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Today, I am showing you an easy DIY project on how to make neutral/textured eggs. Especially, if you are someone who is not in love with pastel colors - which seems to be in most stores for the Spring season. As someone who likes to add subtle seasonal touches to my everyday decor - I chose to pair my textured eggs with moss and added them in my baguette board. I did not link products, because all of the products for this project can be found at your local Walmart. I included pictures of the products for you to look for when shopping online or onsite. |SUPPLIES| +Plastic Dyeable Eggs +Artificial moss (if adding to a bowl) +Mod Podge +Acrylic paints (brown, black & white) +Brush +Foam plates +salt & pepper +bowl (one you have at home) |STEP ONE| Open up the eggs and put them on a foam plate. Lay out a second foam plate for sprinkling on the salt. Brush each egg with a layer of Mod Podge, then sprinkle with a coating of salt. You can go heavier with the salt in some areas if you would like a different look. I used fine and course salt for different textures. |STEP TWO| Let the eggs dry for at least 30 minutes. You will be able to tell when the Mod Podge and salt is dry because it will be hard and not flake off as easily. After the eggs are dry, rub off the excess salt with your fingers. |STEP THREE| Squeeze out 2 blobs of white paint on a plate. Add a drop of brown paint to one and a drop of black paint to the other. Mix with your brush until you have the desired color. Makes as many shades of color as you would like. Paint or dab each egg with the brush. I used a dabbing technique and also went back and forth my colors until I reached my desired look. I like to start light and then go darker in some areas. I was trying to create the look of weathered concrete. |STEP FOUR| Let the eggs dry. |STEP FIVE| Add moss to your bowl and spread the eggs around.

This one is for all you mom's who feel like "Barbie" is another member of your household. She has this beautiful dream house, however, her stuff ends up all over the house! My little girl is 6 and is in that magical stage where she loves to play with Barbie dolls. It warms my heart to hear her having conversations between her Barbie friends and dressing them up for special occasions. But let's be real, Barbie has way too many accessories and really no good way to organize it. I search Pinterest for organizing ideas and could not find anything better than the plastic bins we were using. It was like searching for a needle in a haystack! Then, I came across this rolling cart on Amazon: This little cart literally rolled in and saved our Barbie storage problem! Let me show you how we use it to keep Barbie organized: First, I did not install the handle that came with the cart. I chose to leave it off since the cart would be stationary for us. Also, I did not install the wheels for this very same reason. |TOP SECTION| The top section of the cart comes with plastic dividers that you can move around. You can create big or small sections depending on what you need. I used all of the dividers to create as many sections as I could for all the small accessories (shoes, clothes hangers, purses, jewelry, food, kitchen accessories, etc.) |MIDDLE & BOTTOM SECTIONS| I store all of the Barbie "sets" or extra furniture for the dream house in the middle and bottom sections of the cart. It is perfect for storing her special themed Barbie sets. |HANGING CUPS & HOOKS| The cart also comes with 3 cups and 4 hooks to hang on the side of the cart. I like to use the cups to store the dolls. The dolls stand up perfectly in the cups. I use the hooks to hang extra furniture pieces, specialty sets, bicycle, etc. We have used this system for several months now and I love it! It is easy to maintain because everything has a spot. My daughter is able to find the accessories she needs and knows which section to return them to when cleaning up. I parked the cart beside her Barbie dream house so everything is easily accessible while she plays.

The kitchen in many homes is often the spot where many non-kitchen related essentials of your family's life ends up. It is where you spend a lot of time as a family and often the passageway in and out of your home. Stuff just seems to LAND and it is helpful to have a system in place! When my kids started school, I found the kitchen was the spot where we finished getting ready in the mornings. The kids would dress in their rooms and head to the kitchen to eat breakfast. After plating their food, I would go to the pantry to get out their vitamins. Then, I would run back to my daughter's room to get her hair brush/hair ties and shoot across the hall to my son's room to get his hair gel. As they ate breakfast, I would style their hair for school. After breakfast, I would run back to their rooms to get the toothbrushes and toothpaste. It was just easier to do everything together in one spot. After running the morning marathon, we would be heading out the door for school and one of them would need a band-aid. So I would run back into the house all the way to my bathroom where I housed the bandaids. In the evenings I would come home to find vitamin bottles and hair brushes left on the counter. Toothbrushes and toothpaste would be by the sink. I would go around collecting everything to put away, only to get it back out again the next day. I felt like I was stuck in the Groundhog's Day movie - something had to give! Enter the Mom's corner! I decided to designate a spot in our kitchen for this exact function and put a system in place for that "stuff." It is literally in the corner of our kitchen, right by our laundry room, which leads to our mudroom area, and then out to the garage. One main feature I love about every element of this area is that it can be easily taken out by section to be portable around the house (if needed), and then easily placed back. Most have handles, are see-through and are clearly labeled. Here’s a breakdown of each area: |THE BOTTOM SHELF| The bottom shelf consists of our daily vitamins/medications, hair caddy and basket of face masks. We start and end each day with the bottom shelf of this cabinet because of our morning/night medicines and vitamins. My favorite is the hair caddy! I pull it down and put it on the counter while the kids eat their breakfast. Everything I need for hair is is one spot. I also included a spot for extra toothbrushes/toothpaste so they can brush their teeth right in the kitchen versus going back to the ones they keep in their bathrooms. This caddy really helps out on school mornings when we are in a hurry. |THE TOP SHELF| The top shelf consists of the first aid caddy, cold medicine caddy, pain/prescription medicines and itch medicines. I like that this shelf is on top and out of the kids' reach. The first aid caddy has come in real handy! I pull it down whenever the kids need a band-aid, need their temperature checked or an injury that requires an ointment. So that’s it! As a mom, you don't have just your needs - you have to take care of your family. This little corner of the kitchen has saved me over and over again especially when time is tight! Everything is placed so that I can easily find it and take it around the house as needed, then put it right back where it belongs! No more mom marathons in the morning! Link for caddy found on Amazon:

Needing to put together a gift for Valentine's Day?!? I have put together 4 easy steps to create the perfect gift for someone special. Ladies, this is so easy even the guys can do it. So go ahead and leave this screen open as a hint... |ONE| FIND A BASKET OR TRAY Dollar General is a great place to look for a basket or tray. I found this woven tray there for $5. |TWO| ADD SOME FILLING Dollar Tree is a great place to look for filling. I found this crinkle paper there for $1. It is cream, pink and rose gold. The perfect filling for Valentine's Day! |THREE| ADD FAVORITE PRODUCTS Shop for favorite products to fill up the tray or basket. Candles Dish towels Book Room spray Gift card Candy Jewelry Body scrub Be sure to check out all the current products I have available in the shop! https://www.seaandpinedesign.com/online-store/HOME-DECOR-c126969679 |FOUR| WRAP IT UP Dollar Tree is a great place to also pick up this clear bag for wrapping it all up! Two clear bags come in a pack for $1. You can fit the entire basket/tray in the bag and simply tie it together with twine. I also added a sprig of greenery to this package which can also be found at the Dollar Tree. That's it! Pretty simple way to put together a gift for someone special if your life!

When organizing any space from your pantry to your closet every piece needs to earn its keep. Every piece of “junk” needs to serve a purpose. Your junk drawer is no different. Our junk drawer serves as a catch-all. We simply toss items we don't know what to do with in it and think about them another day. This is how we have ended up with a drawer bursting at the seams and never being able to find what we need. EEEKKK...Not to fear, I came up with a few simple tips to help get your "junk" in order. Ha! |ONE| TAKE IT ALL OUT That's right....take it ALL out. You will be glad you did, later. I laid everything out on the counter top and divided it out into like categories. Go ahead and put your trash can nearby as you will throw some things away. This is a great time to clean out and really keep what you need. I wanted our junk drawer to serve as a place to empty out pockets when you get home or grab things you need as you walk out the door. I also like to keep daily essentials like pens, pencils, notepads, tape, scissors, measuring tape, an extra checkbook, gift cards, pocket change, lighters, etc. in there. So I divided into categories that made sense to our daily needs. |TWO| WIPE DOWN AND MEASURE Make sure you wipe out your drawer to get it really clean before putting items back in. This is also a good time to measure for your drawer organizers. Ahhh...looking better already! |THREE| CHOOSE YOUR PRODUCTS I found these plastic drawer organizers on Amazon: I really like them as they are sturdy, come with feet pads to keep them from sliding, are budget-friendly and come in different packs (7-16 piece) options. |FOUR| ADD YOUR PRODUCTS Any Tetris fans?!? This part reminds me of playing Tetris. Playing around with a layout in your drawer. |FIVE| RETURN YOUR ITEMS TO THE DRAWER Add your items back to your newly organized drawer. Ahhhhhhh.....what a difference! I feel this is an organized system that my family can easily maintain on the daily! I hope this inspired you to tackle your junk drawer. I am already planning on purchasing more of the drawer organizers for the kitchen and laundry room. I really love them and they are staying in place nicely with the little pads! Here is a before and after just incase you need some more motivation: .

The snow days have given me plenty of time to organize and boy did I need it for the next area on my list to tackle - the dreaded master closet! This is a big one ladies!! It took me a couple days of editing, purging and organizing. However, it was worth it to get my closet in order and create an organization system I could maintain daily. I have listed below the 5 simple tips I followed to get my closet organized. I plan on doing a separate blog post at a later date on how we achieved a custom closet on a budget. |ONE| IF YOU DON'T LOVE IT, GET RID OF IT Purge, purge and purge. I went through and "edited" my clothing, shoes and accessories. If I haven't worn them in the last year, I got rid of them by selling, consigning or giving them to our local thrift store. This is also a good time to review your clothes that have missing buttons, laces, drawstrings, etc. I set them aside to be repaired or discarded. |TWO| CREATE STYLE ZONES Create different zones based on "styles" for your items. I created the following zones: Dresses and long cardigans Long sleeve tops/blouses Short sleeve tops/blouses and tank tops Pants Undergarments and pajamas Casual t-shirts and tank tops Sweatshirts and casual long sleeve shirts Leggings and athletic leggings/shorts Shoes (dressy, tennis shoe, flip-flops, boots, etc.) Out of season clothes (shorts, bathing suits, etc.) kept in dresser drawers in our bedroom If you are working with a small space or do not have sections in your closet, you can use a set of clothing rack size dividers or acrylic shelf dividers. Check out these I found on Amazon: I also love creating zones for my accessories. I like to put my scarves, gloves, belts, hats, etc. in pretty baskets. I have these wonderful pull-out trays that I will go into more detail about in my future blog on how we built our closet. These trays are great for organizing my jewelry and I totally feel like I am shopping in a boutique when picking out my jewelry. You can easily search Amazon for cute jewelry organizers that can be put on shelves or fit inside drawers. Below are some of my favorites: |THREE| COLOR CODE After sorting your clothing by style (sleeveless, short sleeve, long sleeve, etc.) then, by color in each category. This will make things easier to find and put away more efficiently. I used to have my clothing by color and then by style in that color. However, it was harder to maintain and also harder to actually find what I was looking for. This way, if I need a sleeveless shirt, I can go right to all of them and then choose the color. I like to follow the following color code for each style of clothing: Black White Tan/Brown Gray ROY G. BIV (Then because I am an art teacher, I go Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple) |FOUR| DIVIDE AND FILE My favorite tip is to use dividers and file your folded items. I love to get these dividers at the Dollar Tree for my socks and undergarments. The Dollar Tree has them in their closet section in the style pictured below with little sections or in one large section. I love that I can organize all my drawers for under $10. I also file my folded items (t-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts, leggings, etc.). I fold them to where I can see the logo and then stand them upright like a filing system to know which shirt I am selecting. This is by far my favorite tip of all when it comes to closet organization. Gone are the days of folding shirts and stacking them one on top of the other. |FIVE| #OOTD I got this idea from watching Vanderpump Rules....lol! This tip is totally unnecessary, but surprisingly I use it often. I created an "outfit of the day" section in my closet. I ordered this wall rack on Amazon to hang up the outfit I will wear the next day: It has 5 rings so I can hang up the outfits I will wear to work for the whole week. I have also found it helpful when planning out an outfit for a special occasion. It comes in a pack of 3, so you can put them in a kids' room or give one as a gift. I really do love it and have found it super handy! Here is a picture in action. It saves a lot of time in the mornings getting ready for work when the outfit is already hanging up ready! Now to muster up the strength to do the same on my husband's side of the closet.....eeekk!!!

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful snow - we sure are! I do not think you truly understand motherhood until you have dressed a child in 20 layers of clothes to play in the snow. Ha! I have realized the key to a successful snow day consists of making sure the hot chocolate is on standby and the pantry is fully stocked! Today, I am super excited to share my freshly updated pantry organization with you. I've been working on finding a system that really works for our family, and I think I finally found it. I came up with 5 simple ways to organize a pantry that is perfect for your family. |ONE| ZONES I like to organize my pantry in "zones". I try to think about what our family needs on a daily basis and try to make the items we use on a regular basis easy to access. I divide our pantry into the following zones: Top - Things we do not use on a regular basis (backstock items, KitchenAid mixer accessories, cookbooks, extra lunchboxes, etc.) Middle - Things adults use daily (meal prep ingredients, baking items, etc.) Bottom - Things kids use daily (snacks, breakfast items, fruits/veggies) *I also put all the really heavy items on the bottom shelves. |TWO| SCHOOL AREA I designated an area for "school" in our pantry since it is where I do most of the packing of school lunches, etc. I found a modern black wall rack from Target to hang the kids' book bags on. Then, underneath their book bags, I hung a divided basket from Amazon for their library books, show-n-tells, etc. On the other side of the pantry, I designated a shelf for school items. There is one folder per child to keep schoolwork and artwork in, a tray for important papers such as permission slips, projects, school calendar, lunch menu, etc., a container of pens, pencils, highlighters, etc. for writing school notes and signing homework, and a container of candy for prizes. Having an area for "school items" in the pantry has really helped keep all the school items in spot and organized. |THREE| FOOD CATEGORIES Organizing foods into categories really helps in the pantry. I have our pantry organized into the following food categories: Kid snacks (chips, fruits, salty, sweet, crackers, cookies) Toppings (chocolate sauce, peanut butter, jams, syrups, etc.) Meals (ingredients for meals we are having the current week) Seasonings for meals (breading, seasonings, dry rubs, etc.) Pastas (box pasta, pasta noodles, rice, etc.) Baking (powdered sugar, sugar, brown sugar, etc.) Baking toppings (chocolate morsels, sprinkles, caramels, etc.) Breads (white, buns, baguettes, etc.) Cereals Fruit and veggies Canned foods |FOUR| FOOD STORAGE I love to store our foods using a variety of ways: Baskets Glass containers Bins OXO Pop Containers Crates My favorite way to store food is to decant! I know it takes some work, but it is actually easier for me in the long run. Plus it looks uniform and I can see how much I have left. I put all backstock items in baskets on the top shelf. The baskets hide the boxes the items come in and that way I still have the box as a reference for a recipe or serving size, etc. I like to decant my spaghetti and lasagna noodles into OXO Pop containers. I leave macaroni and rice in their original boxes but place the boxes in a crate. I have a couple wooden baskets for our weekly meal ingredients. I love to put those into the study wooden baskets because usually I have heavier items like spaghetti sauce jars, etc. in those baskets. I like to use metal bins for organizing all the toppings like sauces, syrups, etc. I also like using the metal bis for family size bags of chips or peanuts, etc. that I have multiple containers of. The metal bins are also great for fruits and veggies. I like using glass jars with lids for decanting cookies or marshmallows. The OXO Pop containers are great for dry foods like cheezits, goldfish, veggie straws, pretzels, and crackers. The wooden bins at the bottom are great for individual chip bags, fruit snacks, cereal bars, granola bars, etc. I like to put all my baking ingredients in glass jars with wooden scoops inside them to scoop out the amount I need. |FIVE| SMALL APPLIANCES I try to keep our countertops clear as much as I can so I like to store small appliances in the pantry when not being used. This really helps minimize the clutter in the kitchen and frees up more counter space. So far, this system has worked great for our family. My kids are able to get their snacks without help and it makes packing school lunches a breeze-the kids can even do it! I am planning on adding in a place for ziplock baggies so the kids can scoop out what they want in a baggie to pack for school or snack. I also love when we are out of something we check the backstock basket before adding it to our grocery list. Decanting the items is truly easier for me than dealing with opening up boxes and tying bags back shut. I remember so many times my kids tearing open a box or bag and the whole things busting out onto the floor. They can also carry the OXO Pop containers with them upstairs or to another room. I am sure the pantry will be an ever changing area as my kids grow, but for now this system is working great! Product links: I linked all the products I could still find online. The white metal baskets were from Ikea, the glass containers with dark wood lids, wooden two-toned baskets and menu board were from Dollar General. Target had the wooden tiered can food organizers and mini glass jars with wooden lids.

It's time to spice things up a little bit because today we are tackling the spice drawer. We have been in our home less than a year and I can see areas I've essentially let go. Well, areas that I put on the back burner while I addressed other "more important" areas. Unchecked and unorganized spaces can quickly become nightmares. I'm talking about your spice drawer! |THE BEFORE| |THE AFTER| When I designed the island for our kitchen, I designated a drawer for spices to the right of the cooktop. I knew I wanted easy access and for them to be within hands reach while cooking. I was so excited about this drawer when our kitchen was finished, however, it got pushed to the side as other projects took precedence. I had drool-worthy ideas pinned on Pinterest but never seemed to find the time to tackle it. While doing a lot of cooking at home over Christmas break, I hit my breaking point of the unorganized drawer with containers constantly rolling all over the place. I revisited my pins on Pinterest and decided to take back control of my drawer. I was drawn to the look of clear glass jars with bamboo lids and a minimalist label. I also thought about how I wanted the jars to function. I knew I wanted to be able to fit my measuring spoons inside to scoop out desired amounts or be able to fit my fingers inside to add a pinch of something when cooking. So I decided on wide mouth jars with air tight lids and a spot for my measuring spoons. Disclaimer: If you like to "shake" your containers, this is not for you. I have so many recipes that require 1 tsp. or such that I like to be able to fit my measuring spoons inside the jars. Once I had my jars, I measured what size label I would need. I decided to make my own labels. Several labels I found online were not the size I needed or didnt have all the spices I needed or were numbered. I knew I wanted to be able to add or take away a spice as needed and did not want to worry about numerical order. I lined the drawers with black non-slip liner I found on Amazon. These liners keep the jars from slipping around and I love the contrast it adds to the background. I wanted space for my essential oils, extracts and fragrance oils as well. So I added them in the back with a drawer organizer I found on Amazon. I love how this drawer turned out and is functioning while cooking. Do you NEED matching, decanted spice jars? No. Does it make your kitchen feel more put together and cooking a little more enjoyable? YES! It was certainly worthwhile to invest a little bit of time and money to spice things up in this small area of my home. I am so glad I did it and it makes me happy every time I open this drawer! Happy organizing! My custom Spice Labels (These labels are 2x2" which I believe will fit many different containers): Links to products used:

Spring might be the season for deep cleaning, but the cold weathers means its time to get started on organization projects. Between the early sunsets and cold temperatures, most of us are inside the house more often in the winter. While you're stuck inside, why not give yourself a more organized home? Plus, it will give you the perfect backdrop to jump into spring cleaning in a few months! I would like to dedicate the next couple of months on the blog to "WINTER ORGANIZATION" and would like to start off the series with an entry zone area! ENTRY ZONE AREA When we purchased our home, it had a great area right off the garage that I knew would make an awesome zone for coming and going. This is the way my family enters our home on a daily basis. I knew I wanted to create and organize a functional "command center" area which included wall hooks, ingoing/outgoing mail, key holder, calendar, a spot to take off/put on shoes etc. After our interior walls were painted, my husband and I nailed a leftover piece of wood we had from another project onto the wall. I wanted to add a little bit of warmth and break up the wall space. We then painted the bottom portion of the wall with our accent color that we used throughout our home. I then went shopping for all the organizing elements I wanted to add to the wall. I purchased the floral wreath from Dollar General and made the Welcome sign at a friend's craft party. I loved organizing this area to make it more functional for our family. I am so happy with how it turned out! I found the oversized wood welcome sign in store at Dollar General as well as the woven basket for an umbrella. My mom gifted us the vintage wooden stool from an antique shop. .

Hey friends! Can you believe that Christmas is officially over? It always comes and goes so fast. I have been enjoying this Christmas break so much. We have spent amazing time with family and friends, enjoyed delicious food, slept in and stayed in our pjs most of the days, worked on our new prep kitchen (blog post coming soon), played the Nintendo way too much and just relaxed. With work starting back, we decided to start boxing up Christmas decor. I thought a few of you might be preparing to do the same thing, so today I wanted to share my tips on how to transition from Christmas decor to winter decor. It's actually a lot easier than you might think! I'm excited to show you how a few of my favorite Christmas decorations are playing double-duty and staying out for the winter months. |ONE| DECLUTTER My first step in transitioning to winter decor is to go around the house and gather up any Christmas decor that you know will not work for winter (ornaments, nativity, wreaths, swags, anything that says "Merry Christmas" or "Ho Ho Ho", etc.) Go ahead and box it up for next year and get rid of anything else you just aren't loving anymore. Make sure you only have out items that really bring you joy going into the new year. |TWO| OUT WITH THE "REDS" The easiest way to transition from Christmas decor to winter decor is taking away all of the red. A lot of Christmas decorations can easily double as winter, but what's most often missing from the winter decor is the pops of red. It is pretty obvious that I love neutrals and not a huge fan of color so this isn't an issue for me as I only use touches of red at Christmas. |THREE| LEAVE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREES BARE I enjoy my Christmas trees so much! I do not like the feeling of emptiness that often comes after taking them down so I leave mine up a little longer, but leave them bare. You simply take off all the ornaments and lights. If you have pre-lit trees, just leave the lights on the tree, but do not plug them in. I think this idea totally works in the weeks following Christmas and I love the rustic feeling of a bare tree. Plus, I am excited to decorate some of the trees for Valentines Day! |FOUR| ADD IN RUSTIC TOUCHES Winter decor doesn't have to be big and bold like Christmas. After Christmas, I like to tone things down and keep it simple. I love to add in rustic touches like pinecones. I actually used pinecones in my Christmas decor and decided to keep using them throughout my home during the winter. I also love to add in some heirloom pieces. I decided to display my late Grandmother's Bible as part of our winter decor. I love the thought of cuddling up on the couch with a cozy throw blanket and reading her Bible which she used to record important dates. I added some wooden beads as easy winter decor! |FIVE| KEEP IT COZY This is my favorite tip as you get to use allllllll things cozy! Cozy pillows, throw blankets, sweaters, layers, etc. Adding in cozy items and layers is a way to instantly make your space feel more warm and inviting. . I love to use "leather" in the winter time! I love the warmth it adds to your space and instantly reminds me of curling up on a big leather chair at a ski lodge. I hope you will find these tips helpful as you transform your Christmas decor into winter decor. And if you already have your winter decor out, please share in the comments a tip you found helpful!

Good morning friends! Are you sad Christmas is over or are you already in the process of taking down your decorations? I am feeling a little sad as my husband asked me when I wanted to take down all the Christmas decorations. The thought of taking down all the decorations I worked so hard on, all the glowing lights, all the ornaments (and ornaments and ornaments), etc. just makes my heart hurt. I feel like our house is so empty once all the Christmas comes down, but I know we must do it before we go back to work. However, I plan to find a way to transition our Christmas into Winter decor to make the process a little less painful (blog post coming soon). I know Christmas is over but today I wanted to share with you my TEN MOST FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOMENTS around the house as this was our first Christmas in our new home. So leave on your favorite jammies, sip some coffee, press the play button below and enjoy! I did not link any Christmas items in this post due to it being after Christmas and most of the items are sold out or no longer available. Next year, I plan on doing a Christmas tour with links to all the decor used. However, feel free to contact me with any questions about where I purchased a particular item at seaandpinedesign@gmail.com. This post is strictly Christmas decor, please visit the "Home Tour" tab of the website for renovations and detailed room information. |ONE| FRONT ENTRANCE I wanted to set the tone for our decor from the very first step into our home. I created a simplistic and inviting entrance area that would preface what was inside. I used crisp greenery with natural elements, soft creams, vintage brass tones and a pop of black for a modern touch. I added seasonal touches to our year round decor (greenery to the lanterns and railing, seasonal pillows to our rockers and ribbon and bells to our wreath). Tip - Keep a year round neutral palette that way it is easy to add in seasonal touches all year long. I purchased the wreath from a local business last year and saved it for our new home. I added a cream bow with vintage bells to match our decor. Tip - I found a roll of satin, cream ribbon at Hobby Lobby and cut it to the length I needed. I love the simplicity of an understated bow with raw edges. It looks effortless, yet elegant. I also purchased the vintage cow bells from Hobby Lobby. I tied each bell onto a piece of twine at various length then tied them all together and added them behind the bow. After Christmas, I plan to take off the bow/bells and keep it on the door all winter. This will make for an easy transition from Christmas to Winter decor. |TWO| LIVING ROOM I came up with an overall color palette for our Christmas home decor using the 60-30-10 classic decor rule when creating a color palette for any space. I decided on: 60% CREAM 30% EVERGREEN 10% BLACK and/or GOLD Again, I added seasonal touches to our year round decor (greenery in the urn, seasonal accent pillow, sweater throw pillows, woven throw, ornaments in a wooden bowl and a favorite childhood Christmas book on the coffee table). Tip - You can also use a texture as your 30% and the 10% should be an accent color. I wanted to add some new "themed" tree ornaments in with our older ornaments. I selected a "Nativity" themed tree in our living room to center around the true meaning of Christmas - the birth of our savior. I love the Bethlehem star and all the natural tones (wood, stone, felt) with the golds. I also love the crisp green tree against the white walls. Tip - Use thicker garland at the bottom and thinner garland towards the top to balance out your tree. I also do this with ornament ball sizes as well! |THREE| CONVERSATION AREA This area is quickly becoming our favorite area in the house. It is right off the kitchen and a perfect area to just relax. I added a couple wooden decorative trees, a seasonal accent pillow, a cozy throw blanket, a basket of Christmas books and a vintage Christmas windmill which is a family heirloom. Tip - Display favorite family heirlooms or memorable keepsakes during the holidays for a nostalgic touch. I set up this area with a hot cocoa bar that I plan to keep out all winter long. This is my kids' favorite spot and they request to make hot cocoa on a nightly basis. I love to curl up on the loveseat with them to share a cup of cocoa while reading one of the Christmas books from the basket. Tip - Make areas in your home "functional" for the season. If you like reading Christmas stories each night during the holiday, why not designate a special area of your home for it?!? We use both of the trees in this area for our kids' advent calendar. I made the little gingerbread house ornaments to house little gifts inside. The houses are numbered so the kids know which one to open up. The trees are also used to display our kids' homemade salt dough ornaments. They love to create homemade ornaments and show them off to family and friends when they visit. I also love the thought of dating each ornament and adding to them through the years. Tip - I make the salt dough with salt, flour and water then like to add a little bit of cinnamon and ginger spices to make it smell like real gingerbread. I do not follow a recipe, just add what I need to make the consistency of play-doh. We use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes, then we put them in the oven on a low heat setting until they are hard, then we paint them the next day with puffy paint to resemble icing. |FOUR| DINING ROOM I wanted to design a beautiful place for our family to sit during our holiday meals. We never had a formal dining room at our previous house, so I was really excited to design this space for the holidays. I added some decorative items along with a seasonal tablescape. Tip - Adding swags to the backs of chairs elevates the look of any holiday dining room. I made the swags by tying cream, satin ribbons onto little wreaths and then looping them through my chairs. I created a tablescape by using greenery picks with decorative pinecones and then added in some Eucalyptus picks. I then added in gold candlesticks in two different heights topped with white candles throughout the length of the tablescape. I set the table with clear chargers with gold rims and topped with our wedding dinnerware. I added some fresh cypress sprigs that I trimmed from our trees with small pine cones to the top of each plate for a decorative touch. The tree in the dining room is our "Christmas Hymns" themed tree. I bought the wooden hymn ornaments from Hobby Lobby and I made the 3-D Christmas Music Sheet paper ornaments. I added my late Grandmother's handwritten Christmas recipes in a frame. It fills my heart to display her recipes that I grew up eating and I follow them while trying to prepare her dishes. Tip - I keep the frame out year round and change out the recipe to match the season. |FIVE| KITCHEN I kept the kitchen pretty simple by using my everyday decor and adding in seasonal greenery to the vase, a few decorative items, a Christmas print and a seasonal hand towel. Tip - I love using decorative candles. I just change them out to match the season. Tip - Try decorating with natural items during the holidays (dehydrated fruit, pine cones, cinnamon sticks and fresh greenery on top of a wooden board or in a bowl. Tip - Keep out a frame and change out seasonal photographs or quotes. Tip - Try adding pieces of greenery to your everyday decor. |SIX| GUEST POWDER ROOM Less is always more. I added some seasonal soap, greenery and a couple small decorations. I also added a seasonal hand towel on the wall which is not photographed. |SEVEN| MASTER BEDROOM I kept the decor super simple in here as well. I added a seasonal pillow, cozy throw, fresh greenery in a vase, my late grandmother's Bible and a bowl of snowballs/pine cones. Tip - Adding in heirlooms and vintage items warms up your space and gives it a "lived in" look. I added some concrete Christmas houses and little sweater tree to our dresser. Our bedroom tree is a "Let it Snow" theme. I used a sweater material tree skirt, fluffy white snow ball garland, snow themed ornaments and a topper. |EIGHT| MASTER BATHROOM I added some greenery and seasonal items in our master bathroom that we can keep out all winter long. Tip - Use everyday items as decor. (Roll up bath towels and display them beside your tub or shower). Tip - Baskets or trays are such a great addition to any counter top. You can quickly make a seasonal decoration with items you already have by adding a strand of lights or greenery inside it. |NINE| CHRISTMAS CARD HOLDER I love displaying Christmas cards from family and friends. I can not wait to open up the mailbox and see all the cards that we receive. I created this display for all the beautiful cards by using a 9 ft. piece of garland and a set of twinkle lights. I added the garland to the doorway using command hooks and then clipped each card onto the branches using small clothespins. |TEN| CHILDREN'S TREES If my house caught on fire, saving the boxes of our keepsake ornaments would be pretty high on the list. These are precious, precious ornaments that are irreplaceable. My kids like to decorate each of their trees with their special ornaments they have collected through the years. We also have a tree in our upstairs bonus room that houses more keepsake ornaments as well. Tip - Let your children be a part of decorating the tree. You can always go back later and "touch up" as needed. Lol! Well, those are my TEN MOST FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOMENTS around my house. I am already looking forward to decorating next year and providing some links to products used for you all to check out. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I am looking forward to sharing more with you on the blog in the New Year!

Today, I am showing you how I hung our stockings this year! I had been on the hunt for a decorative ladder for our living room, but could never find the color or height I wanted for the space. I found this ladder while shopping at Hobby Lobby for holiday decor. I love the color and the slightly raw edges which give it a rustic touch. I love that it looks like it came straight out of an old barn and has a story to tell. I decided it would be the perfect way to display our stockings this year and I could use it to hang our throws on after the holidays. It is super lightweight so I can move it from room to room to switch things up. I wanted to decorate it to match our holiday decor. I purchased this jute twine along with these antique cow bells to make a garland. I simply measured out the twine, spaced out the bells and tied them onto the twine. I then draped it from the top and zig-zagged it down the length of the ladder. I used the same twine to tie the stockings onto the ladder. Hobby Lobby had these cozy white knit stockings with pom poms that I picked up for me and my husband. I tied the kids' stockings down a couple steps on the opposite side. I went outside and cut some fresh greenery from our cypress trees to tie at the top of the stocking to bring in an organic element. I tied twine to 4 of the cow bells making each one a little longer. I tied all 4 of the bells together and tied them on top of the greenery. I love the look of the antique gold bells against the crisp, greenery. I placed a natural bushel basket that I purchased at a local antique mall at the bottom of the ladder to hold our throws. I placed a black textured urn (DIY coming soon) beside the basket for a little modern pop. Tell me in the comments if you displayed your stockings in a unique way this holiday season!