Merry Christmas 2010

Sometimes we don't see situations for the blessing they are intended to be. Often the biggest blessings come in the disguise of the biggest frustrations. I wonder if this is the way Mary felt when she heard of the census order?

How dare Caesar Augustus order a census the same time her baby was due. The logistics of this were all wrong. She was young, scared, and very pregnant. She would be away from all she knew. Away from her family. Traveling far...at the worst possible time. To a little town that would be very crowded.

Every new mother wants her baby to have their time. Their welcoming. Their own place. I wonder if Mary felt like all of that would be lost in the midst of their traveling. In the midst of everyone's distractions.

God knew differently. He knew His plan. His time. His welcoming. God knew that His place for Jesus was going to be in a manger with two ordinary people that were going to welcome and raise the Son of God. Talk about the ultimate way to disguise a blessing!! A blessing that would change eternity!

This blessing was "good news of a great joy that will be for ALL the people." This blessing was worthy of the appearance of a multitude of Heavenly Hosts...singing in the sky!

Even if it did not start out the way Mary had planned, she was able to treasure up all of these things in her heart. Her baby boy; they called Him Jesus.

This blessing that took place so long ago is still very much our blessing today. A great joy for ALL people. An opportunity for us to experience life forevermore.

Glory to God in the Highest...truly a merry Christmas to all.

Love,
The Kintigh Family
If you are looking for the whole Christmas story, read Luke 2:1-21 in the Holy Bible.

We at Bananas and Damask Interiors will be back on January 1st with fresh, new year inspirations!!

Holiday Tip...Frame Pictures/Magazine Pictures for Art

I wanted to dress up our foyer and hallway with some holiday cheer...but the decorating budget was zero. So, I pulled out my holiday magazines that had come and then been tucked away. There was art and holiday cheer for free!

(This tip works the best with smaller pictures; it is a little less obvious that they are magazine pages that way! Thanks to my December issue of Better Homes and Gardens and my holiday issue of Pottery Barn)

At Home for Christmas

I showed you the play room festivities, but here is downstairs. It's more of the classic tones...the grown up decor. The holidays have so many different tones, I feel that it's fine to have different tones in your home as well. Just avoid doing it all in the same space. Avoid the clashing or busy looks.


















When the weather calms...we'll work on outdoors!

Linking up on

Christmas Home Tours 2010 at the Nesting Place




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Silent Night...

This is the playroom at night. The kiddos and the toys are all put to bed and the colored lights twinkle. I chose to decorate with festive colors and non-breakable ornaments to keep the fun up and the stress down! The kids got to be a part of the decorating since this is mostly their space.



You may notice my "mantel" is not really. However, in a rental home, you do not always choose the foundations of your home. We love the rental home we are in, but I no longer have a mantel. Thus, a shelf is a great option when your decorating needs call for a mantel. This particular model is the Lack Shelf from Ikea. When decorating a fun space, it is often easier and cheaper to save items to use for later decoration. The nesting boxes were from a chocolate company that wrapped chocolates came in one year. The candy was wrapped, so the nesting boxes were ready to use! The ornament wreath was a DIY project with balls from the dollar tree. My point being that decorations, especially in the holidays do not have to be difficult or expensive. A little creativity will save your self...stress and money!

Incorporating Family Traditions Into Your Home's Atmosphere

As I began preparing for Christmas this year, I have to slow myself down. It becomes so easy, when decorating, to pull everything out quickly. To know where it looks good. To hurry the process along and move onto the next item on your list. It seems especially rushed this year because we are in a new home and I'm still trying to decide on everything while balancing my small children. They are so busy and into everything...it changes how you're able to decorate! Oh how I remember the days I didn't have to factor "reaching fingers" into my placement of breakables!

I want to avoid that pitfall this season. I want to slow down and remember traditions. Remember people. Remember what Christmas is really about. Sure, I have my bins of decorations ready. But as I take out each item, I want to show my children where they come from. What they mean to our family. Why I want them to know. To remember. Decorations are beautiful but if they are tied with memories, they become treasures. In today's world, we need treasures. We need things to mean something because we're all on a budget and cannot always go out and buy new decorations. We need to find value and joy in what we have and who we are with!

This season, Shutterfly, is aiding us in the process of our traditions becoming treasures. They are providing 50 free cards for writing about their promotion on your blog! Now, these are beautiful, quality, stationary-like greeting cards! The tradition of sending cards has become my favorite over the years. As a little girl, I remember my mom writing a letter every year and picking pictures of what we had done. Now, I know what a feat that is! It's almost impossible to pick out a picture where everyone is behaving, looking joyful, even looking at the camera at all! Haha. As I look at their selection, I do believe they could make any family picture look presentable! One of my favorites that I may use is their ""It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year">The Most Wonderful Time of Year" selection. It's a classic look but also has room for 1 photo. Like I mentioned, I have young children. One happy picture is a Christmas miracle!!

I love sending our cards out and I love receiving them! It always amazes me how much changes in a year and how much kids and families grow! Each one we receive helps me remember how God has been so faithful. When I was little, my sister and I would sit with the stack of cards and talk about the friends. We'd read letters as a family, praying for the people. And, of course, we always had certain cards we looked forward to! I remember hoping when I was little that one day I could send out cards like the ones that Shutterfly offers.

If you and yours are interested in more than Christmas cards this season, Shutterfly also is a great place to shop for your personalized photo calendars or your holiday party invitations! They provide quality you will delight in, making every event special throughout the year.

Check out all the promotion details here.

However you choose to capture your memories and traditions, enjoy the season. Choose to slow down and remember what is important. Teach your children. Find inspiration and bring it into your home.

Have a blessed holiday season. I will be back with some Christmas decor with the next post!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I think I'm feeling like it needs to be Christmas because it's snowing outside, and that only seems right for it to be snowing at Christmas. Snow is pretty and it decorates the outdoors naturally.

I'm busy trying to get the house cleaned and harvest decor put away before we go out of town. That way, we'll return to a blank canvas that is ready for Christmas!

Today I will leave you with some Pottery Barn Inspiration...



I will be back next week with my touches of holiday!

Guest Room Reveal

I so enjoyed putting this room together. I wanted a vintage hotel feel to it...but I wanted my decor to mean something. I wanted my guests to feel special.

Quick Decor Rundown:

Bedding:
Bed...St Vincent's De Paul Thrift Store
Sheets...Ross
Grey Comforter/2 Euro Shams...Ikea (Such thick quality, I LOVE this)
White Down Comforter/Cover...Ikea
Throw Pillows...Target
Damask Curtains...Target
Clock...Fred Meyer
Black n White Photos...My talented sister in law, Emily. (She has taken a lot of my photos that I have, such as birthday parties and family pics)
Door Knob...gift from my brother in law. I believe from Michael's
Old Frame...my friend Betsey
Nesting boxes...Lettered Cottage
Frames...lots of places. All were painted white
Milk glass...Goodwill
Pillow in box...made by my Momma. It's the ring bearer's pillow from my wedding and has some lace from her wedding dress.
Mercury Glass...Costco Set
Tea Set...garage sale
Wash Bowl...Great Grandmother's

Enjoy the Tour!

A Closer look at the Bonus Room

This is a bonus room upstairs...It's BIG. So instead of letting my furniture collect on the walls and have a canyon of carpet in the middle of the room, I made little areas that connected but had their own identity. It gave the room purposes. And with purpose, anything can shine!









Close Ups:

These shelves are from Ikea. The both of them were $8. They are on the wall to the left of my desk. The white cups (from Target) house scissors, erasers, and pencils. The 2 baskets (Ikea) have some crayons, puzzels, special "ask permission" selections :-).


This is a Lack Shelf from Ikea that was previously in my son's nursery. Everything on it comes from different areas of my house. Yes, that's a cinder block with moss on it that I found outside in the backyard of our previous home. You just need a little inspiration and careful boundaries and most things can become decor.


This lamp was one of a matching set that I got at a garage sale this past summer. I got the both of them for $12. They were dirty and brassy gold...oh what a can of spray paint can do. I used one whole can on both lamps together of just a glossy white. The lamp shade was $10 at Ikea. SO, for $16 and some time, I have a big, white, statement lamp that is the size normally going for around $40-$70 at retail stores.


This is a chalkboard I made with an old frame, a piece of sheet metal (so it's a magnetic chalkboard), and a jar of chalkboard paint. We've had this for a while. It's perfect for practicing letters and magnents but also for those priceless art pieces. Side Note: When one colors, I mean practices writing her name, in Sharpie on the chalkboard...it will be there until you repaint.


Decorate Play Rooms with learning items or toys themselves. It is good to have a balance and do it with style, but books, for instance, are perfect decor for a room where children will spend their time. I got this whole set of Time Life "First Library of Learning" books for $9 at a farmer's market. They'll be perfect for spontaneous learning as my kids get older.


Last but certainly not least, STORAGE! I know in the decorating world, this is the most common solution you hear most often. But, that's because it works. Just because a room has toys in it does not mean you have to see all of them. all. the. time. I believe in having toys put away. I believe in kids learning how to do it themselves. Baskets/totes are perfect for age-appropriate responsibility. Even my little man, who is 16 months old, knows how to put his toys away in these canvas boxes. Each kind of toy has it's own box. We got this particular unit at Costco. It comes with the linen colored canvas boxes. 8 of them. And they are very deep. Side note: We clean out our toys a lot. We don't keep toys if the kids are past the stage, if the toy is missing parts, or if it is never played with. We have an annual garage sale and we clean up! It allows for a refreshed feel and to have room when the next stage of playing is approaching.




I hope you enjoyed this room. Let me know if you have any more specific bonus room/toy room questions! The paint that we used is "Moon Mist" from True Value.

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