It's the most wonderful time of the year!
Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year!
And we all desperately need something positive to focus on right now!
It has been a tough year. I can’t believe we have all spent almost an entire year “social distancing” and wearing masks in public. We even cancelled Thanksgiving this year…now that was a stinger!
For me, it has been a fairly stressful year. First, I sold the apartments and bought rental houses…a major “career change.” I bought this house and waded through the treacherous process of “remodeling.” I sold my home of 20 years and went through the whole purging, boxing, moving struggle.
My mom died and we had to clear out and sell our “family home” of 50 years.
It has been a stressful year.
So I am clinging to every single “happy” “positive” “joyful” thing I can possibly find….as I shared before, some days it is really hard to find the positives when life seems to be throwing you one negative after another…but it is sooooo important to find and focus on any little positive thing you can find!
So today I am super focused on all the wonderful changes we have made to this house to make it our home!
Welcome to our home!!!!
I shared our front porch several months ago HERE. I absolutely love it…and last month they FINALLY got our yard sodded…looks amazing!
The porch lanterns are beautifully decked out for the holidays!
I love the few changes I have made to the entry,…
The “before.”
You can see my attempts to “detraditionalize” the house by changing out the transoms and removing the crown above the windows and cased openings. A new front door.
One of the first things I did in this house was paint all the interior doors black. It is something I had done in my last house and I loved it…and it was something that made this house feel like “home” from day one.
I changed out the light fixture in the entry…nothing major but I like the “big lantern” look. Inexpensive light fixtures are a good way to bring in current decor trends without breaking the bank. I found this style for over $800…but this particular fixture was under $100 at Lowes.
One of the HUGE expenses in the little makeover was the flooring. The house had REAL hardwood flooring but carpet in the living room, dining room, master bedroom and office. Again, I am not a big oak fan but I decided to work with what was there. We removed all the carpet, laced in new wood flooring, sanded it all down and just added a clear coat…no stain. I love them!
My office is to the right of the entry….nothing drastic in there yet…just cozy and functional.
Eventually I want to do something with this entry…maybe some board and batten…maybe a long runner…who knows. Something. Someday.
The dining room…this was one room I couldn’t wait to get decorated for the holiday.
Again, the before….
Again, the look of a more expensive chandelier but for MUCH less…I got it HERE. Elegant but simple.
I absolutely adore this room! I have never had a formal dining room and while I’m not sure how often we will use it, it is a beautiful space!
I had originally planned on using a round table because the room is “square” and smallish. After cruising the blogosphere and Pinterest I decided I did not like round tables. James and James makes beautiful custom furniture so I was able have a 6’ table with a 24” insert made…it is GORGEOUS!!
(The door in the dining room goes up to what we refer to as the “bunk” room. A HUGE room over the garage. We have every thing from our attic PLUS all the seasonal decor we had in a storage unit stored on one side…the other side has a full size bed and a twin bed and a gaming TV for the grands…hence the “bunk” room! It is AWESOME but not really show worthy!)
You may notice I went a bit “bow batty” this year…I found an amazing tutorial on youtube for lantern swags and funky bows. LOVE! Again, I could do a tutorial but find one that works for YOU. This tutorial worked for me!
Next week I will share some cute door decor I created with funky bows and wood signs…just too cute!!!!
James and James make benches but I decided to construct one…
I applied the same stain I used on THIS cabinet top. On raw pine it has more of a “pinkish/whitish” color.
I really like the bench and I bought a sheep skin rug to mimic an “inspiration photo” I found on Pinterest.
I love the bench…I love the rug on the bench…but I absolutely love this table and I can’t being myself to “hide it” behind a simple bench. So for now the bench sits behind the couch where it will be easy to pull in when we need the additional seating.
The living room…super excited about this room as well. In our other home we had two living areas…both were about the same size, neither big enough for “large gatherings.” As our family has grown, a large gathering room is essential.
The before….
(Wait til you see what I did with that wall between the living room and kitchen!!)
The minute I saw this space I knew what I wanted to do with it.
Even though we first toured the house in July, I immediately zeroed in on the perfect spot for a Christmas tree (don’t ask me what I think I will do with the space the other 11 months out of the year…lol!)
I still want to reface the fireplace and replace the paddle fan…all in good time!
The “den” is a cozy space for two…this room will fit the entire family Christmas morning!!! Something fun to look forward too!
For now I am going to save the kitchen and den area. It has, by far, the most dramatic changes and is the “cream on the top” of this house. It deserves a spotlight all it’s own! Maybe next week I can find time to get it all staged and ready for it’s debut.
Until then…find the positive, focus on it and be grateful!
