Holiday Home Tour

Today I spent the day with some girlfriends touring 6 beautiful homes here in Greensboro, NC  that were all part of a Holiday Home Tour to raise funds for the choir at Caldwell Academy and they were decorated for the holidays.  Here are some of the highlights from the tour.    We  first toured 4 homes and then of course we had to fortify ourselves with lunch and beverages at a a place called Lindley Park Filling Station.  Very cute and small restaurant with wonderful food.  I had half of a sandwich called the Madison Avenue… Smoked Turkey, Granny Smith Apples, Honey Walnut Cream Cheese on a Croissant and half of the The Filling Station salad…Dried Cranberries, Bleu Cheese Crumbles, Walnuts over Spring Mix with their House made Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Every bite as delicious as it sounds.  I can’t wait to go back.  You know I couldn’t not talk about the food!

 

Anyway, back to the home tour.  My favorite of the 6 we toured ended up being the first one we toured.   This home was in the Lake Jeanette area and  It had an “Old World” look to it

This was the kitchen where they had a large gingerbread house display on the counter.

I thought this was a different idea.  Copper buckets were hung by the fireplace instead of stockings and then the initial for each child hung off of those buckets.  

This home had a pretty staircase.  We liked the burlap ribbon that was part of the garland.

This home also had a pretty table set in the dining room.  Silver and gold were mixed together. 

This was a grand old home built in I believe they said 1927 and was located near Greensboro Country Club in the Old Irving Park area. We are talking old money here.  Old Southern money and very grand.  They told us the owners moved out for 2 years while the home was renovated.  Can you imagine that?!

 

The kitchen in this home was beautiful.  I loved the big farmhouse sink and they had an AGA oven.  The owner told us it stays warm at all times.  I always wanted to see one in person. 

I loved this outdoor fireplace area on their back patio. 

 

This beautiful home was in the Sunset Hills area.  Loved the side porches on this home.

 

  This one had a renovated kitchen and it was beautiful. 

This was the view out the kitchen window.  There was even a waterfall off to the right side.

This is the last home we toured.  We did tour two others but my photos of those two home did not turn out very well.   (We had to take our shoes off to tour all of the homes and the basket in the photo above is filled with little booties.)

This home had a “bridge” that was also decorated with garland.  This home also had a grand piano in the foyer as you came in the front doors.  Why I didn’t take a photo of that…I don’ know!

    

Even the kid’s bedrooms in this house had decorated Christmas trees in them.  This girls bedroom was decorated with purple and black.  The colors really looked great together.

    

And this girl’s room was decorated in soft pinks and soft greens. 

Here is what I noticed that most of the homes had in common decorating wise: 

~Wreaths hung with ribbon over mirrors

~Lots of fresh greenery in vases

~Magnolia leaves in garlands and wreaths

~silver and gold mixed together

~Lot’s of Mark Jacobs Santa Fairies

~Glass domes with ornaments, cookies, and more Santa Fairies under them.

~Big bows used as tree toppers with glittery stems poking out of the tops

~Lot’s of glitter

~Candles that smelled wonderful

~wreaths suspended by ribbon hung on windows inside the house

~Apothecary Jars filled with candy.

~Burlap ribbon used in the garlands

I have to admit that as much as I hate seeing so many Christmas things in the stores already and it’s not yet Thanksgiving, the tour today put me in the holiday mood.  We might even hang our outdoor Christmas light tomorrow because the weather is supposed to be so nice.  But I promise we won’t be turning them on till after Thanksgiving!