Holiday Decor Preview

We finally got the downstairs painted, just in time to decorate for Christmas. Since the walls are now beautifully neutral, I decided this year's holiday decor would be too. I'm just so over red and green. I took a rustic glam approach with silvers, golds, and plenty of natural elements. I still have a few projects left before the Christmas decorations will be complete, including our stockings. Since I now have a pretty awesome camera on my iphone 4s and a photo app that I am in love with, I have been playing around with different effects. I will post more in depth about my dining room tablescape, pillows, etc. But for now, here are some shots from around the house.

tree trimmed with burlap ribbon and a rattan star

living room (now painted Bennington Gray)

new cowhide rug

lanterns filled with cotton, moss, and mini ornaments

The mini bar with a few festive touches

curly willow with silver mini ornaments

The unfinished mantle...stockings coming soon

I have a slight obsession with mercury glass

Kitchen buffet and hutch

Rattan Star (the larger version of my tree topper)

My fancy reindeer (about 4 feet tall)

still haven't added the mistletoe (trying to figure out how to get it out of a really tall tree)

rustic glam dining room tablescape

cotton place cards

jingle bells

Rustic Fall Wedding

All photos credited to Jennifer Oetting Photography

Fall Decor sneak peak

Lately, we have been in the middle of getting new carpet upstairs and repainting the office, kitchen, living room, and foyer. Needless to say the house is a total wreck, not to mention the 20 different shades of sample paint on the walls. Before we started all of this chaos, I began decorating for fall, mainly in the dining room. I plan to take more pictures once the dining room is painted but I figured I would post a few that I snapped before. I love neutral colored pumpkins and fall decor, but my vision definitely doesn't include the bold red walls. Soon they will be Pottery Barn's Bennington Gray. I have also decorated the front porch, so more to come soon.

Painted Sunflower Pillow

I love most of the pillows in Pottery Barn, but the painted sunflower pillow really caught my eye. I came very close to making the purchase, but then I decided it would be pretty easy to make myself. Although it doesn't look identical, I was pretty happy with my copy-cat version. I just love sunflowers in the fall.

Pottery Barn

Lab Silhouette Pillow

This is my first post in a while that has absolutely nothing to do with weddings. I finally bought a silhouette machine a couple months ago and I absolutely love it. I bought the black lab download to create this pillow for a gift. I placed the outline on the material, and filled it in with black acrylic paint. I chose a linen colored, thick fabric for a simple, clean design. I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a yorkie silhouette but I loved the look the finished lab.

Jennifer Oetting Photography

You've seen many pictures on my blog before that were taken by one my of my best friends, Jennifer Oetting Dooley. But I want to completely dedicate this post to showcasing her amazing work. She has a very creative approach to photography with thousands of unique ideas, and most importantly, the ability to capture the emotion of the moment. Jennifer photographs everything including newborns, families, senior portraits, engagement shoots, parties, weddings, maternity, trash-the-dress, and more. Not only is she an outstanding photographer, but she is truly an amazing person. I am so thankful to have her as a friend and also be able to work with her as I begin my journey of starting my own business (more on that later). 
These are a few of the pictures she took of me so that I would have professional shots for my business (and not cropped, blurry pictures from facebook).

These are few of my favorites from various shoots by Jennifer Oetting Photography.

Check out the website to view slideshows of more of her work at jenniferoetting.com