My Christmas Home

It's the most wonderful time of the year again!
The lights twinkle on the trees while the aroma of freshly-baked cookies fills the kitchen.
Excited children count down the days until Christmas,
and carols play on Pandora.

I broke my tradition this year, and began decorating for Christmas before we even celebrated Thanksgiving, thanks to some pleading from my children!
But I'm not even mad about it.
A few extra weeks of enjoying the coziness of evergreen and twinkly lights is just fine by me!

I hung my hand-crocheted snowflakes (gifted from a friend) on a branch,

and then added some mini trees and a cloche to the arrangement, along with some candles.

This is probably one of my favorite spaces in the house!

I love the mini white church and house that I found at the Embellish Christmas sale!

Aren't they the cutest?!

I hadn't found any Advent calendars that I liked, but wanted something visual for the children to count down the days until Christmas, so I was happy to find these printable tags online! 

Just don't ask me how many times they have fallen down! 😏

I may need to come up with a more stable solution for next year. (See what I did there? Stable?! haha.)

This is Mom's corner: aka my personal hot chocolate bar.

And yes, salted caramel can take that drink to a whole new level!

You're welcome.

Who doesn't love a crackling fire?

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

but there's only room for two of them there!

Okay, I'll stop with the cheesy rhymes!

The wall seemed bare so I used some embroidery hoops to create a few simple wreaths.

Maybe they still need some ribbon, but I like the simplicity of the evergreen.

Target has some of the cutest ornaments!

I found this one on clearance after Christmas last year.

Rather than use just one style of ornaments, I like to collect a variety over time from different places.

After last year's tree issues (in which the tree shed half its needles before we even made it to Christmas 😞), I'm happy to report that this tree has been good to us!

Is there anything better than the glow of twinkly lights at night?

I wish I could invite you all over for a pot of hot tea (or coffee!), 

but I sure am glad you joined me on our Christmas home tour!

May your Christmas season be a time of rest

and your heart full of joy in the Gift of our Saviour.

My Christmas Home Tour

With Christmas just 3 short days away, I wanted to give you a peek into our home!

Since the kitchen is the first room you enter,

we'll start there.

I just love this antique silver pedestal bowl and pitcher I got from the Embellish girls!

Piled full of oranges, greens and berries, they look quite festive!

Hadassah and I spent part of a Saturday afternoon collecting greens and berries.

It was so much fun making arrangements with them,

and it didn't cost a dime!

The blanket I draped over the banister is actually a blanket scarf!

I love items that have more than one function!

Up in the loft, the children's stockings are hung on the bookshelves, and I realized later that it was a mistake!

They informed me which child's stocking is which,

and of course, they never peeked! (or so they say) #momfail

This long, flat surface on the top of the bookshelves is perfect for displaying my nativity!

The children get to decorate their own tree and even got presents for each other!

You can read more about that here.

  

Lines from one of my favorite Christmas songs: Come and see what God has done.

Let's head back downstairs into the living area.

I love having a mantle to decorate!

Next year, the children's stockings will hang here. Hopefully, the height will deter them! 😆

I love textures, in case you haven't figured that out already!

And this mantle has a lot of them, so it happens to be one of my favorites.

The Christmas garland adds a little sparkle to my window.

In the living room, I displayed two of the gold pieces I got from Embellish,

along with a handmade tree.

Gingerbread houses make cute focal points, especially in a glass cloche!

And how cute is that truck and miniature Christmas tree that I picked up at the Cottage?

I have a few bottle brush trees, and I think another 5 would be just fine!

The European Christmas tree came from Evergrowin' Greenhouse.

Our first Christmas tree at the farmhouse!

Now, let's head outside to the front porch!

I filled my galvanized pail with greens and berries,

and pulled out my Noel sign.

And that's it!

Thank you for stopping by my home!

If you want to see last year's home tour, click here.

Merry Christmas, friends!

My Fall Home

Fall is one of my favorite seasons!

I love the brilliant colors, the woodsy scent of leaves, and the crisp evening air.

I get excited about pulling out my sweaters and boots,

and wrapping up in cozy blankets.

It was so much fun bringing some of those elements into my home this year!

I don't think I've ever really decorated my porch for fall, other than setting out a mum.

But after I got these gorgeous pumpkins from Massanutten Produce, it all just came together.

This old hickory rocker was left at the house,

so I added a cozy flannel I found at the last Embellish sale!

I stopped in at the Blue Ridge Hospice Thrift Store and found this darling yellow garden stool.

I love the pop of color it adds to the porch!

The galvanized bucket was a few dollars at a flea market.

I created these farmhouse banners for the Barn Sale this year,

and this one ended up in my studio!

I love the simplicity of these mini white pumpkins, and used them throughout my house.

The terrarium is a great place to display seasonal items!

I put a mini pumpkin, leaf and some acorns in mine.

This is one of the many old mantles that came out of the farmhouse that was originally on this property. 

The sign is one that I painted (and is for sale if anyone is interested!)

and the ferns were foraged in the woods behind the house. 

The succulent pumpkin was a gift; isn't it adorable?!

I used my wood round to create an autumn-themed tea bar, complete with pumpkin spice tea

and salted caramel syrup! The coffee drinkers can't have all the fun.

Oh, and let's not forget all the pumpkin desserts!

It wouldn't be fall without them.

And we're on the back porch, where Hadassah is cozied up with my Aztec blanket that I purchased 15 years ago in Mexico! It's also Sprinkle's favorite spot to take a nap.

Thanks for joining me on a tour of our home!

xoxo, Ruby

My Christmas Home

I love everything about Christmas:

the songs, twinkling lights on trees, the daily reminders of the birth of our Saviour,

the pile of gifts, the cookies and of course, the decorations!

Come on in for a tour of my Christmas home!

In the dining room:

Magnolia leaves are a favorite of mine, so I was excited to find some at a cousin's house!

I love the texture they add to traditional winter greens.

Copper, gold and brass give so much warmth to spaces in your home!
I had fun pulling a collection of antiques {platter, gold tipped vase + deer candle holder} and mixing them with the new: copper mug from Home Goods and mirrored frame from Hobby Lobby.

My sister-in-law hosted a wreath making party, and mine hangs on the wall above the desk.

And this year, I attempted a garland above the doorway.

Clearly, I'm not an expert! But I love the warmth that greens give a room.

We started a gingerbread-house-making tradition this year,

and it was fun,

even if it meant more candies got eaten than got glued on!

A friend and I dug up these mini trees.

They're such a great addition to my Christmas decor!

On the table, I used a striped Ikea hand towel for a runner and my small collection of bottle trees.

In my living room:

This pillow - a watercolor from Craftberry Bush - is a favorite of mine!

You can order them here.

I used all white and gold ornaments on the tree this year.

This one was handmade from a friend at church and I love its simplicity!

For the first time ever, I have all four stockings hung on the mantle!

The first and third were from Target last year, and the second and fourth ones came from Home Goods (I am obsessed with that store).

Don't tell the kiddos, but I already stuffed their stockings! Eeek.

I love the sweet whimsy of this garland I found at New Creation!

The skis were in the dollar bins at Target,

and the deer was a piece I had that got a fresh coat of gold paint. 

On Black Friday, I bought this print from Lindsay Letters. I adore her art!

I added some magnolia leaves and pine cones to the evergreen to finish off the mantle.

This is my $10 Walmart tree that I pulled out for the kids to decorate.

It was just their size, 

and they had a blast hanging ornaments on it!

{Confession: I'm OCD about the placement of ornaments,

so I may or may not have rearranged a few.}

Outdoors:

For the first time ever, I actually decorated my front porch! 

{Unless hanging a wreath on the door qualifies}

It came together much more easily than I envisioned, and I now I don't know why I waited so many years to do it!

We filled this old milk can with greens and berries,

and I love the finishing touch it gives the porch,

along with the Noel sign I painted!

I need to give credit to my adorable assistant,

who was by side through so much of the fun, "helping" me decorate!

Thanks for stopping by for a tour of our home!

And don't forget to savor every minute of this special Christmas season.

xoxo, Ruby