I'll Be Home For Christmas Open House Tour

Come on in, grab a cocktail or a piece of fruit cake (do people still eat that?) and have a look inside my home that's all blinged out for Christmas!

Welcome - the front porch is simple and sparkly so I can enjoy the festivities instead of having pre-Christmas conniptions!  A snow covered twig wreath on the front door, my old wooden sled propped against the wall and some snowy mason jar candles combine with fresh garland wrapped around the columns.

Click here to see more of the front porch.

The banister couldn't have been simpler - just wrapped a few strands of berry garland and added some "sugared fruit" picks. 

Love this little roly poly Santa sitting on the steps.  He's a vintage (1980) reproduction of an old tobacco tin.  (Yikes, can't believe 1980 is vintage)!

More banister pics here.

Also in the foyer, a neglected apothecary chest brought up from the basement was easily turned into the girls Advent calendar.

Click here to see how I transformed the apothecary chest.

Now onto the dining room where all the fun and frivolity happens!  I went with a coastal/vintage theme this year for my table.  Everything in this centerpiece is from a thrift shop or estate sale (except the large glass cloche).  Tarnished silver combines with a few glass cloches, old coral and shells and porcelain doorknobs that came with our 100+ year old house.  Together = fabulousness!  Click here to see more of the tablescape.

Who says a Christmas tree has to be a tree?  Not me!  That's why I went with a crusty old ladder turned Christmas tree in my dining room. Strung some lights, hung more vintage shiny brites, added an old silver trophy filled with hydrangeas and put a few snowy mason jar candles on the steps.  Unique and fun in the dining room (click here to see more of the Ladder tree).

Kept it super simple in the kitchen and hung a couple of food inspired wreaths.  The marshmallow world wreath is super easy to make (click here).

With a festive bow, a dented old jello mold transforms into a perfect kitchen wreath (see more here).  

A couple of old fish bowls are filled with more vintage shiny brites.

The vintage gingerbread house cookie jar sat on top of my fridge when I was a kid.  I had to pull a chair up to the fridge to get to the cookies (maybe I should give that a try - might lessen the temptation)!  I've never seen another one like it.  That's our elf, Hot Tamale, caught with his hand in the cookie jar!  

Santa is sure to love the mantel this year!  It's blinged out with mercury glass trees, snowy mason jar candles, fresh garland, a snowy twig wreath (like the one on the front door) attached to this fabulous vintage green crib bed spring.  The leopard and toile stockings are so much fun (click here to see more mantel).

The girls baby cups were tied to their stockings with strips of burlap.  How else will Santa know whose stocking is whose?

Love this skinny little reindeer and the pieces of Santa painted coal - given to the girls one year in their stockings even though they were nice all year!

On the coffee table in front of the fire, sit more mercury glass trees on a silver tray filled with snow (can you believe I even found a bag of snow at the thrift shop) and a couple of Italian alabaster doves (you guessed it, thrift shop).  

A silver bowl is filled with meringue cookies (love me some Trader Joe's).  My girls didn't like them and wanted to toss them but I rescued them for a white Christmas display!  A paper white is waiting to bloom in a vintage milk glass cup.

And the mac daddy of Christmas trees is wearing burlap garland, family picture ornaments and a few vintage ones from The Hubs thrown in for fun.  

An old galvanized bucket sits waiting to be filled with lots of presents on Christmas morning.  Lots more pics of the tree are here.

Hope you enjoyed checking out my abode all decked out for the holidays.

Want to see how the rooms look without all their Christmas finery - take a look at my house tour (with more rooms coming soon).

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