Our Holiday Home Tour – Part 1

Hello friends!

Even though throwing a party the weekend after Thanksgiving made me a bit crazy, the upside is that my house is now decorated for the holidays.  Well, some tweaking is still going on, and my fireplace isn’t done (yet), but you know what I mean.  Here are some highlights!

When you approach our front porch, you’re greeted with festive winter planters that can work well beyond the holidays.  And of course, the wreaths on the windows – I have a wreath problem.  I admit it.

The planters are a mix of purchases and tree trimmings from my own yard.  I purchased the red branches from a local nursery because I love the red and the great impact they provide with their height.  I added the berries (faux) from Hobby Lobby and another faux pick that has pinecones on it.  The rest is all real from my yard.  Can I just tell you how happy I am that I kept my holly tree?  Really comes in handy this time of year.

I also added some swags to the stone facade that I purchased from the same nursery that had red branches. I added the gold ribbon, but the swags were a steal – $8.99 each.

I found great outdoor inspiration this year in the December 2012 Better Homes & Gardens issue.  Of course, I can’t find any of the images online to share, but trust me, it’s there!  I also found great ideas at my local nursery.  These planters are really easy to emulate at home – they had some beauties too.

These were particularly spectacular!  I love the tall birch branches – such great impact!

Once inside my home, you’ll find my staircase adorned in garland.  Since all of my prelit garland died this year, I started from scratch and used faux prelit garland, mixed with fresh garland for added interest and a more natural feel.

If you go downstairs, you’ll find the space where we do most of our holiday entertaining.  Again, I went a little haywire with the natural garland and used it along the bank of windows.   And yes, my wreath obsession continues inside the house.  I told you I have wreath issues…

The basement color here lends itself to traditional red and green (and yes, I did paint it recently – haven’t blogged about it yet).  I pulled the ottoman from upstairs to tie in the red down here a little more.  The “JOY” pillow is a new purchase from Kohl’s, and the little trees in the corners are actually intended for outdoor use, but have a tendency to tip over with a brisk wind, so I’m using them inside this year.

I dressed up my IKEA lanterns with some Christmas ornaments.

Here is the Pinterest inspiration.  Easy peasy, and totally cheap!  The only thing I had to purchase was the flameless candles – I had all of the rest on hand or snagged from the yard.

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Boxwood wreaths ala Ballard Outlet, with $1 felt ornaments from Target.

More to come!  Have you decked all of your halls yet?

Linking to:
Jennifer Rizzo – Holiday Housewalk Linky Party
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia – Countdown to Winter Linky Party
The Nester – Christmas Tour of Homes