Our Simplified Christmas Home Tour!

Welcome Everyone!!

This year we simplified...and I must say it has feels really good!!

By simplified, I mean, all my Christmas containers are still up in the attic!! The only things we took down were our tree and a box of lights...that's it!! 

I have been so inspired by The Nester to simplify.

 We decorated with things we already had around our home.

 We have been adding little by little each day.

At first we started off with only lights..and soon the kids started with paper snowflakes. We have all sizes!! It has been so sweet to watch them..we have square, rectangular...you name it. Our kids range from 2 yrs to 13 yrs old, and I must say they did a sweet job! For me to sit back and let them make completely decorate it and make these memories has been humbling. I did however handknit the garland, again inspired by The Nester . Can you tell I'm a big fan? :)

My mantel is simple and clean for now, and I'm sure the stockings will come out in a few days too.

This door!! Oh I love old doors, and a friend of ours let us pull it out of an old house along with some planking!! 

Have you made these snowflakes yet?! Button Bird Designs has the best tutorial! We made a few of these beauties..so easy, so fun!

This is what our Hot chocolate & Cider bar looked like when I first set it up...quite fun for the little ones. It took a whole day before the candy's were put behind doors. There was a certain 2 yr old who decided he could climb up and eat every single one!

One of hubby's deer came back in, after being outside on our fence for years, and was added to our Chalkboard. Hubbys deer...as in many, were band after years of hanging on our walls. they now live in the man cave. 

Hallelujah!!!! 

I love love love this chalkboard! It's been the best thing with 4 kiddos! We write each other sweet reminders, holds a bible verse for the day, and the little ones enjoy to simple doodle on it's big surface. You can find more on how we made it Here.

I set our table very simple. 

Gold chargers hold my collection of thrifted white dishes.

Napkins tucked into pockets from old jeans.. which I've slowly been collecting them over the years, and Green stemware for everyone including the little ones. At our house we always drink out of pretty stemware. Sometimes kids come to our home and will look at me so surprised as I hand them water in a pretty glass. Yes, my kids have broken many over the years..and that's where we can take the opportunity to teach them that they are only things.

Our chandelier was a fun rescue project. You can read more about it Here. More on adding the pretties to come! I love it! Rust with a bit of Glam...YES!!

A few little cedars are here and there in our house..we cut them down at our sweet little cabin. 

Do you have a little getaway? Come see what we did with a teeny tiny storage building in a 4 part series starting Here. and how we turned it into a fun little getaway that is only 30 minutes away!

Opposite of our large chalkboard is another favorite of mine..Huge EAT letters made out of an old fence..more on them Here and my collection of silver platters is slowly growing too. I love patina!

Our bedroom called for a simple strand of lights. They make me smile. Our wall is filled with Shakespeare book pages..they too make me smile. 

Simplest of things right?!

If you'd like to read about them too, you can Here.

Thank you for stopping in at our simplified Christmas. 

I wish you all the most wonderful Christmas this year! 

Enjoy your families and loved ones!!

Love,

Naomi

Bookpage wall and $4 lamps got an update !

Sunday was a lounge day for all of us around here. 

I love days like that!!

Hubby was napping, and kids were all playing and giggling amongst each other.

I was craving a crafty project..and a book page wall had been on my mind for awhile already, so I pulled out a romantic poem book I had bought just for craft projects.

I simply stapled them to the wall, layering them over one another. Something romantic about love words all over your bedroom wall, and it's something that can easily be changed.

 I love projects like that!

A while back I scored these lamps for $4 each, a little spray paint, new burlap shades and I think they are enjoying their new home. 

A quick, fun and easy project!! 

Love, 

Naomi

Galvanized with Rust!!

Hi Everyone...It's been awhile since I blogged. 

You know summer, the one season which go's by so fast?! The one where you sleep in, where no major schedules exist...I have been trying to savor every moment!!

Today, however I want to share with you my favorite find from this past weekend. 

My mama, sisters and I went to spend the weekend in my favorite town...Fredericksburg!!

 I adore this sweet place...

I think it may be my German roots, 

or the fact that the hill country has always been dreamy to me. 

Have you ever been to Fredericksburg trade days? 

Have you visited House Wren's booth?!

Oh Goodness...I stalked their booth! My all time favorite booth ever.

See this mirror?

I spotted this fun galvanized piece, then found out it was made from a chicken feeder top...I squealed...I may have done one to many happy dances (sorry sister)!!

So when I say stalked their booth, I'm not kidding!! 

We literally stopped 4-5 times..you must go see them! I could have bought their entire booth!! 

Too fun!

I love, love, love this piece!! 

So so fun...thanks for stopping in. 

I hope your day is filled with tons of fun. 

Enjoy these last days of summer!

Love,

Naomi

Mantel of Love!!

Ahhh...LOVE!

Sweet isn't it?

I wanted to share with you our Valentine mantel..I adore it! It's so me...haha..it's so NOT my hubby!!

For those who have been to our home...LOOK what is NOT HANGING above the mantel!!!  Hubby Loved his deer...well I'm sure any man would. He sweetly let me have the mantel back, but I don't think he thought this was what I would put in their place!!

I CALL IT LOVE...

I Love my arched window that he brought me years ago...it's old, and I wish I knew who had all looked through this sweet little window all those years in the home where it was located. 

I added a simple burlap wreath to another favorite.

...I think it ties in beautifully with the burlap valentine garland!

Thanks for the visit...

...and do everything with love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

Love,

Naomi

Burlap Goodness!

It's has been a week of catching up on some fun crafting! 

It all started with a sweet burlap sack

...LOVE!!

This weeks goal was crafts using the things I already had on hand...a pillow and a sweet burlap sack that stole my heart when I seen the word COFFEE printed on it!  So a Pillow got a new cover...

I adore it!! Now not only do I dream of drenching our home in whites, it now needs to contain a lot of burlap goodness!! Ahhh...I know...pure crazy love of wonderful things!!

With the left overs I thought it would be fun to make a Valentine garland.

I ironed on some heat n bond to red fabric and then took backing off to iron it to my burlap. I cut them out and stitched the edges. I also cut out the letters L O V E to iron and sew the to each heart...

They are strung together with twine and waiting for me to get the rest of my Valentine mantel together!!

I hope you enjoyed my crafty, make with what you have on hand, Sweet Burlap Goodness!!

Love,
 Naomi

Dining Chair Makeover!

I'm in the process of bringing whites into our house...today I finally finished our dinning chairs! Let me just tell you...

..IT TOOK FOREVER!!  I've grown tired of all the wood in our house. Wanting to drench our home in all whites is my mission, Remember?!

Our dinning set is completely rustic...most of our house is furnished in rustic pine furniture. Although I still love this style, it is dark and looking sad to me lately. I'm craving light & bright! I love pine...it's forever forgiving when you have 4 kiddos running around. It only gets better with age! You can slather it in a zillion coats of paint and it's forever beautiful. Well that's coming from a girl who loves all things rustic anyways!! 

I started by sanding...all 8!  I figured this would be a simple, quick project. Hahaa..glad  I thought that then, I may have never started. Many days of 1 coat at a time during nap times..each chair took 3 coats (using paint with an added primer)..it's like  painting a chair 24 times...now you see why this was a never ending project? 

I think those projects that take so long seem to be the ones that are most rewarding. I love them again!!

I used the same paint color as I used for our cabin kitchen (Cream in my coffee). It's my favorite!! The seats were stained with walnut...I love the combination of the 2! Since I love all things rustic, they received some fun distressing! 

I love how they turned out...it's already feeling brighter.

For now, our home is one step closer to being completely drenched in whites. It's a bit overwhelming to think of all that needs to change to get the look I'm craving. One project and a gallon of paint at a time.  

Thank you for stopping in...I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Love, 
Naomi

Drench me in Whites!

Did you have a wonderful Christmas?

Did you make many more unforgettable memories?  

Are you like me, and want to cleanup all things Christmas the very next day? I always struggle with what to do...this year, everything is already packed away, everything except for our tree and wreaths on doors & windows. They are going to stay up till New Years...we removed all our ornaments from our trees and left only the lights! 

I'm struggling more than ever to simplify...I'm craving whites!! Crisp, clean...WHITES!!!  I want to drench my home from top to bottom in white...WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???? I love color, I really do!!!

hahaha...oh Whites, what are you doing to me?  

Today I want to share with you our Master bedroom in it's drenching in whites which is still in progress.

My hubby bought me a sweet little chandelier for our bedroom!! I adore him...we were Christmas shopping together, and I saw this little chandelier and told him that one day it would hang in our bedroom. Little did I know that he would buy it on the spot...spoiling me once again!

It's Oh So Pretty!!

Our bedroom is one of the rooms that have been in whites for some time...I just love white bedding!

I think whites are ROMANTIC!

Lighting makes the biggest difference...from ceiling fan to a bit of sparkle! Our master is not finished...is there ever a time that a room is completely done? 

Part of me wants to carve a big old heart with our initials into our headboard!! Then dry brush it in my favorite shade of white!! Yes..drench from top to bottom in white...Remember?! ahhhhh

All while trying to create a relaxing ROMANTIC space for us, we also share this space...

...with PAPERWORK!! Completely took the romance out of it..right?! I do adore our little desk, it was a GW find many years ago. One day I may refinish it, but for now it's sweet with countless scribbles on top.  I'm trying to find the perfect way to organize, and most of all HIDE all our office stuff. Any tips?

One of my girlfriends gave me a pair of these stools a few weeks ago. I added new tops, which I stained and then stenciled. This one fits perfectly under this desk. I LOVE THEM! 

So there is my little start to drenching my home in Whites & to organize everything in sight!!

A New Year is almost upon us...filled with it's newness! What are your goals for this next year?  Any big goals? Are you like me and are craving crisp, clean, fresh...a change in decor...a new way to organize our home...to simplify everything...to love more...listen more...and most of all to enjoy every moment of everyday!!!  

Thanks for stopping in!! Happy New year!

Love, 
Naomi

Joy of the Holidays!

The Holidays are here...I LOVE Christmas!!

it's magical...with lights, giving hearts..all coming together to celebrating JESUS! 

Decorations came out on Thanksgiving day...every year each of us get a new ornament, they are marked who's is who's, the year they were received and each year the tree gets fuller!!

Kids gather as we carefully unwrap each ornament, recalling sweet memories of the past! With 15 years of marriage and 4 children later, we have a sweet collection already. I adopted my sisters tradition on adding a special ornament each year. I remember sitting at my sister's house and seeing her tree filled with pretty ornaments, and thinking that it would take forever by the time our tree ever filled up...hahahaa we were only married for a year or 2! Oh how time flies...

This year as I was thinking that our tree was filled like my sister's years ago..she sent me a picture yesterday of her Beautiful tree this year!!! Yes, she gets me to dreaming once more on the next years to come with a fuller tree!!! I LOVE HER!! 

You want to see her tree don't you???

Well of course you do!!

It's dreamy isn't it?!! It's overflowing with pure goodness...OH SO PRETTY!! I'm sure once mine looks like this, she will have yet another thing I want...That's what us little sisters do!!! Hahaahaa

This year I went to Lowe's Christmas tree cutting area and picked up tons of fresh cut greens...

...they trim the bottoms off the tree when they re-cut them. They gladly let you take to your hearts content. I cut and soaked them good before I adding them in our home. I made a sweet garland for over my kitchen window with pine cones hanging down!  The rest I placed around the house and we get to enjoy the smell of fresh pine. 

It's feeling more like Christmas  around here!!

I love everything about this time of year...the wish lists came out before Thanksgiving was even over!!! I finished most of my shopping early this year,  for the first time!! I'm usually the one running to the stores and everything on everyone's wish lists are disappearing before my eyes...but not this year!!!

Oh the joy of the Holidays...what are your traditions? Do you collect a new ornament each year?

Enjoy this special time, as we once again gather with our LOVED ones to celebrate the true meaning ofChristmas!! Merry Christmas Everyone...

Love,
 Naomi

It's Fall Y'all!!

Don't ya'll just LOVE fall?!

The colors are so warm and cozy...the smell of the perfect fall candle burning, bringing it's fragrance in the air.

I ADORE the cooler mornings where you can open the windows and have that sweet sound of a screen door slamming shut behind you...a time where we gather with all our loved ones and just love on each other! 

 I love candles that flicker in the fireplace...There is something about candles that makes you want to cuddle with a favorite magazine and drift into dreaming about all things PRETTY!

I love pulling out my fall decor...a favorite is a pillow that has finger painted "art"  from when my daughter was 3 on the back, I can't seem to part with it just for that reason, AND my sister has the same one and well, It reminds me of her every time I see it!! I ADORE my sister!! She is my best friend and encourages me to do CRAZY FUN things...Like start this blog! I love you sis!

This year I am in LOVE with paper garlands...So simple and fun! 

Wreaths that remind you of a fun night with your sweet girlfriends...great food and fellowship with friends is the best right? 

Isn't it all about just being TOGETHER?! I LOVE that about Fall!!

LOVE, 
NAOMI