Mudroom Makeover

I'm not sure it should be called a makeover since it wasn't ever really "made" to begin with.  When we built our house 16 months ago, our mudroom was all function and no flare.  It served a purpose, albeit a good purpose, but it wasn't welcoming.

Before:

Every person in this family walks through the mudroom at least twice a day, so I wanted it to be a place that inspired on the way out and welcomed on the way in.

After:

We had some leftover wood from our keeping room ceiling, so we decided to add a little character to the wall.  I would prefer white, but this is a MUD room and mud is BROWN.  We make a lot of dirt on this plot o' land so practicality wins again.  I'm okay with that. :)

 I needed an inexpensive way to fill up 16' of bare wall space.  Thanks to Melissa, I found these maps at Paper Source.  They are actually considered wrapping paper, but they look and feel like real maps.  I will probably add more eventually, but for now I chose maps of the world, the U.S. and places I've visited.

I love the colors and texture it brought to the space.

This is a very functional room in our home so I wasn't sure it could feel warm and inviting.  We use this room to wash eggs, feed the dog, and drop the coats and shoes.
We recently added a new granite countertop (I love small scraps that can't find a home!) that our granite-guy friend cut grooves into for egg drying.

This space also leads to the half-bath.  With so many events at the farm, we are constantly pointing people to the bathroom.  I made this little sign to help them find the way:

A little metal frame found in the dollar section at Michaels, a Sharpie, and a fun ribbon made a quick little project.

For the first time since we moved in, I finally really like this space.  Instead of the mudroom, I'm thinking of renaming it the welcoming room.  Doesn't that sound better?

I'm linking up with Imparting Grace today.

Christmas 2013 Farmhouse Tour

Merry Christmas!

 Come on in!

 Welcome to our living room.  This room is focused on the true Gift of Christmas.

Our advent trees bring us

 a verse for each day.  

Go here to get your own list of advent verses.  Merry Christmas from me!

Our nativity.  

I leave it up for most of the month of January.
It's worth celebrating!

Across the room is the door from our family's barn.

I found the burlap bow in the dollar section at Target.  It was the perfect necklace for my lamp.  

Moving to our dining area of the kitchen...

My favorite Christmas decoration this year is my husband's grandfather's tool box filled with red balls.  Sentimental. Fun. Festive.  

Adding some bling to our cabinet-door-turned-chalkboard and spreading joy

My practical kitchen table centerpiece

Mom's tree by the kitchen sink hold some of my favorite things, like coffee mugs and ornaments from my travels around the world.

Moving to the keeping room...

We went old-school with large globe lights.  

Wishing you a season filled with PEACE and JOY

I'm linking up to these fabulous friends:
Nesting Place
Between Naps on the Porch
The Dedicated House
Coastal Charm
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Cozy Little House

Christmas on My Porch

Welcome friends!

 The front porch is one of the most important rooms of your house.  It sets the tone for your home.  It is the first impression for anyone who visits.  I want my porch to reflect warmth and fun.

Even if you don't have a large porch a couple of special touches are all you need.

 It doesn't even need to cost much.  The only thing I purchased for our porch was the burlap ribbon.  We spray painted the bird feeder red, pulled the basket out of the barn and filled it with sprigs from the yard.

We cut some trees down earlier in the fall and I requested the "best branches."  Tucked into the wagon that was hidden under the house, they make a fun little spot on the porch.

I also pulled out my summer red pillows.  Left over trimmings from our tree and a few balls thrown on the table took ten seconds to put together.  

 My man was thrilled when I asked for an antler.  I like the natural element.  He likes the antler.   Antlers are all the rage this year and they are EXPENSIVE.  We have a large collection to choose from... for free.  Yes, my husband likes this designing fad!

Speaking of him, he always makes my fresh wreaths.  He is so talented.  This year he added in some cedar, rosemary, and red berries to the Frasier fir.

 The door color is Sherwin Williams Festoon Aqua.  It's my most asked question about the new house.

The exterior color is Sherwin Williams Earl Grey

Welcome to our farmhouse!

Come back for a peek inside!

I'm joining the party at
The Nesting Place
Between Naps on the Porch
The Dedicated House
Coastal Charm
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Cozy Little House

Fall Open House at Willow Hill Farm (part 2)

 Welcome back!  Before we get started, I feel like I should let you know that today's post isn't as picture heavy as yesterday.  I have the entire volleyball team coming over for a sleepover tonight and so my bloggy mojo just got a swift kick in the pants.  But I love a party so I'm not complaining.

Welcome to my kitchen!

My newest addition is this bottle cap clock.  Wanna guess where I found it?  It's a really fancy place.  Keep reading and I'll let you in on my posh secret.

The green hutch used to hold the globe collection, but they've been moved to the room I didn't know what to do with.

Another addition to the kitchen is my enamel pot collection.  Our ceilings are crazy high (11+ feet) so I needed something tall to fill the space above our already oversized cabinets.

Little touches of fall make me happy

Step on out to our back porch.  The breeze always seems to be blowing out here.

The cats haven't fully grasped the concept of BARN cat.  They are more familiar with the PORCH cat idea.  Oh Basil and Olive, it's a good thing you're so cute!

We spend as much time as possible on this porch, which the cats seem to appreciate.

Before I go, did you guess where I found the super fun metal bottle cap clock?  Wait for it... Big Lots!  Crazy!  I've never looked for home furnishings there but one day I was looking for a dinosaur (also known as a corded telephone) and came upon the clocks.  I had a hard time deciding between the green lemonade and the red strawberry pop.
Happy Fall Y'all!!!

I'm linking up with The Dedicated House and It's Overflowing and Inspiration Monday