Christmas Home Tour 2013
Merry Christmas!
I have had so much fun this year satisfying the former literature teacher (and forever nerd) in me by pursuing one major theme in my Christmas decor: juxtaposition. If you are not as nerdy as I (and don’t worry, most people aren’t), that’s just a fancy way of saying contrasts. I love rustic, mottled, distressed, natural… and I love a little touch of sparkle and glamour. So I worked to incorporate those contrasting textures into my home this Christmas season.
I paired mercury glass with my DIY sheet music Christmas trees and a handmade distressed sign.
Pine cones and rustic jingle bells sit beside glitter ornaments and my vintage marquee letters.
And I enveloped everything I could in greenery with twinkling lights.
In my dining room, I kept it very simple as we eat every meal at this table.
But I carried the natural, rustic elements with a touch of glitz by adding my DIY blue glitter pinecones. And I couldn’t resist opportunities to remind us of the true beauty of Christmas on my window frame and DIY log slice chalkboards.
The only real color (other than the blue pinecones in the dining room) is the red above the mantel. I love how it reflects the deep red accents in the living room rug.
All the rest is neutral, with as many different textures as I could find. I originally decorated my mantel in my office with my marquee lights, and I love how they complement the texture of the sheet music trees and book page ornaments.
But since trees and ornaments are definitely not safe on the floor with a one-year-old running rampant, I reworked the mantel (and moved the marquee letters to the entry, as you saw).
My tree is a true conglomeration of textures with DIY book page ornaments, rustic jingle bells hanging from jute twine, and my gorgeous tin stars that came from the Mexican market in San Antonio… all paired with sparkly, glittery, and even disco-ball silver and gold ornaments. And we can’t forget my no-sew tree skirt (tutorial coming later this week!!).
If you’re interested in more texture-friendly (and easy!) neutrals, come back later this week for tutorials on the tree skirt, painted burlap, and holiday pillow covers. (Update: tree skirt tutorial here and burlap-backed glass cabinets here, and DIY Sharpie pillows here!)
Thank you so much for letting me share my home with you. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season with all your loved ones!
I am honored to have been asked to be a part of the Christmas Party Tour of Homes that is taking place all this week. Don’t miss 24 fantasitc bloggers and their Christmas homes over 4 days…
Here is a sneak peak at what is in store…
Tuesday, December 3rd
1) Krista from The Happy Housie 2) Laura from The Turquoise Home
3) Amy from Commona My House 4) Abby from Just a Girl and Her Blog
5) April from House by Hoff 6) Shayna from The Wood Grain Cottage
Wednesday, December 4th
1) Jenna from Rain on a Tin Roof 2) Jen from Migonis Home
3) Rachel from Maison de Pax 4) Jamie from So Much Better With Age
5) Molly from The Poor Sophisticate 6)Tanya from Twelve O Eight
Thursday, December 5th
1) Amy from The Blissful Bee 2) Heather from The Southern State of Mind
3) Candace of Vintage News Junkie 4) Lauren from The Thinking Closet
5) Amber from Averie Lane 6) Sarah from Life on Virginia Street
Friday, December 6th
1) Chelsea from Making Home Base 2) Aniko from Place of My Taste
3) Christy from Confessions of a Serial Do-It-Yourselfer 4) Corey from Tiny Sidekick
5) Patricia from Little Cottage on the Pond 6) Emily from Two Purple Couches
Gorgeous! Thanks for showing us around. My favorite part are those marquee letters! They look awesome on the mirrored vanity!
Thank you, Emily! I love how mirrors make everything grander. 🙂
Your home looks gorgeous and those marquee letters are to die for!
Thank you so much, Sarah! They are definitely my favorite Christmas project to date. 🙂
Your home is beautifully decorated, Rachel! I especially love that tree skirt! Can’t wait to see the tutorial. 🙂
Thank you, Laura! Here’s hoping I can get that tutorial written and posted by Saturday like I promised! 😉
Wow Rachel, you have a beautiful home and I love the junxtaposition! (I’m a fellow nerd 🙂 Those sheet music trees are awesome. Great job! I’ll be posting on Friday so be sure to drop by!
Thank you so much, Corey! I can’t wait to see your spaces. 🙂
Rachel, Your home is beautiful. Loved your huge vintage letters:-)
Thank you so much, Aniko! I’m so glad you like it. 🙂
Lovely! So many beautiful details! 😀
Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much, Shayna!!
I love the juxtaposition Rachel- the marquee letters are amazing and such perfect contrast with the pine cones… love the adorable reindeer pillow too, and the chalkboard art. So glad to be on this home tour with you – your Christmas home is beautiful:)
Thank you!! And thank you so much for organizing, Krista… I know it was so much work. I am so honored to be a part of this with you and so many other talented gals.
I love all of the juxtaposition! (lit major here too!) Just the right amount of rustic and sparkle. Lovely!
Thanks, Tricia! Yay for lit majors and our nerdy humor!!
Gorgeous tour!
Love love love your tree and the tree skirt! I can’t wait to see how you did that! 🙂
Thanks, Jen! So glad you like it. 🙂
Beautiful and inviting! Thank you for sharing your Christmas with us!
Jemma
Thank you so much, Jemma! Merry Christmas!!
Everything looks so beautiful, Rachel! LOVE those marquee letters! And as a former English teacher myself, I definitely appreciate juxtaposition! 😀 Thank you for sharing your home with us!
~Abby =)
Former English teachers unite!! Thanks very much, Abby. 🙂
Wow, gorgeous Christmas tour, Rachel! I loved every detail. The marquee letters are amazing and love the burlap in the cabinet. And of course all the juxtaposition 😉 Sharing on my FB page today.
Hugs,
Jamie
Rachel your home is beautiful!! The “JOY” marquee is FABULOUS!! Pinning – xo
Thank you so much, Tanya! So glad you liked it. 🙂
As a former English major, I can totally appreciate the juxtaposition 🙂 And I think you did a stellar job of it! I love the book page details throughout, obviously 😉
Thanks, Emily! We English majors have to be surrounded by literature, don’t we? 😉
You have decorated your home beautifully – well done 😀
Thank you very much, Petra!