When 8:30am came yesterday, I had no idea until I walked into my neighbor’s home what an absolutely stunning and very welcoming home she had. I drive by her home every single day and Rip has provided some home care services for them, but it was when she swung open the front door to welcome me in that I was just mesmerized! Here’s why …
The most popular trends, as we all know they are, are farmhouse and neutrals. Nearly every home I go into has similar “markings” of this trend. If their chairs are formal & traditional, then they’ve been sanded down to the bare wood, making them more light and blonde in color. Their rugs, furnishings, art, etc., is “trend-itionally” all white, neutrals, and leaning toward the ever popular Fixer Upper touches — pillows, frames, dishes, decor from Hearth and Hand, or duplicating what Joanna Gaines is promoting as the new color, or style or look for home.
Well, not this neighbor!! And I can’t tell you how excited I was to walk into a home that was so designed perfectly in color, texture, style…it’s a very colorful home, yes! And it tells me so much about the personalities of the homeowners – Stacie Bloodworth, (pharmaceutical sales manager) and her husband, Kent, (an attorney). They obviously love color and I have found that folks who love color are HAPPY folks!! She showed me a photo of their 10 month old little boy and his face sure showed that ABOUNDING joy is all up in this home!! He literally had rosie red cheeks and was beaming a glowing smile in every. single. photo!
But the way the colors and traditional pieces and all the wood furnishings have been brought together, literally made a harmony in her home that caused me to feel so welcome! So relaxed and ready to plop down on her green velvet sofa and enjoy her company.
I wasn’t there to put my feet up….I was there to decorate for Christmas!! So, here’s what I found when I first entered her beautiful home.
The tree had all its lights on and was ready to be decorated, and the mantle was draped with garland. Time to get to work!!
With this family, I knew the tree needed to simply be childlike and whimsical! With a big bow on top, loops of ribbon (red and green) flowing and tucked into the tree, with plenty of puffiness to help the tree have a fullness of fun!
When I asked her how she decorated with ornaments, what she said just (again) melted my heart! She said, “Most of our ornaments are sentimental. We’ve had them for years.” So as she brought me all her ornaments, I LOVED seeing them all because they each had a history to them. While we were decorating, the UPS man came to the door and just happened to deliver a small box. As Stacie opened it, of all things, it was an ornament she had purchased online from Pottery Barn of a tiny silver baby shoe with her son’s name and “Baby’s First Christmas” written on it. I couldn’t believe it came on the very day we were decorating! I didn’t dare hang THAT ornament…so I asked her if she’d like to place that precious shoe on the tree. She did and it was perfect!
The mantle was next. Stacie made a run to Farmhouse in Canton, and purchased the white and berry stems and we added them to her garland. Finishing it off with the centerpiece bow and branches, and adding two more bows with bells to the ends.
The stems were such a good added touch – it brought in deeper greens, red berries, and branches the looked like they were covered in snow. Plenty of color for this home!
So, here is how we left the family room yesterday – tree all finished (minus a few more ornaments that may make their way to the tree), and a decorated mantle. We may add a little more to the mantle, but for now, their family room is ready for one of the most special celebrations of the year – Christ’s birthday!
Thank you, Stacie, for inviting me into your home! It was too much fun and memory-making for me, for sure.
