Sunday, December 11, 2011

At Home for Christmas

This is my 4th year in Portland and it's the first time I've been here for Christmas.  While it's going be hard to be away from my immediate family this year, it's exciting to spend it with Aaron in our new home.

We went to a tree farm to hand pick and cut down our tree.  It's a beautiful Nobel Pine and it's over 7 feet tall.  I can see how going to the same tree farm every year could easily become a family tradition.  It was a fun day.








Cinnamon scented pinecones add a little extra holiday warmth



Monday, December 5, 2011

Our Upstairs Bath

(please excuse the grainy photo, this was from the original house listing)

Before:


After:



I am completely in love with this mint color.  It is a refreshing yet relaxing color.  Perfect for an old bathroom

Our Dining Room Makeover

Here is what our dining room looked like when we first moved in.  While I like this pumpkin color, it wasn't the look I wanted.  


Primer can be helpful.


Not at all attractive!


Dark Blue is so much fun, but I had no idea that I would need about 5 coats of paint.  And this is one ugly light!



Notice the new light!  This isn't the final lighting choice for the dining room, but it will do until we can afford to purchase the one that we want.  This light will then move into the fireplace room.  It was a great purchase from a rummage sale - and all the credit can be given to my man for finding it.  Great find honey!

The back wall picture is a silhouette picture of my family.  I wasn't sure how it would look, but I'm happy with the result.


I've always liked the look of plates on walls.  I spent an afternoon finding a few plates that I liked.  The common theme?  Gold edges.  It feels finished to me, but I imagine if I find a plate that I can't live without, I will replace a few that are currently in the mix.


I searched all over town for a long buffet table.  Aaron and I both liked the look of old merchandise counters and so I was bound and determined to find one for our dining room.  I felt lucky when I found this piece!  This is actually the back of the merchandise counter - The front is all glass.  It's a perfect piece for our dining room.  A few hours of sanding is all it took to make it look amazing!




So far, I've found the two awesome metal chairs and this amazing old church bench.  The blue chairs are for another table that we use on our porch in the summer.  They are a temporary fix until I find a better match.  Finding the perfect chairs can be a difficult process!





What's missing?  Curtains & a Rug!  I have my eye on the perfect ones, but they aren't cheap.  We've gotta save for a  bit before the room will be completed.





Here is a picture I took on Thanksgiving before everyone came over.  It was such a warm feeling to see the table all decorated for a holiday.  This is what a home is all about!




Thursday, December 1, 2011

2011 Holiday Card Design



I had a lot of fun designing our Holiday Cards this year!  We enjoyed an extra long fall here in Portland and I wanted a card that gave a feeling of a little fall, winter and warmth.  Each card is made slightly different of course, but here is an example: