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Tool Tutorial Friday – Vacuum Cleaner and Holiday House Tour

Welcome back to another Tool Tutorial Friday! Before we begin I want to congratulate Wendy, who won the Tomboy Tools Magnetic Hammer! Wendy said, “Thank you for continuing your education for women on power tools! I learn so much from your posts. I’m also glad to know that my son wasn’t the only one with multiple arm casts! Pink hammer – cool.”  You are very welcome!!!

Now, on to the tutorial. Today I have a very important power tool that is a very neglected tool in my home. In fact, it is so infrequently used that I need some help from a more experienced handy girl. Anyone want to volunteer to write a guest tutorial on using a power vacuum cleaner? I could really use your expertise.

Or this equally valuable tool:

I have forgotten how to use it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Anyone?

Well, I hope you don’t mind that instead of the usual tool tutorial friday, I’m going to give you a Holiday Home Tour instead. Get ready for this amazing tour of my utterly beautiful home! All decked out and ready for the holidays!

Welcome to my mudroom. I spent a lot of time decorating this room. You can see the holiday decor is so abundant it is essentially overflowing!

My dining room is decked out for the season with ribbons, glitter and glue. Even the advent presents are beautifully laid out (in the tote bag.) And I spared no expense when it came to decorating the walls. I used a unique combination of paper bags, boxes and ribbon to adorn them.

Follow me, right this way. Aren’t the garlands of fabric simply beautiful on our stairway? I just love the simplicity of the swags. Pink and silver running shoes add the perfect punch of color.

The kitchen has a child decor theme. Complete with reindeer food and some presents displayed on the counter. Rudolf would be thrilled to eat here.

The living room is decorated from floor to ceiling. I decided to go with a casual and convenient theme this year. When the holidays are over, all I have to do is open the blue bins (which double as a festive ottoman) and drop the decorations inside. Simply genius, don’t you think?!

I saved the best for last! This year I’ve decided to adorn the office with a new color theme. The browns and teals really bring out the holiday spirit! As do the loosely placed papers and items. Careful thought was taken into the placement and juxtaposition of each object on the desk. I think I really nailed this design.

If you haven’t guessed by now, today’s post is a “Keeping It Real” style post.

I’ve been so insanely busy with craft tutorials, Habitat ReStore lectures, broken arms, holiday preparation, gift purchases, and… oh, did I mention that Pretty Handsome Guy is away on business this week? So, you can imagine my life (and home for that matter) are in a state of disarray. So, I hope you’ll excuse me for the next few days as I take a little time to pull my home and life back in order and enjoy the holidays with the people that matter most to me (not that you don’t matter to me!)

In all seriousness, I have accomplished one decorating feat: the tree! I think it looks pretty good if I do say so myself…except…what is that thing lying on the floor to the left of the tree?

Oh, why it is my wreath that has been hung with care!

I’ll be back on Monday with a very important guest. And then check in every day next week for my creative gift wrapping series. You won’t want to miss it!

In the meantime, Happy Holidays! And feel free to see how I decorated last year, aka Rustic Christmas Decor!

Sharing my eclectic decorating style with: Positively Splendid’s Saturday Seven and Funky Junk Interiors SNS

In other news, I have a big announcement to make: The first set of speakers have been announced for the SNAP 2012 conference! I am really excited to be working with such a fabulous group of women bloggers!

If you haven’t heard of it, SNAP is a big creative blog conference from April 19th – 21st near Salt Lake City, UT. I am truly honored to be asked to speak at SNAP and I can’t wait to share some motivational empowerment words with the attendees.

If you would like to enter to win a ticket to SNAP, there is a big ticket giveaway happening right now! From now until Christmas, SNAP will be giving away one ticket a day. So, head over to enter to win your ticket.

Feel free to read a little more about the SNAP conference. It is going to be phenomenal!

 

43 replies
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  1. Diane (Vruwink) Carlson
    Diane (Vruwink) Carlson says:

    Thank you SOOO MUCH – I feel so much better about my own house now!!! I always feel like, what am I doing wrong, or what gene am I missing….. my house never looks like the ones in the pictures, but this time it does!!! So thank you so much for sharing, and daring to show us how it really is!! (for all of us!) I appreciate your boost to the rest of us crafters!!!

    Hugs from Michigan – Diane

    Reply
  2. Jenni Swenson
    Jenni Swenson says:

    I don’t even know how I happened to look at this today… but it really made me laugh. I love seeing others in an unorganized state.. when you are a crafter it happens a lot right?

    Reply
  3. Nicole
    Nicole says:

    O MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!! I could have laughed through this whole post. What a refreshing read!!!!!!!!!!! O if we all could be that honest!!! Really really enjoyed every moment of your clearly refined taste. 😉 wink wink!!!

    Reply
  4. Debbie B
    Debbie B says:

    Oh my gosh. My eyes have tears. Thank you for sharing your life in that photo tour. It is so nice to see that someone else leads a normal life and isn’t afraid to share it. I no longer feel bad about myself and that my house is normal. You just saved me a lot of therapy, LOL.

    I just discovered your blog and will probably spend the next few days reading all of it. I also love Shaklee.

    Reply
  5. Kas
    Kas says:

    LOL!! Love “Keeping it Real” style. That’s definitely my style. What a great post! I often wonder how people keep their homes looking so neat and festive during the holidays that it looks like they don’t even live there. o.O But it’s good to know that hey not everyone is like that and a home is not a home unless there is alittle bit of clutter. 😛

    Reply
  6. helen
    helen says:

    Thank you for this “keeping it real” post … makes me feel a LOT better!! I, also, only have the tree done. No, wait, wreath IS on the front door and outside lights are up, courtesy of my son when he was home from college @ Thanksgiving 🙂 We are in the middle of redoing our laundry room, so everything from that room is in the dining room. And tools are in the kitchen … and I don’t mean kitchen utensils!!

    Reply
  7. Evelene Sterling
    Evelene Sterling says:

    Oh my gosh I love this post! Thanks for giving us a chuckle and a reminder that there is only 24 hours in a day and to keep it real! I am visiting from Viv’s post at The V Spot.

    Reply
  8. susan
    susan says:

    Love the way the mudroom all ties together with the red Santa hat and red coat coordinating with the green bucket. Great job! I am lucky to find my key board underneath all the piles of paper stacked in my kitchen. Loved the post…………….

    Reply
  9. Shirley
    Shirley says:

    Thanks Brittany , I thought all the bloggers were super human. I see all the perfectly decorated homes and the many crafts, etc they have done and I wonder if maybe I am just not a good homemaker. Then I see your post and your home and I think finally someone like me, that lives in the real world. With things happening in our lives that prevents us from doing all the housework.
    I have been battling a cold and laryngitis for 2 weeks now, and between crocheting a LOT of Christmas gifts and trying to decorate etc etc my home looks just like yours.

    THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! I am worthy!!!

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] I can’t wait to invite you in to see the decorations. (These are my home tours from 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015.) This year I tried to keep it simple, but I did take two days to make a really […]

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