christmas decorations and a little home tour...

every year we pull out the decorations

set it all up

and then i start mixin' it up

adding a little of this a little of that

changing it up, sometimes every day

mr. handsome loves it...

ha

that's what happens

you know me

i get to crafting

but here's what we've got so far

tho' i can't promise that tomorrow 

i won't have added 

to what you see here

ha

some things i find in stores

already made

like our little welcome mat

thank you target

and our faux poinsettias

thank you 50% off at michael's

other things i make myself

you know...

the buntings!

here's this little bunting

this one is a no-sew version

tutorial here

well, actually this one is a no-sew too

in our house, everywhere you go

you're gonna find a bunting here or there

 loving their festive touch

and then,

i've got little bits of christmas love everywhere

some are store-bought...

like the candle house from last year at bath + bodyworks

or this little santa

thank you walmart last year

we are all about tradition

and on christmas eve

we sit by the tree

and read the story of Jesus' birth from the bible

and then we read 'twas the night before christmas

just like they did when mr. handsome was little

this year i went cuckoo bananas for these sock monkeys

i had to find something to do with the fabric

hello hand towels in our guest bathroom

tutorial coming soon....

and ya know how i love the hand made

but 

even when they are store bought

like our stockings

they still sorta look handmade

while i was at the fabric store

after the sock monkeys, i found this

love those little santas!

tho' it could use a stop at my ironing board

ha.

speaking of cleaning

i don't know about you

but i feel like everyday i've got my vacuum out

{or should be taking it out anyway}

to pick up the pine needles

i wish i had some great secret tips to give ya

really i do

but mostly i try to keep up

and let myself off the hook a bit when i don't

actually

that's probably the best tip right there

enjoy the time with family

do the best you can

and give yourself a break

relax by the tree and enjoy

i saved the best for last

probably my favorite part

the ornaments

some are made by hand

like the first one on the upper left

i made it last year with the fabric from our wedding decor

and the little pine cone in the center

spray painted that silver and added a ribbon

at my friend kelly's house last year

she hosted an ornament making day

look at this one!

see the little snowman 

in the lower right corner

i made that last year on a trip with mr. handsome to sun valley

the others are just some sweet faves

old and new

store bought

but with a handmade sorta touch

so that's a bit of us

our heart and our home

sweet

happy 

christmas

***

i'm sharing my holiday home decor and cleaning tips 

for the chance to win prizes from the sits girls and great cleaners