It seems like every blogger in the universe is showcasing their Holiday Home Tour 2017.
I’ve been decorating, staging, photographing, moving things around, photographing, editing, photographing – and I cannot come close to the gorgeous homes and images of some of my blogging idols.
Mainly because my house is lived in and messy all most of the time,
partly because my house isn’t white on white on white,
somewhat because I’m not a fantastic photographer,
and a tinch because I don’t notice the little details until I’ve taken 500 photos and am too tired to adjust and go back for another 500.
With all of that in mind, I’ve decided that I’m going to quit “Wanna-be-ing” and share my Holiday Home Tour 2017 in all it’s mess, grays and beiges, blurs, shadows and bloopers. Having a holiday home is a great asset to have all to yourself, especially when it comes to matters such as equity release, where you can release some of the cash tied up in your home once you get to a certain age. It is never too early to think about things like equity line of credit, or at least knowing the basics when it comes to owning a home. There can be a lot to take in, but you may find that this information will come in handy soon enough.
Making sure you have enough money for your future is something we all have to think about. Plus it doesn’t harm you to look into this once in a while, even if it is an article that explains the risks of home reversion plans. When it comes to your home, you’ll want to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible and be prepared for anything that may happen.
I don’t have any Christmas bedding, but I do have the warmest flannel duvet set (that I made from two flat sheets) that I put on the bed and added a shot of red with the “Joy” pillow from Society 6.
I found this candle holder at HomeSense last week and decided I “needed” a little bling on my side of the bed. (Hubby’s side has mounds of wires and mafia books, so he doesn’t get any Christmas decorations.)
It’s not a large detail, but it’s pretty and the light it casts at night is so pretty and warm – between this and my flannel – it’s tough to get out of bed most days.
I created a little Christmas vignette in the corner of my room so that I could admire my photo tree from bed.
This is the tree that I leave up all year (I truly do!) because it holds photos of my girls (from birth to present) in each ornament. That’s 21 ornaments that celebrate the most important things in my world – why would I ever put that away? This tree is also special because it holds my Swarovski snowflake ornaments that I’ve received from my Mother every year. It’s a tradition we have solidified over ~20 years and again, these ornaments are treasured.
To add a bit of whimsy – because I need a little whimsy in my life – I’ve hung my ugly t-shirt from last year and I’ve got my shopping ladies:
in front of the floor mirror I built.
Seems fitting – little divas by the gifts and in front of a mirror right?
If Lucy (Craftberry Bush) can show her fur-baby, then I should certainly show my little beauty Miss Lacey-Mae….
who is less than impressed that I’m still taking photos when she would much rather be on a walk.
I didn’t add a lot of decorations to my kitchen – I never do to be honest – it’s our main hub and is always cluttered with homework and lunch bags and dishes.
A couple of glass jars stuffed with ornaments and a few faux branches above the cupboards fills the space nicely without too much muss or fuss.
I did set up a little hot cocoa station in the corner of the counter.
Madison and I have been raiding this daily, so it’s both a decoration and a fun treat.
I added a cake stand with a few ornaments and faux-antlers to my stove top and filled the hurricane with twinkle lights. It’s so pretty at night that I’m sure I’m going to go broke on batteries just to keep it lit all of the time.
I found this cute marquee light box at Jysk the other day – $10 and it lights up! (Unfortunately it doesn’t come with any punctuation marks.)
I can’t show anymore of the kitchen because the sink is full of defrosting bananas for some muffins I’m making later and you really don’t need to see the Costco-sized containers of coconut oil, vitamins and Metamucil we leave out all of the time. lol
You’ve seen photos of our dining room in my recent Christmas tablescape post, but I did add a few decorations to the sideboard as well.
The last room to show in my Holiday Home Tour 2017 is the family room:
I move my tree around every year trying to find the best spot to keep it. Setting it between the chairs doesn’t allow for easy television watching – but it looks beautiful at night shining out of the back windows.
I attempted to style the shelves, keeping with the gold, white and navy theme. The tree in the frame is actually my inspiration for this year’s decor and is just a printed screen shot of something I found on Pinterest.
I made just about everything on the shelves below – the wooden horses, the metal candle holders and I even baked my own pinecones! (note: I know the candle below should really be white – but the white ones didn’t smell nearly as pretty as the blue)
Our television sits on the mantle above our fireplace, so I’m not able to do much decorating there; and even if I did – someone would just remove it all so that the android box wasn’t blocked with garland and stockings (ahem – not pointing fingers Hubby).
If you ever wonder if blog marketing works, let me tell you IT DOES. I had seen these mercury glass trees at HomeSense and have passed them by year after year. This year, a few of my favourite interior design bloggers were showcasing collections of them and I immediately wanted some.
I filled a wood and metal sleigh with some extra ornaments and pinecones and use it as the centrepiece for our coffee table.
I just love the bokeh of the Christmas tree lights in the background.
I do have to show off my snowmen – remember that whole “whimsy-need-thing” I have:
This is Chill McFreeze and Carl; aren’t they awesome! They’re buddies! Arms wrapped around each other and everything! lol
I love my tree – thanks to Kelley Nan and her ribbon technique.
The tree is decorated with three different kinds of ribbon and it’s so full and lush.
My little Tomte / Nisse stand guard underneath.
Between the family room and the kitchen – which is open-concept – we have a couch and sofa table as room dividers. I found this beautiful centrepiece the other day and it seemed like the perfect accessory to bring Christmas to that area.
I’ve set my favourite metal reindeer on either side.
That’s it for our Holiday Home Tour 2017!
Perhaps by Holiday 2018 I’ll have a wide-angle lens, a bit more skill with the camera, more attention to detail and a tidy and organized family home.
Don’t laugh – I still believe in Santa and Christmas wishes!
Thanks for visiting and have a great one!