Happy, happy New Year! Hope you had a lovely evening! We certainly did. We spent it with some friends on the beach.
So... my word for 2013? FORWARD. Do you pick a word that inspires you for the year? This is my 5th year of participating. My "one little word" always picks me somehow. As the end of the year gets closer a word will begin entering my thoughts... and as much as I try to make sense of the word or try to pick a different one, it doesn't work. So Forward it is. Which I am excited about! I have so many fun things planned for this year!

 Now that the Christmas decor is put away and organized I added a few winter decor touches.

 I thought maybe you'd like to see?

 I added a few aqua touches here and there and decorated with my snowman collection and snowflakes.

 Do you decorate for winter? It helps the house from feeling so empty once the Christmas decor is down.

 Notice my paperwhites in the upper right hand corner in the picture above? They get so tall they start falling over! They smell soo good!

 I love the softness of the faux fur pillows and throw this time of year, so does Koko.

I found this fun crock at an antique store this summer, the twig sphere at Marshall's on Monday and the driftwood star at TJ Maxx.

For my mantel I left the window and the pine bough. I added the candle sticks, the urn filled with branches from the yard and snowflakes.

 While at Lowes a few days ago I picked up a couple glass tiles, I loved the colors of them and thought I could incorporate one or both into my ideas for the guest bath.

 As I walked around Lowes, for 2 hours, I ended up finding some tile I liked even better. I decided to bring the samples home with me anyway and turn them into coasters for my bedroom. I needed a pretty coaster anyway. I just added some felt circles I already had on hand to the bottom.

 I love them!

 I also picked up a few paint samples... I am getting ready to paint the garden guest bedroom. I really love the Morning Chill color, the hubby, not so much. The Neon Mint color makes the room look like a mint sherbet room. So guess I will be going back for another sample. In the mean time I will show you my St. Patrick's Day/Easter mantel.

Stay warm today! We woke up to snow, so I am staying home and heading out to the craft room to prepare for another craft class with my friends!

Christmas home tour~entryway and living room 2011

 

Welcome to the FRONT door to our home! It is not decorated for Christmas, no one has ever used this door. But I thought it would be fun to have YOU enter here ;) to see the outside of my home decorated for Christmas see this post.

I wanted to keep my decorating pretty simple this year since we will not actually be here for Christmas.  Since I didn't really get the chance to decorate last year due to us moving into this house, I wanted to enjoy decorating as much as possible this year.

The carolers were my grandmothers.

 The Christmas village were Christmas gifts for several years from the same grandmother.

 This Santa was part of my grandmas Christmas decor ever since I can remember, I think she made it years ago.

She also made most of these Snow Babies. The two that she didn't make my son and daughter made one summer that they went to visit. It is one of my favorite things to put up.

 

 The Christmas mantel this year. I kept the same cupboard door that has been up since spring, left the same twig wreath that I put up for my fall mantel, added a subway art canvas I created last year. I fell in love with the candle sticks from Partylite, so added them to my mantel along with a fresh cedar bough, white lights and ornaments.

 Most of the ornaments I scored at TJ Maxx.

 We went with a real Christmas tree this year. Smells so good with the fresh pine and cedar boughs.

 Closer view of the tree. The large ornaments came from Dollar Tree, the other ornaments I already had from years past.

 A mix of textures on the coffee table, love!

 I couldn't resist this vintage look ornament at a local gift store. Who doesn't love a little white church?!

 One of the subway art frames I made this year.

 Found this great red ornament shaped card holder at an antique store a few weeks ago for $15.00! Added it to a wooden box I found at goodwill for $3.00, a pine garland and a couple red poinsettias.

Another look at the banister. I love the added warmth of the faux furs on the sofa.

An evening shot of the tree. Next up a little tour of the kitchen and powder room. Thanks for stopping by, have a lovely evening.

More fall decor 2011

 Sorry for the 'golden hue" of the pictures, it was a cold, dark day when I snapped some of these pictures of my fall decor. The hydrangeas came from our yard, I have them in every room of the house I think!

 I moved the furniture around, I tend to do that about 4 times a year! I hope I am not the only one who does that! Please tell me you do that too! Uh, you do right? Okay then moving on...

 A few close ups of the coffee table decor...

 My mom embroidered the fall picture for me many years ago. The little pumpkin I did at a little ceramic shop downtown last year I think?

 A few more closeups around the room.

 The sun made an appearance so I snapped a few extra shots =)

 We had some of the hubbys friends over for dinner, the hubby surprised me with one of them being a cabinetmaker/contractor... so we discussed my kitchen all  most of the evening! Looks like changes are happening soon! Maybe next week, if I can make all the decisions that fast.

 I did add some napkin rings and glasses to the table, we had a lovely dinner of chicken carbonara, salad, french bread and creme brulee for dessert.

 Then a few nights later we had more friends over and I used the same table scape for beef and broccoli (cooked by the hubby) rice, pineapple and blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Today I am headed to Lowes for a new light fixture for the laundry room, yes I am finally finishing that room up! Back later, have a fall filled day!