Happy Tuesday ... it's such a fun day! I have the first peek into our home this Christmas
and I am participating in one of my favorite things a blog round up. I love these as you get to see the homes of so many creative and talented people, and snag some amazing ideas. I always love partnering with others ... and this group is a fabulous grouping of incredible bloggers so I know you will truly enjoy today's hop.
If you are a new reader ... I am thrilled you are here. My name is Paige and I write five days a week sharing inspiration on many different levels. I am a true prep at heart and a lover of color and pattern so you will see a number of colors and patterns in our home. I am sharing our entry way today, the entrance into our 5 over 4 with a door Georgian home. We have owned our home since 2003 and have truly made it a special place for us and our children. Oh, and Christmas is my absolute favorite time in our home ... so I hope you enjoy, and come back for more.
You will be coming to me from the darling Amanda Marie, Sincerely Marie Designs, whose home I absolutely adore. She and I have a love for velvet ribbon, and I just love her hunt pictures. I also really like how she added candles to her steps, what a great idea. I can't wait to get a moment to check out the homes today, I am sure they are incredible.
And now, our entry + foyer ... and spoiler alert, it's a lot of photos, but tours always are.
For me the entry to our home begins at the front door. As I drive home each time I see the front door and immediately think of all people who come into our home and all the people we invite through our door. It is my dream to paint our house white, but until then we are embracing the brick and playing up the tradition decor. I absolutely love the style of our door, a 12 light, as it shines so much sun into our home for most of the day. We have a brick entry and it is big enough to allow me to have these beautiful pots (my favorites from Frontgate) and two large lanterns. The pots are planted with two faux topiaries (a great three ball option) ... and I added lights for Christmas. Every season I plant flowers in the pots and for the holidays I add fun bows, because, why not?
This year's ribbon is from Michaels and if your store is anything like ours in the area the ribbon section was barren. Luckily, the ginghams were all left ... and gingham is one of my favorites. I think red gingham is a great alternative to solid red, that can be overdone at times. I don't have a link for the ribbon, but if you find it in your store its 4 inches wide and wired.
I really, really love these large pots at the front door. I love how classic and timeless they feel. I really like the topiaries in them, though if I could pick them again I would chose the three ball option. I think the continuity of having the potted topiaries all year long is good for us and I do love deciding what to tie on them, whether or not to light them, and what to fill the pot with. Since I planted the topiary in real dirt I have loved planting pansies, spring flowers, and filler to change up the feel of the area. Right now seeing it filled with fresh greenery and oranges may be one of my favorites.
This year for the front door I mixed both real + faux greenery, hoping for a natural look. My go to for a wreath at the holidays if I can find them is boxwood wreaths, but sadly none were to be found. So ... I used a pre-lit wreath I already owned and filled it with some live boxwood from our yard. I love boxwood, its so classic and so pretty. For the garland I use a faux option from Frontgate from a few years ago. For the greenery in both the topiaries and the lanterns I used fresh and a mix of pine and cedar. So basically, every single faux and real greenery all mixed together.
I love it.
Oranges are a true favorite of mine ... and the sweetest ones are only available this time of year. My grandfather was a citrus harvester and hauler and I spent many a summer day looking at groves with him. Those afternoons are some of my fondest memories. Navels are my favorite orange and they are only available this time of year. These are not real oranges, but instead are
faux and I also scored them at Michaels. I thought about real and then thought about clean up and the morning sun and decided against it. I love that I can use these later in a wreath for spring or summer, I will just need some picks to do so.
Our lanterns are a few years old and have faired so well. I keep these large white unscented candles inside and only burn them when I can keep an eye on them. I am always worried about burning down the house, so I feel it is better to do when we are outside or when I can remember to go back and blow them out.
These candles are from Creative, whom I am convinced makes the best tapers on the market. I filled the lanterns with clippings and red branches I picked up from Trader Joes. The pillars are 4x6 and come in a number of colors.
From our front door you walk right into our foyer and then immediately into our home. The foyer isn't large but since our staircase begins here it may be one of the most used spots in our home. You can read all about the
hand painted walls in this post, it is truly one of my most favorite things we have done to the house. The walls are painted with homes and places that are special to us, and I literally have to live in this house forever because of these walls. My husband's grandmother's home is painted on the wall over the entry to my office and has seen been torn down, so this is one of the last pieces of it we have. It is truly, so
very special to me.
I have fallen in love with pots this year so you can expect to see more than one thing in a pot. This large pink poinsettia is in a blue and white one I found at Home Goods for a great price. If you are near one of their locations I would check it out. This is the larger size ($29.99) and their is one smaller as well ($19.99). It fits the large poinsettia almost perfectly, with some paper on all sides, and I mossed the top to hide the pot. Now I just need to remember to water it. 😉
This antique chest is new to the foyer and I really love it, even though it does take up some space. I love the drawers and the key and the age of the piece. It matches a few others we have inherited and I found it at an estate sale for literally nothing compared to its worth. It holds more candles, matches, and extra books for styling. At the moment I have pulled Christmas books for styling that can be pulled and read for inspiration and relaxation. I do love a great book.
I started adding seasonal books to this area this year and have already pulled together a collection of them for Halloween, fall, and now Christmas. You can find books at estate sales, Good Will, or your local half price book store. I mix coffee table books with novels and even cook books, the mix is the most fun for me. I also like to choose books based on colors to mix together, and pink, green, and red is perfect for Christmas. And for a classic option, Martha Stewart makes amazing books to buy, style, and gift.
Yep, those matches say exactly what you think they do. Cheeky items are my jam, and
these matches are so very cute. The matches inside have pink tips, so even better for me!
I added cedar garland to the banister and tied our Reed & Barton Holly Bell collection with velvet ribbons. I discovered the bells last year while at an estate sale and have collected a number of them for the years we have been a family. I have a list of those I need and I love when I find them. The bells are silver plate and have the most amazing sound when you ring them. I really love them and hope one of my children will carry on the tradition when they have their own home. I
order my velvet ribbon from a great Etsy shop, and they have a number of colors and widths. The shipping is pretty quick, so if you want something for this season I would not think it would be too late to ask.
If this was your first time here I hope you will come back and read more often. I love sharing inspiration from our home, my travels, my vintage resale shop, and small businesses I meet. I write to inspire myself and hopefully my readers as well. It is one of my favorite parts of my job as a blogger, I love sharing all sorts of finds and treasures.
From my tour you will go to Summer Adams, who is just as cute as she can be. I can't wait to see what she does in her new home for Christmas. Thank you so much to Jenny, Evolution of Style, and to Amy and Christy, 11 Magnolia Lane, for asking me to participate and to all of the amazing bloggers I get to be a part of this week. I highly recommend you check out each and every home, they are truly all so pretty.
Monday, November 29th (Front Porch/Outdoor Spaces)
Tuesday, November 30th (Entries/Dining Rooms)
Wednesday, December 1st (Living Rooms/Dens)
Thursday, December 2nd (Kitchens/Laundry Rooms/Misc.)
Friday, December 3rd (Master Bedroom/Kid's Rooms)
Hi Paige! Oh, I've just discovered your blog last week and I think I went through every one of your posts! I love your love for blue and white but one of the things that drew me in were your Staffordshire dogs! I was looking them up on Pinterest and one of your photos popped, I went to the source (your blog!) and I was hooked. Now your home is so beautiful and your front door today is gorgeous! I've been blogging since 2008 but stoped last year and my old blog lost all of its pictures. So...I wanted to come back to blogland and started a new blog. Hope you'll pop over sometimes. I've added you to my bloglist so I won't miss your posts.
ReplyDeleteBe a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
Paige, your house always makes me so happy! The colors on your front porch are perfect for all of us who love prep and chinoiserie. I have a dresser in my front entry, too, and it's perfect for holding gloves and hats, dog leashes, etc. Can't wait to see the rest of your decor! Thanks for touring with us again this year, and Merry (early) Christmas!
ReplyDeleteYou know how to make and ENTRANCE!! Lovely and happy.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed seeing your front door and the entry of your lovely home!
ReplyDeleteBe a sweetie,
Shelia ;)