christmas tour 2013

Now that my birthday's a wrap (just kidding, you all know I'll keep celebrating and using it as an excuse to do whatever I want and not do whatever I don't want to do for at least another week), it's time to focus on what's up next: CHRISTMAS. But before we can have Christmas, we have to deck the halls. And take pictures. And look at everyone else's decked halls to get more ideas. And then redecorate our own halls. And really...it can all be quite exhausting, but it's FUN, so let's get on with it!

The annual Christmas Tour of Homes with Kelly's Korner! I look forward to this every year (is that sad to admit?)- making new friends and getting awesome ideas for crafts and purchases and styling and traditions? Love it. 

We'll start out front. To be honest, pretty much no one except the UPS guy uses the front door. But it's pretty anyway. This is my picture frame ornament art I made last year (and I made a tutorial!).

 I absolutely love having this on the door. Since our door is black, I love how the bright colors pop and stand out-- you can see it from the street! And I love that the colors are bright and fun-- totally different from the colors I use indoors, but it doesn't matter! Also- this post is by far the most 'pinned' thing from my blog. It's bizarre how many people pinned and repinned it all summer long. Summer. Seriously. Anyway...

Back to the inside. My favorite thing about decorating this year was that we just repainted and slightly redecorated the living room a few weeks prior to decorating for Christmas. So it really felt like a new space-- the walls are so much brighter...even though almost all of our Christmas decor is the same stuff we've been using for years, it felt fresh and new since the living room looked different.

The mantel stays pretty similar each year. This year I added the little (live) trees-- I found them at Trader Joe's and thought they'd be a fun accent. The stick tree was one of my first attempts at crafting a few years ago. I think it's quaint, haha. 

The mantel from another angle. Actually, the big balls (heh heh) are new this year. It's a Christmas miracle that they haven't plummeted to their deaths. The blue shelf with the nativity is temporarily being housed there. Normally it lives where the tree currently is. But this spot was perfect since we still don't have our glider, so...it worked out nicely.

Same thing, but the view from the couch/coffee table. And also the best candle on earth. If you learn anything from me today, it is that you don't need ANY DECORATIONS, ALL YOU NEED IS THIS CANDLE and your house will feel like Christmas. Promise. Also, the day after Christmas I plan on mowing down everyone at the mall in my mad rush to score about 40 of these candles on discount. Prepare yourself for pain, Athens. (PS. The candle is from Bath and Body Works. And it is amazing.)

This really isn't the greatest shot of the other side of the room, but it's the only one I got that included our new rug. The rug isn't Christmas-y, but I realized I hadn't shown pictures of it yet and it seemed like the right thing to do. So there she is! Also...our tree, Fred Roger. And one of my (many, many, many) yarn wreaths on the back of the front door.

The piano is off to the right, on the other side of the window. Normally I do a lot of decorating on the piano. I didn't do a thing this year. No particular reason...most likely I'd just finished decorating it (with 'normal' decorations) after we redid the living room...and I didn't feel like taking all of them down and redoing it with Christmas decor. Oh well. It happens. So no pictures because it's like a hulking Grinch. Until I start playing Christmas carols! 

Just kidding, I pretty much never play Christmas carols. I play I Dreamed a Dream and Foolish Games and call it a set. Best set ever.

A final parting shot of Fred Roger before you go:

Presh, aren't we?? I haven't even pulled out my wood burning kit this year. I'm falling apart, people!!

So that's my shorter-than-usual Christmas tour. If you're dying to know what it looked like in years past (with green walls and a festive piano), check out my 2012, 2011, and 2010 Christmas House tours.

If you're new from Kelly's Korner-- thanks for stopping by!! Feel free to stick around if you are interested in any of the following: laughing at ridiculous stuff, grammar, eye makeup, infertility and/or failed adoptions (I have both!), manatees, or you hate birds. You'll fit in fine here.

Regular people: Thanks so much for the birthday love yesterday!!! Since this home tour was scheduled for today I (obviously) wasn't able to do a proper birthday recap, but I put updates and pictures throughout the day on Instagram and Facebook, so check it out there if you're just dying to know how fancy we got at work...or if I got the Tarte LipSurgence set I was lusting after (spoiler: I did!!!!). 

Have a happy weekend! 

PS. Matt also got me the fixins to make the Yuletide...sooooo...yeah, I'll probably have an awesome weekend ;) Feel free to drop by if you're in town!

PPS. OOOOOH also he got me a BATHTUB PILLOW!!!! My bubble baths are about to be Code Red, yall.