If you are coming today from one of the other fabulous blogs, and we have not met, I am Rachel and you probably wouldn’t believe it now, but our house started out as a really nasty foreclosure. Project by project, we are cleaning it up and making it our own. (You can see a gallery of all our projects HERE.) I am a Nashville-bred, DC transplant, who loves to make stuff. Lots of stuff. You will usually find me in paint stained clothes working on my next project. If you are a regular reader, know I try not to overload you with pictures usually, but today is a bit different. Today, I am sharing our foyer and our dining room, which I will be sharing more of next week because we are hosting a simple Christmas party this season.
Our foyer splits into 2 rooms, with the dining room being on the left and what I call a parlour room on the right. (Off the blog, I just call it the front room, but that’s not a technical term.) This is where I put our second tree that faces the street. A few facts about our christmas tree:
- Your looking at an 9 ft thrift store tree that I got for FREE. In case you don’t know, calling me cheap is a compliment and my whole house is decorated on the cheap.
2. We have a theme for the front and dining room. It’s a woodland animals/winter wonderland theme. Our tree has owls, birdhouses, foxes, and rabbits on it. For anyone looking closely, I have a few pieces of paper stuck on the tree as placeholders. I ordered these lanterns which are a huge deal at $7.99 each to put up, but they haven’t arrived yet. Bummer.
3. Trains are sort of my husband’s thing. They are nostalgic for him since he has always had one at Christmas time and we put ours under the front room tree.
4. This is our family Santa Sack. I created a stencil from this tutorial and “painted” it using a fabric marker. I got my canvas sack for $4 at Hobby Lobby or you can easily order one for about $25 on etsy.
Our dining room continues the winter wonderland theme.
This 3-tiered stand is a new addition this year! It is actually a silver serving tray and a 2-tier cookie stand from my mom’s kitchen. I took a piece of wrapping paper cardboard and wrapped it with ribbon to make a 3-tiered stand.
The centerpiece on my dining room table is actually my year round centerpiece with this magnolia garland, some silver berries, and these black lanterns that I have had for years.
The silver coated deer tie into the foyer and I got six of them on sale.
To be honest, I am not normally fancy enough to put place cards on my table. It is usually friends and family visiting, so they can sit wherever they please. But I felt like the table needed a bit more color and something festive. I just happened to have some leftover Christmas balls and I love the pop of color on the mats.
Thank you for joining me today and I am so glad you came! If you want to learn more about us, check out a few of my favorite projects we have done:
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Mary Beth says
Your home is absolutely gorgeous and I love the way you incorporated blue into your Christmas decor – LOVELY!
Rachel says
Oh, thank you so much! I always love working with what we already have, especially at Christmas time.
Kristi says
Great score on your beautiful tree and I love how you used blue in your dining room. So pretty!
Rachel says
Thank you Kristi!
Jenny says
I loved your santa sack when I first saw it, and it’s still one of my favorites! I’m on the hunt for a faux tree for cheap this year – but FREE?! That’d be the best!
Jen @ Noting Grace says
Rachel! This is stunning! What a gorgeous Christmas entry you have! So glad to have been in this Christmas hop with you!
Sarah says
Your tree is stunning! The little train underneath is so adorable! And how cute is the Santa Sack?! I think I may need that in my life!
Kati says
Your home is beautiful! Your Christmas tree looks like it should be on a Christmas card, so perfect!
Samantha says
Oh my goodness, your tree is *stunning*!! And I love how you decorated your table for Christmas! I especially love the magnolia leaves! Wish I had thought to use all my magnolia stems that are waiting to be made into a wreath!
Emily says
I’d be lying if I said I’m not envious of your tree! It’s gorgeous! And I love your woodland theme, and the train, too. My dad and I usually go to see a big local train display at Christmas and I’ve always wanted to add a train to our decor.
Nicole @ The Inspired Hive says
I absolutely LOVE the woodland theme in the entry!!! And that free tree is such a great score!!!!