My {better late than never} Home Christmas Tour & the Weekend Craft Soiree!

   Hey there! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I would like to begin by apologizing for my absence these past few weeks. It has been so hectic around here between trying to finish wreath orders before Christmas, being sick, Jeff being sick, baby Schnauzer pups being born, Christmas shopping, preparing the house for guests, etc, etc, etc... I didn't even finish putting up the Christmas decorations until a couple of days before Christmas! Phew... My birthday was the 27th, so I have been trying to take it easy, compared to usual, since then. I think we all need a few days to rest and recover from the holidays. I hope you have been able to! I also hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas season filled with joyous family time to celebrate the birth of our Lord.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of it all, before we know it, we have let it slip away from us without even taking a moment to reflect on  the real reason for this season. I hope you have taken time to cherish each fleeting moment! 
   I have a confession to make. I was beginning to take down all of my Christmas decor tonight without even sharing my home with y'all! I am so glad Jeff saw what I was doing and encouraged me to get back on here! He reminded me that if I didn't share some of our Christmas, I would regret it later. He was so right, so I started taking pics! I had already taken down a lot, but at least you can get the general idea of what Christmas felt like in our home! Keep in mind, these pics were taken at night, so the quality isn't too great. 

 This is the first thing you see upon entering the home. The staircase. I found close to 70 vintage glass ornaments (from the 1950s) that belonged to Jeff's mother. I decided to hang these from the stair garland. They are gorgeous colors of hot pink, bright greens, and blues. I also changed it up a little this year and went with colored lights to stay with the retro feel of the ornaments. Please excuse the unfinished gallery wall going up the stairs. I am actually hoping to have it finished very soon! ;)

Hanging on the wall is  $1 chalkboard I made here. This is what I wrote on it:  "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

I did have lots of presents going up the stairs. After they had been opened, I moved my nutcrackers and snowman there.

  Do you remember the hanging glitter leaves I made here? I decided to replace them with snowflakes (from the dollar store). I am going to leave these up throughout the winter :). I also intend to add a few more. I added a wreath like the one I made for the front door here to go on the door that goes down to the basement. 

  My camera does not do the tree, nor does it do the round room justice. This room looks spectacular at night when the reflection of the lights can be seen on each window. 

Kitchen "Alabama Crimson Tide" Tree

If you have ever read my blog, you probably know that we are huge Alabama fans. I decided to do an Alabama tree in the breakfast area this year. On the left is a loopy ribbon wreath I made earlier in the year and an old bench I painted and reupholstered with houndstooth. I actually placed a red and white polka dot pillow and a houndstooth pillow on this bench, although they aren't shown in this picture. On the left is a Daniel Moore print I placed here to go with the Alabama theme. 

This is the view standing in front of the Alabama tree in the kitchen, looking down into the den area. You see the sunburst mirror above the pass-through window? Learn how I made it from toilet paper rolls here. 

I didn't get the chance to make personalized stockings for the kids this year, so I just placed a photo above each one to identify who each one belonged to. 

This is the view looking from the den into the entryway. 

These next few photos I attempted to take outside. Keep in mind, this pics were taken after I had already started taking decorations down. It is completely dark outside, so the quality is pretty bad. Sorry about that! 

  Here is my tomato cage Christmas tree. I also had white lights on the wreath that is on the front door. I usually love to go all out with my outdoor lights. We live pretty far off the road (1/4 mile) so in order to make an impact, there really needs to be lots of lights. I didn't have as much time this year, but had to add a little something with the amount of time I did have. 

The view into the round room windows from outside. 

Coming into the house, the office (formerly the dining room) is to the left. I added some lights to an artificial tree I have in here year-round. 

And the final pic before the Weekend Craft Soiree begins.... 

Just wanted you to see this sweet baby Schnauzer I have in my arms as I write this post... How much work could you get done with something this sweet looking up at you? :) It isn't easy, that's for sure!

  No rules for the party this weekend! I am just happy to be getting back on track! I have also decided that I will not post features from the previous parties this time, although I have featured many of you on my facebook page! I want to start fresh with the new year! :) I hope you all have a safe and fun New Year's weekend!  Please remember NOT to drink and drive! Happy New Year, my friends!