Christmas Tour

A number of my favorite bloggers are hosting Christmas tours this week! I hope you get to check them all out! This year I found myself simplifying my decorations and putting less accessories out. Someday this might change, but for now the simplicity works for our family.

This first picture is a close up of our front porch. I got some birch logs from my parents property! Just a galvanized bucket with some natural decorations!

I still use a lot of red in my decorating. It could be, because red is my favorite color! I've seen so many beautiful homes that have an all white theme, with just a touch of greenery, but I still keep my traditional red going. Will see what happens in the future!

Here is our mantel. These are the same blue shutters that I picked up at a garage sale, and spray painted. I just add some seasonal decorations.  I like to be able to use decorations year round, and make simple changes for each season or holiday.



Some of our built-ins.



Here is the vase that I got from my Grandmother. Just switched up with some Christmas greens!

I switched this vase to the table in our dining area. Typically it is on the mantel, but I wanted to simplify the corner stand. I'm using some leftover fabric from a craft project. It has red in it, but it isn't a Christmas fabric. It should get me through the winter months, since it doesn't "scream" Christmas.

Here is some of my everyday  glassware with a Christmas touch added to it!

My changeable sign with JESUS - the reason we celebrate!

Lastly, here is our tree! This is the first year that we put the tree in the front window. We have a nine foot tree and we typically put it in the entry area of our home. We just decided to try something different this year!

Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoy all the other tours!

Linking up with the following:

Jennifer Rizzohttp://www.jenniferrizzo.com/

Framed

When I was single, I "invested" in some nice pieces of artwork. That was a while ago and I have found that my tastes have changed. Because my priorities and spending habits are at a different place right now, I have found some inexpensive ways to decorate my walls!

Thanks to Michaels & Hobby Lobby I have gotten some great frames. Lately, I've had a white theme going. I've purchased a few different frames on sale for $4.95!!! My other great find is all the free downloads available on-line!

My first print came from the Handmade Home. Love the vintage prints! I actually printed three different designs. One other "hint" - I used heavy card stock paper from the scrap booking section of Hobby Lobby. It cost a lot less than purchasing heavy paper from the office supply store.

This Christmas print was also FREE! In addition to cute prints, I'm also finding free tags to print for Christmas! We have so many resources available to us!

My last frame is my new chalkboard! Yes, I have gotten the chalk board paint bug! I found a 50% off frame, got out my paint and went to town.



These are just a few  ideas of how you can decorate your walls and keep your cost down. What are you putting on your walls?