Welcome Back!

Welcome back to part two of the Merry and Bright Holiday Home Tour! Thanks for braving all the snow to show back up! I hope the drive across our “little” 5-mile suspension bridge was not too treacherous this time of year! Santa never seems to have an issue getting here, even if the bridge is closed for weather conditions!

Our group of seven bloggers has been busy with final preparations for the tour! See the link to everyone’s blog at the end of this post. Special thanks to sweet Shelly at Confetti Style for organizing this tour! She’s a gift-wrapping wizard and she sets a gorgeous table! She’s nice, to boot, so be sure to check her out!

Just to refresh your memory, the Merry and Bright Home Tour is sponsored by Boho Luxe Home…an amazing company with truly luxurious accoutrements for your home. They supplied the gorgeous pillow I shared in Part I of the tour last week, and they also generously provided me with another not-so-diminutive goodie you’ll see in a few minutes on today’s tour. If you are not familiar with Boho Luxe Home, check them out and earmark their site…for yourself or for your gift-giving ease.

Let’s continue our tour where we left off last week! C’mon in! The coffee is always on, and we’re friends by now, so help yourself! Grab a cuppa and follow along!

The Entrance

Did you notice the painted front porch in faux brick on your way in? I did that over 20 years ago when I was about 8 months pregnant with my second child. I’m pretty sure it’s due for a refresh…and I’ve been considering options. But, like lots of things around here…it’s worn, comfortable, “known”. Let’s just say it all has a certain “patina” if you will!

The floor is not the only weathered item on the front porch. A lantern is perched on the edge of a solid oak desk I “rescued” from our local high school, when they were clearing out the “junk”. I have its cousin in my kitchen, which I’ll share in a future post. Adjacent to the desk is an old end table that has seen better days. Pine branches create a nest to hold candles and red ornaments. The horn on the front door was thrifted well over a decade ago. It’s brass and I think it’s a nice alternative to a wreath.

The Table Covering

Before we get to the place setting, let us take pause to feast our eyes on this delicious throw from Boho Luxe Home. In sumptuous, rich colors, this beauty is way too pretty for its intended use…which is that of a throw rug! I chose the Chindi Rug in red…and may I just say. it is sublime! A rug? Say what? Yes! I think not! This is a work of art.

When I took it out of its packaging, the first thing I said was, “I want to wear this!” And I might find a way to do so! This would make an ahhhh-mazing poncho! From first touch, the texture and the feel of it was just incredible…it is soft and supple. In short, I am in love with this piece! How could you not be? And, it’s sizable! The stats on this are 66 long by 42 wide. It’s a keeper and will be equally at home on the end of a bed, thrown over the back of a sofa or chair…or spilling out of a basket loaded with pillows.

The Place Setting

The place setting and table decor are fairly simple…do you see that this is a theme with me? Simple, thrifted, repurposed, sentimental, meaningful…these are all synonymous with my style. The green, underglazed Mount Clemens ironstone plates were found for a steal while thrifting. I scored a set of six plates. The ironstone sits atop a larger white plate (also thrifted) to add some depth and dimension. The plates are then layered onto a gold charger…the glam part of this arrangement, along with the gorgeous throw “rug” table cover.

See image below to see the detail on the plates and for the 411 on the napkin set-up. Don’t these plates offer a perfect wintry scene?

The Napkins

A fresh sprig of a pine branch is married with a faux holly berry sprig, nestled into the napkin with twine. Quick and easy, but still festive. And they lend a more rustic touch to complete my rustic-glam table.

These plates are in pristine condition and I like to think about the fabulous family gatherings these plates have seen…the joy, the excitement, the love. I’m so grateful they landed in my hands to keep for the next leg of their trip. When I found them, I wasn’t even looking for them…which makes them all the more precious!

I doubt I’ll re-donate them, as my college-aged daughter has proven to have her mother’s love for a pretty, patterned plate. Who knew? I think she will someday love them as much as I do! (Can you see the tree in the dining room trying to poke its head into this picture? I’ll show more of that in a future blog post…when it’s totally decked out in more than just lights.)

One more glimpse of the table setting before we move on to the kitchen…which…trust me, is about as rustic as you can get! You’ll see why!

The Kitchen

Let’s make our way to the kitchen. If you’ve been here before, you know we have some original knotty pine in the kitchen. A true frontier kitchen. You can see a bit of it above the upper cupboards.

There’s plenty more where that came from! You can see it more clearly here above the sink (below), and an entire wall is covered in it on the opposing wall. If you want to see pics of that side of the kitchen, check it out HERE, and read why I’ve done battle in my head about this knotty pine for years  decades!

I kept it rather simple in the kitchen…a few sprigs of pine here and there…a few red ornaments and a few mini Christmas trees. The initialed towels were a little gift from my mom. They didn’t have our last initial, so she settled on Mr. Farmhouse’s and my first initials. Love the plaid on them!

A pair of faux Christmas trees flank the kitchen soap. Some greenery dances around the edge of the cake plate that holds it all…and a few small red ornaments complete the look.

Meanwhile, a pair of flocked trees hunker down in a basket, while the signage to the left of it sings the praises of my favorite beverage and elixir of life. More of that famous knotty pine looks on, just minding its own business…and grateful it has survived another year of being spared from the paintbrush! 😉

Real pine branches and faux berries form a border on the shelves Mr. Farmhouse just installed a few weeks back. A perfect setting for my great-grandmother’s coffee grinder. It’s a treasure…and it still works…but don’t worry…I didn’t grind your coffee in it!

Well, it’s time for you to get bundled back up and head over to everyone else’s place.

My leg of the tour is complete. I’ll be sending you off to my friend Marsha’s from M Jones Style. I cannot wait to hop on over with you to check out what she’s sharing today. Place settings are amongst some of my favorite things…and from the looks of the preview Marsha shared, it’s going to be lovely! Her whole set-up is!

You can find everyone else linked below. You won’t want to miss one of these great home tours!

The Total Merry and Bright Crew

Be sure to follow along with all of these lovely ladies. You won’t be disappointed!

Wendy (that’s me)

Marsha

Kate

Meg

Yuni

Shelly

Tamyra

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons! May health, joy and laughter be plentiful for your family! May a smile find its way to your face every day!

Wendy Young is a mom of 3 who loves the farmhouse/eclectic/vintage/shabby vibe and maintains this site for fun. By day, she is a child, adolescent and family therapist, is the founder of Kidlutions: Solutions for Kids, creator of The Joyful Parent and the co-author of BLOOM: 50 Things to Say, Think and Do with Anxious, Angry and Over-the-Top Kids, along with multiple workbooks for kids. Her total readership is in the millions via her online and social media venues.