Holiday Open House

Welcome to Omi's Cottage!


The outside of our house all lit up and ready to welcome visitors.



The front entry table...All decked out for the holidays......



I so enjoy passing by the livingroom mirror and seeing the reflection of the tree, so pretty!



I'm madly in love with My vintage Santa. He holds many wonderful childhood memories for me. He belonged to my Maternal Grandpa. My Grandpa just loved this little guy! He would turn it on and watch it walk around his living room...I now use it to wake my girls up on Christmas morning.


Isn't this little oil lamp so cute....It also belonged to my Maternal Grandparents. I so enjoy lighting it during the holidays in remembrance of them. =)




Did you know Christmas villages originated in the traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch... So glad they have kept the tradition going, as our Christmas village is a favorite at our house.


Our youngest daughter looks forward to setting up the village every year..She always does an amazing job!



My favorite part of the village, is the church! The windows all lit up and ready to greet the Congregation for Christmas Services. So much fun!




We will end with the Christmas Nativity. This Nativity is the one my husband grew up with. I so enjoy setting it up every season. I know it must bring back fond Christmas memories for him. Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Slatkin & CO. Candles

I so enjoy a good scented candle. My all time favorite candles are from Slatkin & CO. You can purchase Slatkin & CO candles at Bath & Body Works. For the 2010 holiday season, I am enjoying Winter and Fresh Balsam. The house smells heavenly!

Oh Christmas Tree

It's that time of year again....My favorite time, tree time! The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went out and found our perfect tree. This year, our home will house a 7ft Grand Fir. I love the fragrant smell of Grand Firs! It was originally over 8ft, but for it to fit well in the corner, we had to do some cutting. How come Christmas trees look so much smaller outside? LOL...Once you bring them inside, the shock of how big they really are, finally sets in ;) I guess we could always measure first, but that would end up taking all the fun out of it! This year, I will gladly be using all the left-over branches in all my other Christmas decorating.


Here she is....The perfect tree in a sea of other trees!


The Hubby tying her on the roof of our Yukon.


The tree stand is on and it's time to lift her up.


Uh oh! She is leaning, but we can fix that =)


There is nothing like watching, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", as we decorate the tree. It always puts you into the Christmas spirit...Now, let the decorating begin =)

Autumn In Colorado

I have to say, my favorite time of year in Colorado is Autumn!




The Mountains sprinkled in shades of gold.





Driving slowly down a dirt road to get a close up view of an Aspen Grove, as the trees begin to turn.




Watching the Moose soak up the Autumn sun, while filling their bellies full of food, before cold and snowy days ensue.





Listening to a Bull Elk bugle, during the Fall Rutt......




And watching them round up their Harem in Rocky Mountain National Park.




Walking around our neighborhood park, and catching a glimpse of the morning sun peaking through the trees....




and enjoying the gorgeous hues of red and gold!



Lastly, watching the peaceful morning light; dance on the water of our neighborhood pond.




“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” ~ John Muir

Happy Autumn!

=) Naomi

My New Sewing Room

I now have my own sewing room, woohoo! This room originally was my youngest daughter's bedroom. It is a small room, and she was ready for more space. We ended up switching bedrooms around, and I took over the empty space. My goal was to be able to decorate it by shopping our house. I did not want to have to go out and purchase anything. I did just that, shopped the house.


Before...

I wanted to keep the room light and airy, so the cream color on the walls would stay. Every room needs a little "POP" of color! I created an accent wall, by painting it blue...Using leftover paint from a previous project.


After...






This wonderful cabinet originally belonged to my Aunt Rubye.

Rubye passed away a few years back, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Her husband, Harold... made it for her. I have always loved the "country look" of the cabinet, and had admired it for a very long time. A few Summers ago, I hauled it from Montana to Colorado. It rode home with us on top of our Yukon XL. It's a big piece of furniture, and I was not sure what I wanted to do with it, once we got it home... As soon as I started working on my sewing room, I knew immediately, Aunt Rubye's cabinet would be the perfect place to hold all my sewing material. I know she would be thrilled, as she was an avid sewer. =)

Before...

The dark wood door and trim had to go. Such an easy fix with with a few coats of paint.

After...

Lucy (our Basset) loves the new room, too!

Pink And Green Bedroom

With moving bedrooms around, my youngest took over her sister's room. It went from cream colored walls and purple circles, to green and pink in color with stenciled white flowers. At first, I wasn't so crazy about the bright colors, but it all turned out really cute in the end. I added in the brown accents (curtains and throw pillow), to help tone down the pink and green. It worked wonderfully! My youngest loves her new room!

Before....


Not only did the walls get a fresh coat of paint, but so did the trim.


After....












The closet went from dark boring wood....To looking pretty in white!


We purchased the knobs at Home Depot for $1.99 a piece. Much better than the brass knobs that were original to the closet.

We were very pleased with how her room turned out! The paint we used for the walls is "Color Place" from Walmart. We have always been satisfied with the outcome of using color place paint, and our wallet always thanks us too =) The trim is...BEHR Premium Plus Ultra (Paint and Primer in one.) The color is Coastal Beige. Love, love, love the paint in primer in one!! We have used the same color throughout our home on all of our trim.

The Purple Bedroom

This bedroom was originally our guest room...To give our oldest daughter more space, it is now her room. The guest room colors were darker blue on the bottom, light blue on top.
Before....



After....
The bottom part of the wall, is now a brighter purple. The top half became a light lilac color. Maybe down the road, we will paint the trim white. For now, the wood trim will do. We also added in some aqua color in the curtains and her throw pillow.


My oldest daughter loves animals, and her room is the home of: Two Guinea Pigs, two Russian Tortoises,and a Whites Tree Frog....Our Basset Hound, Lucy...has been enjoying the room too! She kept showing up in every photo =)


Nap Time!





Danielle the tortoise, is loving her new accommodations!

Chair Makeover

My youngest daughter was in need of a new desk chair. Instead of going out and buying a new one, I decided to makeover a chair we had in our basement. The chair was left by the previous owners of our home. Using spray paint in antique white, and fleece fabric purchased at the fabric store, the chair was able to get a whole new look.

Before...





After...




I'm so thrilled with how the chair turned out! It always amazes me what a little spray
paint and fabric can do =)