A Merry Little Christmas

Christmas decorations are small at our house.  We live in a little house and sometimes spend Christmas away, so we haven't put much into decorating it.  My denial about Christmas being eleven days away isn't really helping.  But this weekend I put up our mini tree, Josiah strung some lights around the windows, and today I finally decorated the hutch.

I cut out those paper snowflakes when I was in college.  I put them up every year and take them down and save them.

My extra ornaments from the tree and the snowman my mom gave me for my first Christmas at this house.

My friendship bag from Italy and a Westie card {I love Westies - in case you didn't notice!}.

Maybe I'll have a few more Christmas touches in the next couple of days...I just need to get some cleaning done too!

Simply Home: Slipcovers

Welcome to my newest column: Simply Home. I am kind of a Martha-Stewart-wanna-be when it comes to my home. I'm lucky enough to get to live in an adorable Cape Cod house for my first home-owner experience, and I've put some extra work into decorating it too {so, please bear with my cottage style}, but, with the military, we won't get to be here forever, so I've done my best to make my decorating as affordable and versatile as possible. In this column {which will run the Fridays I have something to write about} I'd like to show you some of the little things I've done that you can do at home too, to give your home a little style without breaking the bank {I'm sure all of you have very stylish homes though!}. If you have any tips or ideas, please e-mail me and I'd be happy to share some of them on the blog too! So first off, my white {slipcover} couch:

 

I love Pottery Barn style, and am always browsing their catalogs.  For the past several years, they've been displaying white sofas and I wanted to get that look.  So, I picked out this Ikea sofa at a fraction of the price {just in case - we're not the neatest couple on the planet} and have to say that, a few years later, it was a great option.  We haven't noticed too much wear and tear on the cushions, but the slipcovers have been amazing.  Chocolate, coffee, and a variety of other things have been spilled on this sofa, and yet they've all washed out with a little stain remover {in my home washing machine!}.  I've also noticed that after a few months of sitting around they start to look a little worn, but they wash up like new.  And, for an easy change, new slipcovers are available for reasonable prices as well.  So, if you're considering a slipcover sofa, I am pleased with mine, it didn't break the bank, and doesn't look too lived-in at all!  What a great way to make life easier, a sofa that is wash-and-go {just make sure the cover is machine washable, some of them are not}.

{Now I just need to figure out something for that empty wall...maybe a wall-hanging? vinyl decal? picture? Suggestions welcome!}