Christmas Home Tour with DIY and Thrifty Decor
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***Thank you so much to One Kings Lane and all our other friends who have shared gift packages for our readers. Please stay tuned for the giveaway at the end of this post and links to the other home tours from All Things Home.
Every time I start to put together a home tour post my heart starts beating quickly and I ask myself what in the world am I doing?
I don’t have a fancy house. It’s not large and it’s certainly not new.
Better Homes and Gardens has not come knocking on my burlap wreathed front door to photograph my Christmas wonderland.
I feel like I should apologize every time.
But the part of me that wants to encourage other women to make the best of their homes and lives takes a deep breath, relaxes her tense shoulders and jumps right in.
No apologies. No fears.
So here goes!
This is my home where Christmas is celebrated.
My DIY hubby is in charge of the outside decorating. We removed all the bushes and foliage in front of the big picture window when we had a large tree taken down recently. Yet another of my husband’s creative uses of fence board is the temporary fence he used to string garland and lights on.
(Just wait until you see the front porch we’re dreaming about!)
This little wooden reindeer was given to us sometime around our first Christmas and has reminds us of our 26 years living life together.
These lights are my husband’s pride and joy. Since there is less space to decorate, our house no longer looks an airport landing strip, but our lights do twinkle and welcome guests to our home.
Tim mainly bought a few strands of new lights, but he’s on a mission to discover the answer to the great mystery of why the lights go into storage and come out dead. Anyone know the answer?
I really do have a burlap Christmas wreath I made this year (Better Homes & Gardens, are you watching?) The chalkboard welcome fits perfectly!
As you come into the living room we welcome you to Dickensville.
Filled with houses and people collected through the years, our Dickensville village delights us throughout the day
and night.
I imagine stories of families working and playing together, sharing life much as we do ourselves.
Move a couple of steps into our living room and you can see how I decorate our modest home with things I love.
Just waiting for future grandkids (and great nieces and nephews already), my collection of lovable stuffed animals is a totally hands on exhibit!
My most favorite place to change up for the seasons is the top of my piano where I pretend I have a real mantel.
I love this old window that my clever husband sprayed with snow to look like real frost.
Making a rag wreath for my fall decor was so fun that I whipped up another one with Christmas colors and added a mini chalkboard “Joy.”
This grapevine tree was $1 at a yard sale, and with added lights for a bit of sparkle it also continues the tree theme on my “mantel.”
Ribbon wrapped candles and mini trees with new ribbons and ornaments also grace the top of my piano, as does scrapbook paper in a white frame.
Every year we bring out this Precious Moments nativity from our early days as a married couple and remember the holidays we’ve celebrated together.
This new metal basket was another $1 yard sale purchase. Filled with fresh greenery, pinecones and ornaments it adds a fun touch to the room.
This pallet shelf was one of our first repurposed wood projects. I scavenged around my seemingly endless tubs of Christmas knick knacks to find some new and old treasures.
The “Noel” letters were made by a friend of ours almost 25 years ago and still hold precious memories of years gone by.
One of my favorite tricks to fancy up my decor is to add ribbon and burlap to candles. Just a simple and unique touch.
I collected nativities for several years and still like to display at least a couple to remind me of the importance of this season.
The shining star of our living room is our real Christmas tree. Even though two of our children are now adults they refuse to entertain the thought of an artificial tree.
Each year we pick it out as a family on Thanksgiving evening and spend the next hours drinking Instant Russian tea, stringing lights, listening to Point of Grace music and reveling in what truly bonds us as family.
The burlap ribbon is new this year, and I had to fight with my family to make it work! My kids are very possessive of their tree, but the burlap won out over the red beads from years past. Red and gold sparkly ornaments and bows add the traditional touch.
There is truly nothing better than sitting in my rocking chair late at night, listening to praise and worship songs and gazing at this beauty.
One more little Christmas tree passed down from my mom sits on top of a $1 yard sale ornament wreath.
Even though I’m not big into Santas myself you’d never know it from my house! My kitchen contains all things Santa!
When my sister passed away suddenly in 2000 I gladly accepted part of her Santa collection and made it my own.
I celebrate the life of my sister by embracing her love of all things Santa.
In this chalk painted hutch my Christmas china blends with the everyday, ready to host a gathering of friends at a moment’s notice.
On the opposite side of the room additional Santas grace another shelf or two.
Last year my fence board Christmas tree was a hit for my readers, and it was a joy to bring it out again this year.
New for 2013 is this fence board Joy sign, yet another of my hubby’s creative use of fence board.
This tablescape is one of my new favorites, with the rustic wood chargers blending in with Christmas china and seasonal glasses.
I love to mix and match fine china with casual serving ware.
The centerpiece is gold fabric underneath a large glass bowl filled with greenery, natural elements and vintage ornaments.
These angel napkin rings are years old but still make me smile.
Moving into the den I have another opportunity to practice my vignette skills on the top of our entertainment unit.
My husband dragged out these shutters for me, and I placed them behind our smaller village.
One of the easiest ways to dress up your home for Christmas is by mixing inexpensive ornaments with natural elements in a glass jar.
Again, my trick to dressing up the ordinary? Burlap and ribbon. What could be simpler?
When we put up our Christmas tree in the living room our window table moves to the den. The candle set below was $2 at a yard sale, fresh out of the package.
Since I definitely need a few more twinkling lights I asked Tim to use battery operated lights inside the table. Love it!
One project I hope to share you with soon is a mini scrapbook album I made with pictures and the history of all our favorite ornaments. This is a simple yet precious momento for my children to have one day.
This Christmas my family will count our blessings and enjoy meals, traditions and treasured moments (including a hot cup of Instant Russian Tea).
Thank you for stopping by for a visit. From my home to yours…..
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I hope you’ll visit the other beautiful Christmas homes on our All Things Home Tour:
Monday
Worthing Court
French Country Cottage
Atta Girl Says
Town and Country Living
Decor Adventures
Lilacs and Longhorns
Tuesday
Marty’s Musings
Mom 4 Real
All Things Beautiful
Making Home Base
The Happier Homemaker
The Lily Pad Cottage
Wednesday
The Everyday Home
Craftberry Bush
Celebrating Everyday Life with Jennifer Carroll
AKA Design
Hymns and Verses
Our Southern Home
Thursday
Stone Gable
Adventures in Decorating
Newly Woodwards
Setting for Four
Back Porch Musings
All Things Heart and Home
Friday
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Cottage at the Crossroads
Top This Top That
Domestically Speaking
Mommy is Coocoo
Shabby Art Boutique
Marty, my favorite part of the tour was your kiddos stuffed animals… are they waiting for Santa too? How absolutely adorable. Love this time… it goes so quick~
I just adore your home and your festive decor. I always feel the love in your home every time I visit. I’m leaving with a wonderful warm dose of Christmas cheer!
Yvonne, I love that you noticed the stuffed animals. Totally for fun and to keep younger kids occupied. Win-win! We have family coming in later this month so they will be put to use!
Your home is always so amazing, and I will be by soon to spend some time gazing at each precious picture. Thank you for sharing with us and supporting us. Have a blessed Christmas!
Marty, I loved your tour! It is very intimidating sharing your home in blog-land but I am so happy to see what everyone has done big and small. You can see the love and caring that goes in to your decor and I love that you have pieces that have so many beloved pieces from years past. You have done a beautiful job! Our decor is personal and I love to see homes that are filled with sentiment. Well done! So happy to be touring with you! 🙂
Julie, your home is so beautiful and I’m glad we were able to “tour” together! Each of us is unique, but our homes are all a reflection of those things we find most beautiful. Have a blessed Christmas!
Marty – thanks for sharing your home with us! What a treat! And, thank you soooo much for all the work you put into making this tour a success!
Hi, Doreen. I am slowly working my way through the tours so I will be by yours soon. Thank you for sharing your home with us and for helping promote as well. Good luck!
Marty, I loved your home tour! How wonderful that your husband takes charge of the outside decorating and how clever of him to construct a temporary fence just for the lights! Your home is warm and reflects what’s truly important-celebrating Jesus’ birth and the love of family. What a great tradition you’ve started in recording the memories associated with special ornaments.
Thanks so much, Jane! I can’t wait to see your home on Friday. Are you ready? I’m so glad you found my home to reflect my faith and those things we count most important with faith and family at the top. Without those things, everything else is just glitter. Thanks for joining us again for this tour. Blessings!
girl, i think it looks great!!!! come decorate for me anytime!! 😉
Thank you, Kim! I’m afraid I’m worn out from Christmas decorating, but I’m sure your home will be lovely!
Very clever of hubby to create a temporary fence! Love your wooden reindeer and the sentiment it holds. Also love your frosty window! Wish I had one!!
Thanks for joining us again on our tour, Jennifer. Your home is always so beautifully done. I’m glad you enjoyed my hubby’s creativity. He certainly thinks outside the box!
Your home is so warm and just lovely, Marty! I love your tree and that beautiful table setting. It just beings so much Christmas joy!
Hi, Chelsea. I’m so glad you joined us on our tour this time. I’m slowly getting around to visiting everyone, and I love that each home is so different.
I’m glad you liked the tree, and I love the table setting as well. I’m pretty traditional with the red and gold, but I might just shake it up a bit next year!
Just lovely…filled with warmth, sentiment, and lots of love! Merry Christmas…. Susan
Hi, Susan. I’m so glad my home warmed your heart for the season. That’s an accomplishment, and I wanted to make sure that came across. No ideas of perfection, just lots of personal touches!
Great home tour, Marty! I just love outdoor Christmas lights.
xoxo
Denyse
Thanks, Denyse. The lights are all my husband’s doing 🙂 Since we moved so much shrubbery it is much more tasteful now!
Wow – your Christmas village is amazing and my girls would love me to do all those lights outside!!!
Kelly
Hi, Kelly. I’m glad you liked my village. You can’t miss it since it’s right inside the front door, but I love the way the lights welcome visitors during the season.
I can’t wait to get by and see your home tour as well. I just want to make sure I take time when I visit everyone!
So beautiful! Your dining room gets me every time! No matter the season, the fresh and bright colors are so beautiful and happy! I’m also really jealous of you little villages 🙂 It has always been a dream of mine to collect one! Merry Christmas!
Hi, Jesse. I’m honored that you’ve visited my blog, and especially that you love my kitchen/dining area. They are truly my happy colors, even with the red accents for Christmas. I bought several Christmas houses on sale after Christmas one year and got them for birthdays and Christmases for a while afterwards. I haven’t added to it because we’re out of room, but I do love it as much as I did so many years ago. Thanks for visiting!
Your home is truly lovely during the holidays and all year. I am just so smitten with your village. We have a few pieces and my mom has a big collection that I love. Thanks for sharing all the details – it’s so festive!
Hi, Kim. Thanks for stopping by. I can’t wait to see your home! I’m terribly behind visiting everyone this week, but it always happens during tour week for me. I’m so glad you got to join us for this tour!
Marty your home is lovely! HUGS… I know I can feel the same way about my home. I see all the things I would love to change (if I had the $$). Your home feels so inviting and warm and that’s the most important thing for your guest! I love your wood place mats and your Christmas stuffed animals are so cute. My girls would LOVE that. So fun being apart of this home tour with you!
Maryann, I appreciate your words of encouragement so much! My home is definitely lived in, and there are so many things with real meaning that makes it special to us. I’m so glad you enjoyed it as well. And thank YOU for joining us on the tour!
So cozy feeling Marty, I love the traditional colors and your tree is gorgeous!
Thanks, Kelly. I’m so glad you liked the tree because it really is my favorite. I loved added the burlap this year even if I had to fight my kids over it!
Marty, what a beautiful, meaningful home! You have made it such a cozy festive place, and I love your wood reindeer, so cute!
We too have the great light mystery at our place. Two strands already.
Thanks for all you did for the tour, I’m glad to be on it with you 🙂
Hi, Jessica. I was hoping someone could help me with the big light mystery. My husband was talking about it again today! The key is to buy your lights early because you’re out of luck if you wait until December (ask me how I know 🙁 Thank you so much for visiting my Christmas home.
Hi Marty.
I was not feeling the least bit excited about decorating for Christmas this year UNTIL I just read your blog! Now, not only am I excited, but I gathered a few new ideas. Great job lady! I want to come see everything in person! 😉
HUGS!
My friend, Marcy. I just loved this comment so much. You know I want to encourage is everything I do, and I’m so glad you were able to glean some ideas from me! I’m just a yardsaler and after Christmas bargain hunter who loves to repurpose and make things new. It really doesn’t take a lot. You know there were years that were much smaller because of the demands on my life. There is a season for everything, isn’t there? I’m so glad you shared with me! Love you! And please, stop by any day!
Oh Marty- perfect Holiday home. I just love the cherished things that have so much meaning and serve such huge memories for you, your husband and your children. You are a gem. Happy Holidays!
Hi, Laura! Thank you so much for the encouragement, and I can’t wait to see your home! So much beauty with all of the blogger homes. I am so pleased with how the tour turned out, and I love that we got to share it with so many of our readers! Have a wonderful holiday!
Oh Marty, your home is so welcoming and warm. I’m a fan of homemade decor, so I love all that you’ve made. Chalkboards are a favorite of mine and the mini ones on the wreaths are too cute. I also like the JOY sign. Your tree is precious and the burlap with the red is lovely. Thank you for sharing your talents with us! Blessings!
Janis, your comment was so sweet. I’m glad you noticed my mini chalkboards because they are my favorite! I got them dirt cheap at Consumer Crafts and I’ve used both sizes for everything, including the vocabulary word of the day in our homeschool.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful home with us as well!
Marty, it is really beautiful. You (and Tim) have been very busy. I love the Christmas village (and I think Jackson would too!) and your tree is gorgeous. I love all the burlap and red touches throughout your home. Your decor is very cohesive from one room to the next — not like my “can’t decide on a theme!” approach. Even though I’ve seen your home many times, it looks so different for Christmas. The pallet shelf just pops decorated for Christmas, and the old window table looks wonderful with those lights inside. And can I just tell you, your final shot of the Christmas tree with the Russian Tea is magazine worthy! Great photography and styling! You did a wonderful job, my friend. And you know one of the things I love most about you and about your blog is how you encourage other women and to avoid that demon of comparison.
Yes, my friend Amy, I’m a day late and a dollar short, but I wanted you to know how sweet your comment was to me. You always do know just the right thing to say (you writer, you!) Honestly, though, if my home is cohesive it got that way by accident! I just chose those things I could repurpose and change up and then added new little bargains I found. I have no design skills whatsoever but you make me feel like I can “hang with the big dogs!” Thank you for that.
Your home may not be big and grand, but it speaks to my heart. It is beautifully decorated and radiates the warmth of the season.It speaks “Welcome” to all who may enter.
Hi, Jan. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. You made me feel like I accomplished what I set out to do. Show my home in all its sweet Christmas finery!
I have had such fun following the tour. All of the homes are so beautiful, but your post is my absolute favorite thus far. Your home is beautiful and your writing is authentic and inspiring. I have always wanted to start my own house and home blog but feel like my humble teeny tiny abode, well, it isn’t as grand as all these magnificent homes I see. In this post you put words to a feeling many of us have. THANK YOU! You have inspired me to GO FOR IT. You have an amazing gift. Thank you for sharing it.
Madi, your comment made my day! My desire is to encourage other women go be happy where they are, no matter what stage of life they’re in. I hope you will follow your dream and go for it! It’s hard work but I truly love it, thank YOU for encouraging me!
Your home looks so pretty. Especially love your tree and the coziness of everything! My front yard is on round 2 of dead shrubs that didn’t make it through our Texas drought this summer, so I understand the absence of shrubbery! Crafty thinking for lights on your husband’s part! Thanks for sharing!
Sorry you had a rough year with your yard, Kassie. Isn’t it hard waiting for the money and time to do what we want? We want a front deck but that will be a while.
What a beautiful holiday home, Marty! I love your village … your tree is lovely wrapped in burlap … and, your traditional table setting is so inviting!
Hi, Becca. Thank you for your sweet comment. The burlap wrapped tree is new this year and I love it! Can’t wait to see you home as well.
Your home is just lovely! Inside and out. Sometimes I get intimidated by the huge grand homes and seemingly endless budgets to get all the ‘just right’ things to put in it. But what makes a home is the love and family living in it. Yours shows the love and you have a wonderful style. Thank you for the nice tour.Be a sweetie,
Shleia 😉
Sheila, thank you for taking the time to encourage me! We definitely live life in this place, with all itS messes and fusses! Take care!
Your home is beautiful. It radiates… Warmth and real family life!
Yes, Sandy, our home is definitely where our family gathers for he holidays. Warms and filled with memories.
Thanks for the tour ! I love seeing a traditional Christmas house !
Thank you, Priscilla! My home does have the traditional red and glitter decorations and I still love them, too.
Everything looks merry and bright Marty! I love your village! I haven’t had mine out in a couple of years. Maybe I should rethink that idea…if I can only talk J into helping.:-)
Merry Christmas!
And you’re my first commenter, Pat! Thank you so much! Go get your village out. You need one more thing to decorate!