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The big Holiday countdown is coming to an end. Yeah! I’m so excited about Christmas this year and I’m also happy to have my family coming over tomorrow for a nice traditional Christmas Eve dinner. And Santa will be paying us a visit also – we get one early as he’s still doing the evening runs on Christmas Eve. (Some kids won’t get their gifts until the morning – well our kids get them a bit earlier – in person! (i hope – did someone arrange that? hmmm…)

While we wait… our home is ready for the festivities! Here is Part 2 of that Holiday Home tour (here is part 1)- I didn’t get to finish the other day. Enjoy!

Our tree, as you know, survived 2 falls already! Some ornaments didn’t and some are still on the operating table. (I think they might get hung after Christmas…. no time…)
I wanted to make some hand made ornaments this year, and I pulled off 2 styles. One is the Gingerbread Cookie Ornaments featured in ROTH online magazine (see the rocking horse in the photo above – that hit the floor twice – and still made it. Just shows you I have an unbeatable recipe which is still fun to make with/or for your kids over the Holidays.) The heart shaped ornament next to it, is a little cute craft I did with burlap and red knitting yarn. It looks adorable and break-proof! (in our house that’s important – I don’t trust gravity anymore ;)

In the living room, aside from the tree, there are a few little Holiday touches. There’s a cut poinsettia in a jar, a bowl with nuts, a vintage wooden santa. We have Christmas toys and books out to read with the kids. Next to the tree, under the window, there is a shelf with an adorable tree house set with a wintery theme and an ikea train set running through it. My daughter loves to sit near there and have her Little Pet Shop and My Little Pony toys take over the birdhouse village ;)

Ok, now I’m just bragging, but below I included the latest additions to the living room. Special thanks go out to my father-in-law and my husband. Total surprise from grandpa – THANK YOU and then it just needed something nicer to sit on – THANK YOU hubby for a surprise as well ;) LOVE U. (now it would be nice to upgrade the dvd players and the surround system – hint hint for next year ;) just kidding.

In the kitchen, we currently have a big poinsettia plant wrapped in – yes more burlap! Love that thing ;) This will probably get moved around because there’s not much room for breakfast, but it does look pretty with that vibrant red. I hung straw star decorations on a wire over our bay window (another ikea find from last year – post season sale ;)  And over the sink, there’s just a little more greenery with some candles that will get to be lit soon for a little more festive mood.

I love adding natural elements for the holidays like a REAL Christmas tree, then trim a few branches from the bottom and decorate with them also – that creates great impact with the ‘buy a tree get the pine branches for free” ;) That brings in a lovely look not to mention the aroma from the pine. It’s just not the same Christmas without it….  I also liked including the new-to-me  burlap for a natural texture in the table runner, some ornaments and a cover for the poinsettia. For $1 a metre – burlap is AWESOME ;)  The stairwell also got a facelift…

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I think I’m totally saving the BEST FOR LAST. This is another sneak peek into my home office with the holiday touches this time. I have transformed this antique dresser into a shabby-chic look with black knobs and my Ica Chair with a script fabric throw in black and white next to it. I realize that this looks like from an entirely different house – it’s kind of refreshing this way every time I walk into my office. The room isn’t finished yet – but it is looking fabulous already!

Here I’ve used some extra white branches (from the nest chandelier), and hung some silver stars from them. I have a chalkboard painted wood panel with a Holiday message leaning on the wall. There’s  a snow globe and my elephants. (you know I love elephants ;) I made a decorative butterfly garland from the butterflies I did here. I simply strung them onto thin black wire, bent the wire so they stay in place and hung the whole thing from the corner of a drapery rod above. This isn’t really a holiday decoration – it’s meant to stay up the whole time – but I thought I would give you the scoop anyway ;)  Yes, I’m the girl that loves elephants and butterflies ;)

I hope you liked peeking into my home. This isn’t really an official home tour but there’s enough in these two days to show you our style even with it’s Holiday decor to get to know us more…. ;)

I’m glad the house is now clean and ready, today is a day to start cooking for tomorrow’s dinner. I already have an aromatic compote on the stove. On the menu is a traditional Eastern European dinner. There should be 12 dishes served. Oh my, there’s a ton of work ;)  We already have the cookies done from my baking-date at my sister’s yesterday – I wish we had one more day to post that too ;)

May the Christmas season fill your home with joy, your heart with love and your life with laughter.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

(thank you so much for visiting me here, I appreciate every connection and new ‘friend’ I’m making. Best Wishes with love from me, Ella)