CHRISTMAS TOUR 2018 (Living and Kitchen)

Y’all. I’ll just get right to it. I love Christmas… and Christmas decor. My house gets soooo cozy. I couldn’t be a minimalist when it came to Christmas decor if I WANTED to. Also. My spouse’s nickname is literally Mr. Christmas. So even if I tried to “tone it down” he’d turn up the heat. He completely participates in our 2-days-after-Halloween-extravaganza. Where my house is covered in boxes and lights and flaking flocking…

It’s delicious.

So this will serve as the first part of the tour. My dining room wasn’t really ready for all the pictures. But please use ideas, steal vignettes, and don’t forget to ask me where products are from!

Clearly I was trying to show y’all the snow! But my window boxes (and mums) are not feeling it.

My favorite decor trick… take all my toddler’s “red” toys and stick them under the tree. It certainly helps with clean up. I have 3 toddlers so I cannot show y’all a tour with wrapped gifts under the tree. That is a serious joke. But I CAN give y’all a tour with old red toys under the tree-LOL

My two youngest jumped in some of the pictures. Do y’all remember the Christmas tour from 2015? Joelle was wearing the same red velvet pajamas! Excuse me while I go cry right now.

I squeezed in a picture of our dining room mantle.

Here I squeezed in a picture of our foyer vignette. This buffet is perfect storage for all our upstate New York gloves, scarves, and hats!

Love y’all! Happy Decorating!

CHRISTMAS 2 0 1 7

Well Loves.  The Christmas tour 2017.  For all your inspiration needs this Christmas.  Every Christmas is different.  It's crazy to think we spent the last 3 Christmases in 3 different homes.  Taylor's Wood, the Ridge Road Rental, and now our New York Cape Cod.

I'll be honest, Christmas decor is like memory lane for me. Everything in these bins have a memory.  Pine cones from our Georgia pines, ornaments from Church family over the years, even our pre-lit tree from our days serving in Maryland!  Home really is, wherever your Christmas decor is displayed.  And Christmas is a great time to look back and be very very grateful.

ENJOY!

LIVING ROOM

Side note!  This years garland isn't Christmas garland!  It's a collection of real, dried, and faux greens from my other seasonal decorating! If you can't afford Christmas decor, consider using things found in your backyard, or other seasonal pieces.

SIDE NOTE: These are not all antique trophies.  Faking it til I make it over here!  The large silver pail is Drew's grandmother's ice bucket!

DINING ROOM

ENTRYWAY

KEEPING ROOM/COFFEE NOOK

KIDS SPACES

Thanks for swinging by my corner of the world!  I pray this gives you some ideas as you celebrate with family over Thanksgiving.  

FALL HOME TOUR 2017

Autumn. If we could bottle up Fall and put it into a potion, it would smell like apple crisp in the oven.  It would taste like pumpkin spice cake next to a cup of steaming coffee.  It would sound like college football, with crowds and the band and whistles and cheers.  It would feel like cozy sweaters and flannel scarves and thick boots.  And it would look like...well...a fall home tour.

I haven't blogged much these days.  And for this I am sorry.  I have taken some time to work with a new company, and my second little baby girl is here.  Being a mommy to two is much busier then a mommy to one.  

But we have worked hard on our 1950's cape cod.  Lots of DIY.  We've only lived in it for 6 months but it feels like home.  So I wanted to give you a fall home tour for your own fall inspiration.  Take these pictures and feel free to use them for your own ideas on fall crafting.  Or just use them as a way to prepare for the season.

The breakfast nook.  I've changed this room several times to accommodate traffic flow. I'm still not sure if I've settled on the way it 'should be'.  The cowhide rug was a gift from my dad.  The old metal crate hold magazines and books.

These floating shelves hold mostly our wedding dishes.  We made them from scrap wood we actually had found in the basement of our new home.

This floating shelf also holds many treasures.  Many may walk in our home and feel that it's a bit full.  I assure you, everything I have collected over the years has a meaning or a purpose or a memory.  These horns were Drew's first childhood buck trophy.

I ended up spraying quite a few of my old tired pumpkins a gold color this year.

The dining room is probably my favorite room in our house.  Drew did all the wainscotting and it's my favorite.  Our new table is made with boards from my dad's barn.  The same barn we got married in!

This silver ice bucket was Drew's grandmothers.  

The living room showcases our newest DIY built-ins!  

Happy Fall Y'all!  I'm glad you stopped by for some inspiration today!

XOXO 

Ashley

FALL TOUR in our NY rental!

So go ahead and call me crazy.  It's fine.  I've already self-diagnosed myself a long time ago.  I like to be transparent yet accurate in my diagnosis.  And I'm probably strait crazy.

Crazy in that, we moved 1000 miles less then 3 weeks ago.  Crazy in that, while getting my kitchen cabinets stocked, and closets filled with clothing, I have also been hurriedly rushing around attempting to get my readers a cute little home tour together for fall.  Y'all may or may not need some creative ideas.  I can't just leave y'all hanging because I moved from Georgia to New York!

So behold our gorgeous rental.  I'm pretty sure she's like, 70+ years old.  And like all beautiful women, she's got ageless class.  She has hard wood floors on all 3 stories.  She has glass door knobs and curved arching doorways.  She has loads of french doors and crown molding in every room.  She has penny tile and foyer with two front doors.  She's a classic city house and a tall drink of water.  And I'm basically loving blogging her.  She's also like Stairmaster with all the staircases.  Hopefully I'll have epic calf muscles soon.  I've always wanted good legs.  

So don't judge too hard.  I had to whip this home tour into fast shape for y'all.  Hoping our Christmas Home Tour is 10x more dreamy! 

HERE WE GO!

Here is our adorable little parlor.  It's a front door with a penny tile floor, then another door that enters the home?  Quaint right?!  I think all us Southerners don't understand that this second door helps keep cold out, and warmth in.  Makes me nervous just thinking about the upcoming 'tundra'.  That's what Drew and I call the impending first winter.  We are such total wimps.  Anyways.  I totally microblogged this baby.  That shelf with brackets was at a yard sale for $2.  The hook rack is recycled wood.  YES, that is a faux pumpkin.  Because every year I was spending way too much money on pumpkins I had to throw out.  So I do have an assortment of faux gourds to help stop my insanity.  The blanket scarf I fully intend to actually use.  In Georgia I wore it once.  And I was sweating the whole time.  This year, I'm pretty sure that blanket scarf will be wrapped around my face.  Especially if I take a stroll on the beach by Lake Ontario.  

The second area of our home you step into is the staircase and entry.  Drew's mongo desk wouldn't fit up the stairs so this is now the office nook.  Which is totally okay with me.  Please note that this space is highly functional....ahh hem...the printer.

Here is the living room.  It's not nearly complete, but I really am already feeling like it is cozy.  

Courtesy of this little old house, a tiny fireplace niche!  

Architectural salvage from an old barn here in New York!  These cool looking things sit right on top of my grandparents bookcases!

This succulent and the birchwood vase came from a little place in Georgia that Brooky and I always loved to shop!

This grey Pottery Barn sweater blanket was a Christmas gift from my beloved sister!

This 4 foot long solid wood dough trencher was found at an antique store in Georgia  It's almost 4 foot long and came from France.  People frequently made bread in them, but often the farm animals used them as well, specifically goats.

This little room is all windows and I've named in the blog room.  It's cozy as ever and totally gorgeous lighting for all my amateur photography.  It houses my $10 wooden desk, my tufted couch and my funky little chairs that were totally a Craig's List find.

This gorgeous pillow is from a sweet lady at our new church!  We love it Michele!  Thank you for such a sweet present!

These drool-worthy french doors go to our dining room! 

J's vintage high chair came from our southern Mama, Cici.  And her wonderful mama Cozette.  A very very special memory for us.

The fresh hydrangeas and funky bottle came from Becky, the wife and blogger of one of our worship leaders.  I totally love love love hydrangeas.

These cloth napkins from Pottery Barn were a gift from my Mama when J was born.  They're very sentimental to me.  The antique placemats were found at a thrift store.  The vintage silverware is from a garage sale with my old yard saling partner-in-crime, Brooky.  If I could show you a picture of the house I pulled these out of, you would probably instinctively hold your nose and call the cops.  Brooky is fearless.  And if I was risking my life to get out of the car, I might as well buy some really old silverware that needed polished.  "When in Rome..."

These little buck horns are from my daddy.  The florals and mounting plaque were a stolen idea from my baby sister.  She's the better decorator hands down anyway.  The farm painting is from GoodWill.  

These seltzer bottles seem to be getting harder to find.  This green one my mama and I bought at the Country Living Fair in Stone Mountain Georgia last October.  An unforgettable weekend fulfilling one of my mama's bucket list items.

These vintage style glasses are from Kirklands Home Store!  The cutting boards are largely from antique stores, thrift stores, and the largest one is from Pottery Barn.

These adorable mugs are from Melissa at our new church!  Again, we are totally rotten (spoiled) and showered in sweet gifts.  It has definitely been a language of love as we have made this massive transition to New York.

These crocks were gifted to me by my Mother in Law after helping her with some decorating.  

I made these shelves myself using scrap lumber and $1 brackets from Home Depot.

This teensy tiny back stoop was un-usable when we moved in.  But thanks to a few fresh doors being added, I can now leave the kitchen door open to allow the light to come in!  It'll be the perfect spot for snow-covered boots this winter!  For now, my produce and pumpkins are basking in the sunlight!

Thank you for joining me on this years Fall Home Tour!  I'm excited to continue to work on the 2nd and 3rd floor of the home and bring you some creative ideas and fun blog posts!

XOXOX Love Y'all!

Ashley

Mama's House

My childhood home since I was 5 years old, is still the dwelling place of my dear wonderful parents.  

"Mimi and Dee" are proud grandparents now, and their tiny ranch is still the coziest place on earth.  Every so-many-months, and especially during the holiday season, we climb aboard a craft and fly away into the Great White North.  Upon landing in the Philadelphia airport, we hail down "Santa's sleigh".  This is what we sisters affectionately call my parent's Volvo.  Shout out to all y'all out there in your 20's, 30's, and 40's who still get a full sized gift pile on Christmas morning.  The gleaming heap has a big tag on top that says 'Love, Santa'.  You trample your toddlers as you run out screaming with glee!

Amen.  Amen to my parents.  And Amen to Drew's parents too.  Shout out to Drew's Mom, Marmie, who is also quite the embodiment of St. Nick. 

Anyways, the Volvo nickname comes from her many travels 'to and fro' on the east coast, heavily laden with packages, gifts and surprises.  She's quite the sleigh y'all.  When I see her I get a nervous shiver just thinking about Christmas Morning.

We then drive the sleigh to Lancaster County.  We enter Mama's house, shut the door, and stand at the threshold and inhale.  The smell is a mingling of pinesol, leather animal hides and stove simmerings.  The floors are waxed, the sheets are the softest flannel plaid, and the food is abundant.  

"Head strait to the fridge like a boss YO.  Heck yea, Mama went to Costco".  Back home Ballers.  Our sister anthem.  Thank you SNL.  Even though you say bad words.

Anyway.  Mom and dad's home place.  She's a small little ranch cottage.  With the tiniest living room you've ever seen.  But cozy.  Cozy, cozy, cozy.

My sweet mama wanted some help making 'The Upper Valley' a little festive this year for our Thanksgiving family party.  So I came up with a Birchwood game plan before the plane wheels hit the tarmac.  It wasn't too tricky though.

You see.   My dear mom and dad's basement is like your very favoritist-bestest antique store.  On crack.  Not kidding.  The best stuff on earth can be uncovered in that musty cellar.  Family heirlooms, braided rugs, blue mason jars by the antique wooden crate!  Every type of amazing home-canned food you can think of.  A chest freezer full of deer jerky.  Every toy I've ever played with, every school-boy novel my dad ever read.  And everything else under the sun.  It's a dream.  So at first I was sort of overwhelmed.  But then I was like, "pull it together girl-we can make this stuff perfect."  And we started to cozy-up the cottage.

If you're ever overwhelmed, just clear the space out.  Put your items, piece by piece, in a separate room, and think.  Think: "What is this piece really great at doing?  What is this space really great at being?  What can I do with this piece that I haven't been doing with it before?"

Below is the BEFORE AND AFTER tour for y'alls enjoyment of how we changed it up at Mama's house.

BEFORE:

BEFORE

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

We picked out a new couch with a washable slip cover.  Perfect for grandkids.  The lighting went behind the sofa on an antique table.  The space already feels brighter and more inviting.  A fat ottoman serves as extra seating and a squishy place for tired feet.

AFTER

Mom's antique North Carolina Tobacco basket is used as a large focal point on the wall.  

AFTER

Dad's antique sleigh bells fill a wooden dough bowl.

AFTER

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care.  I gifted mom with this antique fire screen many-a-Christmas ago.

AFTER

Mom's love of vintage busts comes through with this handsome hunk, nestled in the bookshelf.  Great Grandma Mary's wooden sugar bin peaks out from the greenery.  

AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

Under the tree we placed lots of grandbaby play toys.  They're adorable and it's a great place to stow treasured toys from years gone by.

Below are some additional rooms I helped decorate for Christmas at Mama's house.  She's got quite the talent (Where the heck do you think I learned everything from?)  Enjoy the rest of her spaces as a fun Christmas tour. 

AFTER

In the spare room, a wreath welcomes Christmas guests.  The Hudson Bay blanket is never forgotten on cold Pennsylvania Christmas Eves.  The bird-study was found at this year's "Country Living Fair" in Stone Mountain Georgia.

AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

The Kitchen is filled with Christmas cheer.

AFTER

Mom's home-made Christmas ball wreaths always sparkle under indirect lighting.  

AFTER

Pair together pewter and mercury glass.  It's gorgeous and festive!  Dad's pheasant feathers are happy memories of good hunting with the son-in-laws last January.

AFTER

AFTER

An old green seltzer bottle (also a Country Living Fair find I wouldn't let her leave without!) is the perfect hue of Yule Tide.

AFTER

Mama always wanted a kitchen tree.  This year we helped her reach that goal.  An old wooden potato crate makes this evergreen even taller!

AFTER

AFTER

AFTER

The very antique table Mama changed our diapers on, is now a side table for an evergreen.  We moved it to the living room because it's scale was good in contrast to the new sectional.

Love you Dad and Mama.  Thank you for instilling in all of us girls, your love of history and all things antique.

Ashley

M&M's Christmas Home Tour

My Loves!

Today I bring to you a SPECTACULAR Christmas tour.  My good friend M (and her hubby--also M) wanted some Christmas cheer at their home this year.  The Birchwood Blog was happy to oblige and honored to decorate their GORGEOUS historic home.  

Talk about a play day.  I mean, GLORY.  Take a gander below.  I was basically a 7 year old girl again, except it wasn't the Matel Barbie aisle at Toys R Us, it was crafting some Christmas at M&M's.

M wanted the home to feel comfortable and gorgeous.  She's a master gardener and loves live greens.  Her yard is beautiful and full of evergreens and century-old Magnolias.  Talk about perfect.  The inside of her home is full of cherished multi-generation antiques.  She wanted me to use what she had.  Well...it was basically Epic.

M&M, I hope you love your Christmas transformation.  I certainly am honored to share it today on the blog.

Feast your eyes my loves.

M&M's family room is a massive grand room with 20 foot ceilings.  

A green velvet chair near the tree invites Santa Claus to sit with a cookie, and is the perfect holiday hue.

We filled M&M's test tube vases with live sprigs and berries as well as some gold ting-ting.

The massive stair case begged for some festive jewelry.  Evergreen wreaths with gold and emerald ribbon fit the bill.

Antique spool chairs get home-made swags with evergreen and classic velvet bows.

M&M's heirloom silver candlesticks are showcased on the mantle.

Green beaded trees add some sparkle to an antique end table.

Live greens and felt holly sprigs fill two family heirloom picnic baskets

The kitchen is decked with simple charm

M&M's grande hood we dressed with live greens, little pears, antique silver dessert cups, and a massive wreath.

I obsessed over these English fine china plates featuring pheasants and grouse.

The breakfast chandelier is my favorite element in the entire design.  We covered this wrought iron beauty in evergreens and Christmas ornaments.  She was breath-taking.

M&M's masterful oeuvre below in the form of a delicate red flower.

Christmas Home TOUR 2015

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN!  Introducing our Christmas home tour for 2015 at Taylor's Wood house!  Please enjoy a collage of pictures to inspire your own CHRISTMAS decorating this year!  Coming up shortly on the BLOG:

My own sweet Mama's Christmas home tour in Pennsylvania

Our Outdoor Christmas display featuring Mr. Christmas (Drew) himself!

Other holiday home ideas

Christmas fun and food!

Let me be the first to officially tell y'all, "MERRY CHRISTMAS"

Entry Table Vignette: 

Formal Dining Room: 

Living Room:

Breakfast Nook:

Family Room:

Master Bedroom

Guest Bathroom:

Nursery Wall:

Ho, Ho, Ho!!!  Merry Christmas!

Love y'all!

Ashley

90 minute Thanksgiving Dinner & DECOR tips to WOW guests

So.  This post is for all my procrastinators out there.  For all my gorgeous readers who need to host Thanksgiving this year and it NOT be a headache.   The readers who want to enjoy family and not live in the kitchen for three days.  Hey, let's get back to what Thanksgiving is really all about.  

I'll toast to that.

Cheers to Thanksgiving!  Cheers to family time ACTUALLY being family time.  Cheers to home-made and semi-home-made.  Cheers to me scoring one of the turkey legs.  Amen.  Oh, and healthy.  And happy.  My sweet mother-in-law and my brother-in-law came to visit us this past week and we decided to have a little mock Thanksgiving celebration.  We all pitched in and busted this meal out in 90 minutes.  We ate til we were stuffed and had tons of leftovers.  I was so inspired to share the recipes and menu with y'all so that everyone could have an easy Thanksgiving in 90 minutes OR LESS!

Happy happy Thanksgiving to y'all!

This dinner feeds 8 adults (boom!)

Thanksgiving Dinner Menu

Smoked Turkey

Red garlic potatoes

Sweet Potato pecan casserole

Great Grandma Mary's Cranberry relish

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with balsamic blueberries

Carrot celery stuffing

Smoked Turkey:

We bought a smoked turkey because they're already cooked.  And if you haven't ever had the pleasure of sinking your teeth into one, they're to DIE for.   You literally might die. This is your 90 minute cook time so this bad-boy goes into the oven first.  We cooked the turkey on 350 for 70-90 minutes.  We sliced 3 carrots and 3 celery sticks and an onion.  We poured a half box of vegetable stock in the bottom of the pan and added a splash of red wine, some garlic powder and salt and pepper.  Lay the turkey right down into the broth and vegetable mixture, cover with foil, and pop it in the oven.

While the turkey cooks for 60-90 minutes---or as packaging states per your turkey's weight, you will prepare the rest of the dishes.

Red garlic potatoes:

Wash then boil 10-15 red potatoes.  Drain.  Blend with 1/2 stick of butter, a little garlic powder, salt and pepper and milk.  Set aside.

Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole:

Open 1 large can of sweet potatoes or yams.  Use a pastry masher to mix the drained sweet potatoes from the can, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and 1 egg.  Pour into a making dish and sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans on top with another 2 tablespoons of maple syrup drizzled on top.  Bake sweet potatoes 35 minutes at 350.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Blueberries:

Pour a bag of brussels sprouts onto a baking sheet.  Pour 1 cup of dried blueberries on the sheet with the sprouts.  On top of everything, drizzle balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil, a dash of salt and pepper.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Add extra oil if needed.

Great-Grandma Mary's Cranberry Relish:

See earlier post and read about my LOVE AFFAIR with this dish and my sweet great-grandmother.  In the food processor, blend 1 entire orange (including peel), 1 apple, 1 cup pecans.  Place in a large bowl.  Process 1 bag of Ocean Spray Cranberries, add to the bowl.  Dump 1 can crushed pineapple into the bowl.  In a small bowl mix 1 box of raspberry jello powder with 1 cup of boiling water, then add directly to all of other ingredients.  Mix everything and chill in the fridge.

Stuffing:

Okay here's the cheat, boys and girls.  Prepare a box of stove-top stuffing according to the package instructions.  Sorry kids.  I know that this is not healthy or cute.  But this is, after all, a 90 minute Thanksgiving.  Thank you JESUS.  Hashtag Dont-check-the-ingredients.  Bake 30 minutes.

That's it on the food portion of my easy-peasy Thanksgiving.  So easy my loves.  Simple.  Time saving.

So.  Now you have tons of extra time.  Time to enjoy your family.  Time to pull out the Christmas bins early.  Eeeek!!!!   Time to watch "Arthur Christmas" for the first of many viewings this season.  Time to plot your midnight shopping extravaganza and make some hot chocolate.  Time to enjoy the grandkiddos.

 Below are some fun ideas for Transitional Decor on your special Thanksgiving week.

So let's be honest, your front-porch pumpkins aren't rotten just yet.  And we're going to eat pumpkin pie in just a few hours.  So those can't get chucked!

Okay and then there is the whole big controversy on Christmas decorating for Thanksgiving...

Behold, sweet reader, there is a little thing I like to call NoveMas.  Or Christember.  Actually.  All of these portmanteaus sound really creepy.  Never mind.  Forget those.

What I'm TRYING to say, is you can transition fall decor into Christmas decor without getting into too much trouble on Thanksgiving Week!  Thanksgiving is a perfect time to use some of those pretty pumpkins from October, and start blending in the cozys that say Christmas!

"Wow" your guests and straddle both of the world's BESTEST holiday seasons with these fun blends!  

But first, one more picture of the flippin' smoked turkey.  Oh Lawd.  So yummo.

Y'all.  Just put up your tree already!   But enjoy your Thanksgiving Chalk board art!  Guests will feel festive but remember it's still November.

Enjoy your neutral white pumpkins and some plaid fabrics.  If you don't have one, buy or build yourself a hook rack for your foyer this season!  Drew made me this puppy with a scrap piece of 1x8x12 and a scrap piece of molding.

Hooks are perfect for guest's blanket scarves and wool hats.  Pudgy pumpkins still say it's November, but fabrics show it's cozy and snuggly inside.  Hey.  I'm still cuddling that smoked turkey, remember!?

Sneak up a pretty Christmas door wreath but leave those soft gourds on the table.  Texture up the middle of the table with a tray and some comfy November flannel.

Pop some seasonal greens over your bookshelves.  Simple swags or wreaths make even ordinary spaces feel 'Holiday-special' to guests.

Antlers scream "November buck season".  Grab someone's old scarf out of the coat closet and throw it down as a table runner.  Put up your tree on Thanksgiving morning and let it illuminate your dining table backdrop.  Long needle pines and pine cones are perfect for tucking candlesticks down in.  The glow from the tree will make things feel downright romantic.

Well that's all my tips LOVES.  Hope all of these fun foods and decor ideas make your Thanksgiving special and AMAZING.  

And remember how blessed we are.  Blessed by our families, blessed by a Loving Savior, blessed to be free in this country.

Happy Thanksgiving my LOVES!  I am certainly thankful for all of YOU!

Love Y'all!

Ashley