| Blue & Silver Christmas Tree |
It’s always fun to have a new house to decorate for the holidays, and since we’re a military family that usually happens every two years!
| Annabelle’s Room |
This year, the kids and are in our little MCC (Mint Chocolate Chip) House while my husband is in his apartment in Kansas. At about 1600 square feet, our space is a bit bigger than his, but not by much! If you’re new around here, the kids and I stayed put in North Carolina for a third year so our son could finish his senior year of high school. We downsized from about 4000 sf so we could afford to maintain two households in two states (the holiday tour of our previous house is here). The things we do for our children!
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| Powder Room |
Even though it’s a small space, I’ve got tons of photos to share. But before we jump into the full tour, thanks so very much to our friend Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for organizing this fun Christmas home tour. We always love participating with her and the great lineup of bloggers she arranges. Be sure to visit all the other homes for some great inspiration; the complete list is at the end of this post.
And if you’re visiting from Decor to Adore, welcome! Doesn’t Laura have such a great sense of style? I love how her decorations are stylish and sentimental.
Without further ado, welcome to the Mint Chocolate Chip House! We call it that because it’s mint green and brown on the outside; but hey, it’s a rental. It’s within walking distance of all the fun things our little downtown has to offer, and it’s quaint, quirky, and old.
When you step in the front door, you’re in our living room. It’s decorated pretty traditionally with lots of blue and white.
| Living Room |
Our beautiful flocked tree is new this year (our last one was twenty years old!), courtesy of Balsam Hill, and you can read all about it here.
Most of my furniture is thrifted or vintage; I stopped buying expensive pieces years ago because our frequent moves are so hard on the furniture and we always have damage {read about our worst move ever here}.
My decorating changed a lot this year because of the smaller space. I probably unpacked less than half of my Christmas decorations–it would have completely overwhelmed and cluttered up the house to use all of them!
| DIY embellished lamp shade |
We’re down to two pets right now, both rescues. This is how they spend their days:
Rough life, right?
Harley approves of the “joy” pillow (he prefers down-filled, thanks).
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The living room, dining area, and kitchen are all open and take up the entire right side of the downstairs. The kids’ rooms and shared bathroom are on the left side of the house (I’ll show you my daughter’s room further down and my son’s room will be in Part 2 on Sunday).
The china cabinet holds our bar and serving pieces.
“It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Cocktails” Sign (Similar)
I’ll share the kitchen in Part 2; this is the view from my counter. 🙂
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Through the plantation-shutters-turned-doggie-gate (the easy DIY is here) is the entrance to the kids’ rooms and the bath. My daughter’s room is probably my favorite in the house:
My daughter is a ballet dancer and so– of course– her decorations are ballet and Nutcracker-themed.
Every year we add another ornament or two.
This year she’s dancing the role of the Snow Queen, so you can see that she’s now been added to Annabelle’s tree, thanks to a dear friend who found the ornament at the Kennedy Center.
Here’s a shot of my girl during her pas de deux. They have seven more shows in High Point, NC, which makes for a busy December. We usually have a very quiet Christmas Eve and Day as a result!
I have no idea why dancers cannot bring themselves to part with their dead pointe shoes, but we have dozens and dozens of pairs stashed in her room. A few years ago, I decided to make a “tree skirt” out of them. Give me a few more years and I’m sure I’ll have enough to make an entire tree!
Her practice tutus can’t be smushed in a closet or under the bed, but I think they add to the decor.
Our rescue kitty, Brontë, thinks they’re a great place to nap, too.
Annabelle’s room is always one of my favorites; for our last three houses we’ve painted the walls in Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt.
Her duvet cover is actually sized for a twin bed, but we moved her into a queen so we could use her room for guests. It still works, though!
The Vogue cover gallery wall was an inexpensive DIY project we did together {details here}, and the glittery PEACE pillow is a HomeGoods score.
| French settee |
Her Nutcracker collection peeks out from the top of her bookshelves.
I don’t even try to “style” her bookshelves anymore. She has her books organized exactly the way she wants them and I’m not going to mess with her system. We read a lot in our house, and her bookshelves reflect her love of literature:
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Come back on Sunday to see Part 2, and for the next stop on the tour, head on over to visit Carmel at Our Fifth House. She always decorates beautifully and her home isn’t to be missed!
Here’s the rest of the lineup:
Monday – Dec 4th
Pink Peppermint Design
Tuesday – Dec 5th
Wednesday – Dec 6th
Thursday – Dec 7th
Friday – Dec 8th
Far Above Rubies
Love your home tour, so many festive touches. And Brontë and Harley are adorable. Rescues are just the best and make a home so much better. Merry Christmas
Thanks so much, Julia. Yes, we can’t imagine life without our rescues; they are worth every minute I spend vacuuming. 🙂 Merry Christmas to you, too!
Christy
You are amazing. You have turned your rental into such a warm and inviting home. I love your beautiful tree this year and I also really love your daughter’s room. She is such an accomplished person and her room just seem to reflect her elegance. Thanks so much for joining the tours, it is always a delight.
Thanks so much, Marty! There are a hundred things I’d like to do if we owned the home or were staying here longer, but instead I’ve just decided to relax and enjoy being a short-term renter. Thank you for organizing another fabulous home tour–we’re honored to be a part of it!
Merry Christmas!
Christy
so pretty Christy. i love all the shoes around the tree. your daughter is so pretty. Love that “it’s beginning to look like cocktails” sign on the bar cart. how fun is that! best of luck with the rest of the shows and happy holidays to you and your family.
Thanks so much for stopping over, Laura. Haven’t all the homes on the tour been so fun to visit? I can’t wait to see yours! My cousin is to thank (blame?) for the cocktails sign; she always gives the best birthday gifts. I’ve been waiting to pull it out.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Christy
Absolutely gorgeous! I must add a flocked tree next year to our master. I just adore the blues used in your home. XO Christy
Thanks, girl! Your tour was wonderful, too–I’ve had so much fun visiting everyone today. And yes, I highly recommend a flocked tree; it looks magical from every angle.
Merry Christmas!
Christy
I have to share that I have now started a blue and white collection after seeing it in your previous blog posts! One of my favs is the toe shoes and greenery over the mirror with JOY…
That’s one of my very favorite photos, and spots in our home! Congrats on your blue and white collection–it’s a bit addicting once you get started though, so fair warning!
Merry Christmas!
Christy
Christy…..you have truly made your cottage a real gem for christmas. I love all that you have so beautifully done and I must say that I always look forward to seeing annabelle’s room…always so enchanting like her ballet performances! Have a very merry week!!
Thank you, my friend! There are so many things that I would do if we were going to be here longer, but instead I’m just kicking back and relaxing instead. Your home looks amazing and won’t it show beautifully with all of your lovely decorations up?! Merry Christmas!
Christy
Love how it seems like you’ve been in this house forever! Every little detail is just so special most especially showing off your daughter’s passion in how you decorated her room! Love it Christy! thanks for all the support and help with the tours, and as always, honored to share this home tour with you! Cheers and extra thanks to you all for your service to our country!
Thanks so very much, Vel! This has been a fun little house to decorate and now I’m all done and can relax a bit. I can’t wait to see your tour tomorrow!
Merry Christmas!
Christy
As usual your home is absolutely beautiful! You can see your daughter has your eye for decorating. I love her bookshelves. She is beautiful and growing up way too fast!!! Since we lost our beloved mini schnauzer 2 months ago, we decided to take a tour to Rome for Christmas. I still decorated though! Merry Christmas to you and your family and hug your fur babies for me please.
Oh, Heidi, I’m so sorry to hear about your pup! That’s such a hard loss. 🙁
Thanks for stopping by to visit and enjoy Rome; I’m sure it’s stunning at Christmas.
XO, Christy
Beautiful!!!! Love Harley boy.
He always has the best napping spot in the house!
Your daughter’s bookshelves look like my daughters. At least we have readers! LOL! She is absolutely a gorgeous ballerina and I love the tree skirt of shoes. You have outdone yourself with this tour. Have a wonderful holiday season!
Thank you, Laura! Yes, I’d rather have piles and piles of books to step around and have them love to read than the opposite. I’m also a reader and I’ll bet you are, too. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Christy
I just can’t stop oohing and aahing at your home! It’s all so beautiful! Merry Christmas!