Happy December dear friends! Today I am extending a cozy Christmas welcome into our home as I share how I have decorated our living room entryway and staircase in vintage-traditional Christmas style, as well as a few sneak peeks of how other areas are coming along for the holidays! *This post contains affiliate links.

 

I am so excited to be joining 29 fabulous bloggers this week for the Blogger’s Best Holiday Home Tour hosted by Kelly at The Tattered Pew and Mansa at This is Simplicite. If you are coming over from Midwest Life And Style or if you are just stopping by for a visit, I am so happy you are here! At the end of this post you will find links to all of the beautiful homes on the tour this week.

 

This past week the weather turned cold which was great for Christmas-vibing, but not so great for porch decorating! The fresh evergreen swag that I was putting together for today’s tour actually got snowed on so I didn’t get around to finishing it up. Since today’s post is a “Vintage- Traditional Cozy Christmas Entryway,” I still wanted to invite you in through the front door, so here’s a shot of last year’s door swag and simple porch decor.

 

Last year for a bit of whimsy I added a vintage school bell to my swag in lieu of sleigh bells. This would be even more befitting right now, since I am a music teacher and I am currently teaching virtually from  home! I am going to use the same beautiful plaid ribbon on my swag this year. It has a bit of yellow which picks up on the yellow bricks on our porch.

 

This year I am also using the same plaid ribbon indoors on the staircase banister and on our Christmas tree. Green is my favorite color, so I love that this particular plaid is green dominant. When you enter our home you immediately see our staircase decked for the holidays with a gorgeous winter woods garland from Balsam Hill, the plaid ribbon, and gold jingle bells. 

 

 

At the foot of the staircase sits a large olive green demi john filled with faux greens. I love how the demijohn matches the plaid ribbon so perfectly. Once the snow is melted I plan to replace the faux greenery with foraged fresh greenery. Fresh pine, cedar and juniper will smell wonderful in the entry! 

 

 

The Christmas decorating all through our home is still a work in progress, so today I am concentrating on sharing the entryway and staircase area as well as a few ideas I have for other areas and some throwbacks from last year. Due to the stress and negativity we have all been facing in the “real world” this year, my goal is to create cozy Christmas with elegant, (yet homey) old-world Christmas vibes, reminiscent of simpler times.

 

 

 My overall decorating style is “collected vintage-cottage” (a mix of various vintage styles) but I have come to realize that our nearly 100 year-old home with all the original dark woodwork is best dressed for the holidays in traditional green, red, and gold…and lots of plaid! The Ralph Lauren plaid blanket draped over the back of the antique pressed back chair is one of my favorite Christmas accents.

 

 

As a Kentuckian (with Scottish heritage) who happens to adore Victorian-English country style, I love the chance to incorporate extra hints of equestrian decor and tartan in my Christmas decorating.

 

 

Visions of Victorian, English Country, and a bit of colonial Christmas have been dancing in my head for weeks! I don’t usually decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, but I actually did start creating a beautiful vintage Christmas vignette on the little shabby entry cabinet a few days before Thanksgiving. 

 

I used things that I could easily grab from around the house and in my craft stash, and just a few easily accessible Christmas accents since I wasn’t ready to go digging through the holiday totes. 

 

 

I love any excuse to play around with beautiful velvet and satin ribbon. I love the green satin tied around the paperwhites. I love decorating with paperwhites for the holidays and throughout winter! I choose faux due to the unpleasant fragrant of fresh paperwhites.

 

Inspiration for my yearly holiday decorating themes rarely comes from a retail store. Instead it is usually an unexpected thrifted item, like this vintage picture of a lady in a beautiful green dress. I scored the picture for a few dollars at Habitat Restore in late fall, and I knew immediately that I wanted to create some sort of Christmas vignette featuring the picture. Here I have reimagined her as a classically trained soprano singing a solo in a holiday performance of Handel’s Messiah. When decorating for Christmas, I tend to think outside the box. The big box store, that is!

Isaiah 9:6~For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

 

With Handel’s Messiah and the nativity story in mind, here’s a quick detour into the music room where I always put my vintage Italian nativity on display each year. You will see more of the music room in upcoming holiday tours.

 

One interesting thing you may notice on today’s tour is that I haven’t used any Santas so far. I am a Santa collector and you will see a few favorite figures and vintage Santa ephemera in other areas of the house on upcoming tours, but this year I really want the focus to be more on Jesus and sacred themes.  I also realized that not having any massed- produced Santa figures in this vignette made it unique, evoking a truly old-world vibe.

 

To see a few of my favorite German Belsnickel style Santas and more of my traditional-vintage Christmas decorating, you can check out this post.

 

Now it’s time for a Christmas Entryway (Decorating) Game…Musical Pillows!

 

Okay friends…my biggest Christmas decorating dilemma always involves pillow arranging! I have quite a few festive pillows and it seems like no matter where I put them they look “perfect,” until I switch them around, then I become indecisive! My rustic winter buck pillow that was previously on the chair by the staircase is now cozying up our comfy chesterfield along with a plush cable knit throw.

 

 

After taking most of the photos for today’s tour, I started messing around with my pillows again and decided that my “Joy” pillow pops a bit more than the buck pillow did over by the staircase, which prompted the switch. What do you think? I just love this view looking over toward the entry and music room with a peek of our main Christmas tree! I will be sharing the tree and music room on Saturday, so if you love all these vintage-traditional Christmas vibes, you won’t want to miss it!

 

While we are over by the sofa, let’s turn around and take a look at how the sitting area looked last year, since this year’s sitting area and mantel styling aren’t finished just yet. I loved last year’s traditional look, and many of the elements would certainly tie right in with the staircase and entry theme this year.

 

 

When I finish decorating the living room this week, I might move the buck pillow back to the recliner as shown here, but keep the red plaid throw over on the chair by the staircase. 

 

 

Christmas Home Tour 2018

Instead of draping my red plaid throw over the back of the recliner, I might use my blue and green tartan throw in it’s place. Now we are talking “musical throws!” 

 

 

I am thinking about using these old French farmhouse stockings again this year instead of the red grain striped ones, so the blue and green tartan throw would look pretty on the chair. I loved the red striped stockings, but I am already using quite a bit of red this year and think I need to tone it down and balance it out with some neutrals and maybe a bit more green. (Our non-matchy-matchy real stockings are hung by the chimney with care on Christmas Eve!)

 

 

Loosely draped cedar garland tied up with either red, green, or ivory velvet ribbon will adorn the front of the mantel, along with some kind of beaded or dried fruit garland.

 

Whichever stockings I choose, I will still decorate the mantel with simple accents such as cozy candles, pretty candlesticks, cloved oranges, pomegranates, and a vintage Christmas postcard or two.

 

 

As I dig into my Christmas totes to finish up the living room this week, I will do a little more tweaking to the shelves on the grandfather clock by adding a few vintage Shiny Brite ornaments or some other small Christmas treasures.

 

 

 I love the staircase garland as it is, but if I get time I would love to make a dried orange slices, cranberries, and cinnamon stick garland to drape up the staircase. I think it would add even more of that cozy old-world Christmas vibe to the entry!  Just thinking about all the possibilities for holiday crafts, decor, and home tours and sharing ideas with blogging friends and readers brings me so much JOY! 

 

Now back to Musical Pillows…

So… here is the pillow combo I used for the promo graphic for The Blogger’s Best Holiday Home Tour, even though I didn’t end up using either of these pillows in today’s post! I also ended up moving the “Merry Christmas” sign elsewhere, and removed the lighted bulb garland from the cabinet top vignette because it just seemed out of place. The toile pillow is probably going to end up in the dining room or music room, but I have found the “perfect” spot for my new Kentucky Christmas pillow…

 

 

I am loving the Kentucky pillow paired with plaid and ticking stripe pillows here in the cozy window seat in my brand new kitchen! All the kitchen details will be finished up in time for Christmas, including the vintage wood cafe style plantation blinds that my brother is repainting for me this week. I can’t wait to share more of this corner and my Christmas kitchen in an upcoming Christmas home tour! 

 

 

Here is a peek at how the lighted bulb garland and “Merry Christmas” sign are adding holiday cheer to my new 1920’s style cabinets! I am having the most fun decorating my new kitchen! 

 

The kitchen leads right into the dining room where I always decorate for Christmas with vintage farmhouse goodness, old world Santas, snowmen, and a little vintage Christmas-kitsch! I will probably use most of the same treasures shown here from last year’s Christmas Dining Room, but style some of them in new ways.

 

What’s that I spy on the church pew? The plaid throw! It looked so good there last year…here we go… back to musical throws again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I do hope you take to relax with a cup of tea or coffee and stop back by to visit often during the holidays. As a reminder, you can see more of our Christmas tree and music room on Saturday, Dec. 5th. I will also be sharing a full Christmas Home Tour featuring our new kitchen on December 11th! Here’s one last sneak peek of the Christmas beauty to come:

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this cozy and traditional Christmas welcome! If you are a new reader, be sure to subscribe by email so you don’t miss all of the upcoming holiday fun! Now it’s time to continue the tour by heading over to Noting Grace. Don’t forget to check out all of the other beautiful tours via the links below.

Thanks for visiting and have a very Merry Christmas!

Amber

*Affiliate Disclosure: If you purchase a suggested item, I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. See my full affiliate disclosure policy for details.

 

     

 

 

Monday’s Tours

The Tattered Pew // My Thrift Store Addiction // Simply 2 Moms

Worthing Court // Bricks N’ Blooms // Open Doors Open Hearts

Tuesday’s Tours

Lora B Create and Ponder // This Is Simplicite

Shiplap and Shells // The Ponds Farmhouse //

Wednesday Tour’s

Stone Gable // Midwest Life And Style // Follow The Yellow Brick Home 

Noting Grace // My Wee Abode // The Farmhouse Life

Thursday’s Tours

Aratari At Home // Caitlin Marie Designs // Sweet Pea

Fiddle Leaf Blog // First Day Of Home // White Arrows Home

Friday’s Tours

Cottage On Bunker Hill // The Aspiring Home // Lantern Lane Designs 

DIY Beautify // Cassie Bustamante // The Flowering Farmhouse

 

Sharing at these great link parties:

Tuesday Turnabout  Charming Home and Gardens  A Morning Cup Of Joe  Snickerdoodle Sunday  Best Of The Weekend Saturday Sparks Flaunt It Fridays Tuesdays At Our Home Vintage Charm  You’re The Star  Happiness is Homemade  Silver Pennies Sundays  Create, Bake, Grow, Gather  The Farmhouse Friday Link-Up  Funtastic Fridays  Fridays At The Fire Station  Wonderful Wednesdays  Waste Not Wednesday   Keep In Touch    Share Your Style Party in Your PJs  Celebrate Your Story Inspire Me Tuesday  Love Your Creativity   Over The Moon  Fabulous Party