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I just realized that we have three more weeks until Christmas. Three! I know. I'm about to jump off my computer while writing this and go shopping because none of that has happened yet :) ha! You'll notice by the lack of presents under my tree that I'm telling the truth. Over the past two weeks, I have been sharing tours of different rooms in my home, and today is the big kahuna of them all. My living room! This is the one that I spend most of my time fiddling around with and attempting to perfect. But, there comes a time when the fiddling needs to stop and you have to just call it good...which usually happens on Christmas Eve for me. But, I'm trying to do better! So, the fiddling has ended :)

Today's tour is part of the Christmas Home Tours hosted by Marty from A Stroll Thru Life. If you are stopping by from Seeking Lavender Lane, welcome! And if you happen to just land on this post and want to join the tours, be sure to check Deb's beautiful home out and then all the other tours that are happening this week. The list is at the bottom of the post :) 

 Ever get in a rut where you end up decorating the same way every year? I was in the rut for Christmas in here for the past few years. My tree was pretty much the same and so was my mantel. I tried to 'mix' a few things up, but in reality, they were still just the same :) This year, I put my mind to doing something different.

Tree Decor: How To Tutorial

 The Christmas tree was one of those things I knew I needed to change up. I ended up going with a woodland themed type decor. What do I mean about mixing it up? I have buckets in it. Yes. Weird, I know. But, I had to think outside of my box. So, I grabbed my olive buckets and stuck them on there. Filled them up with some pine cones and fake wood. To add to the 'mix it up' feel, I also threw some grapevine wreaths on it, a Merry Christmas sign, and wood reindeer. You can find the full tutorial on how I decorated the tree HERE.

 I placed these firewood pieces on the shelves sometime last year and have left them there through the seasons. I just love how they look. And yes, I have a gas fireplace and don't have a single need for them :)

 Now, for my mantel. Another one of those get stuck in a rut type things. I gave myself a challenge to make it different. So, I started with no Christmas decor on it. Candlesticks, books, bookends and window frame. I then figured I should at least add some trees. So, I flanked the trees on the ends. It still looked a little plain, so I added my DIY pine cone wreath in the middle. I didn't want to do garland and I wasn't sure how I wanted to hang the stockings. Usually my garland hides my command hooks that I use to hang them with.

 But without garland, my other options were stocking holders...which I'm not a fan of since they fall every.single.time. Next idea? Birch branch. Yep. I grabbed an extra one I had, looped some jute around it and secured it to the wall behind the mantel. I then threaded the stockings onto it. I do understand this might be hard to get them off on Christmas morning, but I'll figure that out. It may or may not involve some scissors :)

DIY Sweater Stockings: Tutorial

 As for the other side of the fireplace and mantel, these shelves got a little holiday cheer in the form of flocked branches, a light up noel (which truthfully I totally forgot it lit up until just now), and some table top Christmas trees. My rolling calendar has Christmas day marked on it...as of yesterday, it was still Halloween :)

Shiplap: Tutorial     Media Console: Tutorial      Builtin shelves: Tutorial

 This little sitting area got a small update with garland, pine cones, and trees.

Rug: Amazon      Chair: Target     Reindeer Grains Pillow Cover: Amazon        Wood and Sweater Trees: Tutorial      Lamp: Target

 That timer is our 'timeout timer'. Flip it over, and go sit in time out until it runs out. And now it's a little more festive so maybe the time out consequence isn't as horrible? :)

 I usually take off everything on this card catalog/end table but decided to keep my normal stuff on it and work around them. I added this garland and a tree to call it good.

(Rug: Amazon     Card Catalog: Hobby Lobby)

 Now for my couch. I try to hide it's ugly as best as I can. It's old, gross, really is beige but sometimes I wonder if that's it's true color or not :) To remedy this, I place euro pillows on the back with pretty little ruffle shams. I added the punch of color with the red tartan plaid covers. I also hung my DIY clock advent calendar on this wall. My kids play area is actually right behind this couch so, they can just pull up a chair, stand on it and move the hand to the next day.

Advent Clock: Tutorial     Ruffle Pillows: Amazon      Red Tartan Pillows: Similar

Also, on this side of the chaise lounge, I found this awesome pillow that says "Christmas Tree Delivery". I thought it was appropriate since I feel like I live on a Christmas tree farm right now. With all the trees in varying sizes around my house, it's a little crazy :)

Christmas Tree Delivery Pillow: Similar

 I told my husband these 'beams' would be down like 2 hours after I published my post on how to do them. He hated them that badly. Well, it's been months and he hasn't said a darn thing since! So, I'm going to just sit here and enjoy them. I love the look from this angle.

Faux Beam: Tutorial

 Here's another view of this room into my dining room.

 On the tray on my ottoman, I kept it simple. Yes, this is simple for me :) Just a tree, some books and bookends and lantern.

 On my sofa table, I brought out my little moose and elk family along with my wire brush trees.

 Here are a few complete views on this room. I love these arches. Can you believe that someone once told me that these were dated and to get rid of them? Well, even if they are in fact "dated"...they are staying :)

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Check out the rest of my tours below:
DINING ROOM

MASTER BEDROOM

FRONT LIVING ROOM

Check out my video tour as I share how I decorated my Christmas tree and mantel! :)


Next in the Christmas home tours is Remodelando La Casa. Cristina's home is simply beautiful with tons of inspiration. Be sure to check out the rest of the tours going on this week from the links below! :)

Monday, Dec. 3  

   A Stroll Thru Life,  Cuckoo4Design,  Nesting With Grace, Southern Hospitality, Life On Virginia Street,   Pink Peppermint Design 

Tuesday, Dec. 4

 Setting For Four, ZDesign At Home, Inspiration For Moms, House By Hoff  

Starfish Cottage  

Wednesday, Dec. 5

 Hymns & Verses,  Our Southern Home,  Seeking Lavender Lane, Thrifty & Chic,
 Remodelando La Casa,  Simple Stylings 

Thursday, Dec. 6

Clean & Scentsible, Haneens Haven, LifeLoveLarson,11Magnolia Lane, Monica Wants It,
 Rain On A Tin Roof  

Friday, Dec. 7

  Decor To Adore, Far Above Rubies, Decorating Delirium, Dimples & Tangles,
  Our FifthHouse,  Follow The Yellow Brick Home, Duke Manor Farm 

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

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Fall is finally in the air around here! Boots are coming out, football games are being watched, and flannel shirts have already been worn. Now, I'm just waiting for a perfect night for a campfire! Fall also means lots and lots of new decor! ....and that winter is around the corner, but we won't get into that and ruin the spirit :)

This week, I'm teaming up with fellow bloggers to share some fall mantel inspiration hosted by the lovely Carrie from Lovely, Etc. I don't know about you, but I think I look for mantel ideas more than anything, so today you get a whole bunch in one place :) All the links are at the bottom of this post so be sure to check them out!

This year for my mantels, I went neutral. Well, technically for the past 8 years I have gone neutral :) I did add some greens into the decor which is new for me for fall decor. I loved how it turned out! The first mantel is the one in my living room.  

 I played around with this one for awhile. Am I the only one that changes my mantel up at least 10 times before it feels right? 

 If you look around my house, you can tell I decorate with 3 things: books, candle sticks and faux greenery. All of which made an appearance on my mantel this year :) The archway is from Hobby Lobby along with the candlesticks. The eucalyptus leaves are from my secret source ..just kidding, but you can see the post about them here. The books are actually old ones my mom passed down to me. Some are my great grandparents, so I have to be super careful with them. And the corbels are from Decor Steals.

 Last fall I decorated the side shelves with wood and have loved it so much I've kept them their all year with no plans to change it! I like how the color of the wood plays off the color of the mantel. I used to hate this mantel, but I have grown to love it! :)

As for the mantel in my front room, I went completely neutral in here. No color at all, just browns, tans, creams and white. I went with the same idea as my other mantel decorating with books and candlesticks. 

 I moved this wood sunburst mirror in here a few months ago and have been loving it. The size is perfect for the space. I was hoping I would have had a new mantel in here by now but the mantel selling gods aren't selling the ones I want or can afford just yet. I've seriously been stalking classified sites for some some local ones. My goal is to have an antique one in here by Christmas. We will see if that happens! But, for now, this DIY faux fireplace will have to do :)

Faux Fireplace: Tutorial     Wood Sunburst Mirror: Tutorial 

To check out the rest of my complete home fall tour, click the picture below :) 

And now's your chance to check out all the other amazing fall mantels! So, grab some hot coffee or tea, put on some good music and sit back and relax and take in all the inspiration! :)

Neutral Fall Mantel Decor from Thrifty and Chic

Wood Fireplace Mantel Decor from My Creative Days

Neutral Fall Mantel Decor from All Things with Purpose

Simple Fall Mantel: Decorating Around the TV from Lovely Etc.

 

A Mantel All Dressed Up for Fall from A Fresh Squeezed Life

Fall Mantel from A Brick Home

Classic Fall Traditions Mantel Decor from Houseful of Handmade

A Neutral Fall Mantel from Newly Woodwards

Quick and Easy Fall Mantel Decor from Happily Ever After, Etc.

Dollar Tree Pumpkins for a Neutral Fall Mantel from Create and Find

Upcycled Fall Mantel Decor with Flowers, Books, and Pumpkins from Twelve on Main

 

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I was provided product by DecoArt and compensated to write about this project, but all thoughts, opinions, and ideas are my own :)

I just realized how many wreaths I have been making lately...haha. And they are all spring wreaths. I guess subconsciously I am really-really wanting spring to get here. I made this hula hoop wreath for my front door. The day I finished it we had like 8 inches of snow! So, it's been keeping safe away from the wind and freezing temps inside for now. At least I have a little piece of spring to look at before I step outside and freeze my face off. :)

Hula hoop wreaths are a huge thing right now, so I decided to give it a try...and I love it! 
The supplies:
1 small hula hoop
1 chipboard cutout "hello"
DecoArt Americana Decor Matte Metallics in Rose Gold and Aged Bronze
Flower stems and greenery
Hot Glue
Floral wire

 Step 1: My hula hoop had some crazy plastic type paper all over it. So, I stripped that off to get a clean surface. 

 Step 2: Using a high quality craft brush, I painted DecoArt Americana Decor Rose Gold onto the hula hoop. It took about 3 coats to get the finish I wanted. To make this easy, I laid the hula hoop down onto a craft table, painted every exposed square centimeter...and completely ignored the back. It's going to be against the wall or door and never seen, so why bother? :) Make sure this is hardened and dry before proceeding to step 3 or else the hot glue may just pull off the paint.

Step 2: Paint the chipboard "hello" the Aged Bronze. This took about 2 coats for good coverage. 

 Step 3: Using hot glue and floral wire, I added the stems, starting from one side, and built in and up from there. I would place a little hot glue, and then secure that same area in place with the wire.

 Once I got to the midsection, I swapped directions with my greenery. 

 I then added some pink peonies to the middle.

 ..and yellow touches throughout the greenery.

 Step 4: I decided where I wanted the top of the wreath, and hot glued the "hello" onto the hula hoop. I made sure to get a good amount of the chipboard onto the hula hoop for security; so, I chose to glue it along one of the "l"s. While this was drying (not pictured), I placed some cardboard about as thick as the hula hoop under the "h". This helped keep the "hello" from falling in.

 This wreath is a great statement piece and is so simple and springy! I love the matte metallics from the paint too. 

I can't wait to hang this outside on my front door. The wreath I have on it now....well, I made that about 6 years ago. So, you can decide for yourself how that may or may not look by now :) lol. 

 As for all of the floral stems and greenery, I found those at Hobby lobby along with the chipboard "hello".  You can learn more here about DecoArt Americana Decor Matte Metallics.  Also, be sure to check out DecoArt and their social media for more inspiration!
www.decoart.com
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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