Christmas Tour of Homes 2017

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Join me in finding incredible ideas for this Christmas season! So many beautiful homes to peruse. Find inspiration and merriment in this year’s Christmas Tour of Homes!

Hello Wonderful Friends!

How are you? Can you believe we are just weeks away from Christmas? Yep! It’s the most wonderful time of year! I am so very excited to be a part of a very special blog hop today. 26 bloggers, 26 beautiful Christmas tour of homes to help jump start inspiration or just to enjoy.

Grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate,tis the season, you know, and join me! You will find the links to all the holiday goodness at the bottom of this post. Before you head over to see my friends, won’t spend a few minutes here?

Christmas Tour of Homes 2017

If you are new to The Aspiring Home, WELCOME! I am so very glad you made your way to my little slice of the internet. Christmas time can be such a beautiful time for reflection, recalling sweet memories of the past, dreaming of a hopeful future or longing for those who have moved on from this world. Sometimes, whether we are expecting it or not, we run the full gamut of emotion.

It’s snowing as I write this post, snowing in Houston, Texas.  Can you believe? Funny how  this rare occurrence triggers memories of growing up in Biloxi, Mississippi and the time it snowed ( a lot) when I was 5 ish years old. It was the first time I had ever seen the white fluffy stuff. It didn’t stick to the ground but it was exciting to watch it fall. Then my memories switch to the white fluffy cotton “snow” my mom would put out on the coffee table and end tables. It was just cotton filling but for the month of December – it represented snow and that snow would be soon surround Rudolph himself all decked in flocking! Feline was sure to follow. There was nothing quite so magical as the flocked animals and snowmen mom would stage around the room, well until the tree was dragged out of the attic for set-up! I felt very special because where the tree “lived”, I could see the lights dancing on the ceiling through a sliver of a crack in my bedroom doorway. I would drift off to dreamland watching those lights play.

Time swiftly moves, as I am learning. Here I am,the momma who ushers in the December celebrations. I love pretty shiny things and fancy trees. This year… Well, this year was a little different. I long for something a bit simpler and a bit happier. I veered a bit from my traditional, over the top decor and sought a little inspiration in a hot pink bauble and gelato teal ribbon.

The Porch

Our front porch is the first place you will see the gorgeous gelato teal ribbon. I gilded the berries a bit so they would shine. The lanterns, are my old standby’s perched on top of leftover 4×4 scraps. I will probably add a little ribbon on the lanterns, just to add a little more love.

The Foyer

Through the front door, you are greeted by our latest redesign project, the foyer and the hot pink bauble I told you about.

Ricky’s best interpretation of a sitting deer. Ha!

The Dining Room

The dining room is simple and is lacking the paper tree forest I am currently working on, so check back in with me! In the meantime, I grabbed a few nut crackers from the craft store and painted them white. The chair color is a fun pop of color – would you believe me if I told you that I bought cheap (very cheap) table runners and cut them in half? I sewed a little channel on one end and inserted a small diameter dowel rod. Then it was just a matter of tucking the dowel rod into the crevice of the chair!

I took the teal theme and widened it a bit. I added in several shades of teal simple tied in classic bows.

The garland is plain for the most part, except for the sweet bows that grace it.

The Formal Living Room

From the foyer you can peak into the formal living room which we use for music and reading. You will find a piano if you would like to tickle the ivories or perhaps strum a few chords on the guitar? I can easily locate a flute or clarinet if that is your thing. Perhaps you will join us in belting out a few carols?

This tree, I love this tree. It makes me happy. I probably listened to a little too much Rockabilly style Christmas songs… eh, who am I kidding? You can never have too much! The happy colors are my ode to the past, present, and future happy times. I found the hot pink ornaments in the attic. They were used for a few years to decorate my middle daughter’s silver tinsel tree when her bedroom sported a little girl’s favorite color scheme. On a whim, I decided to tuck the hot pink in amongst the traditional (traditional to me) mix. I was in LOVE. I also changed the post of the tree, normally I set the tree in front of the windows but you can’t put a fun train around the base without stubbing your toe when you walk by so… easy call!

You see the star? Well it is from Hobby Lobby’s after Christmas clearance sale. It is a wall decoration but a dowel and a heck of a lot of hot glue- it becomes a super star! 😉

The fireplace is simple this year. I normally have garland that stretches to the floor with lights, ribbons, bows, ornaments and a TON of filler. Not so much this year, less seemed to be more. I kept my little Sentries in the room and donned them with santa hats and jingle bell collars.

I thought long and hard about painting my nutcrackers to match the theme better, but decided against it. Instead I grabbed three oversized ornaments and plopped them on top of candle holders to put the happy blue over from the rest of the room. I dig it.

Need a little help in creating beautiful gift wrapping? Read this…

I am heading over to see my sweet friends homes, why don’t you come with? Since we are at the end of our week long tour – you may have to grab another cup of cheer. Click on the links below and Have a Very Merry Christmas my dear friends!

Monday
Deeply Southern Home | Poofing The Pillows | Noting Grace
 

Till Later my friends! Enjoy the season!

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12 Comments

  1. What a fantastic and beautiful home you have! Love the turquoise and white decorations, so lovely. Oh and I spied a old Bing Crosby album…perfection!
    Merry Christmas!
    Jemma

  2. Your home is gorgeous and I love the touches of teal that you have used throughout your home. The balls on the candlesticks are fabulous. I love how you have decorated your staircase with that beautiful thick garland. I hope you have a great Christmas! I am so happy to have our special group to be on this blogging journey together!

  3. Joy, your beautiful home and your sweet words were very inviting. I love all the gorgeous things you’ve done to your house in the last year. That color of blue is amazing!

  4. Joy, I am so in awe of that beautiful teal throughout your home…especially on your banister…it is such a truly lovely color and makes a fantastic impression. And what a great idea about that star…my Christmas tree star is too small so now I just need to find a big one like you did. Brilliant.
    Thanks for the tour of your elegant and fun home…
    Merry Christmas my friend.

    Hugs, Lynn

  5. Joy, As always, your lovely house never disappoints. The teal pulls everything together and really adds so much to all your Christmas decor. What a creative idea on how to repurpose that gigantic star. It looks fabulous on your huge tree. I’ve enjoyed your tour and look forward to seeing your kitchen. Wishing you a Merry Christmas, my friend!

  6. Hi Joy,
    Your holiday home looks amazing! My favorite part…the garland on the stairs! It is simply stunning. Hope you have a fabulous holiday with your family!

  7. Joy, I know snow in Houston the first of December is crazy. Hope you all had fun while it lasted. I love the teal on the dining room chairs and the teal ornaments that you used throughout. Pairing teal with the silver lanterns and crystal is a great shiny look.

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