I'll be Home for Christmas...

If you haven't checked out ThistleBerry Lane Farm, you owe it to yourself to drop by for a visit! Amanda is a super talented lady, and really has a knack for home design. She has recently renovated the guest cottage on their farm property, and now I'm dying to see the farm house when she finishes it! Thanks so much, Amanda, for being a guest poster here and sharing your Christmas cottage with us! 

I'll be Home for Christmas

You can plan on me-

Please have snow and mistletoe

And presents under the tree

Christmas Eve'll find me

Where the love light gleams

I'll be home for Christmas

If only in my dreams.

Welcome to ThistleBerry Farm- we are gearing up to be home for Christmas!

Since this is the first year in the Guest Cottage, decorating has been exciting and challenging. Re-purposing old decorations and finding the perfect spot for them is the theme of this year's creative activity.

The front porch has been dressed for Winter in plaid and berries. The pathway up to the Farm House has not been forgotten- with burlap bows and festive berry wreaths adorning the shutters.

The kitchen has been kept simple and neat- we do a lot of baking during the holidays - so practicality is a must! If it cannot be wiped down....it needs to find another home! White trees paired with galvanized buckets are a cute and inexpensive way to create farmhouse cheer. The vintage basket light fixture is a great addition to the farmhouse kitchen!

This year we had to make a decision about what big tree to put up- (we have 6, but the cottage is too small for all of them) Autumn insisted it needed to be her's. So that's what we did- we used the white flocked tree, added her pale pink and blue ornaments and ribbons, shimmering reindeer, and wrapped the bottom in burlap. We dressed the birdcage with a floral arrangement that complemented the tree.  The galvanized typesetter's basket hung on the shiplap as a shelf peaks out and is a great resting place for a vintage, hand carved toy horse.

The Master bed has been dressed in it's warm woolens and furry softness. Adding texture is a great way to dress a bed for Christmas without being too literal.

The dresser that acts as our sofa table is dressed in crystal ornaments, white flocked greenery and burlap. A simple naked tree branch is hung with gold leafed crystal picks and catches the light beautifully. Santa and his reindeer are tucked away, nestled down in the burlap.

The Sitting Room has more of a vintage feel, with it's collection of antique St Nicks, trees dressed in burlap and pheasant feathers and the gold and brass deer accents.

The leather furniture adds a hint of masculinity, which (according to my husband) the cottage needed.  I kept these trees simple- burlap, feathers, and gold accents. The bookshelves are decked out with the same theme- and I borrowed a page from Joanna Gaines, and reversed the books- The colorful spines of the vintage books were just competing with the Christmas decor way too much.

The Nativity is placed in the window, the afternoon light radiates around it and the figures glow. It is a great way to remember the real Reason for such a wonderful Season! Our prayer for your family is that you invite Him to your home for Christmas.

Blessings- The Dodds

Tricia's Home Tour

Let me just start by saying, I have personally been in this home and there is lots of eye candy everywhere. Sometimes I even get to borrow some of that candy because I have connections. LOL! Let me introduce you to my SIL, Tricia...

Hello everyone!  My name is Tricia and welcome to our home!  First of all I'd like to say a big 'Thank you' to Jenny and Brittany for inviting me along.  I'm honored and really don't feel like I am any where near their talent, but hopefully you find some inspiration along the way!

We currently live in a very old farmhouse that never seems to end in projects.  Or, maybe it's, I just like to change things a little too often.  ;)  I love to redo, rearrange, and repaint, much to my hubby's dismay; but for the most part, he lets me do my thing without too much grumbling.  I tend to lean more vintage/farmhouse in my decor and frequently visit my hubby's barn for items to use.  He owns an antiquing business, so the inventory is always changing!  I will use something for a few months and then switch it out.  Perfect set up.  Ha!  Enough yakking, grab some coffee and let's get going!  

First stop is my 'entry' and Living Room

  

 

 

My Hubs has a sled collection - like it's ridiculous.  I snagged a couple this year and have been using them.  He loves it when I use his actual junk - gives his ego a boost or something.  Ha! 

Let's venture on to the dining room.  I have had fun keeping this room more neutral the past couple of years.  I love the simplicity of it since it's between my living room and kitchen (which both have red pops everywhere).  Gives the sensors a break. Lol!

My kitchen and dining room are open to each other, which I love/hate.  Sometimes I'd like to hide the mess that seems to be permanently attached to my kitchen.  Ha!  The dishes never end folks.

Coffee bar:  the most important area in the home for me personally. 

I had fun decorating our room this year - I recently did some changes in there, and while it's not complete, it's becoming my little haven at the end of the day.  I generally make up some decaf coffee, curl up in my chair...and fall asleep.  I always have high hopes of reading a book, never happens. Ever.

Thank you so much for tagging along!  I hope that you enjoyed these little snippets of our home!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Hannah's Home Tour

During the month of December, we have a few more home tours from some guests that we are going to be sharing with you. We love Christmas and looking at everyone's pictures and thought you might enjoy a few extras, as well.  Everyone, meet Hannah.

 

Hi, all! I'm so excited to share a little bit of our space with you. We just moved into this house this past summer, so the projects seem to be never ending; much to my hubby’s dismay. He really is a good sport about and is usually more than willing to help me out. I have thoroughly enjoyed having a new space to spruce up! I'm a little bit of everywhere with my decor tastes, so you will find a good mix throughout these photos. Gotta keep ya guessing!

So, grab a warm cuppa and enjoy touring our home through these photos.

I've always loved old things and was super excited to find this sled at my favorite store! Added a fresh sprig of rosemary and she’s all set to go.

   My dining room and kitchen are taking on more of a farmhouse/cottage feel, so thats the direction I went with Christmas decor.

 

 

My feeble attempt at some chalk art. One of these days I will master it! In the meantime, I have fun trying,

The kitchen is very sparse in the area of Christmas decor, but i’m kind of liking the simplicity.

 

These little guys hang in our breakfast nook. They lend more of a victorian feel, but I think they’re cute!
 

 

The livingroom

 

Snagged these mirrors from the good ole Dollar Tree. They need some tweaking, but overall i’m pleased with the results.

 

 

I cant believe i’m letting you see any part of this room! It is one of those “projects”. Just use your imagination a bit and picture white drapes and reupholstered chairs. Oh, and remove those ugly strands of lights that the previous renter left behind. They are stapled up and i keep forgetting to grab the required tool to remove them. So anyhow, there ya have it! Hope you enjoyed browsing through the photos. And thanks again Jenny and Brittany for inviting me to share.