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