Creating a magical look for Christmas...

I somehow managed to get my husband Todd on board to string up patio lights in our great room...I had a vision and although I had my doubts I figured it was worth a shot...we had three strings of lights from outside but we knew we needed one more...which was fine because we wanted more lights outside next summer...I found some through amazon I have added a link below...*this post does contain affiliate links...I am an avid amazon shopper so I thought this was a perfect fit for me....

There was some major controversy in the house when I proposed adding a tree above the cabinets....now I do not like to decorate above cabinets normally...but Christmas is the time to break the rules and to go over the top...and we love the look...I just need to add the Christmas tree sign I made...

 

This Christmas sack was a huge hit at our house tour last year...

                                                                     

check out our last years Holiday house tour I did just before we moved 

I have had these knit stockings for almost 20 years...look at these...I think I might need a few new ones...

                                                                   

I thought this Christmas pillow was such a nice touch...I found it at Winners recently but here are a few other options I found that are easily available...I have purchased pillow covers through amazon before...check if these are only covers before buying...I swear by Ikea feather inserts.

                                      

I had to take home this little church decor piece last year...I mean I live in a church right...

With the vaulted ceilings I just knew this would create such a magical effect...it will be perfect for the upcoming White Wood Winter Market on Dec 2nd and 3rd 2017 

The string lights are commercial style heavy duty outdoor lights...we re purposed our outdoor lights but we needed more so I ordered 48' more from amazon...these are the ones we ordered and we were very happy with them, they are the same quality as the ones I bought earlier and paid much more for.

                                                                                                                                     

We had to figure out how to hang these lights...so I dug out these wheels that were part of the windows previously...

I gave them a good soak in the crock pot in water dish soap and a couple splashes of vinegar...then I scrubbed them with a small wire brush and they looked like new.

I made this simple sign to add above the cabinets....now how do I get this up there....

I have always loved flocked trees and this year when I cooked up the crazy idea to put a tree above the kitchen cabinets I always envisioned a small flocked tree...I found a 5ft tree locally and decided to use just the top two sections and it worked perfectly...I used some of the extra branches to fill my table boxes...

I think that flocked trees are all the rage...they are so whimsical...and I think they need far less dressing to make them look stunning...I left mine simple and unadorned...

here are a few good options from amazon ...I have seen them done in groups of two and they look magical...I wish I had room for more.

                                

For this year I decided to try the galvanized bucket in place of the tree skirt...and I love it...it is the perfect farmhouse touch...I picked up mine at the local hardware store...see how I use it in the summer in this POST about our completed backyard project from our last house 

I made this tag garland by simple stringing together burlap tags I found and stamping them with 1-25 alternating black paint and rose gold paint...I used twine to string them...this was a fun and super simple diy project.

                                                                   

It feels good to be ready from Christmas now...thanks for stopping by...

Our major main floor makeover...

I am so thrilled to say we have finally completed our main floor makeover...it has been a long process that we started back in the spring....well actually it started last winter when we started to approach the local heritage committee as our house is a heritage protected property...we knew we wanted to make some changes to the wainscotting but we didn't know if we would be able to make these changes...but after meeting with the committee we realized how we all have the same goal and that is to preserve  and cherish this building.

 Painting the very damaged v-groove wainscotting was what we were hoping, this would allows us to conceal the damage and discolorations in the wood and in fact most buildings of this age would have had pine painted trim work...The wood work had been recently stripped by the previous owner.. they had stripped away a faux finish that was meant to remain...but it worked in our favour since this faux finish was removed there was no longer a reason to prevent us from painting the wood work...and painting is always revers able. We were also cleared to replace a pine flat stock trim with a more appropriate baseboard...we were ready to go...

I was so pleased to have Metrie on board to sponsor this major makeover....it was amazing the difference adding the right trim and a bright and light color made to this home. Metrie is a trim company with a real grasp of current trends and classic profiles...they truly have it all and this being my first experience using Metrie products, I think it is safe to say I am hooked...there is a huge difference in quality of design and materials...keep in mind I have been working with trim for 14 years so I have sampled many different types of trim...and I am thoroughly impressed with Metrie's products.

Even though our trim was going to be painted I felt it was important to use wood trim...adding MDF to 140 year old wainscotting wasn't a right option for me....I love working with poplar it actually stains beautifully and it paints so perfectly...during this project I made a switch to my mitre saw blade...what a difference switching to a proper trim blade makes...I switched to an 80 blade, there is a big difference, this blade cuts through trim like butter.

 this is the profile I chose, it is a 7.25" poplar Scene II from the  French curves collection

You can really see what I mean by irregularity, it was so blotchy....and there was a trim piece missing from under the chair rail...this needed replacing.

We were also preparing for our new custom windows at the same time...the clock was ticking...but just painting all this trim work was a huge undertaking...I caulked in between each and every v-groove board...my husband Todd helped out and painted a lot of the window trim and all of the baseboards...so grateful.

We felt that everything the same tone of orange was very overwhelming and not my favourite shade....you never like everything about a new house...right?

I think the wood floors look so much better now...I painted the risers white last minute, it is simply white...my husband thought I was crazy but it was 100% the right choice, it ties all the trim together and makes the room feel wider.

I knew I had to address the newly added half walls, they were stark fresh drywall and they felt jarring...I clad them with v-groove to help them blend in with the perimeter walls.

Filling in the gap beneath the chair rail with this classic panel moulding felt clean and completed the trim...

I also tweeked the kitchen during this renovation...I flipped the island top and finished the rough sawn side and stained it with a custom color...added open shelving and more tile, oh and I stained the grout grey to make the tile more prominent.

Each corner had a filler strip which made mitering the trim impossible so I used a baseboard corner, I love this detail, I am so glad I needed this solution. 

I wish I could thoroughly describe how happy this transformation makes me...beautiful trim makes my heart happy...

I clad the wall with v-groove panel moulding and a cap I custom made from flat stock 1x10"with routered edges...it turned out sublime....it is no longer a corner I hide...coffee corner is what I call this spot and now it looks like it has always been a part of this room.

 I also tackled the entry during this renovation, I opted to create an open concept closet...it works so much better than the sliding mirrored doors...I recently added two pieces of this panel moulding to the header of the closet casing...it makes a big difference, design is all about the details.

We also replaced the front door...this has been a big undertaking...

You can see why I just couldn't live with this wainscotting the way it was....

I primed and painted and painted some more...

We also extended the entry tile to create a larger more balanced space...

French curves scene II

 One last detail I cooked up were these reclaimed wood headers for the two doors on the main floor...I wanted something unique and that followed along with that old house feeling...it was a risk but I think it was a successful result....I upgraded the small flat stock with a much larger flat stock and installed these reclaimed pieces...so easy.

I think it is a cohesive mix...

It's actually quite amazing to look back at where we started...

I want to send a big thank you to Metrie for providing all the beautiful panel moulding and baseboard trim...you've got to check out their new line Option M....

*disclaimer this is a sponsored post but all the opinions are my own and are truthful...