The stockings where hung, the presents were wrapped… then all hell broke loose and the only safe space was the dining room!

| Similar Shirts | Wrapping Paper |

This year was very special because I got new dishes! I can remember my Mom getting special dishes on Christmas and I’m so excited to have my very own… and you won’t believe it but… they are blue and white! I know, you are shocked.  This Christmas Table Setting is my favorite and will be used for many years to come.

I feel these blue and white dishes were just meant to be in my home.  Just nod your head in agreement.   I might have needed the matching platter as well.  I mean it was all on sale (still is actually)!

The bowls are my favorite and I will keep them on display in my hutch.  They match my thrifted acrylic blue napkin holders perfectly!  I have thrifted most of my silver as well but you can find similar pieces here.   For other room sources, you can find them in the Dining Room Make-Over!

The Holiday Desert Plates, which are currently out of stock but could possibly come back, are another favorite, but these are an amazing second option (and on sale) and it was a hard choice between the two for me!

And how could I forget the bar cart?! It had to get prepped for some holiday entertaining!

The drink shakers were a black friday present to myself.  Stop judging.  I saved so much money on everyone else it just made sense.   And the antique drink stirrers are about my favorite holiday decor ever!

We are ready to have a beautiful dinner and then carry it into a Happy New Year and I wish the same to you all!

** Windgate Lane shares affiliate links so that products mentioned are found easily and does receive a small amount for purchases made through our site.  We appreciate the support!**

xoxo

B

The post Christmas Table Setting appeared first on Windgate Lane.

It was only a matter of time before I had to bring my blue and white obsession into my Christmas Decor! So a red, white, and blue Christmas was born!

I’m going to let the pictures do the talking but this wasn’t a complete overhaul of Christmas decor.  I simply added in a few more blue accents, like the blue and white ribbon on the tree and then adding the blue wrapping paper instantly brought it more into the spotlight! And can we talk about this wrapping paper from Emily McCarthy?! It felt as if bells were ringing when I saw it! It is more expensive but I just bought a few sheets of it and then accented it with the plaids.

I kept the other items in the living room simple and let the tree be the star, but of course the mantel got in on the fun! You may notice that Momma got a new mirror for Christmas and I’m fairly obsessed with it just like the wrapping paper.

These wood prayer beads from Sugarboo and Co. were the only major decor I added this year and the best part is that they aren’t just Christmas decor, they will be out year round and can be moved around.  So these were worth every penny and I can see them in my home forever!

And of course the Dining Room had to have some Christmas cheer after it’s big make-over this last year that you can see here (sources included).  This room is ready for a feast and lets face it… a cocktail!

I got these cocktail shakers as an early Christmas present and I love how they look like hob nob but aren’t… and hello? Blue!  I will share how I styled them on my bar cart next week!

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas tour and now you can hope over to these other fabulous ladies for even more inspiration!

Christmas Tour Participants:

At Home with The Barkers | Windgate Lane | Cottage In The Oaks

Petticoat Junktion | Restoration Redoux | Girl in the Garage

The Robins Nest Design’s | Paper Daisy Design

Happy Holidays to you all!

xoxo

B

The post Red, White, and Blue Christmas appeared first on Windgate Lane.

Last week I was so excited to share my family room and dining area all decked out for the holidays! If you missed it, you can find it Here.

This week I’m thrilled to be in a fun tour with some amazing ladies, hosted by the lovely Laura from The Avery Grace.  We will be sharing tons of decorating inspiration and you can find all of the links at the end of the post!  And again… more exclamation points. I can’t help it, I just get excited!

I decided to switch up my holiday decor in the kitchen this year.  I wanted to showcase a few more of my antique finds that I have gathered through out the year and my Painted Hutch was the perfect place to do so.   Can one have to many Christmas vignettes? Don’t answer that.

The Christmas glasses were such an exciting find for me! Not antique in any sense of the word- but exactly like some my parents had when I was a little girl so they give me a big smile.  Notice how emphatic I am that they are not antique since I had them when I was little… not old.  They can’t be more than like 29… ish.  And that little Santa candle just jumped in my bag for less than a dollar!

I love that I was able to get so many antique Christmas bulbs from my trip to New York and the Elephants Trunk Flea Market because they are a fun tie in throughout the downstairs decor.  Such a fun punch of color and whimsy!

And while I love having a spot for my fun finds, it also has to be practical and hold some of my serve wear and such! I love having my extra glasses and plates here.

I love to have pretty vignettes but if I put decor out, it needs to have some meaning for me or at the very least make me smile And if it holds a story for me, I have found that my boys love hearing the story and then retelling it to me later.  So maybe the holiday decor can start to seem frivolous to some, but for me it is one big bundle of magic and memories!

Pin here to find later!

I hope y’all are having a great week and please go visit my friends below for some gorgeous inspiration!

Monday
The Avery Grace | The H is For | Inspire and Instyle | Design Roots | Etcetera Studio
Tuesday
Superfluous Fabulous| Little Branches | Call me Ang
Wednesday
Life as a Rambling Redhead | Cupcakes and Coffee Grounds | Maison de Cinq | Windgate Lane
Thursday
The Everyday Hostess | Oh Deery Floral | Life as a Mrs.
Friday
Happily Hayley | Steel Southern Pretty | ABS Home Styling

xoxo

Bee

The post Christmas Kitchen appeared first on Windgate Lane.

This week I was so excited to share some of my new Christmas Decor and that included my DIY Cardboard Christmas Houses on my mantel!

I wanted big impact and no surprise… low cost… so as I was preparing to do wood cut out houses, I realized that it would A.  take more time and B. would have to be seriously attached so as not to fall on my children’s heads.

I decided to use my once a year Lightbulb Moment and came up with thick foam cardboard- easy to cut, and half off at Hobby Lobby Score (similar found here)! After I cut out the house shapes and some windows, it occurred to me that you can buy window forms for doll houses.  I popped back in to Hobby Lobby and sure enough- little windows, doors, and even shutters- why not add a little personalization?! (similar windows found here but more choices at Hobby Stores with coupons!)

I ended up not using the shutters because I liked the simpler look, but all I did was trace around the windows and then use an X-Acto Knife to cut out the foam.  I lightly pushed the wood window frames in and voila!

The doors and larger windows I cut looked a bit boring after the cute windows were in so I grabbed some Balsa wood trim that I used to create my Faux Tobacco Basket.  It is super thin and can be cut with scissors so I just measured, cut and hot glued it around the doors and windows! (also found at Hobby Lobby)

I also cut down the edges of the houses but not all the way through the foam so that they could stand on their own and block the view of the twinkle lights taped to the back.

The next step was to tape some battery powered twinkle lights up to the backs to add a nice glow!

See all of those fun accents that make the scene come to life? All found at The Container Store! The wood cut out trees, the red pom pom ribbon, the adorable little gift boxes… between those and their gift wrap, I was in that store for a long time and beyond excited!

To see the rest of the Holiday Decor, including my festive dining room, Click Here!

Let me know if you have any questions!

xoxo

B

The post Cardboard Christmas Houses appeared first on Windgate Lane.

This year I was thrilled to be invited to join the Home for the Holidays Tour, hosted by the amazing Sondra Lyn from Sondra Lyn at Home! It’s 5 Days – 30 Blogs, sharing everything Christmas for one whole week! I will try to limit my exclamation marks but it’s hard…

I’m going to primarily let the pictures do the talking in this post and I will elaborate on a few DIY’s that I did this year later in the week!

Let’s start in the dining room.  I recently made this live edge table for under $80 and it has been so fun decorating this holiday season! (details here)

I used my favorite blanket scarf as a table runner and re-used the DIY faux fur placemats from my Thanksgiving Table Scape.  The mixed metals and small plates (all thrift score finds) just keep the eclectic feeling going- while the large striped vases add a modern element that I love!

The hanging branch was an easy DIY that I will share soon but adds a touch of whimsy.   It is similar to all of the branches I used last year in our Christmas Decor.  The bar cart is a recent addition that I found on Craigslist that I still need to do a little work on but I decided it should be dressed up for the holidays regardless!

Again I mixed my silvers and golds and then for a fun pop of color, I put antique Christmas Bulbs that I scored when I was in Connecticut at the Elephants Trunk Flea Market, in an antique silver bowl.  I feel like it’s those touches that make a room feel festive!

I can’t wait to serve our Christmas Dinner in here! 

Decorating in our Family Room was all about my kiddos.  We spend most of our time in the house there and I wanted it to be fun and cozy for us all!  The mantel is always my favorite place to decorate while also my nemesis.  I decided to create a town out of cardboard or foam board to bring in some more warmth and lights.  DIY Tutorial for Houses HERE.

I cut out some windows so that I could tape some battery powered string lights behind the houses and light up our little village!

The accents around the houses are almost all from The Container Store! The little trees, boxes, and red pom pom string can all be found there at great prices!

The rest of the room I just added other small touches to what is usually there.  And more Antique Bulbs of course!

The bookshelves got some punches of color too!

I am thrilled to be all decorated and able to really enjoy these spaces for the next month!

And one more of my view at night… So cozy!

I am so excited to see all of the inspiration this week and hope you will click back to follow along as each day will bring more!  Pin here to find later…  xoxo

Welcome to the 2nd annual Home for the Holidays Blog Tour hosted by Sondra Lyn at Home. Wow, do we ever have a great week of holiday celebration ideas lined up for you!

Join us each day for inspiration from nearly 30 of the today’s finest blogs!

You’ll see everything from gorgeous decor to yummy holiday recipes… and everything in between! Here’s a look at what’s coming up this week:

Monday – Holiday Decor

featuring…

Just a Girl and Her Blog | Lilacs & Longhorns | What Meegan Makes

Windgate Lane | Worthing Court

Tuesday – Holiday Recipes

featuring…

Duke Manor Farm | Graceful Order | Rhubarb and Honey

Snappy Gourmet | The Happier Homemaker | Two Thirty-Five Designs

Wednesday – Mantles and Tablescapes

featuring…

Dandelion Patina | {Home-ology} modern vintage | Organize and Decorate Everything

Sondra Lyn at Home | StoneGable | The Everyday Home

Thursday – Holiday Crafts

featuring…

An Extraordinary Day | Cottage at the Crossroads | Making it in the Mountains

Our Southern Home | 2 Bees in a Pod | Two Purple Couches

Friday – Gifts and Wrapping

featuring…

Addison Meadows Lane | DIY180 | Domestically Speaking

My Creative Days | Southern State of Mind | unOriginal Mom

Be sure to check back every day this week to enjoy all the goodies we’ll be sharing with you! Each day’s links will be posted that day and will go live at 7am EST/6am CST, so don’t miss a single day!

Cause we all know…

there’s no place like…

Home for the Holidays!

Monday – Holiday Decor

Tuesday – Holiday Recipes

Wednesday – Holiday Mantels and Tablescapes

Thursday – Holiday Crafts

Friday – Holiday Gifts and Wrapping

The post Home for the Holidays on Windgate Lane appeared first on Windgate Lane.

They seriously chewed through our wires the last time we put Christmas lights out- that makes all of that hard work realllllyyyy not worth it.  But this year I came up with a new plan- and they may still foil it- but at least it was super easy and cheap!  Do I say easy and cheap in every post I write? Don’t answer that.

Fastest tutorial ever:

Here’s what you need-  plant hangers- each ‘ornament’ will require two- so for my 4, I needed 8.

Twist ties… sorry no pic.

100 light string strands- man say that three times fast.

Take off your the chains- and then stack one on top of the other and attach in two places with any kind of wire or tie.  And you have an orb!

Simply wrap the lights around it, making sure to keep both plug in ends in places you can easily find.   I then attached a red, outdoor ribbon I purchased at Hob Lob to give it a little punch!

Now I just placed these on our front hedges- but it could be so fun to hang them from trees, set them on planters- then options are endless!  And for about $9 each- it’s a fun accent out front- not to mention not near as much work as stringing lights everywhere!

Just a cute, easy outdoor decoration for the holidays!  And here are some evening shots:)

Pin here to save for later!

xoxo

B

The post Christmas Light Ornaments from Plant Hangers appeared first on Windgate Lane.

I wanted to show you all some of my favorite bloggers this season, so I have roped them into this tour so that you can jump from one to the next and see some great inspiration!

If you are joining me from Thrifty Decor Chick, Welcome!! She was one of my first and favorite blogs to follow and I am still a loyal fan- she never disappoints!

I am looking forward to hosting several parties this holiday season and wanted my guests to feel excited the second they walked in the door! Now I don’t live in a mansion my any means, but that doesn’t mean you can’t jazz it up, and while this may look like a lot, it was actually very simple to pull together with stuff I already had on hand.   So…. Welcome to our Home….

(Wreath Tutorial) 

 One tree just didn’t feel like enough to me! These two little ones were fun- but I decided I wanted it to look more like a winter wonderland so I put on my Paul Bunyan pants and went out front and cut a branch off of our out of control Crape Myrtle… so that seemed like I accomplished yard work as well.  After I pulled the leaves off of it, I attached it to the wall with a flag pole hanger.  I hung some glass icicles that I found at HomeGoods last year after Christmas…. and then I swooned and was in love!

The other accessories included: disco ball and red, metal basket from Hobby Lobby- a faux sheepskin from Ikea (also used on my ottomans here)– small tree and sled from HomeGoods.  The taller tree I have had for years, but I spruced it up with some snow spray from Hobby Lobby (this stuff is amaze) and then added some red berries to it.  I then hung several of the acrylic snowflakes from… wait for it…. The Dollar Store!! 2 for $1… you will see them in other spots in our house this season!

The rest of the entry I kept simple because I had so many textures going on already in this vignette- so the entry table stayed the same but I added a lantern that will serve as a holder for our Christmas cards as they arrive!

Another Ikea shoutout because the entry table is actually shoe storage from there that I put fancier cup pulls on to spruce it up:) and so is the small chair by the front door with another faux sheepskin tossed over the back of it… I can’t and won’t stop throwing them everywhere…

Y’all know I had to have navy/white buffalo check in here somewhere! that little pillow is one I got last summer from… you guessed it… HomeGoods and it actually says Lake Time on the other side- but only you and I need to know that!  The rug is from West Elm lest I forget to mention that and the little mirrors are Target.

So pin it, scream it, smoke signal about it but get the word out because these bloggers in this tour rock and have so much fun inspiration!

And now you can head on over to Megan at Honey We’re Home to continue the tour, or find all the links down below!  She is the sweetest lady and has a gorgeous home that is a show stopper without decorations up, so I can’t wait to see it now!

Here is the whole amazing list:

Windgate Lane
Honey We’re Home
Ciburbanity
Hearts and Sharts
Desert Domicile
At Home With The Barkers
Gourley Girl and Guy
Our Southern Home
Hi Sugarplum
Thrifty Decor Chick

xoxo,

B

Linking To:

Your Designs This Time

The post Welcome to the Season- Holiday Decor Tour appeared first on Windgate Lane.

I will show you some tutorials next week on the JOY sign over my mantel and the ornament wreath which I now have making down to a science! and also my paint stick herringbone tray!

Without further ado… welcome to our home…

(click here for tutorial on our front door wreath)

The post 2013 Christmas Home Tour appeared first on Windgate Lane.

I had some fun projects last year for the holidays and I wanted to revisit one of my faves today! This picture frame wreath brought me a ton of joy whenever I looked at it- especially after the passing of my Mom- it showed all of us together and just some fun memories that make me smile every time I pass by it.

For the tutorial you can click back here: Picture Frame Wreath

The post Blast from Christmas Past appeared first on Windgate Lane.

Started with a large fake pine wreath from Hobby Lobby (gotta love 50% off)
and a stick wreath from there as well that I just loved!

And the yarn… it was a tough call on the colors… I found the red and gray plaid ribbon and it practically jumped into my cart so I wanted to work around that… so I got some red, a tanish/gray, white, and a really pretty blue… cause I love blue. period.  It was nice to actually just sit in front of the tv and wrap yarn balls.  I did different sizes and kind of played around with the layout as I went…

Once I had it laid it out how I liked, I added in just a few sprigs with some berries and and hot glued the yarn balls on and attached the two wreaths together with some floral wire I had.

Have y’all decided to get anything new this year for decorating or staying with your tried and true?  I can’t help myself and have to add in a few new things each year but still have my faves from years past! Can’t wait to show you the wreath I made for over the mantle soon!
xoxo
B

Linking to:
Just Us 4
Remodelaholic

The post The Holiday Wreath to end all Wreaths! appeared first on Windgate Lane.