Fa-la-la-la-la! Tis the Season!

 I already posted pictures of our wonderful tree, but I thought I'd put up some shots of the rest of our Christmas decor. I made these little Japanese lanterns from my Better Homes and Gardens magazine. They were far more complicated and at first didn't look as cute as they did in the magazine, but I like them with my garland on the banister!

My kitchen lights don't usually go for more than a couple days without getting pulled down by my starting-to-crawl baby. But I love the way they brighten up the kitchen!

This month I have sworn off desserts until Christmas eve, so in order to still utilize my cute Christmas mugs and yet not be tempted to fill them with hot chocolate, I put them as a centerpiece on our dining table with candles. 

 

And our TV stand arrangement: Nate's Pier 1 Imports Christmas trees. 

 

Our Romantic Retreat (A Bedroom Renovation Project)

Nate and I have finished redecorating our bedroom! I absolutely love the finished project. My goal was to change our rather blah tan room into a cozy, romantic retreat. And of course, on a budget! Our landlady paid half of the paint price, so that helped a lot. But, after selling/consigning some things and then shopping consignment and garage sales, I was able to gather all I needed to put together the room. I'm not sure it's HGTV worthy, but it works for us. The blue on the walls definitely ups the cozy factor and there are scads of candleholders around the room now, too. We enjoyed painting together, and I loved doing it all.

Before (like, waaay before...when we first moved in back in March):

And now, AFTER!

 The plan for my dresser is to get a jewelry stand and switch my jewelry from my ancient jewelry box to some glass dishes and stands on the white tray I redid. So my dresser is not completely finished.

I wanted to re-purpose some shutters or a fence or door or something rustic for our headboard, to use as a focal point in the room. However, I opted for a less expensive, more available choice of a headboard and shelves and accessories I found at consignment stores.

Flowers from my wonderful hubby. They are stunning against this gray-blue, aren't they?

Hubby's dresser. A little mix of the old and new.

Our reno was altogether right under $100 for the whole bedroom and all the small accessories - candle holders, mirrors, baskets, curtains, paint, etc.

Light up those candles and it's just cozy and lovely in the evening. The perfect retreat.

Projects for Baby

After arriving in our new house, I immediately started prepping Baby's room. I had gone 8 months thinking he wouldn't have a nursery, but because God made a way for us to move before he was born rather than after, I had the unexpected pleasure of getting his room all ready for him. I had decided to do teddy bears for him, and made a quilt (which I forgot to take a picture of and will once his crib is all set up) with teddies on it. Then, when I was at Goodwill right before we moved, I found the cutest little denim sports lamp, and on the spot decided to combine teddies and sports. When thinking of colors to use, I knew primary colors were my favorite, and that they were something he could grow into. So...I started sanding and painting and putting things together. I honestly thought the painting would never end, but it did, and here are the results!

First, the process of sanding and painting...









We bought this dresser for more storage at the old apartment and didn't need it once we got more closets here, so of course it's perfect for Baby! I bought the drawer handles from Ace and painted them.



This little table was a St. Vincent's consignment find. It didn't cost much and isn't the greatest quality, but it was perfect for a final touch. The lamp on the table is the one that started the sports inspiration.



This little hook rack started from a plain wooden one I found at Hobby Lobby. I think doing it was my first idea for using primary colors.



Then, the blocks. For some reason I got it in my head that I wanted to try making cloth blocks. I bought the fabric for these months ago, but didn't have the energy or time to do them until recently. The pattern can be found here:
They were remarkably easy and fun to do. Behind the blocks is a little ottoman that I recovered by making a patchwork cover.



Finally, the teddy bears. Now, my sister Rebekah made the little Green Bay Packers helmet for Baby, and he'll wear it himself at some point, but it fit teddy fine, so he's wearing it at the present. Then, I used fleece and a glue gun and scissors to create little Badger and Brewer uniforms. That was so fun!