2013 Holiday Housewalk – Nature Inspired Christmas
Hi everyone, thanks so much for stopping by to see my 2013 Nature Inspired Holiday Housewalk! I’m a little late to the party, but better late than never. I’ve been so inspired by all of the lovely homes, and want to thank Jennifer Rizzo for being such a gracious host.
For those of you who are new here, I’m Amy and my little family of four recently bought a house that we have been slowly personalizing to fit “us”. As new homeowners on a tight budget, we’ve had to get creative in furnishing our home. We’ve just started on this journey and have a long way to go, but we’ve made some progress on our great room and dining room, so those are the rooms I’ll be sharing with you today. With a full time job and two busy teens, I try my best to keep my decor as simple and functional as possible, especially during the holidays. I’m also making a conscience effort to only purchase things for my home that are both beautiful and purposeful. I got rid of tons of holiday decor before we moved in, and will work on replacing it with things that fit “us” and our new home. That being said, welcome …
This is our artificial tree, stuffed with free clippings from the tree lot at Home Depot. We’ve had it for several years and it’s starting to look a little “thin”, but a new one just isn’t in the budget this year, so tree clippings will work just fine (plus, they make the house smell like Christmas).
I usually decorate our tree in a “vintage toy” theme, with traditional Christmas colors, and lots of ornaments made by my children. Although I love our usual tree, I was craving something different; calmer. I wanted a natural, woodsy look this year. I soon found out that buying all new ornaments would be expensive and we have other financial priorities right now, so I got creative and filled the tree with found objects, gift card purchases, and inexpensive ornaments from the Dollar Store.
The pine cones were collected on walks in my neighborhood and painted with white acrylic paint to look “frosted”. The burlap garland was purchased at Home Goods with a gift card I received for my birthday. The pom-pom garland was made by me, using cotton balls and white thread, and several of the other ornaments were ones I already had. The branches and vines are clippings from my yard.
I carried the ‘natural” them over into my gift wrap as well. Tree clippings, burlap, twine, and my new best friend, brown packaging paper. I also used some sheet music wrap that I purchased at Home Goods.
The sofa is a recent purchase, and is so comfy, you will almost always find “someone” napping on it …
The sweater pillows were made by me, the fur pillow and throw were purchased years ago at Target. We are still looking for the perfect furniture pieces to fill up the rest of the room.
And our tree lit up…
Our dining room is just off of the great room, and is in the midst of a makeover. While the room isn’t quite finished, we found some furniture that fits our new decorating scheme. The dining room table has been dressed in a “runner” of little Christmas houses that I picked up from the Dollar Store and spray-painted white.
I love how the glittered roofs catch the light…
The hutch got glammed out too…
My Thanksgiving banner got updated with “Believe” printed on sheet music.
And my thrifted manger, or parts there-of, so as not to forget the reason for the season.
And the last stop on our tour; my back patio where the hot cocoa bar has been set up, next to the fire pit.
Thank you so much for stopping by! Wishing you a very happy holiday…
Amy
Sharing at: Between Naps on the Porch
Thank you for the tour, your home is beautiful. I love the way you hung your stockings on the wall behind your tree and the tree itself is stunning! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment too. -Andrea@scrapality.com
Thank you for the kind comments, Andrea. I will definitely be spending more time on your blog!
Your home is just stunning. What a wonderful tour of such a pretty place. Enjoy every room. You did an amazing job.
Hugs
becky
Thank you so much, Becky! I love decorating for Christmas…
Your home is lovely, but I especially love your tree with the white pom pom garland. Coming to you from Between Naps on the Porch this morning. Merry Christmas!
Thanks for stopping by, Nicki! I’m putting together a tutorial for the pom-pom garland, it was unbelievably easy to make!
Amy,
I adore that you used real branches to fill in the void in your “thinning” tree!
Your color palette is very soothing!
The packages beneaththe tree within the baskets is a clever idea!!!
The vignette/ centerpiece on the dining room table is stunning!!!
I love the varying heights throughout the length of the table!
Visiting from Susan’s!!!
Fondly,
Pat
It was so much fun to put the different vignettes together; I’m glad that you enjoyed your visit! Thanks so much for the lovely comments.
Your holiday decor is so lovely! Your tree is so pretty. I really like your dining table village.
Thank you, Julie! Glad you stopped by…
You have a lovely home and great style. I love the “Believe” banner and the little houses painted white! I’m a new follower from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia. Have a merry Christmas!
Thank you for your sweet comments,Deborah! I’m so glad you are following along!
You are well on your way to creating a look that is uniquely yours and it provides a great backdrop for your Christmas decorations. I’m loving what people are doing with sweaters!
Who knew that sweaters were so versatile? I still have a few more ideas “up my sleeve”
Thank you for stopping by, Linda!
Oh my, everything is so beautiful. I adore your tree, the snowflakes and the nature elements are stunning. Beautiuful home and gorgeous decor. Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty
Thanks so much for hosting, Marty! I appreciate your sweet comments regarding my home. Thanks for stopping by…
WOW ! What a beautiful home. Its amazing what can be done on a budget when you have the right mind set. so glad I came across your site.
Thanks so much, John! I’m glad you are enjoying my site!
Love your nature inspired Christmas Tour! Especially your gorgeous gift wrapping! Nice Job!!!
Thank you, Angela! So glad you stopped by!
Coming to you from Susan’s. Love what you have done on a budget! Everything is lovely. If you can come up with this much beauty on a budget, I can only imagine what you could do if you won the lottery! Great taste and your tree is LOVELY!
Merry Christmas!
Blessings
Hi Shelley, thank you for your sweet comments! I would love to find out what kind of decorating I could do with a couple million $…
Maybe someday! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Wow! Very stunning! I loved seeing every inch, you really have such a creative flair. It looks like you had fun doing it which is so inspiring, with all the little nuances that really make it complete.
Thank you for your kind comments, Kate! I did have fun with my decorating this year and I’m already starting on ideas for next year.
Thank you for visiting!
Very beautiful! It is all so pretty … love the natural feel in your decor! That outdoor cocoa station rocks!!!
Thank you – we got so much use out of the hot cocoa station last winter! Can’t wait to use it again…