Holiday Home Tour -

COME ON IN!

If we were doing this home tour in person (rather than virtually) I’d offer you a hot cup of Nespresso or glass of wine, then I’d have to tell you about the crazy night that all these Christmas lights came to be! The whole process has been a labor of love and late nights, but I could not be more thrilled with the finished product!

it’s not just the lights:

everything is pretty much new!

I haven’t done a home tour since we moved in – crazy. So much has changed since then. We remodeled the basement, renovated the deck, and made the barn into one hell of a home gym! We also honed our style and after 2 years living here finally bought new furniture for the den. This is the space we spend most of our time, and truly, the heart of our home.

I take that back — the kitchen is probably the heart… the pantry actually! Lol. (Toddler snack habits, I tell ya!) But in fact, the kitchen inspired the pieces in the den. I knew I wanted to carry over the cognac from our cabinets and black from our countertops, and I’m so glad that I did.

It started with the beautiful Charme Tan Timber Leather Sofa from Article as the centerpiece of the room, anchored with a gorgeous black-and-white rug from Ruggable that has a bold aztec print (I love that these rugs are washable).

The green chair is the Carlo from West Elm bought second-hand through Facebook Marketplace, and the walnut desk and chair combo are one of my fav Amazon finds of the year! We have a water feature in our den, too which is kind of cool but kind of weird too. Lol! It’s made of stone and definitely makes a statement. The point at which it meets the ceiling is the highest in the house and I knew I wanted our tree right there: front and center!

holiday-crazed

I think 2020 left us all just wanting more! More travel, more adventure and more good times — which is why I guess I went a little holiday crazy this year… determined to make it memorable! Or maybe it was retail therapy? Who knows!

It started in September with a shopping spree at Michael’s where I indulged in #AllThingsFall, from pumpkins, pillows and full trimmings for our front door step. I knew things had escalated quite a bit when, eventually I ordered 12 foot-inflatable stacked pumpkins for our yard. LMAO. (True story.)

I could feel the holiday train roaring in just as Halloween was wrapping up and I honestly couldn’t swap out everything soon enough! I sort of skipped right over Thanksgiving and ordered a Christmas tree. This year I knew I needed to snag one early if it was going to happen and with some help of my grandmother (also big on holiday decor), we ordered a 9 foot flocked tree. Literally a dream come true! Once I got the tree up, I’ll be honest, I felt a little intimated! I didn’t want to overdo it (the tree is so beautiful on it’s own!) but knew I had to do it justice, too. So… I called in reinforcement: my friend Karlye who is a maven of all things style and home decor!

christmas shopping, at 10pm…

welcome to mom life.

My friend Karlye always decorates everything beautifully. Her brand-new townhouse has gorgeous finishes and her style is beautifully cohesive throughout! She always nails it – especially at Christmas, so. I asked her to come over and help me out! So, one Friday night, after the kids were in bed, we ventured out to Wal-Mart and Target for tree trimmings and Christmas decor to finish the job.

In true Sara form this was the night before a scheduled family photoshoot in our living room so the pressure was on! We did some serious damage in Target ($300) but we got ribbon, ornaments, outfits, and wreaths; we got it ALL! They actually turned the lights out in the store as we were checking out – that was a first, LOL – and by the time we got home, it was nearing midnight when the decorations started going up.

Karlye was getting tired, and had to get home so she did a few quick tutorials on how to manipulate the ribbon beautifully around the tree… and she helped me get up the garland! took some time to teach me how to manipulate ribbon to bellow the bbon folding/inserting/bellowing tricks with me so I could finish up the job after she left … at 1am. Believe it or not, I stayed up until 4!!! Covered in glitter with ribbon and trimmings everywhere … it was truly something out of a magazine!

If you’re wondering how the photos turned out… well, amazing! But that’s always the case when we work with Elle Three Photography!

What I learned

It sounds silly but decorating for the holiday taught me a lot! I’m still learning so much about myself (even halfway to 40!) and I love reflecting on simple concepts that become new, fresh and relevant in life today! Here’s my advice for decorating your home this holiday.

1 | Pick a color scheme.

And stick with the colors you love! I might have questioned if the black-and-white stripe ribbon would go with our Aztec rug but I love black and white so much, I didn’t! And I’m glad! These colors work because I LOVE THEM! That’s the key. Pick colors you love … and don’t let anyone tell you pink is off limits! It’s my other favorite Christmas color! You don’t have to go with red and green.

2 | Name your style

Whether it’s farmhouse country or traditionally elegant — or like me, whimsical — name your style! This will help you as you shop and different pieces catch your eye! Stick to

3 | Not sure it goes? Buy it anyway (return later)

4 | Buy more than you think you need

Never ever buy just one, haha. If you like the ribbon, buy four – not just one!

5 | remember, it’s a process

It takes a lifetime of many seasons to acquire all the beautiful decorations: you’re not going to get it all in one year!

our front room!

I don’t share the front room of our house on social much because we don’t spend nearly as much time there as we do in the den – but! It’s a room I love because of the big bay window and white fireplace. It’s also the first room you see when you come into our home so of course, I want it to be nice!

now it’s your turn!

I know I’m not the only one who poured into their home this year — being quarantined here during a global pandemic will do that, I suppose! I think we all got creative with the best ways to utilize our spaces for everything and everyone: working from home, home school, and everything else!