Frosty Pastel Dining Room {Christmas Home Tour Part 3}

Welcome to the third and final  part of my 2014 Christmas home tour, the dining room.  This year, I kept the colors in this room frosty and pastel and I really like the wintry look that resulted.  That's a really good thing because it's less than a week until Christmas and I'm just finishing my decorating so it's not like there's really time to change my mind.

Christmas Home Tour Part 2 {Home for the Holidays}

Today I'm sharing what I've lovingly come to refer to as PART 2 of my holiday decorating: our front porch and my college son's bedroom.  Why do I call it "Part 2" you ask?  Well...let me explain.

Candy Cane Stripe Christmas Kitchen - Welcome Home Tour

Welcome to Christmas in my farmhouse kitchen! My philosophy this year is inexpensive...and easy.  Ninety percent of this red and white striped candy cane kitchen was created using items that I already had on hand. 

Clothespin Snowman {Ornament Day 11}

Happy Day 11 of the 12 days of DIY Christmas Ornaments! Is anyone still reading?!  Today we're making a  sweet clothespin snowman dressed in felt and carrying a pipe cleaner candy cane.

Mason Jar Ring Recycled Card Shadowbox {Ornament Day 10}

Today's ornament can be made from things that you probably already have on hand: a mason canning jar lid ring and an old Christmas card.  Okay, there are a couple of other items but the majority of this project is those two things.

Easy Gold Jingle Bell Wreath {Ornament Day 2}

Today's gold jingle bell wreath ornament is a great easy ornament to make with children. All they need a little help from an adult to bend the wire. This adorable wreath would also make a cute napkin ring for your holiday table or a darling package tie-on for an extra special gift!

French Country Inspired Christmas Dining Room

I kept Christmas decorating in my dining room simple this year.  Just a couple of  wreaths, a length of garland, and red ribbon.  It's certainly much more simple than our snowy, winter wonderland dining room decorating from last year ( see more here).

Rustic Vintage Ski Lodge Christmas Mantel

This Christmas, my theme is re-purposing.  I suppose that my actual theme is "Let It Snow" (the vintage ski lodge version).  But there's also an underlying theme going on in my life and my holiday decorating this year and it's all about re-purposing.

Before I talk about that, however, I wanted to show you this Before and During photo of the living room. I realize that most people would call this a "Before and After" photo but given that the main portion of the renovation at the French farmhouse hasn't even begun, I'm calling the photo on the right the "during" phase.
I thought that I'd show you how the living room looked in August.

Sometimes I forget that we're still in Phase 1 of this project. I forget how very different things look today than they did just over three months ago when we moved to the farmhouse.  I forget that the cedar paneling above the fireplace was painted green....and pink....and ivory. Or that it took three days to strip.

      I'm probably suppressing those memories.
                                 
                                         I think that I read somewhere that people tend to do that with traumatic events.

I also forget that there really wasn't really a mantel above the fireplace. It was just a narrow little ledge above a brass fireplace screen that fell completely onto the floor (and my foot)  when I tried to open the doors.
                                                                                                          I'm suppressing that memory, too.

Today, there's a mantel.  I suppose that technically, it's a reclaimed shelf with a piece of 1 x 10 on top that's acting as a mantel...for now.  The shelf will have another life next Christmas. It will be re-purposed again as a shelf in my new master bathroom.

Oh, and the room where this fireplace is located...the one that's currently our living room? It is going to (hopefully) be re-purposed into our new dining room by next year at this time. Confusing, isn't it?!

The reclaimed wood snowflakes and vintage ski's? Well, they'll probably find a home in my new studio.... which is being re-purposed from the space that is currently the garage.
                                                                                                                  Are you following along so far?

Re-purposing found objects is one of my favorite things to do.  All it takes is a little imagination. In fact, almost everything that I used to create this year's mantel has had a prior life and a different purpose.  The garland was from my 2012 white woodland winter mantel (here). The bows were from my 2012 Christmas tree. Do you remember that tree? It was the 12 foot tall one...with the plaid cardboard star tree top.  I have to admit, I won't miss climbing a step ladder to put the top on our tree this year.

The colored plastic ornaments were re-purposed from the Grinch Christmas themed outdoor decorations that I made five or six years ago. Yes, I know, it's sad that I found an entire huge bin full of plastic ornaments that I had completely forgotten about in the back of the closet when we moved. I swear I'm not a hoarder....I'm a saver.                                        Don't judge me.

At least I didn't find an entire set of chairs in the back of a closet that I'd forgotten about. Although...there was a 3 drawer dresser...
We're not talking about dressers today. Today we're going to discuss the fact that the only truly "brand new" part of this mantel was the letters "S, N, and W." They are cardboard, purchased at JoAnn fabric and painted to look like wood using craft paint and paraffin wax.

Other than those three letters, everything else is either re-purposed, hand made, or re-used.  I made the 2 x 4 stocking holders (HERE) out of wood from the scrap bin at Home Depot and the stockings are made from flannel shirting using my free stocking pattern  HERE.

The tiny tree with vintage ornaments previously belonged to my Uncle.  The tree skirt is a re-purposed vintage kitchen towel.

Of course, the toy truck had another life some time in the 1960's. I suspect that the prior owner loved it almost as much as I do but it was probably loved outdoors rather than in the middle of the family's Christmas Mantel.

Things were a little different back in the 1960's.  Ahem...not that I'd know anything about that.  *wink*

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy December to spend a few minutes with me and to look at my crazy, vintage, rustic, ski lodge mantel.  I hope that it'll inspire you to find a way to reuse or re-purpose a few things around your home.

Did I mention that I'm re-purposing my bedroom into a new kitchen?  No? We'll talk about that soon.

In the mean time, Let it snow!

Wait...Let it snow right after I finish my Christmas shopping!

Sharing at:
Coastal Charm
French Country Cottage
From My Front Porch to Yours
Jennifer Rizzo Holiday Home Tour
Satori Design For Living

Christmas Front Porch and Urn Planter and The First Snowfall at the French Farmhouse

This year, for the first time in over ten years, I decorated my front porch entry with live greens.  I hung live balsam wreath on the door, added some mixed green garland around the entry and then filled the urn planter outside of my front door with an assortment of natural materials (both real and artificial).

How to Make Easy Wooden Christmas Stocking Holders

Today, I'm delighted to be a part of a group of 30 incredible bloggers who are sharing ideas for creating a hand made holiday in your home.  Yesterday I finally decided to finish decorating our mantel for the holidays.
Yes, I realize that Christmas is only two and a half weeks away...but my sons don't get home from college for another week so if you don't say anything, I won't.

Holiday Home Tour Day 1: French Farmhouse Kitchen

Welcome to my French farmhouse kitchen finally dressed for the holidays! I've kept my holiday decorating simple this year.

Christmas Chalkboard Wall Art

You're looking at a photo of  the re-purposed cabinet door panel that I turned into Christmas chalkboard wall art and wondering what this seemingly innocent piece of wood has to do with self-realization, aren't you?

How to Make A Christmas Stocking (Free Pattern)

I've always loved Christmas stockings. Especially when they're home made...and easy!  Don't let these photos fool you.  These stockings are super simple to make and the pattern is really easy to adapt.

DIY Holiday Peppermint Wreath: Dollar Tree Craft

Nothing quite says, Merry Christmas like a grease spatter screen... truly. When I thought about holiday decorating as I found myself wandering through the Dollar Tree on Monday night, I knew almost immediately that I was going to need a grease spatter screen.

Pottery Barn Inspired Christmas Countdown Calender Pillow

Yes, It's November 7th and I'm sharing a Christmas project. Hey, it's not just me!...Pottery Barn's Christmas catalog has been out for a couple of weeks and when I came across their adorable Advent Calender Lumbar Pillow (known in my house as a Christmas Countdown Calender), I knew immediately that I needed one.

Chalkboard Tags, An Advent Wreath and Overdue Thanks

According to my BFF and the guide to my daily behavior, Emily Post, 
 (insert the sound of laughter and my family and everyone else who knows me rolling on the floor laughing)  
"One has a year to write a thank you notes for wedding gifts".  So I kind of figured that I was okay....even though this note (and one other that I'll share soon) are a couple of weeks late.

Snow(white) in the Dining Room - Christmas Tablescape

Have you ever wondered what it looks like when Snow White and the guys sit down for holiday dinner at the castle?

Do you think that she has her staff turn the dining room into a wonderland that reminds her of her days back at the cottage in the woods?

I'll bet that she does. She always was kind of crafty...even when she had nothing to work with but a white table cloth, a burlap runner, a few bowls and some things that she gathered in the woods...including a six foot long birch log!

Woodland Winter Mantel..and NFL Fooball

 
Sometimes, decorating for Christmas in a house full of men has it's challenges...like when they question why I'm doing it at all. Especially when I'm doing it on Sunday afternoon...in the middle of a football game.

The groaning and complaints about ladders blocking the television and vacuuming drowning out the sound  got me thinking....

I have come to the conclusion that my decorating for Christmas is the holiday equivalent of a Sunday afternoon of NFL Football. Yep. They're the same.

2012 Holiday House Walk - Stop 19

 Surprise! It's me, Kimberly from Serendipity Refined and I'm delighted to be a part of my dear friend, Jennifer Rizzo's, 2012 Holiday House Walk. Thanks so much for inviting me, Jen!

If you're visiting from the amazing Tricia's Morning T, welcome and thanks so much for stopping by!  Isn't her home glorious? She's got the most beautiful style and her photos...well, don't get me started or we'll be here all day!

Let's get this tour started, shall we?!

Wow! Keeping this secret has been one of the most difficult things that I've done since hauling my concrete urns inside from the front porch! Come in...let me show you what I mean.

Yep, that is a concrete urn in the foyer. You'll see the other one in the living room hearth. I filled them with live greens to give our home the smell of Christmas even though we have artificial trees. The urns were heavy as heck to move but worth the trouble once they were in place!

 The living room, dining room and foyer were decorated using birch logs, pine cones and mixed evergreen boughs. The goal was to create a winter woodland feel that would blend well with my collection of flea market finds and vintage ironstone using materials that were often free and readily available and didn't involve me getting poison ivy, or dealing with wild animals.

 

In the kitchen and great room of our home, pine cones and birch twigs are joined by vintage red plaid blankets and plaid flannel ribbon for a rustic lodge-like feel that I've decided is something akin to Paul Bunyan meets The Polar Express. It's much more casual and I have to admit, it's in these rooms where we spend most of our time and where everyone feels most at home.

 

The kitchen is the heart of our home. It's where we make candy and bake so many batches of Christmas cookies that I've stopped counting.  It's also where you can almost always find homemade hot chocolate and marshmallows waiting on cold Chicago winter days when I've been outdoors shoveling after the plows block the end of the driveway with snow and slush for the fourth time in 24 hours!

You may wonder why I decorate the one room in the house where I have my eyes closed most of the time. The answer is simple: for me, there's nothing like going to sleep to the glow of twinkling lights (and it keeps me from tripping over the dog when I get up in the middle of the night to see if it snowed or if Santa has arrived. You can read that story and see more photos of this room here).

Needless to say, we're still in the thick of the holiday season with DIY projects, baking, and the 12 foot tall tree in the family room still left to decorate. I've also got many more photos of these rooms that I'll be sharing on the blog in the coming days so I hope that you'll visit again soon!

Now, please continue to the next stop on the tour, Paige from Simple Thoughts. Paige is a wonderfully talented photographer, mom, and newlywed!  She's got a style that is as elegant as it is powerful.  She's honest, candid, and will make you feel like you've known her forever. 

If you'd like to start at the beginning so that you don't miss any of the other houses (including Jennifer's own home that was featured on the Pottery Barn blog this week), click on the button.

 

xo,






I'm linking to:
Embracing Change
On Sutton Place
Stilettos In The Mud - Home for the Holidays