Getting prepared for winter

 Although I am not a fan of winter weather , the lack of sun the chilly temperatures and brutal winds and don't even get me started on the shovelling, but I still need to deal with it. One thing I know for sure is that an entry mat indoors and especially outside is key to weathering the upcoming storms.
I want to contain and minimize the mess of winter, the wet slushy boots and bits of salt always get tracked in no matter what you do. Having a good mat outside helps to catch some of the mess but then a second mat inside is definitely a must.

I loved how the hall looked this morning , with the rugs and the holiday decor especially the greens hanging down around the windows of the front door.

I recently added another rug to the entry to catch even more mess and to encourage boots to be put away.

Here are a few must haves I added to our closet , first of all an absorbent mat. You can find a great selection of doormats here at Rona. This mat is very much like the one I have outside my front door and this is what I have inside the closet.
A doormat is great for wet boots to dry off on out of sight. I hate walking in the door and tripping over shoes and boots all over, well I suppose no one likes that.
A long mirror attached to the door to make sure your looking presentable! I don't know why I didn't think of this before , it is very useful. Third would be hooks , I never lose my keys , why ? well because they have a spot a designated place to be...this is such an important thing , its a huge time and stress saver.
As you can see I also added shelves for shoes and boots, and of course baskets.
So do you have any great tips or tricks to keeping your entry way tidy and organized? I's love to hear them.

Silver and gold

It took me three days but I am finally finished with the Christmas decorating indoors and out . I just need to concentrate on my gift list now. 

We are loving our champagne gold vegas tree. I am keeping things very simple, only using white, silver and gold on the tree, it is very calm and pretty. We have not a single bit of green inside and I'm loving it. Change is fun. I didn't even buy a single ornament, I had all the ones I used and my Mom gave me a box of white frosty balls, nice!

 This is my very first real mantel to decorate for the holidays. That can be a daunting task.I started with two gold and silver garlands that I found at Homesense , I attached them with white strings to the mantel with 3M removable hooks. I added the little white Christmas trees and bought a couple of mercury glass accessories like the two candle sticks and a large owl and a simple little bowl. A few silver mesh bows and lots of silver and white balls strung from more white strings I just wrapped around the garland.

 This adorable owl was only $12.99 at Winners, such a sweet touch.

The gorgeous candle sticks were $14.99 also from Winners. The nice thing about the mercury glass is that it's not " Christmas" so I can use them all year round if I like.

 I bought these sweater stockings way before we even had kids, back in the 90's... I know I'm ancient! I thought they would be cute on the stairs , why not , right. I have a fourth one somewhere but can't find it !

 I had two tinsel wreaths from long ago so I added them to the hall doors. I hung them from string, duh like you can't see it , and 3M hooks.

This was not a sponsored post , just in case you wondered. 

Christmas spirit

I am finally feeling the Christmas spirit, I have even started some shopping on Black Friday , this is new to us here north of the border but its great , it's not crazy and I saved a bundle.

I was looking forward to decorating our new front porch for the first Christmas. I created a garland out of three faux greenery garlands wrapped together , then I added the lights , two strands followed by lots of natural greens , cedar and pine pieces. I used zip ties and just inserted some others. I used the hooks below to hang the garland, I found these at Home Hardware. I couldn't get them into the siding like in the instructions but they worked perfectly for the vinyl trim around the door , I hope the weight keeps this garland from falling , yikes!!! It looks really pretty at night all lit up. I also found battery candles for my lanterns and they have a timer in them brilliant.

 I actually forgot just what decor I have so I was thrilled to find out I had enough of this simple garland for the whole railing , simple sparkly and a little earthy too , I made simple ribbon from some grey fabric I had lying around.

 We are making progress, we have our new tree up , lit and fluffed, ready for ornaments. I found this 7.5' tree at Urban Barn for a great price , but it was not pre-lit... boo , so I had to light it. It sure is purdy even naked.

 I found a bunch of wreaths in the boxes in the basement and thought why not a snow man , I just used zip ties to attach them and a piece of fabric for a scarf.

 It snowed....just a little , I'm OK with a little bit. I hear we are going to have a big snowy winter this year.

 I just wrapped up an applied moulding wainscoting job locally just in time for Christmas, what a nice look for this room. Crisp classic and fresh. I used astragal moulding for the panels , it is my new favourite moulding , I am going to defiantly use it in my home also.

Thanks for stopping by , I hope you are enjoying the hustle bustle. Who's baking ?, who's decorating? who is not quite there and a wee bit overwhelmed?
Check out my Pinterest Holiday Board for a little holiday inspiration.