This is my FIRST EVER Christmas Home Tour, and for that matter, home tour period. I’ve shown bits and pieces of different areas of my home, but never a tour. So, be gentle with me haha! I know my photography could use some help, but it was the best I could do with what I know. Here is how I have been looking at it… if I compare myself to last year, I’ve improved A TON! So, that is really all that matters. I hope to improve next year from this year’s and so on.
For this post, I will be linking up with Jennifer Rizzo’s Holiday House Walk Link Party:
Many of my friends participated in her Holiday House Walk last week, and everyone blew me away. Like… SOME day I hope to be able to decorate my home and photograph it as beautifully as those gals… I have SO much to learn! 🙂
Well, here goes!
This is my front porch, all decked out for the holidays! I wanted to decorate with things I already had and fresh greens, as much as possible.  The cardinal pillow is by my girl, Lucy from Craftberry Bush. The flannel one and the 2 red ticking pillows are ones I sewed last week. For the seat cushion, I just wrapped fur fabric around it… I didn’t bother sewing it!
 I used some satin, champagne-colored ribbon for all my greenery…
And you all woulda laughed at me, because I was driving along a somewhat busy road, and saw a bunch of bushes with red berries, so I pulled over, ran over and broke off a bunch, and jumped back into my car! I’m sure passer-byers thought I was insane, but I didn’t want to go buy winterberries… I was trying to make the most of my budget!
Come on in…
The first thing you see when you walk in, is the Christmas tree!
 The theme for this tree was winter-whites. I wanted the fresh green tree (which only cost me $28) to stand out, so all the ornaments are white and cream.
The origami stars are some ornaments I did a tutorial on last year… Â and for the gifts, I chose to include something in the wrapping, that the receiver could keep and use in their decor, beyond Christmas. So, I made some mini preserved boxwood wreaths, music sheet wreaths, and music sheet pinwheels.
Please shut the door behind you….
As you turn, you see my famous (in my eyes) green couch, that I painted, and the blue china cabinet, draped with a paper and embossed leaf garland I made a couple weeks ago.
I love this view. Filled with things I love: my gallery wall, the new paint color (Mascarpone by Benjamin Moore), grain sack pillows I sewed, thrift store cloches filled with rice lights, and a couple of chairs I sewed new grain sack seat covers for.
As you walk through the room toward dining and living rooms on the right, and look back, you can see a church pew I painted a pale blue, the mantel/shelf I built, the grain sack stockings I sewed, lots of fresh greenery, and a sparkling mantel vignette of blues/greens/whites.  The Joy Love Peace sign on the right is a free printable from Yellow Bliss Road!
We are going to walk right by the dining room…
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…and into the living room! This is my favorite room in the house. The kid’s fresh tree is so full and decorated with mostly edibles! We decorated it together, so it is so much more beautiful to me, than the other tree!
Dried oranges, fresh cranberries, popcorn, plus some white, sparkly pinecones tied with ribbon, and some plastic prisms adorn the tree.
The rest of the living room has touches of Christmas, but is mostly neutral.Â
I added some pops of red to the left bookcase, including a “Joy” printable by Jen of Chronicles of Home.
I did the same thing with the other side, adding my favorite ever Christmas decoration: wooden Santa nesting dolls! I also added another free printable by Kelly of Lilypad Cottage!
I switched out some drawings for antique Christmas music pages from an old hymnal, and strung little chalkboard pennants across them.
Now on to the kitchen!
Fresh garlands and lights are chillin on the tops of the cabinets, and little lemon cypresses (smells like lemon too!) flank my window.
I’m getting ready to make pomegranate-cranberry scones, a recipe which I will share this week!
 My hot chocolate buffet is pretty simple and revolves around my obsession with blue Ball mason jars. I found an old milk jar crate which fit the jars perfectly. So I filled them with festive straws, marshmallows, andes mint chips, cocoa, and peppermint sticks! The sign is one I made, and am thinking about offering it as a free printable…. what do you think?
Now you can see my dining room! In case you are wondering, both of my brass and crystal chandeliers were craigslist finds, which I put a lot of polishing/ repairs and cleaning to. For any that are new around here, I refinished the dining set myself, upholstered the backs of the chairs, and sewed slipcovers for the seats a couple years ago.Â
I kept things simple but colorful on the table. Rosemary and cranberries with a floating candle, boxwood topiaries tied with ribbon…
… and some fresh December fruits in a tiered tray.
And finally, a little chalkboard art to finish things off… I love this song and I love this season!
 We all have reason to rejoice because Christ is the reason for hope!
May you all have a Merry Christmas season and come back again for more makeovers, recipes, ornaments, and decor ideas! Plus I will be sharing more of my home tour, since I will be guest posting about my Christmas decor next week on Unskinny Boppy!
your home is beautiful, rachel! hat green couch gets me every single time… 🙂 and love the living area and all the fresh greenery!
Cassie! You are just the sweetest! Thank you! And thanks for reading my blog, friend!
Rachel, I love your home and I’m so glad you did a tour. I can feel more of the flow. OMG, everything is GORGEOUS. I’m drooling. Seriously, all your gorgeous painted pieces – the dining room, the couch, the china cabinet and all your upholstery and sewing. So lovely!!! I also love the kids Christmas tree with the oranges and the floating candles with rosemary and cranberries. Pinning and sharing! Wishing you the most wonderful Christmas! x
Thank you so much Danielle! You really know how to flatter me hehe;)
Rach!!!! Can I just have your house?!!! This is beautiful!! You’ve done an amazing job my friend!! And ill be over soon for those scones!
Linds! Come back! hehe For real though, thanks for the love. I appreciate it SO much. love ya!
Very beautiful Home. All the best!
~Lisa
Thank you Lisa and thank you for stopping by! I really appreciate it! Cheers!
So pretty, Rachel! Your photos looked great, love the bright but home-y feel of your house. Happy Holidays 🙂
Thank you Reeves! You are so sweet to stop by!
Rachel! I just took my time scrolling through enjoying all of the lovely details of your home…now to remember the stuff I was thinking “mention that and mention that and mention that!” haha. I especially love the little vignette in your entry and by the church pew. The styling of your bookshelf is phenomenal and I want to steal those Santa nesting dolls! Your green couch is just marvelous as is the gallery wall above it! Beautiful.
Aww thanks Alice! Thanks for the idea about the ruler star! You are brilliant!
Gorgeous Home! Loved your Christmas tour 🙂 I noticed the antique keys in your gallery wall in the sitting room. How did you hang them??? Thank you so much!
Thank you Wendy! So about those keys… I actually just used little tiny tack nails and tapped them in underneath two supporting spots (usually either end) if it was horizontally hung, and on either side of the “neck” of the key for the one that is hung vertically. I wish I could just take a quick pic and attach it bc it wasn’t really hard at all… I did it straight to the wall and then centered and hung a frame around it!
This is gorgeous! I’m swooning over every photo. Pinning like mad and sharing on my FB this week.
Big hugs, Jamie
Thanks Jamie, you are very kind! Xo
First things first, your photographs are gorgeous…as well as everything in your home! Simply stunning, and so inviting!
You had me chuckling over the story of the berry-snatching. My family thinks I’m nuts when I do that, so it’s nice to know I’m not the only one. Merry Christmas! =)
What a beautiful home. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who brakes for weeds, berries, etc. I also stop for old windows, you name it!! Haha
Beautiful Rachel! Loved touring your home and seeing all those wonderful pieces of furniture you’ve worked on. Amazing!
Your home is so pretty and you have it decorated beautifully! I really like the bucket with the wood and greenery that you have by the front door. It is such a pretty touch.
This is simply gorgeous!!
And a blue church pew? Be still my heart!
Came over from the Nester! LOVE your home! I’m glad I was able to visit your little corner of the interwebs today : )
love it all! simply beautiful.
Your home is beautiful! I love blues and greens, so I really enjoyed your home tour!
Very pretty and simple.Love it.
Your home and Christmas decor is beautiful. It is nice to look at a Christmas home tour that is just “real”. So many of them are so extravagant that most people can’t even begin to actually do. I LOVE your living room tree! Thank you for sharing.
Your home is beautiful! Can i ask where you bought your tree skirt from?