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Ho Ho Home

PERSONAL

There’s no place like home…everybody including Dorothy knew that.  Santa knows it…he’s been living at the North Pole for centuries.  Jesus knew it…He visited here, went home, visited here again, went home again.  Heck, even that dang Elf makes his way to his shelfy little home each night.  So it comes as no surprise that I enjoy visiting dear ole mom and dad at the place that I called home for over 15 years.  And it helps that my mom goes all out for Christmas 🙂

Warning – Little Debbie (that’ll be mom to me) is like a color maniac.  She loves it.  So each room has a different feel and style.  The first room I crashed was the living room….

I love the simplicity of the glass vase filled with ornaments.

 

And the icey silver continues onto the coffee table and side table…

By far and away my favorite is the oversized footed bowl filled to the brim with balls.   It’s actually a trifle bowl that she uses a lot for desserts and fruit salad…it’s such a good reminder to look at even kitchen supplies for decorations!

And I love the glass candleholder with the giant mirrored ball ornament on top.  My Ma did live through the Era of Disco so I guess it’s only fitting just in case she wants to break out the moves.

On the other side of the couch, she set up her simplest display – three sequined cone trees.

Fun Fun Fun.

And then beyond that is her tree.  When we were little, we had two trees – one for mom to decorate (she did different themes each year) and then one for us kids (for our nostalgic homemade popsicle stick ornaments and for any oldie memory ornaments).  I didn’t understand until now why she did that.  It was a creative outlet for her…and her theme trees are so fun, why not make room for more?!

This year she went with the color scheme of pink, lime, turquoise and purple.

The entire tree is filled to the rim.  I love it that way.

And she did her curly cues again with the pipe cleaners.  Mom is certain that in five years everybody is going to be doing pipe cleaners on their tree.  She thinks it’s like the new tinsel.  I think she’s hilarious.

The clip on dragonflys and butterflys are gorgeous.  I love them like boys like adreneline.

But she also has sentimental ornaments…things that ‘reflect’ each person in her life…like a fire hydrant (my bro Brad was a volunteer fireman)…a small hurdler (apparently my dad did track in Highschool with the other 402 sports)…and a piano (my mom’s a music teacher & Nornie & Cole are both awesome).  Next year I gotta keep my eyes peeled for a camera ornament…because heaven knows that primping poodle doesn’t represent me.

In the kitchen, mom went with a little more traditional color scheme – good ole red and green.

I love this nativity.  I love the oldness of it.  I love that Mary looks like she is praying over the new baby.  Probably something like “Dear God, Please don’t let me mess this up.”

I need to copy her kitchen table centerpiece.  It’s so easy…a simple striped vase with rosemary clippings and some berries tucked in.  Seriously cute.

And I also love how the kitchen setting (yes, she is one of those people that constantly has a set table ready for the massive amounts of food she is gonna serve) is so not christmas and then she added the napkin and it was suddenly transformed.

Moving on – and I like to think I saved the best for last….the dining room.

In here it was all about the bling…show me the golden girls…seriously…do you have that on DVD?  I love that show.

Back to the table setting…it’s gold and bronze and amber and hot pink.  Love.

Mom typically sets tables and then serves the food on the island in the kitchen.  It allows her to have more decorating space.

How cute is that yellow and white Pier 1 plate mixed in with the amber glassware and the bronze charger?  And as traditional as the little napkin ring is, I’m totally diggin’ the idea of a tassel.

She even carried that idea over to the chair backs…

yup, the girl can work a theme.

I love how she used glassware for candleholders too.  Cuts down on the amount of space that you would need for actual candleholders 🙂

And the centerpiece is really a mishmash of stuff that seems odd to think about putting together for a cohesive unit – but all in one package, it looks great.  I love that she stuck the little amber vials in there…you know, just for kicks.

But really, what makes this color scheme pop is the pink.  It’s actually just a couple berry picks that have pinkish tones, a pink ribbon and some pink mini ornaments on the table…but it’s like the ice in my Coca Cola…it makes the whole thing sizzle.

Love this gold tree.  I wonder if I could make it?

Oh and she included a little splash of color on the chandelier too…in the form of pink beaded accents.  I betcha you could make these with a little help from Michael and his store 🙂

So that’s it folks – consider my parents house officially Christmas crashed.  What do you think?  Anybody else out there that decorates each room with a different color scheme?  Or perhaps you are just diggin that pink n gold look that’s oh-so-Mariah?  Maybe it’s the trifle bowl that’s more your speed?

p.s.  Wanna get some more Little Debbie?  Here’s her holiday decor from last year to check out!

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  1. I’m totally diggin the idea of different themed trees in each room!! I’m plannin on doing the same thing next year. Hey they have “his” and “hers” sinks…….why not have “his” and “hers” trees!! Love it….good job lil Debbie for the inspiration/decorating and K.B. for house crashing!! p.s. Tell her I love the curly pipe cleaners……they are totally RAD!!!

  2. Can’t sleep and was excited to see all that eye candy you posted! Very impressed with your mom’s creativity and I can tell it runs in the family! I’m from Atlanta as well and hope y’all have a great Christmas!

  3. Dude. The pipe cleaners? Awe. Some.

    I can’t even begin to wish I would’ve thought of that. It looks so cool and expensive.

  5. Katie I love your blog, just got turned onto it a couple weeks ago and yeah, well, like I said I love it! oh and did you know there is a bacon of the month club?!?!
    Merry Christmas to you guys!

  6. LOVE LOVE LOVE all this eye candy!!! Well, now we know where you get your serious decorating skillz from Katie – totally from Little Debbie! I’m normally a huge blue and silver fan – love that icy goodness – and not so much a gold fan – but fell. in. love. with your mom’s dining room! And the hot pink? Genius! I love that your mom does each room in a theme and uses whatever is around in her decorating. And yes, completely in love with your mom’s nativity. I too love the old feel of it. We received an Italian nativity for our wedding (Fontanini) and it has an old feel as well – and I love it!

    Thanks so much for sharing all this goodness with us Katie!

  11. Wow! I love that she has a different colour scheme in each room. It makes me want to do the same! Also, although pink might not be my favourite colour, and like Kim I’m also a silver fan, the gold and pink are so glamorous!
    Thanks for all the great eye candy!

  14. Wow, I love all of this – each room is so different, yet so perfect! I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, huh? 🙂

    Merry Christmas!

  21. Your moms decorations are so cute! Can definitely tell where you get it from! Happy Holidays to you and your family 🙂

  22. Your Mom’s decorations are just beautiful. I love her tree and the pipe cleaners!! I really like how she fills the tree up too. The pink and gold is fabulous! Love it!

  23. Oh my gosh, those rooms are all beautiful! Your mom is an incredible decorator.

    My rooms are done by themes, too. The back room where we spend more of our time is done with bright colors – purples, pinks, lime, blue, etc.

    The front room is silver, white, gold, and copper this year. I love it.

  25. Her tree & dining room table are both gorgeous! I think she’s right about the pipe cleaners – now that the idea is out (probably thanks to pinterest), I bet we’ll be seeing lots more of those!

    I actually used my trifle bowl also, filling it with gold-edged pinecones and other assorted items (berries, greenery, etc.) and it is currently the “pièce de résistance” of my dining room centerpiece. 🙂

  26. This made me crazy sentimental. A lot of your mom’s decorations are the same as my mother’s…right down to the amber water goblets. 🙂

  28. Ah, you get your craftiness from your Mama huh? Her house is lovely! I love the wreaths on each window. I’ve always kept our house the same theme throughout. This just shows that you can have different themes in each room. I’ll have to try it next year! And did your Mom make the “Joy To the World” canvas art? That’s looks DIY-able!

  31. love your Mom’s decorations! I’m a newlywed so I have to slowly build up my Christmas decor. I’ve been using a couple vases, a trifle bowl and a pitcher to hold various ball ornaments to add some jazz thoroughout the house!
    But I am impressed with the gold, amber & pink! It looks absolutely stunning!

  36. Standing up to grab my pack of multicolored, glittery pipe cleaners and attack my tree.

    LOVE it. It looks SO fun.

  37. This post confirms what my sister and I believe- that Martha has a twin sister named “Fartha” that does all the work… and I think your mom is her!! So talented! Merry Christmas to all and….

  38. I love to see posts like this… I totally get where you developed your style. Even if it isn’t the same as your mother, she inspired you. Her house is so glammed up for the season. Beautiful! 🙂

  41. I’m loving your 12 Days of Christmas series! So much fun!

    I’m a Jesus-lovin’ girl, much like yourself, so I just have to ask about your theology in the beginning of the post… Would you explain what you mean when you said He went home twice? I was going to leave it alone, but I can’t figure it out and this stuff is just too dang important not to talk about, you know? Thank you!

  43. WOW, your mom goes all out! I’m so impressed and I love her dining room table – it’s an unexpected, but gorgeous, color combo. Those bird plates from Pier1 are a favorite of mine too!

  44. Gorgeous! I am also interested in what she does with the old stuff since she changes her themes from year to year. Does she buy everything at end of season sales? I am guessing it could get very costly.

  46. Pinning, pinning, aaaaaaaaaaand more pinning! Oh Em Gee, I love your Mom’s decorating style. Genius!

    …and I thought last year’s tree was gorgeous. She has outdone herself. Great job Little Debbie!

  47. I LOVE your mom’s tree!!! It’s gorgeous! And I will be doing the pipe-cleaner thing next year too – cute! 🙂

  48. She actually does find stuff at end of the season sales and she is really good about mixing in old with new and cheap stuff too. I mean, she put a pen in the tree because it had a green fluffy feather end…so she definitely looks all over the house for ideas. And most of her stuff is versatile – so she might have a lot of pink this year that she would change it up next year. And yes, she is like me – never really purges – so she definitely keeps it in storage for years to come.
    xo – kb

  49. I know that there is a lot of debate about what happened between the death and resurrection – so I’ll make this simple. The two main thoughts were 1. He went to Hades. 2. He descended into Abraham’s bosom – but either way He was presenting the gospel…and went into the spiritual world which is why I said He went home. The Trinity dwells in a spiritual world…that’s why I wrote that 🙂
    Hope that this makes sense!
    xo – kb

  50. We totally had one of those glasses that are on your mama’s dining room tablescape. I called it my ‘pineapple glass,’ ’cause that’s what it looked like to me. Oh, memories… 🙂

  51. Katie, your mom is totally right about those pipecleaners. I went out to Michael’s after work and bought a pack. And they’re already on my tree!

  52. Thanks for the tour! I’ve always been a traditional red and green girl but I LOVE the different color schemes I’ve been seeing lately. Looking through your pics from previous years and now your mom’s is making that itch for different colors even stronger. Thanks for the inspiration!

  54. I am so in love with that tree! I am definitely digging her idea of having two trees! I actually loved the colors you used in your tree this year toO! I’m a huge brights fan! Since we are patiently waiting on finding out if we have a house (fingers crossed), I am living vicariously through blogs, lol! I also love the gold/amber with PINK accents! That centerpiece is so awesome!!!

    <3 Merry Christmas!

  57. Hi Katie, it’s me Jenn. I too have recently faced the battle of pacifier weening. I was nervous, I thought I would need a couple days where I could survive without sleep, and there would be tons of crying, and probably some screaming, and ready for this? I had to ween TWO at ONCE! Yup. I have twins. SO! I accidentally decided to connect “no more paci” to my girls going from cribs to big girl beds. Crazy – perhaps, because two changes at once? That is not how I typically roll.. but I did it. We talked about it ahead of time, and made the leap, and you know what? I was more nervous about it & worked up than they were. Yup. We had a couple tears, and a little of crying, but I had put them all where no one could see them, and was ready for the duration. It went great! Nite two – a little more crying, the really sad, I want my paci, I miss my paci, what have you done to me Mommy? kind of crying that breaks your heart, but then JUST FINE! They are both great! Never looked back. Keys to success? #1 cut it out at naps first. #2 be confident by being okay with sadness of missing it. Cuz they do. #3 he’ll be fine. It is hard b/c he is YOUR baby, but babies can do it! Even the one entwined around our hearts! #4 do it. You can do it!!! (sorry this is so long, just wanted to try to send you some comfort & encouragement!)

  58. I’m with Little Debbie on this one – loving the pipe cleaners. I can see it now, her tree pinned all over Pinterest in millions of Christmas boards. It’s such a fun idea! Reminds me of Dr. Seuss! 🙂

    Keep up the good work, LD!

    Emily

  59. Geez – twins scare the living tar outta me…I can’t imagine the stress of paci-weening with two. You are a stronger woman than me Jenn!
    xo – kb

  60. Not sure if you guys have a Garden Ridge where you live, but they had adorable hot pink camera ornaments! 🙂

  61. 1. You could totally make that gold sparkly tree.
    2. The pipe cleaners are a pretty fabulous idea. Fun and versatile–they’d make a great filler on a kids tree. It’s going to be funny to see them everywhere next year. Pinterest will make your mom’s dream come true 🙂
    3. Thanks for sharing your Mom’s decor. She seems like she must be a fun, creative lady. So is it nature or nurture that you have those qualities, as well?

  62. Katie – Target is selling a camera ornament this year, I believe it was about $5 or $6. It’s a little glass ornament.

  63. Hey Katie!

    Your mom’s pipe cleaners have hit Pinterest, so I suspect she might be right about everyone doing this now, hahaha.
    Love the site!! (I’m another Italian Jersey girl, too! and I’m marrying a Georgia Bulldog fanatic. Seriously, UGA all over my house.) and I suspect that Santa is bringing me my new DSLR for Christmas so I’m definitely going to be hunting through your photo posts soon too!
    Merry Christmas to you and your adorable family!

  66. KB:

    Your Mom’s house is my all-time favorite Christmas house crashing post I’ve read, in blog land, so far this year. Even though it is absolutely gorg, I know that real people live and are welcome there, and that combined with all of her treasures and creativity makes it the most beautiful in my book!

    Pipecleaners — who would have thunk it? I’m a fan!

  68. Love your starburst mirror! We also used the bigger HangMan cleat ($11 for 200 pound rating) to install a huge 40 pound re-vamped thriftstore mirror over our fireplace & it is holding strong.

  69. Our tree this year has similar colors to your mom’s tree. I LOVE the idea of pipe cleaners! I think I’ll have to do that next year. Definitely think your mom is starting a trend. 🙂

  70. LOOOOVE!!! Absolutely beautiful! 🙂 Thank you for sharing. I heart the pipe cleaner idea, and honestly my tree was missing something this year (I bought all new ornaments last year after Christmas and so I was kind of winging it on what I needed/wanted) and I really really think the curly pipe cleaners would do the trick! Ahhh so excited now!!! Thanks Katie’s mom! 🙂 You rock!

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