Christmas House, Traditions, & Gifts

My Christmas house pretty much looks the same as last year so I won't bore you with all the details of that.  

The one change is the mantel and I do love it so I will share...

The Christmas tree is also different this year because I let go of my "themes" and own ideas.  I let the kids decorate it completely this year.  This means it has random ornaments all hung on the same branches.  My idea of the perfect Christmas tree has completely changed.  This is it.  Now if only I had read Erin's post before taking this picture, it may have turned out much better.

I changed up the frames again with Christmasy stuff printed off the computer.

We started the tradition of opening a Christmas book a day beginning on December 1st.  I first saw the idea on Pinterest and it came from HERE and I love it!  It has been so fun and now all our Christmas books have a chance and don't get overlooked.

We also eat dinner by candlelight every night that we are home in December.  What kid (or adult for that matter) doesn't love that?  Then to make it even more exciting and to make it work for us, the big kid that stays in their seat and refrains from screaming at dinner time gets to blow out the candle at the end.  It really works.  Blowing out candles is apparently a very cool thing.

My sister gets the kids Christmas jammies every year.  She sends them our way and we give them out on December 1st.  We surprise them right before bed and then call Aunt Beth to thank her!  : )  They are practically worn out by Christmas from so much wear!  

We have cinnamon rolls for Jesus on Christmas morning.  We light a candle and sing Happy Birthday to Him.  The kids LOVE this tradition.

As far as presents go, we made a lot of ornaments in our home this year.  I made about 24 of these mini pillow ornaments for friends, family, and teachers.  

Then the kids got a chance to make their own ornaments.  We made salt dough ones this year.  So easy and so much fun!  They went to town painting them and loved every minute.  Then they had fun choosing who would receive them as gifts.  The recipe I found HERE made so many that my oldest chose one for each of her classmates too.

I love everything about Christmas.  

What do you love about Christmas?  Do you have any of these same traditions in your home? Or do you have new ones to share with us? 

Only 5 days to go, my friends!  Merry Christmas!!!

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Big Boy Room Reveal

We finally took the plunge and moved our little man into a big boy bed.  He is almost 3 1/2 and was definitely ready.  I am never ready for new phases with my babies but getting a chance to decorate a new room sure helps!    

This was his room before the switch.  I posted about it here.

First up was a new wall color.  I chose Polar Star by Valspar.  I was super happy with my choice.

Here is his room upon entering today.

Would you believe my sister found that old school desk (that I LOVE) at a Goodwill for only $8?  She called me right away and asked if I wanted it.  Sisters are awesome.

He requested a "cars and trucks" room and that is what he got.  I acquired the wall decor through Etsy, Hobby Lobby, The Country Living Fair, my basement, my Mom, and one of my big sisters.  

I simply taped old car photos inside of frames.

His birthday is July 15th which is the meaning behind the 715.

The license plates are from states where my husband and I were born or where we grew up.

The Valvoline hat from his Halloween costume was perfect to hang on a hook in his room.

My sister started collecting bouncy balls for me a long time ago when I mentioned they would be cute in a jar.  And the little jar is filled with Daddy's old micro machines.

I loved the front of these maps so I just pinned them to the wall inside of an empty frame.

Of course you know there had to be a banner in his room.  Cheaper than curtains and a curtain rod and I love them!

The bedding is actually the underside of a Pottery Barn plane quilt that I found at a yard sale when he was a baby for only $5.  I wanted a red quilt so I flipped it over and it works great!

The bed was around when Daddy was little and the sheets were ones he actually slept on.  The pillows were made by my Mom and I using an old shirt of Daddy's, a Silhouette studio image of an old car, and a plane cut from my son's old shirt.

I love his new room.

It was a hit with our little mechanic too.

Thanks for stopping by Lemon Tree today!  

Happy Tuesday!

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Evolution of a Dresser Top

Dresser tops around our home are ever changing.  So many possibilities and so much fun.

 

1.) You saw my girl's room in this post and it showed the dresser topped like this...

2.) This is what happened to the dresser when baby girl was a few weeks old...

3.) And just yesterday, I changed the dresser to look like this...

I just had to use some scrabble tiles.  I am sure the word will be changed frequently but for now "sisters" seemed perfect.  I could change it weekly with the current sight word my daughter is learning at school.  Hmmm...just thinking out loud.

I used a couple of the little birdies from one of my very first Lemon Tree projects you saw here.

My sister gave me this cool mirrored tray awhile back.  I finally got around to painting it white and it now holds my five-year-old's favorite pieces of jewelry and a fresh flower in a tiny vase.

I love it.  But I gotta be honest, my favorite was #2 (the one with the changing pad) because that represents a baby and I love me some babies.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Tuesday!

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Decorating with Books

My husband is a book fanatic. We literally have books stuffed and stashed in just about every corner of our tiny house. There isn't a book he's picked up that he has been able to part with yet. Since the bookshelves are full, I've been inspired to come up with more ways to incorporate books into our decor. The goal is to look a little less like a book hoarder and a little more purposeful.

We have this giant bookshelf full of my husbands book that is stuck in the nursery. We couldn't fit it in any other room in the house, and didn't want to just work around it. So, we incorporated it into the design. After seeing a holiday display at JCrew of all places that featured books turned backwards, we were inspired!

 

There are some books in our house that we can't necessarily get rid of, but removing the spines never hurt anyone, right? Last year I used some of these book bindings to create some conversational book art that we are pretty fond of.

And whatever became of those books who lost their binding? Here they are stacked with dust jackets reattached, adding just a hint of warmth and depth to a needy space.

Here are some great pictures I have found out in the design and blog worlds that I wanted to share too, wish I could take credit for design this fabulous!!!

via {Design for Living}

via {Dec0r.com}

via {House Beautiful}

You can find a world of inspiration by just googling 'decorating with books' and perusing the images there!

Have you used books in your decor? Upload your pictures to our Flickr account and share the inspiration. 

Happy Wednesday, and happy decorating to you too!

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Baby Boy Nursery Reveal

We've spent the last couple of months scrambling to get our nursery ready a little early just in case. We aren't quite sure when the baby will be coming, but I am not the kind of girl who could handle not being ready! The thought of having someone else oversee the little details of the nursery didn't work for me, so I've been creating and directing (and probably driving my wonderful husband a little bit crazy) from the couch while on bed rest. I've shared many bits and pieces with you along the way, but am excited to share the finished product with you today!

Here are some things we added, and all the little nursery details you'll find behind door #1 too!

 

{Board and Batten}

 {DIY Graphic Wall Art}

 {Scrapbook pennant banner to match wall art backgrounds and vintage clipboards}

{Dresser redo, a roadside find!}

{Cloud and hot-air balloon mobile}

Come back next Wednesday for details!

 {Bookshelf with globes, airplanes and a few special baby toys}

{Rh Baby&Child Bedding}

 

{the end}

I am very happy to have everything finished! I think it'll be the perfect room for our little one.
I'll be linking to some of these great parties this week.

Happy Wednesday!

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