Friday, December 16, 2016

Christmas Decorating!

Decorating for the holidays is always fun, but you can imagine there's a special excitement when decorating a new house for the first time.  Here's some photos of what I've done.  I have lots of other ideas, but this year I used mostly decorations and supplies I already had, so this is truly decorating on a budget! As you will see, I'm still into the traditional red, green, and gold theme.  None of this bright blue for me!

The front porch:

#millsnewhouse, Christmas, front porch decorating

My fall "Welcome" sign has been repurposed! Those are actually my old ice skates.


#millsnewhouse, Christmas, front porch decorating

 Things I had, put together in a new way.  I really think next year this wagon needs a Santa, or something taller.
#millsnewhouse, Christmas, front porch decorating

 The fall wreath has also gotten a new look for Christmas.


#millsnewhouse, Christmas, front porch decorating

I did the two lights on the porch, as well as the three lights on our garage.  The greens are real, so this will need to be redone every year.

#millsnewhouse, Christmas, front porch decorating



The mantle:

#millsnewhouse, Christmas, mantle decorations, Christmas hearth, Christmas stockings

#millsnewhouse, Christmas, mantle decorations, Christmas hearth, Christmas stockings

#millsnewhouse, Christmas, mantle decorations, Christmas hearth, Christmas stockings

#millsnewhouse, Christmas, mantle decorations, Christmas hearth, Christmas stockings

Appliqued stockings made from old jeans.  I made these MANY years ago.

#millsnewhouse, Christmas, mantle decorations, Christmas hearth, Christmas stockings

#millsnewhouse, Christmas, mantle decorations, Christmas hearth, Christmas stockings

An embroidered stocking I made for my grandaughter.


The tree:

My husband's family owns a Christmas Tree farm, so yes, it's real!

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating, Christmas tree



The kitchen:

I had this old sewing drawer with dusty things glued in it, so I repurposed it for Christmas.  

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating


These are "new."  With the three big windows above my sink, I had to do something.  Grapevine wreaths, some painted letters, and some (fake) greens.  The gold hanging ribbon, I already had.

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating



#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating

The Dining Room:

The goose basket centerpiece is something I made many years ago.  I also made the table runner a few years ago.


#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating

My chandelier got some (fake) greens, ribbons, and sparkly ornaments.

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating

The sewing table is "Snowman City."

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating

The stairway:

Nothing new purchased for this, just rearranged.


#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating, stairway decorations

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating, stairway decorations

 Powder Room:

Well, it's red, so perfect for decorating for the holidays.

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating,

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating, Christmas wallhanging

A quilted wall hanging that I made.

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating,

Another corner for snowmen.  My husband is a firefighter.


Other things:

The nativity on the TV counsel below the TV.  My daughter was shocked I put all that glass where her one year old can reach it.  She's been to my house twice since I put it up, and hasn't touched it yet! I made these ceramics when I was in high school!


#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating,

The couch table gets Santa duty.

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating,

The church pew and hooks got a bit of an update.

#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating,


#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating,


#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating,


#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating,

#millsnewhouse, Christmas Decorations, wall hanging, Christmas quilt

An applique project from a while back.


#millsnewhouse, Christmas decorating, Christmas pillows

Embroidered pillow slips are the only decorations in the master bedroom.

For all kinds of pictures of the new house, please follow "My New House" board on Pinterest.







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Monday, November 28, 2016

Coffee and Wine Bar

In "Another Chalk Paint Transformation" I showed you an old buffet that I transformed to use in the new house as my Coffee Bar.  I'm ready to show you the finished project!

#millsnewhouse, Coffee Bar, Wine Bar, painted furniture, pallet wood  wine rack

This is now one of my favorite places in the house.
#millsnewhouse, Coffee Bar, Wine Bar, painted furniture, pallet wood  wine rack
I have room for my coffee maker and espresso maker.  I have my coffee cups displayed and easily accessible.  The drawers have plenty of storage for filters, coffee, spoons, etc.

#millsnewhouse, Coffee Bar, Wine Bar, painted furniture, pallet wood  wine rack

#millsnewhouse, Coffee Bar, Wine Bar, painted furniture, pallet wood  wine rack

#millsnewhouse, Coffee Bar, Wine Bar, painted furniture, pallet wood  wine rack

My kids gave me this stencil for Christmas last year. I bought the chalkboard at Michael's and used Martha Stewart's Liquid Chalk to "paint" it.  The chalk won't rub off, but is removable with water.

#millsnewhouse, Coffee Bar, Wine Bar, painted furniture, pallet wood  wine rack

My son, @SmithBuilding, made this wine rack from pallet wood.  A great place to display my hand painted wine glasses!





Back to The Housework Isn't Getting Done Homepage  © 2016 Annette's Hobby Spot.. All Rights Reserved

Monday, November 21, 2016

Mud Rooms are Muddy! A Tour of Our Laundry Room

I love my large mud room/laundry room.  It serves as a great barrier to keep dirt out of the main house.  I guess that's why it is called a mudroom.


#millsnewhouse, washboard, laundry room, laundry wall art
This old washboard was painted by my mother, and she had this to sell in her garage sale!  Not a chance!


#millsnewhouse, laundry room, drying racks

Drying space is an issue, since we flat dry a lot of things.  The drying rack above the sink was purchased on Amazon and it works well. We have additional drying racks in the basement, which we might need during sweater season!

#millsnewhouse, laundry room, drying racks

The floor is tile, and easy to keep clean, but I still feel like it's always dirty.  I love my new high efficiency/high capacity washer and dryer.  And having a sink in there is essential.

#millsnewhouse, laundry room, drying racks






#millsnewhouse, pantry, mud room

On the other side of the room is a large pantry closet and my old, hand-me-down freezer.  The only appliance I moved from the old house. We purchased it for $50 several years ago.  

#millsnewhouse, pantry, mud room
(still needs some organizing!)

#millsnewhouse, laundry room, mudroom, bench, @smithbuilding
The white bench was made by my son when he was in school.  It was unfinished, so I sanded it and painted it white.  Not fancy, but a great place to sit to take off your muddy boots (dear husband.) 


#millsnewhouse, laundry room, mudroom, step stool, @smithbuilding
He also made the little step stool when he was in high school.  I'm vertically challenged and used this at our old house a lot.  Since I have so many cabinets now, I don't store much on the top shelves, so I don't need this as often, but it still comes in handy.

#millsnewhouse, laundry room, mudroom, hooks
And my son also made a simple board with hook for jackets and bags.  Another essential, since we have no coat closet.



#millsnewhouse, dog door, mudroom, laundry room, rag rug
This door goes to the garage and has a dog door, so that's where she come in and boy does she track in a lot of dirt! I'm a big fan of rag rugs. I like the way they look, and they are so easy to shake and wash.  I got this one from overstock.com.

#millsnewhouse, laundry room, mudroom
Her food and water are in this room also, which creates other messes.

And finally, we put in a pocket door from the mud room to the kitchen.  It saves so much space, and is really handy when you need to keep the dog in the mudroom for some reason (usually when she's wet and/or muddy.)

#millsnewhouse, mud room, laundry room, pocket door


#millsnewhouse, mud room, laundry room, pocket door

I forgot to take a picture of the ceiling.  We also have a pull-down ladder in this room for attic access.

So there's my laundry/mud room tour.  If you have any great ideas for me, or products you think would help, please let me know! It's always a work in progress.




Back to The Housework Isn't Getting Done Homepage  © 2016 Annette's Hobby Spot.. All Rights Reserved