Christmas Home Tour 2015

Forgive me for posting a Christmas House Tour a full three weeks after said holiday but there were A LOT of photos taken to document what ended up being the cleanest our house has been all year. A girl has to have some proof of that kind of magic! Some of this was shared over at The Stir at Cafe Mom last month but I have a few more photos below. If you're interested in all the blurbs behind the photos, head over to The Stir. Otherwise, reheat your morning coffee and start scrolling. 

Hi, Sunday.

Our kitchen is kind of dreamy. It's the largest and brightest version of any rental we've ever called home but it sometimes felt underutilized and cavernous. We had these beautiful built-ins that are part of the kitchen but are also right next to our mudroom. For months they were just a place to store things up high so Smith wouldn't get into them and since it was visible all the way from the living room, it made everything feel cluttered. 

I recently partnered with Walls Need Love to give them a little makeover and picked out one of their removable wallpaper prints that felt like a good fit for this space. As soon as I finished adding in that last panel I stepped back and suddenly felt like I'd leveled up. It has taken our kitchen's style even further and has helped me keep them styled instead of full of random piles. As a renter I've always overlooked the idea of adding wallpaper to a space but these panels are removable and adjustable so they are perfect for renters! I love the little bit of pattern they add that can be seen throughout the house. 

My SIL recently gifted us the vintage enamel table that Brett's grandpa helped build and it's been a great spot for keeping Smith busy eating breakfast while I get the big kids' school lunches ready. It's also the perfect place for letting the kids help bake since it's a little lower than our counters. 

There's a built-in spice rack or dish display rack in the kitchen next to the fridge that sits mostly empty until just after Thanksgiving when I fill it with my vintage Santa mug collection. Almost all of these were gifted from my MIL and the kids love drinking hot chocolate from them. 

I bought a cedar garland from a local nursery to turn into wreaths and then decided to keep part of it for the walk kitchen walk through. It felt so grand having it up there and made me wonder what this beautiful house looked like so many Christmases ago when it was a new house. The owner stripped it down to the studs and rebuilt it so there have been some changes from it's original floor plan but there is still so much charm at every turn. 

This year we kept the decor pretty minimal and pulled decorations from year's past instead of going out to purchase anything new. The little lawn ornament deer that I've had for a few years did get a makeover and is looking pretty fancy with a gilded rear.

This year's Christmas break was pretty great but exceptionally busy with my book deadline on December 20th and then a sprint to pack and figure out last minute gifts. I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to share a Christmas tour over at The Stir as I always get more accomplished when I have a deadline! I'm also so excited about how much better our kitchen built-ins are looking now that they have a little Walls Need Love pattern in them! 

Now that I've finally got it documented, I can't wait to share the next project I've partnered with Walls Need Love to give a much needed facelift! Stay tuned. 

-Rachel

 P.S. This post was in partnership with Walls Need Love and I was compensated for sharing about their fabulous, renter-friendly product. However, all opinions and feedback are my own and I'm so thankful to get to partner with companies I love.