Hi, friends! December is moving right along and I wanted to post a Christmas Home Tour this year, seeing as I seem to have missed last year’s….LIFE! It literally feels like it’s Fall then it’s Christmas these days with little time to get many extra things in. Today I will share Part 1 then hopefully share Part 2 next week. I hope this post finds you all doing well, enjoying the beauty of the Season, despite how busy things seem sometimes!
We made a few changes to our exterior over the last 2-3 years, so I thought this would be a good time to share a few of those. You might remember I had our front door and shutters repainted to a more classic color, Sherwin Williams Iron Ore. We had a new roof installed with architectural tiles a few years ago, and I really like the dark gray door and shutters with it.
I added Glen Watch brown plaid tweed ribbon mixed with the crimson red velvet ribbon I used throughout the exterior. The large wreath is years old from Hobby Lobby, but I still like it and just keep adding greenery and antler picks, as well as ball ornaments to keep it fresh and updated. At the front door, I like to add fresh greenery to the urns that flank the front door and some white birch in a copper stand. I buy the birch firewood at Home Depot and stock up when I see it! Not only is a decorative wood with its pretty bark, but it burns in the fireplace really well since it’s a hard wood.
Last Summer, I bought these concrete dog statues in Franklin, North Carolina, after seeing a pair of antique ones up in Cashiers. I posted about them originally here. I had fun decorating them for Christmas this year with a mix of greenery found in our yard and garden: Gardenias (which had some red buds I’d never noticed), Yew, & Magnolia finished with crimson red velvet bows! I keep wetting the greenery stems, hoping they’ll last as long as possible, but I usually have to refresh another time before Christmas and longer if I choose to keep them fresh looking into January. (January can always use a little sparkle, right!?)
I have an older dog statue that sits right outside our kitchen that I add a bow to and an herb pot that I add a mix of fresh greenery to during the Holidays. Just makes everything a little more festive, happier, and bright! All these dogs statues are actually in memory of other dogs we’ve had; just a sweet way to see them and remember them.
I found this bark planter in Ellijay, Georgia last December at an antique shop and it already had fresh Nandina, Pine, Magnolia, Cypress, pinecones, ornaments, and a bow. It lasted a long time because the lady who made the arrangement had used wet floral foam lined in a plastic bag in the base of the planter. I haven’t made a new arrangement this year, but hopefully I’ll have time at some point. (with the hundreds of other things women have to find time to do during the holiday season….ha)
About 3 years ago, we had a fence built for our dogs and I requested the gates have some pretty detailing instead of just plain fronts. I have enjoyed decorating around them and adding things in the Fall and at Christmas, as well as in Summertime! At Christmas, I add a few large fresh wreaths and they look good up until the end of January usually.
I wanted to find some large grapevine orbs last year to add to either side of the gates, but never could find any that weren’t ridiculously expensive, so I made some using a smaller grapevine orb from Michael’s. I bought extra regular grapevine and soaked it in water so it would be more manageable, then just worked it around the smaller one until I got to a size I was happy with! I secured with wire in a few places and they have held up well.
Finally, we have 2 planters outside our garage that always look nicer with some fresh greenery and berries. It’s really such a simple thing that doesn’t take much time, but it makes me happy seeing touches of Christmas inside as well as out. In one planter I have cabbage that I plant in the Fall when I buy my mums, and just “enhance” them with Cypress. In the other urn outside the garage, I cut the mums all the way back down to the dirt, but leave the dirt in the urn so I can stick greenery and berries inside. I add water each week if it doesn’t rain and that helps extend the life of all the exterior arrangements! (excuse the wet siding in the pic- alot of the time I have to work around Winter weather in my pictures/posts)
And that’s it, y’all! I will be sharing Part 2: The Interior hopefully later next week. Our oldest son is graduating from University of North Georgia in Dahlonega this month and Mark and I are planning a fun little getaway before he starts his new job.
Thank you for taking the time to read and support my blog, you are appreciated….
Happy Holidays!
XO
Cindy says
December 11, 2019 at 1:37 pmLove this!