Next up, the not-yet-used dining room. 

xo

Erin   

Gut Job

Since doing a full gut job in the basement, there have been workers here every day. That was over a month ago and even though you cannot see much progress from these photos, there has been so much done. From electric, plumbing, dry wall, etc. I really had no idea how much work this was going to take. The good news is that a lot of the fun stuff is coming. In the mean time I can share some photos so you can see where we began and where we are now. 

Before and not quite after photos...

We decided on lots of built in storage to get ahead of the toy situation that is in our future. Plus, a nice spot for the tv. This room will be a nice family room and play space. 

We will have a half kitchen with another washer and dryer in this space. There will also be a bar in the cut out. We also decided to do a ton of storage in this space, you can never have enough. 

This bathroom is hard because it is dark and only has one window in the shower. White cabinets, white subway tile and dark floors should keep it light and bright. 

If you have ever done a full renovation like this, you know it seems never ending. But I am hoping that in the next month I can post some much more fun pictures of how this space is coming together. I also do not want to move onto other rooms of the house until this is done. 

Oh and let's not forget that we added a walk out door in the middle of this project just to keep things interesting. It is very nice to have an entrance to the backyard. It makes this space also much more like an in-law suite. Perfect for grandmas and grandpas. 

Any advice from those that have gone through projects like this is much appreciated! 

xo

Erin 

Laundry Room Re-do

Our laundry/mud room has been an eye sore for quite some time. It is actually a large space, but was being well underutilized and looking all around sad. 

The only thing missing from this before photo is a giant pile of shoes on the floor. Clearly that closet was a catch all for everything and nothing at all. 

We knew we needed to make some changes and found lots of inspiration from Pinterest. Some images were just for dreaming about and some actually had ideas we could use. 

And so the painters and contractor went to work and while there is still some work to be done, we now have a space that we can actually use. 

The new bench with cubbies, hooks and extra storage is fantastic. I found the bead board drying rack on this site for an incredible price. The mounted rack is genius and a huge space saver. We are still thinking about getting rid of the cabinet and getting stackables, then adding a counter with more storage. But for now, we are going to live with this and see what next steps will work best for us. 

Just a little home project that has made a huge difference. 

xo

Erin 

Starting to Get Jolly Around Here

Finally settled back into reality after a fantastic break on the beach, I decided to start the holidays off yesterday. I will be hosting Christmas this year and decided there is no time like the present to get things started. Let me just be clear that decorating for a holiday is not usually my forte, but I am trying a bit more now that I have the responsibility to bring on the cheer and all. 

So here are my first attempts at a few, easy ways to bring on the jolly. 

Tiny star garland (Target) and big round bulbs (Ikea) on a mini tree in the entry...

Note: Real tree, but just a little guy

 Branches (Ikea) and garland (the real deal) in the kitchen nook....

Filled my usual flower vases by the entry with some cheap ornaments (Ikea), bead garland (Ikea) and costume pearls (mine), plus spruced up the back with some leftover greens and branches (more like shoved, but it turned out pretty good). 

Things really got crazy when I filled this silver champagne chiller with metallic ornaments (Ikea) and some strands of LED lights (Ikea). Kind of obsessed with it. Not so much because it is so gorgeous, but because it made me feel clever, which rarely happens. 

So far, it is starting to feel like the holidays, and I like it. 


xoxo
Erin 

Genius Mirror Update

This idea is so fantastic, that I just have to share. If you live in a house where mirrors with no frame, shape, or design hang, you will love this post. Many places are built with mirrors in the bathrooms that are impossible to get off, and even if you do take it down you are left with a serious project to repair the area. Patching, painting, and finding something that fits the space could take lots of money and lots of time. These types of mirrors in my house drive me bananas. They are not attractive and the only thing I have ever thought of doing is hanging some sort of frame around them, but even that sounds like more of a project that I can handle given the shape and size requirements. And let's get serious, I am not that crafty or have the patience for certain handy work. In comes an idea from a great design blog, Little Green Notebook. This genius idea requires just some picture hanging tape from 3M and inexpensive frameless mirrors like this one from Ikea. I love how it gives a stock mirror some whimsy and interest. More traditional shapes would also work, and might be a little more man friendly. This oval mirror would look great. I love when I can find a clever idea that is actually doable in my world. That world being a place that does not require a call to a handy man, any real skill of any kind, or power tools. A hammer and a measuring tape is as far as I can get and even that can get a little scary.

xo
Erin