Friday, December 11, 2009

Welcome to my Holiday Home Tour !!

"Sleigh bells ring, are you listening ...?"  The countdown to Christmas is on (not ready!).  Have you finished your shopping?  Have you planned your scrumptious holiday menu?  And, are your stockings hung by the chimney with care?  If you have a moment or two to spare, please join me for our home holiday tour.  We went a bit overboard this year with our decorations because our home was featured on the local Christmas Tour of Homes.  (Feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

My wonderful Mom was kind enough to let us "borrow" the two whimsical trees flanking the front door.

Do you have an empty fountain shut down for the winter?  How about toss some inexpensive ornaments in there for a colorful touch?


Fresh snow is still dripping off of the sled (lol ... okay, faux snow ... the real thing is, unfortunately, not likely here in Myrtle Beach) !!  Come on in ...

A large, chunky garland greets you as you enter ... with one of my favorite sayings ("Home ... the place your story begins") peeking through.





And, thanks to my parents (again!), this beautiful Santa greets you when you enter.

Our humble dining room features all things traditional ...



I love Radko ornaments, gold/glittery snowflakes and the birds ... especially the Cardinals (we're originally from Virginia).


I wish I could keep my chandelier dressed like this all year round !!


The sitting room is done in a musical theme and the tree is filled with copper, green, red and gold ornaments with pheasant feathers, gold/glittery sprays and branches popping out everywhere.




The vintage carolers gently sing along with our guests, as the music notes cascade from the chandelier.





Let's skip on into the great room ... the tree is all things whimsical and splashed with Christmas card photos ...




I bought the jumbo box of ornaments from WalMart and used my chalk paint to write inspirational words (Joy, Hope, etc.) on a few of them.  A fun, inexpensive way to personalize your ornaments!


The Santa elves are eager to help decorate, finding just the *perfect* spot to place their garland and ornaments.


For me, it's not the holidays without a nutracker or two making their appearance.



As we leave the great room, we're in the kitchen. I decided to go whimsical in there, as well, with the tree on the island dripping with candy ornaments, elves, gingerbread and all things fun (and fattening) !!  It's been oh-so-hard to bypass the yummy treats just waiting to be devoured !!







I stole borrowed the chalkboard art from Aunt Ruthie at her wonderful blog SugarPie Farmhouse ... it adds a fun touch, but clearly I need art lessons !!


And, another chalkboard ... I was tired of my "blah" white pantry door.  Sooo, I had the wood cut at Lowe's ... painted it with chalkboard paint and then my husband and our friend cut the molding and nailed it on ... voila, a brand new look !!


Off of the kitchen is the breakfast area ... the table is dressed with beautiful red chargers and our traditional Spode plates, with smaller village homes (tying in with the village on our dry bar) surrounding the candle centerpiece.  The chandelier is decked out with garland (filled with pinecones, ribbon and red beds) and you can spot glittery snowflakes hanging down, along with hanging globes which have fresh cranberries and votives in them.



My son loves the village ... I love how the soft lights illuminate the precious homes and businesses.  Oh how I'd enjoy spending a day there ... shopping in the novelty stores ... taking in a movie ... stopping by the bakery for a Christmas goodie (or two!) and finally enjoying a horse drawn carriage ride home through the snow with my family !!  Oh, the simple life !!



Well, that concludes the first part of the tour. 

Happy Holidays and thanks for stopping by,

Becca


34 comments:

  1. ~WOW!!!! Becca your home is beyond gorgeous and truly magical all decked out in it's Christmas finery! LOVE it all!

    I'll be back to study each photo over and over. Thank you very much for sharing them. You are an inspiration to me! I'm so happy I found your beautiful blog.

    Enjoy your Friday! ~Melissa :)

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  2. Melissa !! Seriously, your comment brought a tear to my eye !! That is SO sweet of you to say ... thank you !! Please visit as much as you'd like and offer any wonderful tips ... I'm always open to suggestions !! You know I'll be visiting your gorgeous spaces, too, for inspiration !! Have a great day, Becca

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  3. Your decorations are gorgeous. I love your kitchen decor and the tree is too cute. The slim trees caught my eye on your entry - those are beautiful.

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  4. Just found your blog. Your home is beautiful! I'm slobbering! lol I have a candy theme in my kitchen too but after seeing yours, don't even want to post mine! Merry Christmas!
    Tammy

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  5. Thank you for the beautiful tour! your home is so warm and cozy. i think i have found someone who likes to decorate for Christmas as much as I do.
    Merry Christmas,
    Carolyn

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  6. I love your home. I love your traditional style and I love the whimsical touch as well. The island is my favorite. WOW! I'm glad to find you! I'll be following you to see all the great things you are creating!

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  7. I am in complete awe of your talent. Your home is so elegant, yet warm and inviting. I could sit and stay all day just taking in the amazing gift that God has blessed you with. Really, your home is decorated to perfection. I know I will be visiting daily for inspiration. How long did it take you to transform your home into a winter wonderland? I can tell you invested a lot of time and love into your home and I bet your family is *really* enjoying it. What a treat! Thank you *so* much for sharing with all of us.

    Have a fantastic weekend. =)

    Liz

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  8. I see a lot of work involved here, but very beautiful. I love everything. Blessings, Debbie

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  9. WOW! Your beautiful home is beyond amazing! I'm in awe of how much you decorate for Christmas and how gorgeous everything is! Thanks so much for sharing your Christmas home...Merry Christmas!

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  10. THANK you Debbie and "Lamp Tramp!" I'm so glad you stopped by. Yes, it was a labor of love and, clearly, I'm NOT looking forward to taking all of this down. LOL

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  11. Okay, I seriously need to break out the tissues after reading all of your thoughtful and funny comments !! Tammy, I laughed out LOUD at your post ... you better include a picture of your beautiful candy tree ... I'm going over there now to check !!

    Liz, I started ripping our Fall decor down and putting Christmas up back in October (the day after we were asked to be on the Christmas tour). As much as I arrange and rearrange and change my mind, I knew that I need a BIG head start !! lol

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  12. Becca! This is great!! Your house is beautiful! GREAT job on your blog!!

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  13. It's so nice to see someone go all out this year! You did a gorgeous job on your beautiful house and I would be thrilled to be a guest. LOVE the kitchen tree :)

    rue

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  14. Overdone never! It looks great.
    ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

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  15. Hey Becca, It's me, Tammy, again. lol Wanted to ask you how you wrote on your chalkboard. Did you freehand it with regular chalk? Also, just noticed you live in Myrtle Beach. Lucky you! Love that place. Thanks!

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  16. Thank you so much for the tour. Everything is sooo beautiful but I think my favorite things are the elves that are decorating the tree. Those are so cute!!! And the little elves dangling from the candy jars...cute!! Thanks again for the tour and Merry Christmas to you and your family!!

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  17. Thank you ladies !! I'm so glad you stopped by!! Tammy, actually I used "chalkboard paint" ... it's the chalk (erasable) markers they use at Starbucks (they.are.fabulous)!! SO much better than chalk! Mary, I'm glad you like the elves ... I got them at HomeGoods (my home away from home)!! Take care, Becca (And, yes, we love living at the beach ... just wish it was warm again!)

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  18. You have some GREAT decorations! Wonderful job and GORGEOUS house!

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  19. Thanks! I didn't even know they made such a thing. That's why blogging is so great. I get to learn things like this! I've never paid attention at Starbucks I guess. But I'm not a Starbucks fan. Don't like coffee or latte. (I know I'm in the minority) Appreciate the info!

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  20. Everything is just beautiful! It's hard to pick a favorite. The entryway and the kitchen island, and the tree topper...

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  21. Wow! And Wow--Again! I absolutely ADORE your decor'!!! May I borrow some of your ideas? Just love your home in all it's Christmas finery. Thanks for sharing with us.

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  22. Beautiful home and awesome decorations. Love it all
    merry christmas
    dena

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  23. Your home is so beautiful! All your cecorations looks so perfect. Thanks so much for linking up at the Holly Bloggy.

    This week I'm featuring bloggers who participated. I'll have to include one of your trees on my list. They are so pretty!

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  24. Simply beautiful....Blessings to you and yours....Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with many blessings.
    Teresa
    Grammy Girlfriend http://teresa-grammygirlfriend.blogspot.com/
    and
    http://grammyababychangeseverything.blogspot.com

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  25. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and have a fun filled New Year's Eve! Wishing you much success and happiness in 2010!

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  26. Where do I start Becca?!! Wowzer! Every inch of your home is gorgeous! I'm in decorator heaven right now. I'm new here, but can I ask a favor of you? Can I make a mention of your Christmas decor on my new Christmas blog? It's called All Year Cheer. You are definately and inspiration to me. Truly! I agree with you about Aunt Ruthie's blog SugarPie Farmhouse lol. I am a big fan of her decor as well. The chalkboard markers and the framed chalkboard on your pantry is genius. Thank you so much for inspiring me to do better and more this Christmas:)

    Cheryl @All Year Cheer:a Christmas blog and also My Own Snug Fireside.

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  27. Becca, Just love dropping by. You give such inspiration. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

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  28. Your home is so pretty, makes me want to hurry and put my decorations out right now!!! It's a Christmas wonderland, truly spectacular!

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  29. How beautiful your Christmas home is! Love it! I sooo love everything Christmas, even have a Christmas blog, too, so I can see that I'll be visiting you very often! Our tastes are very similar!

    Happy Thanksgiving!

    Big TX Hugs,
    Stephanie
    Angelic Accents

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  30. Becca, you win the award for Christmas decor! It must take weeks to put all these vignettes up! What a treat for our eyes. So glad you shared with us. Come by and see my whimsy in Christmas decor, though not nearly as much as yours. Terry

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  31. Hi, there...I realize that this is about a year late:) but I wanted to get holiday decorating ideas. Mostly, I'd like to copy your blackboard on the pantry door. Do you have a hollow-core door? How did you attach the board to the door? My dh said he would try it if you told us how:)

    Thanks,
    Lilia

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I appreciate your comments!