A mini Christmas home tour

I have been dying to share photos of our house with everyone and what a better time than when its all dolled up for Christmas. Of course it is a work in progress, so expect many more photos and updates in the future!

Come on in!

When you first walk in you see my old church pew which was a Christmas present from Brad last year. She needs lots of TLC and a few coats of poly, I have great plans for this little entry way. So far, this is as good as it gets.

A shot of the dining room with a newly painted china cabinet. The china cabinet deserves a post all on its own. I restored it from it's late 70's glory to a new glossy black finish. The black interior makes my china look pretty too! Brad hates this piece because he thinks the doors are ugly, but I think they have great character. Would I have gone to the store and picked out this china cabinet on my own? No. But it was free, in the basement, and it only cost a quart of paint to fix up... Therefore, I love this china cabinet!

A quick shot of the open shelves adorned with Christmas attire. I am still learning how to arrange all of our every day things to look pretty. See the silver bowl on the left side of the top shelf? That was a Goodwill find that dates back to the 1800's. Pretty good $2 purchase if you ask me! You can also get a little sneak peak at our new tile backsplash. It really makes the kitchen look more finished.

A closer view of the china cabinet. I used Behr paint and primer in one (tinted to Martha Stewart Silhouette). I am in love with that paint. It made the process really easy

Our fireplace also has big plans in the future... When in the future you ask? I have no idea, one day. It is also missing a strip of trim around the bricks. Here is a view of the lime washed bricks. I now have strong opinions on lime washing. If we did it over again we would probably use a diluted white paint. I originally planned to do a tutorial on the limewash technique, because when I was researching the process I couldn't find much information on it. I originally applied the lime too thick. When you put it on, it is transparent, but dries completely opaque. (I would have known this, had there been information about it.) I had a THICK white mess of a fireplace. By the time we decided that sanding off the excess was the best option, I was pregnant and conveniently couldn't be breathing in anything crazy. Lucky Brad spent a few nights sanding everything off. What a good man. I love the way that it looks, but the lime still rubs off a bit, which is annoying.

Note to self: The mantle needs better decorations next year.

The other side of the living room. This table normally doesn't sit here, but we had to accomodate for the tree and Brad's Christmas village Dont even get me started on the Christmas Village.... The curtains are Ikea Lenda curtains. They were a little to plain for my liking so I added pinch pleats with pinch pleating tape and hooks. I also ironed on a black trim to the inside of each panel, which you can't even see from this photo.

You can see the curtains in this photo. The furniture by this window is in limbo and this window still needs matching blinds to go with the other one. We don't really know what to do with this area just yet. Keating would be quite sad to see this couch go. He loves perching himself on it to look outside. Making a slipcover for the ottoman is definitely on the agenda. It is a very kid friendly area, so it may stick around for awhile.

That is about all for now. I hope to have a few more projects wrapped up after Christmas to share. Here's to hoping!