~ Welcome ~ Our Home For The Holidays

I hope you'll join me on a Holiday Tour of our home. I don't go crazy, like when my kids were little, but I like to decorate for Christmas just because I think it looks so pretty and sparkly.

First, let me apologize for the quality of the pictures. I tried many different things {flash on, flash off, day time, night time} but I am a shaky person to begin. So with that said, I will limit the commentary except to say which rooms you are looking at, as the sucky thing about Blogger is working with picture lay-out.

This is our great room, where we set up our main tree and where we usually gather and exchange our gifts.

This is the fireplace mantel in our den. This is where we watch television and where I mostly sit and play on my laptop.

I added some Christmasy scrapbook paper to the candles.

This is the top of the roll top desk in my living room, holding my Snowmen.

Yes, this lamp needs a shade and, you know, a bulb would be good, too. I found it in the basement and thought the colors worked for the holiday. I had painted this unfinished wood lamp for my son's room several years ago. It went with the colors we had going on in the bedding and cornice at the time. After Christmas I think I'm going to paint it to work in my living room and have it sit on top of the desk.

Chest in entry foyer.

I wired my two pieces of garland wrong on the staircase. I usually have the cord end at the top of the stairs and plug it into the guest room, which is right there. For some reason, I didn't check it before I started and after the time I spent on it, I wasn't about to do it over. So there you go ~ a lovely cord hanging down from the stairs!

One of my Goodwill trees.

Side table in the dining room.

Hutch.

Back to the great room.

About 10 years ago, I found these quilted type stockings at Michaels with the cross-stitch cuff. I cross-stitched all our names on the cuffs {with my own design} and added little Christmas trees to mine and my daughter's.

Living room coffee table with my Dollar Tree candle holders.

Great room mantel.

Foyer staircase close-ups.

Entry foyer chest again.

Hall tree in entry foyer.

Just a few small touches in the master bedroom.

Great room mantel. Again.

Main tree.

I don't do too much in the kitchen ~ just a few little things.

Dining room table.

Window seat in great room.

Whew! That was a lot! I hope you enjoyed seeing a peek inside my house at Christmas. I'm sure that if I change things, and once Christmas Eve and Christmas Day arrive, I'll have additional pictures to add. Hope you won't mind!

Linking up to the following Holiday Home Linky Parties. Be sure to come by and see everyone else's homes!

Southern Hospitality's Home for the Holidays ~ December 10th

Hooked on Houses' Hooked on Holiday House Tours ~ December 11th

Nester's Christmas Tour of Homes ~ December 14th

Thrify Decor Chick's Oh Christmas Tree ~ December 14th

5 Things You Didn't Know About . . . .

Happy Wednesday and welcome to 5 Things You Didn't Know About . . . .





Today we are visiting with Nester from Nesting Place {where it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful}!

Many new bloggers {just like me earlier this year} come across Nester and just can't get enough. She was kind enough to join in and answer our series' questions.

Favorite music at the moment: Christmas music and I also love country music.



If you didn't live where you do, where would you live: I actually love where I live and we love North Carolina but we would love to live in an old farmhouse with land.



Favorite cocktail: Iced coffee. I know.



Best advice you ever received: Do what you love.



Person you most admire: My husband, he is endlessly encouraging. My dad, he is selfless and wise. My sister, I want to be her when I grow up. My mom has a fantastic sense of humor and has a knack for getting a great deal when shopping ~ it's an art.



Thank you so much, Nester! Make sure you come back next Wednesday to see who we find out 5 Things You Didn't Know About . . . .

~ Price My Space ~

Here's a link to the Nesting Place blog where you can find "Price my $pace".

Just to give you an idea of what I was working with, I'm including this "before" picture. This room had been a peachy pink color until I fell in love with material I found on eBay, which became the stationery panels in the picture. The fabric was about $40.00 {I wouldn't have paid more than that for fabric on eBay.} The teal I originally chose was too bright and more of an aqua, so I had to start over with the paint. The color made me feel very restless in this room. If I count this first disaster of painting, it would be about $40.00 for 2-gallons of paint.

So, we changed things around as well. The two side storage armoire pieces moved into the sitting room/closet and surrounding my husband's dresser look like they are built-ins. We got rid of the middle storage/mirrored piece altogether. I bought new paint SherwinWilliams' Martha Stewart "Milk Pail" {a line they don't carry anymore}, so that was another $40.00 {total of $80.00 for paint alone}.

The chair in the corner was actually there in the "before", it was just covered with throw pillows. I bought a new shade for that lamp and moved into the sitting/closet area {not counting this since it left the room}.

I have 6-5x7 Fern prints over my bed {in a 3 over 3 pattern}. I got the bookplate-looking prints off eBay - 7 for about $15.00; the mats {eBay} were 7 for maybe $12.00; and the frames {also eBay} were about $35-40.00 {I'll figure the high end} ~ so these 6 {really 7} framed and matted prints cost $67.00. The 7th is on the other side of the room on a smaller wall.

I got the lamps from JC Penney, on sale/clearance, for $29.99 each. The side tables came from Bombay {boo-hoo} when they had one of their infamous $49.00 table promotions. I got the Queen comforter set from Home Goods for $49.99 {comforter, dust ruffle, 2 shams}.

The fabric that started this whole thing, when transformed into panels {4 panels total} cost me about $350.00. Grand total, not including the bed, chair or roman shades {because I can't remember at all what I might have paid for 4 of those} comes to $744.97.