My Top 11 Posts of 2015

Hello Friends!

I truly hope you all had a wonderful Christmas despite the 'crummy' weather almost all of us have been having!

We spent our Christmas with some close friends in CT and the east coast! Had my birthday in the Big Apple and celebrated by watching the "Christmas Spectacular" at Radio City Music Hall and watching my all time favorite Broadway Actress and Singer, Lea Salonga in the musical "Allegiance"!!!

Anyhow, I have a lot of catching up to do in the blogosphere, so bear with me, I miss all of you!

To start of the week though, let me do what has become a tradition for me and giving you my Top 10 popular posts from the past year! 

And let me tell yeah, you guys really love how I redecorate my living room!

 1) Winter Blues in the Living Room 1/18/15

2) Winter Blues in the Dining Room 1/11/15

3) Skeleton Closet No More - 2/11/15

 4) DIY Cherry Blossom Branches - 3/26/15

5) Spring Living - 3/29/15

6) ORC Safari Glam Nursery Reveal - 5/7/15

7) Sophia's Nursery Closet - 6/28/15

8) Blue Summer Living Room and My win - 7/13/15

 9) My Sisters Wedding - 7/15/15

10) Boys Budget Bathroom Re-do - 8/23/15

11) Christmas Home tour 2015 - 12/2/15

I did this post chronologically and it's always great to look back at what we've been able to do for our home and what our life was sort of like, in a nutshell!

I am truly thankful that I can do this, be able to share with you all and meet all you wonderful people! So I cannot wait for the coming 2016 ahead!

To you my OLD AND NEW FRIENDS, CHEERS!!!!!

VEL

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I just want to send you all our Warmest wishes for a very 

Happy Christmas and a Very Blessed New Year!!!!

VEL

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...

Sharing a little more about ME

Christmas is the season for sharing.

And because it is so, I am glad to join Kris over at JUNK CHIC COTTAGE and share with you my life story in a nutshell!

I know it's not the kind of sharing one expects over the holidays, and I do  always say, my life is an OPEN BOOK,  but never truly discussed about it with you! So, I am now...

LINK HERE

Also, you may have noticed my "new look" - BLOG LOOK that is, courtesy of  DESIGNER BLOGS, thank you very much! I just thought it would be best to start the New Year with a brand new look! What do you think?

Wishing You a Wonderful Holiday Weekend !

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...

12 Days of Christmas Blogger Tour Link Party

Hello Everyone!

I am super excited to see what you guys have to share with us! I love touring the different homes and seeing all the wonderful decorations, and I am certain, yours will be just as wonderful!

I also hope you haven't missed out on the tours of the fabulous bloggers hosting this party too!
I did a recap of my faves HERE just in case you missed some of it.

(1) Evolution of Style (2) Dixie Delights (3) Provident Home Design (4)Simple Details
(5)The Pink Clutch (6) Life & home at 2102  (7) Blesser House (8) The Tale of an Ugly House
(9) This is Our Bliss (10)This is Happiness (11)  Life & home at 2102 (12) Shine Your Light
(13) Suburban Bitches (14) Classic Casual Home (15) Primitive & Proper (16) Simply Sarah Style
(17) Driven by Decor  (18) Our Storied Home (19) Suburban Bitches (20) Rough Luxe

So, again, before we begin, let me thank all the wonderful ladies I share this tour with especially the brains of it all, Jenny from Evolution of Style fame, truly had a blast participating and looking at all the inspiration out there! And also to Lisa from Shine Your Light fame, who created the awesome graphics for the home tour series, you are just so good at this and what will we do without you?! ;-)

Ok, so now , on with the show!!!

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away..

My Favorite Inspirations from the 12 days of Christmas Blogger tour

Christmas is a few days away and I am just amazed at all the beautiful and inspiration-filled home thru out blogland!!!

So many things and ideas to savor and enjoy !
I hope you enjoyed the various types of homes this holiday season.
If you haven't yet, I came up with this quick tour!

 And since I had the privilege to join one of these tours, particularly the

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS TOUR OF HOMES...

... I wish to share with you today my favorite vignettes and ideas from all these Bloggers' homes!

FULL DISCLOSURE: Choosing one favorite  from each home was VERY TOUGH, since all their homes were equally fantastic, so you have to give me a little pat on the back for this quick summary of faves! ;-)

Let's start shall we?

Evolution of Style

What better way to start than with the leader of the pack, Jenny's family room is just a spot where I could spend the whole day with my whole family ( or just by myself even)! I love her simple but oh-so pretty style, the wreathes and ribbons she added on her windows is the perfect window treatment for this season!

Dixie Delights

Amanda truly made the perfect table with this one, I love the mix of the reds and blues on this one and that apple centerpiece is just divine!

Provident Home Design

Tamara's home is styled so effortlessly just look at her smart idea of displaying gift wrap itself and adding these wreaths on her mirror!

Simple Details

Pam is a wonderful designer in and out of the holiday season, but I think each Christmas she gives everything an extra-oomph! Love all the natural elements in her decor and how she placed the gifts all thru out her beautiful home!

The Pink Clutch

Paige's style is just so preppy fun! I love how she zhushed up all her usual stylish decor to go with her seasonal one!

This Is Happiness

Becky's home is filled with inspiration in every corner but I especially love how she displayed and wrapped all her gifts!

Blesser House

Isn't this the funnest and most perfect Christmas entry ever? Lauren just nailed it with this one! From the advent calendar, to the cozy throw and pillows, everything just exudes "WELCOME EVERYONE"!

The Tale of an Ugly House

Another Amanda who definitely does not have an ugly home, I truly enjoyed her home tour and this Advent Calendar of hers is something I want to copy for  next year!

This is Our Bliss

Rachael's home is just chic, festive and oh-so-fun! You can tell with her function-meets-form bar area!

Classic Casual Home

If I could have a Christmas Fireplace for Christmas, this would be it! Mary Ann just did this classic and stylish Mantel perfectly! You must see the rest of her gorgeous home!

Primitive & Proper

Cassie is not only genius at finding treasures at the thrift, she showcases it with much pizzaz! I love her genius use of the blanket on her table and all the other elements she added thru out her home! Her kids rooms are just too fun!

Shine your Light

Lisa's home from this very tasteful front door entry to all the rooms in her home, just exudes the warmth and heart of this wonderful blogger.

Driven by Decor

Kris is one of the most popular bloggers out there and you can clearly see why in the office she has here! Everything she touches just turns into something beautiful!

Our Storied Home

Amanda's down-to-earth lovely style just shows clearly thru out her home! You can see the love thru out and not just in her home itself, but in all her family's faces!

Suburban Bitches

The ladies over at Suburban Bitches just blew me away with their Christmas tours!
Tricia's home is the one pictured above and Erin's home is the one below - what more do I need to say?!

Suburban Bitches

Simply Sarah Style

Sarah's woodland-themed Christmas decoration is just utterly sweet and pretty! Can't imagine how she does it with the baby on the way!

Rough Luxe

And last but certainly not the least, Cindy is a designer I've followed over the years, you can tell from her amazing Christmas Tree the kind of style you can expect from her home and design aesthetic - perfect.

As for me, this little tree is probably my favorite in our home...

Life & home at 2102

If I haven't seen YOUR HOME TOUR yet for the holidays,
Please come back on DECEMBER 16 for the first ever Link Party I will be co-hosting with these fabulous bloggers!!!!

I can't wait to take a peak inside your home!

                                                   12/1  Evolution of Style Dixie Delights 

12/2  Life & Home At 2102    Provident Home Design

12/3  Simple Details

12/4  The Pink Clutch Blog    This is Happiness

 12/7  Bless’er House The Tale Of An Ugly House

12/8  Classic Casual Home  This is Our Bliss

12/9  Primitive and Proper

12/10  Shine Your Light    Driven by Decor

12/11  Suburban Bitches     Our Storied Home   

12/14  Simply Sarah Style  Rough Luxe

Enjoy the Holiday Season Everyone!

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...


Linking back to...

Coastal Charm

Mini Kitchen Tour

Ok, just a brief break on all the Holiday Frenzy we've been enjoying in.

When I share with you our Living Room HERE, you may have noticed the little kitchen beside our tree...

It is obviously a gift for Sophia, since she has loved pretend cooking already so much!

We ordered our play kitchen thru Amazon and it originally looked like this...

Contemporary Play Kitchen

I like the espresso cabinets since once it moves into our own real kitchen, it will go well with the other cabinetry. However, I made some 'upgrades' on this little cutie...

First, I sprayed the handles, hooks and the Chalkboard my favorite GOLD!

Even my husband agreed that it looked so much more warm with this quick change.

Second, I changed the backsplash 'tile' into marble! 

I used left over contact paper for that.

I also added battery-operated puck lights under the open shelving and inside the refrigerator!

Lastly, I added these Dollar store bins to store the different types of food she has in her refrigerator!

 And as you can see here, this Christmas gift has been put to good use by it's little owner!

Hope you all have a Great Weekend Friends!

Please don't forget to check out the ongoing tours for the...

The Link-up party for your home is on DECEMBER 16TH, so excited to see your entire home for the holiday season!

If you've missed some of the tours, here is the schedule below...

                                                       12/1  Evolution of Style Dixie Delights 

12/2  Life & Home At 2102    Provident Home Design

12/3  Simple Details

12/4  The Pink Clutch Blog    This is Happiness

 12/7  Bless’er House The Tale Of An Ugly House

12/8  Classic Casual Home  This is Our Bliss

12/9  Primitive and Proper

12/10  Shine Your Light    Driven by Decor

12/11  Suburban Bitches     Our Storied Home   

12/14  Simply Sarah Style  Rough Luxe

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...

Linking back to...

Life on Lakeshore Drive, Amaze Me Monday, Coastal Charm, Julie's Lifestyle

Details on our Christmas Living Room

First of all, I want to THANK YOU for all the fabulous comments and reactions you've given me when I share with your our HOME TOUR !

At this time of year, when we give gifts to the people who have made a difference in our lives, I truly wish I could afford to give each and everyone of you one, since your gift of appreciation has meant so much to me not just for last week, but for the past years we've been cheering on each other

Anyway, today, I want to share with you some aspects of the home tour that I wasn't able to do so  the last time because there is just too many things to talk about.

 So allow me to share the other shots and vignettes  I have,   with you!

I love how this shot just shows almost everything I love about our living room

I got the 2 red pillow covers from IKEA, the 2 plaid ones are scored from Dillard's (Their bed pillows) & the grey chalkboard like one in the middle is from RLH, a score from Homegoods years and years ago!

You saw the vignette I had above the piano before. This one is just a close up of all the things in there including the votives inside these tin houses I scored from TARGET years ago. 

Hanging the stockings here by the stairs made sense to me, because of what's on the mantel.

I also added pretty plaid bows I made for the mirrors

Another view from above

I placed some of my beaded snowflake ornaments again on our orb chandelier by the stairs. I just love the sparkle it gives the light!

Our media Center with a lot of Christmas tree vignettes up above

Photos with Santa and other photos of the kids went here too!

I shared with you the sitting area the last time...

... but I wanted to show you my Table vignette here.

Over at the mantel, it was jam-packed with my beloved Nativity...

Now you know why the socks couldn't go here. ;-

As for out tree, I mentioned that I switched to LED lights this year for safety reasons and also I wanted the gum-drop look of this particular lights.

Some of the sentimental ornaments that went on our tree

The Santa foam ornament and other clothespin foam ornaments are the most special for me since my son Aidan made most of them for me!!! I don't think I can ever throw them away at all -ever!

How are things on your end? I know your probably all decked out too since it's only a couple more days until Christmas! Please don't forget to visit the other house tours that are still going on now AND TO JOIN THE LINK PARTY ON DEC. 16!!!

                                                       12/1  Evolution of Style Dixie Delights 

12/2  Life & Home At 2102    Provident Home Design

12/3  Simple Details

12/4  The Pink Clutch Blog    This is Happiness

 12/7  Bless’er House The Tale Of An Ugly House

12/8  Classic Casual Home  This is Our Bliss

12/9  Primitive and Proper

12/10  Shine Your Light    Driven by Decor

12/11  Suburban Bitches     Our Storied Home   

12/14  Simply Sarah Style  Rough Luxe

Have a Marvelous Holiday Season Everyone!

VEL 

 Would love to hear your thoughts! Please share away...

As featured in...

Linking back to...

Coastal Charm, Dwellings the heart of your home, Our Home away from home, The Inspiration gallery