Annalea’s Holiday Home Made Lovely (Life Made Lovely)

Welcome to Holiday Home Made Lovely
a little collection of previous Home Made Lovely blogger’s that have come back to share how they make their homes lovely…for the holidays.

well hello there! my name is annalea and you can usually find me over at hope and honey.this is my second time here for a home made lovely tour, but things have
changed quite a bit since then for our family. unemployment, a new
job, a house sale, a cross country move and a whole lotta new.

welcome to our new mexican casita…

decking the halls for christmas is kinda my favorite. knowing we will spend so much time indoors just makes me want to transform our home into a cozy garland-crazed and twinkle lighted retreat. so i am thrilled to share our holiday home with y’all.can you do me a favor? just imagine that homemade wreath on a turquoise front door. our landlord just gave us permission to repaint it, but that will probably have to wait until after the holidays and when the weather cooperates. it is not all sunshine and high temps in albuquerque. well, it is mostly sunshine. but we have our fair share of cold in the high desert. it even snowed last week!i pulled together this entryway with items on hand. it is a theme with me. make and make do.

the instagram print collages were recently relocated here and i kinda like that these sweet memories greet us upon entering. the “sing anyway” print was a gift from an uber thoughtful friend during a particularly rough season.

the main living area is just one big space. the living room, dining room, and kitchen are all open to each other. it makes our rental feel much bigger than it actually is. oh and the high ceilings make a big difference too. that’s my disclaimer. don’t be surprised if you ever get to visit in person, okay?but don’t take this as a complaint. for one, we are extremely grateful to have this roof over our heads. the last 18 months gave us heaps of fresh perspective.also, there is a lot less to clean.

proud mama moment: the white yarn chain garland was my daughter’s first ever project made with a crochet hook last week. i pretty much will hang it up every year. forever.

off to your right, you’ll find our music area. the antique button jar holds guitar picks and the painting was done by my late grandfather. you might also notice the plants. just wait.

this beautiful advent wreath has become such a treasured item in our family. this will be our third year using it to help prepare our hearts in this season of anticipation.the word banners throughout the house were handcut from cardstock.

our homeschool area is to the left. a desk for each kiddo to store their binders and notebooks. gorgeous light streaming through the front window to work by. the cinnamon ornaments hanging from a tree branch were a family craft project a couple years back. they still smell good. the wall maps hide a large dry erase board and the dresser stores our school and craft supplies.

hanging succulents help define the spaces a bit, while not losing the open airiness of the room.don’t you just love those ceiling beams? we call them vigas in the southwest.

and here is the tree! or, more accurately, trees. my little citrus babies next to our tall mountain fir.last year was our first ever spending christmas away from family and church-family. we were very purposeful at making it a special time in this new land. loving my family through creating an intentional, beautiful home for the holidays was important to me. i hope to do the same this year. our home serves as refuge, memory-maker and launching pad.

the kiva fireplace was such a draw to choosing this house. we had spent the last 10 years in fantastic character-ridden 100 year old midwest homes. coming to the southwest was a shock. but i have fully embraced and fallen for the style here. it definitely suits me.the stockings are hung from command strip hooks and i simply hot glued greenery to cover up the white plastic. the finger knit garlands were used on the mantle last year, but are joined this year by wooden beads and punched stars. (the stockings and garlands were made by me.) i addeed more tree branches in a blue vintage ball jar on the skinny mantle shelf.

i have a tumultuous relationship with this collage wall. we are in a good place right now after a little rearranging. my girl megan sells the stamped vintage atlas maps. i picked up cuba last year since my father-in-law was born and raised there. the small “dame jesus” piece was my grandmother-in-law’s and all other art was made by me.

just a bit of color on the couch. the original slipcover for the seat cushion is ripping and i have not had a chance to repair or replace it. so this striped mexican blanket is wrapped around for now. my husband bought it in 1998 while on a missions trip. it was that week i noticed his good looks and guitar playing skills. we started dating 7 months later.

i warned you about the plants. they make me happy. the lemon and lime trees are both in bloom, as well as the christmas cactus. this sunny shelf is probably my favorite spot in the house. lots of happy there. i make easy wreaths by wiring evergreen cuttings to reshaped metal hangers, basically a no cost project. major bonus. also? all of the nutcrackers are missing beards. and possibly limbs. such is life with my 4yo.

it has been our tradition to string popcorn and cranberry for the tree each year. this is only our second year using dried oranges, but i can’t imagine we’ll stop in future years. we are a one-tree family and i love the motley collection of ornaments that grows each christmas. instead of a skirt, we plop our tree stand into a large galvanized bucket (which was used in the summer for flowers, herbs, and sweet potatoes).

after that sunny shelf o’ plants, this giant chalkboard is my next favorite spot in the house. it is a treat to create seasonal multi-media art here. this year i covered a metal star in sheet moss and paired it with cardstock punched stars and some coordinating lyrics. and garlands. and twinkle lights. never enough of either.the fiddle leaf fig tree was our 13th anniversary gift this year. isn’t she a beauty?

our 2013 take on an advent calendar involves stapled kraft paper stars and minty chocolate goodness inside, inspired by this one. our christmas book collection is stacked here for easy access. i love adding to it each year.

there is not much to see in the kitchen, but we do have a cute little area for hot drink fixings. tea time is a daily ritual for our family. and this is the time of year when cocoa by the fire is a several times a week occurrence. the photo above is the view from the sink. after living with small closed off old-house kitchens, open floor plans are so very nice.

if we make our way down the long hallway, the master bedroom will be found. just a little twinkle and sparkle and winter coziness. (the noel sign was a pottery barn clearance item several years ago.)

down in the other direction is our playroom. we recently moved all three kiddos to one room to free up this space. you’ll have to visit another time to see their bedroom though. right now it is a work in progress.we are slowly adding holiday touches to these rooms. even the dollhouse gets in the christmas spirit. we like to craft up a few things as the month progresses and add to the nest. christmas decor seems to breed. and i love it. then comes january with the urge to simplify and clear it all away.but before i get ahead of myself…

…we get to enjoy this advent season for a while still. as the daylight fades, candles are lit each night. sometimes a fire is built and cocoa is made. we read and meditate and anticipate.thanks so much for visiting. i’d love to make a big pot of tea and sit and chat the afternoon away. until then!xoxo,
annalea

heather hamilon

Annalea’s Holiday Home Made Lovely