Christmas Home Tour 2024 | Christmas Simplicity Meets Child-Proof Elegance 🎄 | FHL Design

Hey guys, it's Shelby Michelle with FHL Design and we're here for another Christmas home tour. I'm going to title this Simplicity with Children. Is it simple though? I would say it is simple for me because normally I love to DIY some fun garlands, get really fun ideas on tables, but my son was undoing everything as I was doing them. And you know, you know that moment when you're at your breaking point and you think, wow, I cannot. And I just, it all of a sudden it went in my brain like an Ebenezer Scrooge moment where I imagined my son remembering his mother screaming at him every Christmas. And I thought, do what you can do. Peace, be still. So yeah, but I came to the rescue. You did. Yeah, we sent him off with his, but my husband took the kids. We sent him off and we got as much as we could get done in an hour and a half. And so that was, that was really what we needed for it to feel festive, to feel good. And we were very intentional to make sure there was not much breakable. So we'll start in the living room. So you have a great tree. This tree is very tall. The ceilings are pitched here. And so this tree goes all the way up to the top and it really makes a wow factor, I think. Yeah. I wanted to do something really fun like that sangria tree that people got inspired by that hotel. It's like a fancy hotel tree. And I thought I could hang lights and do like a wraparound, like candlesticks and do like a wraparound ornament thing. And I started, and that's really where the tension started. And so I thought, you know what, we're going to go back to what we know. And I've done something very similar to this. Beaded garland, simple ornament, not a lot of fuss. And it worked. But then you took this dough bowl and you added some of the children's actual presents and just wrapped them simply with craft paper. And it looks really cute. Yeah, I thought if I'm going to do this, I love the idea of the dough bowl. And then I thought, let's actually order the presents. And I went on Amazon and got everything real quick and made it easy. If you're going to do it, let's simplify our lives. And then the fireplace, I used the swag from Decorators Warehouse and it's the Norfolk one. It's our favorite. Yeah, yeah. I do normally like a swoopy. I like a swoopy. But I am not in the season of swoopy with the children. And so if you are also, this is a great way to do it because it has some height and like it's still leveled up. Also the bells. I told my children that the bells, if they touch the stocking, the bells alarm off. Oh my goodness. So it's like decor. It's more Christmas lies. It does alarm. I will hear if they touch the stocking. Okay. Is it a lie? And then you were really concerned about it being a little boring. And so we added the horn. Yeah. To give it just a little more dimension and life. Well, and that's kind of, you love to say put a wreath on it. Yeah. You can just put anything that feels festive. Yeah. On it. So when I cut these from the yard, I think they're a blue spruce. I'm not 100%. People love to ask what the greenery is when I cut it. But they have little tiny. Berries. She was going to say nuts. So then I updated the pillows. Mom found them at HomeGoods actually. She's been really into Hackner Home, but we wanted to switch things up quickly into HomeGoods trip. Then I have my entry table. And again, just a wreath, a swag, and some cut stems from the yard. So you don't have to do a lot. You don't have to over the top. If you literally just put a wreath on it, put some evergreen on it, you're good to go. Those cut stems from the yard are my favorite thing in the whole room. I just love them. I don't know what that is. It's a dogwood tree, and I've never seen it produce berries before. This is the first year. And if you have a dogwood, I would love to know if you've seen it. Is it like something that happens like every couple of years? Have I just not noticed? I would love to know. My dogwood tree is my favorite, and it's actually the first thing I see when I walk to my car. So it's shocking that I've missed that. So pretty. Looks like anthropology. Yeah. I mean, it honestly has stayed so intact that it looks manufactured, which it's been cut for days. So that's what you're looking for. Okay. So now I think we're ready to show the playroom addition. Okay. So this, you know how mom has her green room, her Christmas room? I feel like this is my green room, my Christmas room. And we got green tile. We got green walls. It's actually, the color is actually called the gray. Like Sherwin-Williams, is it connected gray or something like that? It's definitely green. Definitely green. And the green door, and there's green everywhere. Yeah. So last year, Decorators Warehouse came out and they used the green plaid. And a lot of these ornaments came from actually the same ornament package that mom used in her living room tree. So it's, I don't actually know what they, do they call it the woodlands? It's the woodlands. It's the woodlands package. But they give you so many ornaments that you just really want to split them up and do two to five trees with it because it is a lot of ornaments. And we kind of like a sparser, is that a word? Sparser? More sparse. And then we have just this bucket of ornaments. And I brought the sled in. It looks like we're still decorating the tree. Yes. Is what that kind of feels like, right? Well, that's a good, it's an elves in progress. It's in progress. So I did, I did her ribbon method. I added blue. So the blue was actually from mom's Christmas tree three or four years ago. And so I snagged those, added the blueberries, which are new, the blue picks. And then the actual sled was actually from my chicken coop Christmas last year. Gotta go look at that. Well, I'm just going to overlay clips of my Christmas chicken coop. And let's pretend like it looks like that today. But it doesn't. It doesn't. It is literally empty. And for everyone that said the chickens are going to poop all over my Christmas decor, they did not because that area shuts off. Yeah. So it's really like it's half potting shed, half chicken coop. It is really fun decorating it seasonally. But that was not, like I said, this is Christmas simplicity this year. Yes. So yeah, I love the combo. I love the green with the blue. I did have an inspiration that I'm happy to pop up. Adding the blue and the green just felt right. I actually ended up even doing that for my kids. Santa Claus this year is kind of going with the same color pot. So we let them decorate their own cookies. It doesn't seem like you should be able to eat those because they've used marker. It's obviously it's edible, but it's still scary. It's just scary to me. But it's there. But yeah. We want them to enjoy the season and not just feel. I mean, I want to feel like I'm in a magazine, but I'm sure their memories are better this way. So this is this is the best of both worlds. And then I did print some art over. Wow. That side as well. It's from I made it with AI. Mom loves to throw that out there and talk about the controversy. But it is really cute. It is so cute. But I didn't make the Jesus painting. I want to be very clear that I made the two. The Jesus painting is actually for my friend Tabitha, who is way more talented than anything a computer could generate. That is a fact. And so it's just a mix of. And tell Tabitha's candle. So it's Tabitha Schmidt. But what is her? I actually don't. Fox studio. Oh, well, I think she changed it. So I will I will link it because she's changed it. She she's going through a little bit of a rebrand. But she is phenomenal. Yeah, but not just her art, but her life story and her heart. I mean, there's nobody special. An amazing human. Amazing. So, OK, while we're in here, let's talk about kids spaces in general. I did spruce up my kids rooms for the holidays. So Quinn's room, I let her decorate it, which honestly, it kind of was a vibe like it felt very like anthro. You know, she's like having our little design assistant. Yeah, I think she's so sweet and so cute. Yeah. And I love watching her in her. You know, she's starting to become so creative. Yeah. And I did just put the love versus design wallpaper up. And I love the way it's turning out. This is my first experience with feeling thick wallpaper. I'm probably going to go more towards traditional just because I like the being able to move it around with glue. But we'll talk more about that in another video. But we did use love versus design traditional wallpaper at the Park Place project. So you can compare both. Right. They're a great company because you can literally customize any wallpaper, any color, any print. It's just they're really cool. Yeah. And then my son's room, we. So that was Luke is my son. But then I have another son coming. And so Cooper, Cooper. And so we are transforming a little bit tweaking, I guess we should say, the nursery to make it a little bit different. Well, what we didn't want to do was we didn't want to gut the nursery. We wanted to use the base. It was great. We had a great wall with blue shiplap and blue trim all the way around. And then we had some. It was all kind of an auto theme like. His Luke's nickname is Hot Rod. So we went with Hot Rods in there. Old vintage Hot Rods. But this baby, we want him to be calmer than Luke. And so we decided Polo. Is Polo calm? I hope so. We think Polo is much more calming. Yeah. So we did some Polo hats, super cool vintage Polo hat. And we did a lot of Polo art. Yeah. So I put a flag on the wall. I put the my Waterford American flag ornaments on the reindeer head. And then I actually mounted a wreath behind and then just had an a bear tree in the corner. So very Ralph Lauren. Yes. Yeah. That's what we're going for. OK. Are you ready for the kitchen? Yeah. OK. Kitchen. Again, in mom's house, we shared that we like to keep counter space clear. You still need to function, but you want decor. So really, I have flowers, an open cookbook, food. Voila. That's it. Yeah. But I do want to brag on my food because I have been. I like to bake a little bit. So I made a butter candle with my sourdough. And then I made star bread, which is basically like braided bread. It's essentially a giant cinnamon roll. And it's so pretty. And then I just put oranges in it. It's pretty, but it's delicious because we had it for Thanksgiving. Yeah. So good. Yeah. Dad loves cinnamon rolls. And he always talks about how no one gives him cinnamon rolls. I guess you're lacking as. Yeah, I'm not that. I'm not that wise. Yeah. But I do cook. We've talked about it. But baking is another side of the brain. Yes. Wreath on the vent hood. If you're looking for a way to spruce up your kitchen, that is always a ticket. And I did do my coffee bar a little bit. I didn't do much, but just a little bit. Well, we went to the antique mall and Shelby found these little sweet little jars. And so she filled them with mini marshmallows and little candy canes. And then I thought, I need a sweet little jar. And these jars were how much? These jars were $12 each, but 50% off. $6 each. So I said, I'm going to go for this. And I find this little jar and I pick it up and I turn it over. A hundred dollars. I'm like, why? It's this vintage candy jar. And I thought, wow, I mean, what is the chances that she picks up the one? I mean, there's so many jars. So many jars. And so I do want to call out this is from Bloom House. Bloom House. And they are local. So if you're looking for a gorgeous arrangement, we did we did pay for these. No, it's not a sponsor, but we do love shopping local. And, you know, we'd like to get to know the vendors in town. And they're artisans, really. I mean, this is art. Oh, yeah. You know? Yeah. They're really talented. But you did great. And I love everything. And you did a little bell and some candy sticks. Yeah. Candy cane sticks. Well, this is funny. So we literally. It's like a Seinfeld episode. Are you going to talk about when I almost ate the vintage candy cane? Well, no, but that is fitting. Those are those are literally I have used those candy cane for decor for like five years. And at some point, someone always tries to eat them. We have a friend in McKinney who has literal like 50, 100 year old white candy canes, right? Yeah. And I thought it was pick one up on the way out the door. She was like, oh, when she said it was like when Elaine ate the piece of. I don't want to say. They call her boss. Bought a piece of like wedding cake from like this famous wedding. And it was over 100 years old. Peterman, her boss. Anyway, it's a comment. If you watch if you watch Seinfeld, please comment. I digress. Yes, but no, it is sometimes when you just want to reuse those things like I might probably just throw those candy canes that are in the coffee bar in the decor pile. Oh, you know, you just never know. I just I don't enjoy them. So it's but most of the holiday things like the cookies and the there's actually delicious things that we can have. But it is funny. She did. Those candy canes were like 50 years old and mom. You're OK, though. You're living. OK, so let's go finish off with the dining. OK, dining room, I will admit I always feel like this room feels halfway done because there's some things I want to do. I want to move the light. I want to do a bench seat. I want to there's like a lot of white wall. Yeah. All the things I just feel like it's just like an afterthought. There's just a table and a space. But I do. I am feeling that this year. It's so cute. You decided to do the bows on the light fixture. Well, you were saying that the light fixture was just kind of taking away from everything you were doing. And I said, well, let's put a bow on it and it will. Yeah. Elevate the whole thing. Yeah. So this art is actually my husband's grandmother's painting. It doesn't go like day to day, but a winter scene is great for Christmas. So it's good to pull that out every season. And then I had mom's neighbor actually gave us this red china that I put in a box. I really wanted it to be mobile. I wanted it out so that I could style it and have it maybe use it. But like I said, this is the Christmas of simplicity and it is kid proof. And honestly, for some reason, something about it being in a box makes it they just haven't been interested. It's odd. Yeah. I don't know. But I did have inspiration for this for the candles and the moss in the little jars or get a little milk spout and all that. I saw that. And then I also saw where someone styled a few plates in a box. And I thought, OK, let's combine those ideas. And that was. Great job. Worked. I think it's so cute. Yeah. It was my idea. It's actually an alpaca throw. Alpaca throw. Yes, we got it. And I think you should just leave that there because I think it's really cozy and comfy and I like it. Yeah. I don't know if it'll stay there, but they are washable. They're very durable. And so I could see that working. And we found wall sconces from East Fork Mall, which we have blasted East Fork Mall like five times in the past five videos. We have been frequenting because I do think it's the best antique mall in this area, at least that we know of. And if you know of one that's better in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you need to stop gate keeping and let us know because we share with you. Yeah. But you were wanting something long and slender on either side of the painting. And so when we found these, I loved them immediately. And you weren't sure because it's like when you are expecting Coke and you get a Pepsi. And so you just couldn't wrap your brain around it because you had something envisioned for each side. But aren't you glad? No, I like them, but nobody wants a Pepsi. Okay. Right? We're never going to get sponsored now. I don't want to get sponsored by Pepsi. It's not my thing. If you're a Pepsi person, comment below and we'll. Coke versus Pepsi. Dr. Pepper. Yeah, I would say Dr. Pepper, Coke, Pepsi. How did we get here? I don't know. It's Christmas. We'll talk about gingerbread houses. Okay, so that is it for my holiday 2024 tour. It's a wrap. We do have a lot more in store for you. This season, we are decorating the Park Place house for the holidays. And I will tell you that tree. We brought in Stephanie Benedetto from Blooming Ivy Lane to help us. And if you don't know, she is Christmas superstar, really styling superstar. But she actually found the same inspiration photo as Stephanie. So you both had that in mind. We are on the same wavelength right now. And so it is very, it's working. And so it's, it's awesome. You're gonna love it. And then we have, we're going to Shannon of My Little White Barn. And we're going to tour hers. And then of course, we have the Rockwell Holiday Home Tour, which is y'all's favorite. So we have some really great Christmas inspiration. It is going to be an amazing season. Thanks for being patient. Because I know you guys like start in October. We're a little late to the party this year. And you know what? That's okay. But it's sustainable. And we're gonna still have a great time. Yeah. So like, subscribe, share with your friends who love all things Christmas. And we will see you next time. Bye guys.