The Prettiest Sight You'll See...

"And the prettiest sight you'll see

it the holly that will be

on your own front door."

Love that song!

Well it may not exactly be holly on our front door, but it is pretty and it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the too Blessed to Stress home.

I think Bing got it right. Yes indeed, a cheery front door may just be one of the most welcoming parts of your Christmas decor. There is just something about it that beckons you in and says

"Welcome Home:

May all who enter find rest."

This past weekend we had friends over for an unexpected party {more on that wonderful day later!}

One of our newer friends commented that we must like country decor and shabby chic because our home had that look and feel. I told her we kind of go for a farmhouse-chic-country-glitz feel. {Yep I'm sure that is the official name.} She said that we had achieved the look we were going for and that she liked it. 

What a compliment to have someone recognize the style you strive for... and to notice on the first visit!  Let me just say, I was so very flattered.

And while it made me all happy that someone enjoyed the decor of our home, the real compliments came as the party was winding down. I mentioned to our guests what a joy it was to have them in our home, to come any time and I hope they felt like they were at home. On the way they said: 

they felt welcome, 

they always rest when they are over,

they felt revived,

they needed the fellowship,

they felt at home.

That is the real look I'm going for.

The glitz and fluff of a home has no purpose if it is not a warm and welcome refuge. All the cute stuff in the world does not make a home. Yes it makes it look lovely and a beautiful home is one way to show love and how much you care about those who live there. But it is the connections and fellowship that make up a home:

 love shared there,

kind words,

comfort when times are tough,

shared laughter,

making time for someone else,

faith, family and friendship.

Home for the holidays.

It sure feels good!

Create a welcoming home this season.

Go ahead! Deck the halls... and be sure take time to enjoy the ones you love, share love, and create a safe place for all who enter.

All photos taken by yours truly.

I'm Dreaming Of A White {and music themed} Christmas

This is the first Christmas that I have had a hutch instead of a giant mirror to decorate in the dining room. At first I was kinda missing the nativity scene that usually graces the top of the buffet and the garland that wrapped around the mirror.

But once I got started with other projects around the room {all inspired by the middle of the room Christmas tree} I got all excited for the hutch. I had been using sheet music around the rest of the room when it donned on me: why not line the back of the hutch with sheet music and then have an all white display?

Instead of buying new music and antiquing it, I made several copies of an old music piece that had belonged to my Grandmother. Not only does it have the perfect amount of yellowing and wear, every time I look at the hutch I am reminded of my sweet Grandma.

Plain old scotch tape was used to hold it up. Nothing complicated so that I could mess around with the placement and nothing permanent so that after Christmas I can take it down... that is if I am tired of it by then. I love it so much that it may stay for a while!

After that, all I did was merrily walk run around my house like a kid in a toy store collecting any and everything that was white or slightly off white to display.

Pitchers.

A small church that belonged to my Grandma.

"Joy" angels that were a gift from my mom and the spray painted pedestal {see here}.

Gravy boat and a china plate hand painted by a dear friend.

Tea cup and a rectangular bowl. I use stuff like this even though it has a slight crack... but you can only tell if you are within 2 inches from it.... and if you are that close, I figure you deserve to know my little secret.

Ok so some color snuck in there. But only light, silvery blues and a tiny bit of browns.

Jingle bell wreath from my Hubby 7 years ago.

This has to be one of my favorite and simplest things in the display. All I did was take a piece of left over sheet music, cut it to size for the candle and taped it in the back. I could have mod podged or used wax to secure it, but if the candle is not all burned away by January I may want to remove it and try something else.

The paper doesn't even meet all the way in the back... but again if you are really gonna be that nosy that close, you deserve to know.

A little piece of twine tied in a bow, a wreath of white berries {from the Boutique, AKA Goodwill} all on a pretty plate, and call it a day. So pretty. I love how it combines elegant and rustic all in one. {Please note, I am SUPER careful when I burn this candle. I will remove the paper and twine when it gets too close to burning point. If you try this idea, please take the same precautions. Just sayin'}

Oh and here's little trick of mine. One thing that always bugs me is when a candle gets too squatty to sit high enough above the berry wreath to look normal and be at a safe height to burn. So to raise it up just enough, I take the lid off of a large jar candle and set in inside the wreath and place the candle on top. Perfect size and since it is glass, it will barely be noticeable.

I must say that I am pretty happy with the end result... alright, who am I kidding? I LOVE it! It is the perfect mix of elegant and country and matched the colors of the middle of the room Christmas tree just right... which is good, since that tree is visible from every room except the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Have you decorated with something in an unexpected way this year?

All photos taken by yours truly.

Doing The Unexpected

Can you believe that Christmas is only 26 days away? It feels like just yesterday the leaves started to turn colors and now they are almost all on the ground! Thanksgiving weekend just flew by in a hustle and bustle of family, friends, turkey and pumpkin pie bliss and lots of memory making.

Our lovely tree from last year.

And once the last turkey meal had been eaten, the urge to decorate the tree hit full force. I was so ready... and lucky for me so was hubby... which is great seeing as I could never get the boxes out of the attic without him.

Carolers from my Grandma. Love these!

So we set aside Saturday for just the two of us and it was wonderful! We spent the day running a few errands, listening to Christmas carols and making up our own carols as we drove around town taking in the Christmas sights. After all that inspiration, we headed home and got to work putting up the tree..... and that's when it happened. Someone - that lives in this home, and is not me or the pup {ahem, hubby.}- decided that it would be a good idea to put the tree in the middle of the great room. The middle. To some that may not be a big deal, but we have a big 9 foot tree. Think about it... 9 feet worth of tree in the middle of your living room...

The middle.

Hubby reaching the top of our beautiful tree last year.

Notice the tree is dutifully in the corner...where most normal people would place it.

You see last month in a housewife-crazed-last-minute-decorating-at-10:00pm-inspiration-moments {what? don't you have those too?}I decided to move the living room furniture into the small family room at the front of the house. We had been debating whether or not we wanted couches or reading chairs for our new space, and I thought why wait? Let's just move the existing living room furniture in there, live with it and see how we like it. Well, we LOVED it. So much, in fact, that the furniture stayed in there and our living room only has two recliners and two outdoor chairs... and a great big hole where the couches used to be.

2009

Turns out hubby has always wanted to have a tree in the middle of the room, just for kicks. And since we are just that awesomely cool {or strange, depends how you look at it} we put our tree in the middle of the room.

And you know what?

It's strange,

unexpected,

and after much debating,

questioning,

and being unsure if I could handle this....

....secretly...

 I love it!

There, I said it. My secret is out. I actually love the tree in the middle of the room! You can see it from the living room, dining room, kitchen, family room and entryway. Oh and hubby pointed out last night that you can also see it from the hallway. We may just have to eat dinner tonight in the hallway to enjoy the tree from another angle.

At a year round Christmas store.

Every time I walk in the room I crack up at the sight of the tree in the middle of the room. Others may not get it. They may not like it. But here's the deal: we like it.  We made a memory. We did something unexpected and it produced an afternoon full of entertainment. And while the tree may not be placed here every year, for this year it is perfect.

So here's to doing the unexpected, throwing caution to the wind, breaking the rules and trying something new. What are you waiting for? Make a new tradition! Try something unepected! You may just find that you love it... and you might make a lasting memory or two in the process.

Want to take a peek at our afternoon of putting up the tree? Check out our first video-post below!

Merry Christmas everyone!

All photos taken by yours truly and my hubby.