Home For The Holidays

Do y’all remember my front entry pic from a week or two ago?  Do you want me to remind you of what it looked like before?  Are you sure?  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

I know you remember the BEFORE.  I posted it HERE when I showed you how I styled my front door for winter for under $3.  I know you are appreciative of all the effort I put into making sure the light was coming in at just the right angle and the aperture and shutter speed were just perfect before I took this shot and then spent hours editing it!  I really wanted you to get the full effect of my chipboard floor, my patched but unpainted walls, my missing baseboards….did I miss anything?

Very welcoming, wouldn’t you say?

Makes you want to see the rest of my home, I’m pretty sure.

I won’t tell you how long I put up with this view.  I have excuses as to why.

I started with my front door, on the inside, which I have shown you HERE

I might mention that I decided to paint my walls all one color rather than the several different colors I had going on before.  I know you are disappointed to hear that but….what can I say?  I caved to current trends and let go of the “abandoned house” look.

I also thought perhaps some flooring would make cleanup a bit easier.  That’s the only reason I brought the wood floor that’s in the rest of my main floor, all the way up to the door.  I think I might miss the old stained chipboard look.

I think I might be lying.

I found this little cutie at Ross for under $5.  I wish I could find this place and go there for Christmas.  It has all the cozy winter feels that take me back to my childhood Christmases….

Doesn’t it go well with the wall color?  And the baseboards?  Yup!  I put the baseboards back in after installing the wood flooring.  I even painted them.  I know, right?

Here is what my front entry looks like now.  I should take a poll to see what y’all prefer.  🙂

I was able to find this extremely small little table at Goodwill for $3.99.  It was originally rustic pine but I sprayed it with a couple coats of Rustoleum in Heirloom White, satin sheen.  I added some chalk paint to the top to give it a more interesting  look.  I finished with a coat of clear wax.

The little lantern was purchased in the summer from Burlington Coat Factory and I used to have it outside on my front patio.  That darling burlap wrapped tree was also a Goodwill find for under $5.

This tiny bushel basket of apples is from a dear aunt and it’s the cutest little thing!  I absolutely love it and I think it’s even cuter because it’s miniature.

I got this canvas basket from Ross as well for $6.99.  I like how it’s not specifically Christmas but more just a neutral winter piece that I can change up depending on what I put in it.  From the first moment I saw it I pictured it with a bunch of lovely cinnamon scented pinecones though….

And several stores later I finally found some!

This is from my stairway.  Remember the broken shelf I fixed up and styled HERE?

This opening into my dining room isn’t always the easiest area to style.  Whatever is up here has to be pretty sturdy because it can easily get knocked over when people come in and out the front door.  I used my reclaimed wood planter that I made last spring and put together a little mix of magnolias and evergreen branches.  I threw in a faux artichoke and a couple faux pears just for that unexpected element and a pop of color.

The artichokes were a gift.  I love them.

I think it works perfectly here and I like the contrast with the wall color to break up this space.  That’s important in an open concept home.

The wall color throughout my main floor is all Sherwin Williams Sea Salt.  The baseboard in the entry is Sherwin Williams Alabaster and the door and door trim is Behr Antique White.

Now according to my mother, I shouldn’t be showing you only what you see facing my front door, because if you were coming to visit me and came to my front door you would be facing the other direction.  She felt I was amiss to leave out what you look at when you walk in my front door so – just for my momma, here is the view as you walk IN my door!

Do y’all remember the story of these free pieces of furniture I got not long ago?  I still can’t show you the entire dresser all the way to the floor because I haven’t found the perfect hardware for the other drawers yet but I promise I will show you the entire makeover.  Soon.

One of my kids favorite things to get out when we start unboxing the winter decorations is this nativity set.  They all take turns choosing a piece at a time to place just where they think it’s perfect.  I may or may not move things ever so slightly when they aren’t looking!

I’m only allowed to put the wood stable together and add the extras that aren’t part of the set.

Like these trees that I recently made with Dollar Tree items.  Or the little rooster I found at Walmart the other day and thought would be the perfect addition to the nativity scene.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you felt welcome in my home and that this has given you some great ideas for your own cozy winter wonderland on a very small budget!

Now I’d like to invite you to check out Emily’s front entry over at Le Cultivateur, and see how she has styled it for Christmas.

You can follow me on Pinterest and Instagram for even more ideas and great product deals.

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