2017 Deck the Halls Christmas Tour: Kellie’s Home

Jump to recipe

Hello, my name is Kellie. I live in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA., with my husband, who is serving in the Army. This is the first time I have been a part of a Holiday Home Tour, and I am thrilled to have you visit my festive farm home sprinkled with some patriotic pops throughout.  

You’ll find wood tones, burlap and a burst of warmer colors, offset with creamy distressed white furniture.  I’ve always been drawn to the warmer colors (as a matter of fact, I tell everyone, “My home is Fall, year-round.”)

So, at Christmas, I decorate with reds and greens to compliment the rest of my color scheme and add American flags throughout to give it that patriotic punch I love.  Please follow me…

I decided to keep the front porch simplified, by pulling in a few natural elements.

The first thing you will see as you walk up the steps is my large white lantern with a birch candle.

I have placed a few more birch candles around the porch with pinecones and wispy greenery to add to my natural elements.

I have a large basket filled with lots of evergreen branches.  I didn’t need to go too far to fill the basket since our home is surrounded by some beautiful tall evergreens.  (A great perk of living in the Pacific North West)

I love my artificial “Charlie Brown” trees and decided to flank both sides of the door with them this year.  I used wooden beads, some red bells, and lime green picks with berries to break up the darker green and make them look even more natural.

Brr! Please step inside and let’s warm up with some hot cocoa.

Great to be inside where it’s nice and toasty!  My home is filled with the welcoming cinnamon and clove spice scents. My guests can sit here on the large bench and take their boots off. Boots are a necessity here in Pacific North West, especially during the rainy winters.

In this little corner nook, I added a couple of Christmas pillows, swags, cedar and pine wreaths.

One of my favorite additions to this area is a wooden hanger by my front door that I have used to display a pair of ice skates.

 

The dining room is filled with inspiring words and a cozy table setting using vintage Christmas china I discovered at the local thrift store.   

 I added some woodsy curly willow over an old window pane and hung some mercury glass ornaments from them.

I love the striking greenery placemats against the cream colored china for contrast.

I also continued the natural elements in the room with adding some large pinecones inside a vintage baby bathtub, it certainly gives me the Pacific North West Christmas vibe when I look at it.

The hallway will lead you toward the kitchen filled with most amazing aromas of the holidays.  You’ll see a collection of picture frames leading to the upstairs, which I have simply added a whimsical Christmas Tree Farm painting.

 

The holidays are filled with many wonderful memories of me in the kitchen with my Mom. I love to reflect on our times together through baking some old family recipes.

I wanted to keep the kitchen relatively simple, since this is one of the most used rooms. I dressed up the kitchen cabinets with woodsy wreaths and attached them with twine. I placed my pottery bowl on top of a wreath and added some extra ornaments.

I also did a greenery and glittered red berry arrangement for my vintage enameled pitchers.

[easy-image-collage id=9943]

I have to say when I was a little girl; I remember the BEST homemade hot cocoa my mom would make for me, to warm me up after playing outside or doing chores on the farm where I grew up.

The hot cocoa is my grandmother’s recipe, and I am so grateful to have this recipe passed down through the generations and would be happy to share it with you at the end of the tour.  In the meantime, help yourself to a cup of cocoa and some treats.

In the kitchen, is where the magic of the season is created for the taste buds.  

I love to make many sweet treats and love to display them.  Here, I have made a simple vanilla cake… yummy! 

My living room is the epicenter of the home and where we spend most of our time. So it is essential to me for it to be cozy, warm, and inviting.

I will begin with the 1800’s trunk I got last year for Christmas. I loved the look of it alone, but for more visual interest, placed a wooden crate on its side to use as a display.  I adore the family nostalgia tucked inside my crate of the framed photo of an aerial view of the dairy farm my mom was raised on (photo was taken in 1950).

To keep the simplicity carried throughout, I wrapped old books with burlap strips and placed some gifts wrapped with brown paper in a basket next to it. I also added some natural evergreen stems and woodsy mini wreaths for a finishing touch.

 

My fireplace says Pacific Northwest to me with varying sizes of Christmas trees across the mantle.

If you look closely, you will see Santa’s sleigh and his reindeer holding our family stockings, LOVE!!

The chalkboard with a very light and cheery holiday greeting sets the tone and feeling of the room.

My Patriotic Santa is one of my favorites accessories to set out each year. I placed him on a shelf where he is overlooking the entire room.

Let me tell you, my heartstrings have a very soft spot for our military and it is always my mission to incorporate the patriotism into my décor. 

 

 I placed a basket next to my husband’s chair.  The best part of this basket and the single thing I was super excited to find at the local antique store this year, was old infantry sheet music!  (My husband and my youngest son are both infantrymen.)  

Through the years of military life, I have continued to add military ornaments to our tree, either by receiving as gifts or purchasing at the store.   

Looking at the ornaments, I enjoy walking down memory lane and thinking of all the different locations we have been stationed as a family. 

[easy-image-collage id=10068]

Of course, I have several mini flags peeking through the branches, and it is enjoyable to create my patriotic theme throughout the tree.  

Now, I have two showstoppers that make a statement in the living room.

The first is a pair of old European plantation shutters hung on the outside of my kitchen opening to frame it. (I have to give my husband credit for this great idea.)  To give this area a festive touch, I attached a wintery garland hanging down from the corner.

The second is my 1950’s 8-foot tall barn door from a horse ranch near Seattle.  I discovered this beast, last year on small business Saturday with my husband.  I was lucky enough to convince him it would make a great statement piece for our home.  I loved decorating it with a colony flag and then wrapping a glittered evergreen garland around the opening.

I then created the ambiance with vintage bulb light string.  It is definitely a conversation piece!

Thank you so much for joining me on the tour of our festive farm home.  Hope you have enjoyed the visit and feel inspired!  May you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

 

---

 

Tomorrow on the “Deck the Halls” Christmas tour, Michelle will be inviting us into her Traditional Virginia Home. Recently moving back to Virginia from Hawaii, Michelle has been slowly making her space feel like home. She loves to blend old & new, traditional & modern, and many textures & patterns to give her home the casual elegance that she loves. Don’t forget to check it out! 

If you haven’t caught up on the tour yet, you can do so by clicking below:

Linda’s Home – A lake Cottage

Keli’s Home – Home for the Holidays

Kim’s Home – Simply Inspired

Lauren’s Home – Plaid Tidings to you

Charlotte’s Home – Traditional Williamsburg Christmas

Cindy’s Home – Bringing a Farmhouse Christmas to Town

 

If you would like to get the latest decor inspiration from Diamonds or Pearls, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly mailout below.

You can also follow us on Instagram  and Facebook where we post daily. Thanks again for all of your support!

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave