Bidding Farewell Part 3 ~ Our Dining Room

It's official we have left behind our first home.

We are saying goodbye to our first cottage bungalow.

So to continue on with our tribute to our first home & all the projects we did,

we are bidding farewell room by room.

If you missed Part 1 & Part 2 you can see them here & here.

Part 3

 ~ Our Dining Room~

We updated the dining room in stages to save on our budget.

In time it came together just as I hoped.

If you would like to see the before (or somewhere in the middle) you can go here.

If you go...beware....it was in my early blogging days & those photos are not the best!

Come on into the dining room & enjoy good food, family & friends with us.

The dining room & kitchen for me are the heart of the home.

In this house our kitchen was a little tiny, but the dining room was the saving grace.

This is the view from the quaint cottage kitchen into our dining room.

Directly off the kitchen & dining room is our 4 season back porch, this is the view from there.

You can also sneak back into the living room through the door in the corner.

The dining room turned out to be one of my favorite rooms in our first home.

I will always remember the first time we had our family over after all the updates.

It will be one of those cherished memories that will last forever.

I finally had a dining room that reminded me of home.

Growing up the dining table was where it all went down.

My family always had Sunday dinners at my Mom & Dad's.

Anyone & everyone was always welcome...the more the merrier.

We shared so many memories at my Mom & Dad's dining table.

Boy, I bet that table could tell some stories.

My Mom LOVED to entertain!

The table was ever changing with the season.

We shared good food family & friends.

We laughed & sometime cried & sometimes laughed so hard we hard cried.

Had family game nights.

The dining table was where I can remember planning our futures.

And ultimately bringing home the perfect guy to meet the family.

Then one day soon after, knowing that guy was the perfect fit at the dining table.

So, for me the dining room & dining table really are the heart of the home you see.

Where would all my memories have occured if it weren't for that dining room?

I think those memories helped to mold the person I am.

I hope one day my dining table has that effect on someone.

What is your favorite room in your home?

Is it the dining room?

What do you like most about your dining room?

Do you have a room that speaks to your soul the way my dining room does for me?

Hope you all are having a great week!

I promise, soon I will be posting the first progress pics of our new home

& our next major renovation journey.

I hope you will join us this year as we take on our biggest renovation yet!

Carrie

linking up to

Miss Mustard Seed

The Shabby Nest

Remodelaholic

Funky Junk Interiors

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Savvy Southern Style

Thrifty Decor Chick

Remodelaholic Dining Room Link Up

Dining Hutch ~ my alternative mantel

Unfortunately I do not have a festive holiday mantel to share with you all.

I know everyone is partying with mantels this week:(

But I do have this hutch in my dining room that I freshen up for the holidays.

~ Naturally cottage chic if I do say so myself ~

On the top I added a pop of red with these festive poinsettias.

Tip ~ Instead of buying one large poinsetta that could cost $25-$50

I purchased 2 smaller ones that were $5 each they filled in my galvanized bucket perfectly.

I always try to coordinate my dining hutch with my dining table decor.

You can see more of my dining room for the holidays here and here.

I used fresh greens on the hutch and on my dining table to pull the look together in the room.

 I thought these greenery sprigs were organically fresh & simple.

Here I used some artificial berry filler with greenery sprigs.

I also used arificial snow filler and added just a single pinecone to finish the container.

I really love to mix natural elements in all of my decor for any season.

I think that is my favorite part of my holiday decor this year.

You will see fresh simple natural elements with pops of red in nearly every room.

For me it is important to make sure that the overall vibe

of my home has a cohesive feel from room to room both at the Holidays and everyday.

Be sure to come back & check out more of our

{Home for the Holidays} at The Corson Cottage

So here are the holiday parties I am joining!

I'll be heading over to Rhoda's on Wednesday.

And Ten June on Tuesday

~ Don't forget ~

You are all invited to party here every Friday in December!!!

Come join us for our {Home for the Holidays} Link Party.

Happy Holidays!

Carrie
also linking up to
Thrifty Decor Chick
Home Stories A to Z
Savvy Southern Style
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Saved by Suzy
Remodelaholic
French Country Cottage
Funky Junk Interiors

Holiday Dining Table Decor ~ Part 2

Welcome {Home for the Holidays} with The Corson Cottage.

As I said before, I will be partying with these amazing bloggers the next two weeks.

If you haven't read Part 1 of our Holiday Dining Table Decor

you can check that out here.

I got a little photo happy out of control.

Here is our Holiday Dining Tablescape.

To be able to set the table, I removed one of the lanterns that sit on the table everyday.

It made a little more room to ensure that guests will be comfortable.

Okay so, if you are a Corson Cottage reader you know how I feel about burlap.

Casual.Simple.Cheap.Natural.Elegant.

 I added burlap squares instead of chargers or placemats.

Saved some $ on the ol budget, because I always keep a stash of burlap handy.

I love to use classic white dishes year round.

We have a casual lifestyle, so for us they are perfect.

You can make them work for any season just by making a few simple changes.
They are very versatile you can dress them up a little or keep it simple just the way I like it.

I picked up the plaid napkins at Target for $3.19 for a package of 2 and I needed 3 packs.
I'm really loving the plaid trend that is everywhere lately.
For me it was a perfect Cottage Christmas classic touch.
And it reminded me of home, my Mom always had a red & green paid table cloth for the holidays.

I also tied a simple piece of jute instead of using napkin rings, again saving money.

As you can see I placed my table setting for 6.

When we do have guests it's usually a full house.

I thought this is a great look for a holiday brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Here I thought I would show you just how simple it can be to change it up a little.

This look is just a bit more quick & simple.

Perhaps you need two coordinating looks because you'll be hosting guests for more than one meal.

Or if you do not need an entire table setting & you're just having a couple guests this works well too.

I switched out my centerpiece for a bowl of fresh Red Delicious apples with a few green sprigs.

I already had this bowl premade and it was sitting on a small

table that sits on our back porch right off the kitchen.

So it was an easy peasy swap. 

I just moved my lanterns to the floor behind the dining table.

I thought this was a great way of mixing it up & being efficient.

 I don't have to worry about making a new centerpiece on the day of hosting guests.

There you have it.

This is our Holiday Dining at The Corson's for 2011.

I'm partying with my all time favorite blogger today!

So head on over and check out Layla at The Lettered Cottage.

If you still haven't checked out Part 1 of our dining post you can still see it here.

Oh Yeah!

Don't forget to come back to The Corson Cottage to see the rest of our Holiday Decor 2011.

&

You are invited to party with us every Friday in December!!!

We will be warming your hearts for the holidays at our

{Home for the Holidays} link party.

Come join us!!!

Happy Holidays!!!

Carrie & Travis
also linking up
Home Stories A to Z
Thrifty Decor Chick
Savvy Southern Style
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Between Naps on the Porch
No Minimalist Here
The Shabby Nest
Remodelaholic
Funky Junk Interiors
It's Overflowing
The 36th Avenue

Holiday Dining Table Decor ~ Part 1

It's been busy busy here at The Corson Cottage.

I've been putting all the finishing touches on our Holiday Decor.

I'm super exicted to share it with you all!!!

We will be partying with some of my favorite blogs this week.

Holiday decorating has always had a special place in my heart.

I think it is truly one of my earliest decorating memories from my childhood.

My Mom always took the time to make sure we were always

making memories while cherising each special moment of the holiday season.

This year as I decorated for the holidays it just reminded me of those special times.

I suppose now it is my turn to create those special memories while

creating a {Home for the Holidays} here at The Corson Cottage.

So, here is our Holiday Dining Table reveal.

Welcome {Home for the Holidays} with the Corson Cottage.

I found these lanterns at my brother's store Dwellings and absolutely fell in love.

I knew I had to have them for my dining table.

I added some fresh greens to the table and the lanterns to complete the look.

A few red ribbons layered in and done.

Inside the lanterns I used three white candles and some green moss to finish it off.

I hung a fresh wreath in the window and tied it with a simple red ribbon.

It kind of started a trend for me with the red ribbons this year.

Normally I do not use much red in my decor.

But I totally went for this year! 

 I mean we are just screaming Holidays around here!

This is the everyday look of our dining table.

For now it is just Travis & I, no kiddos yet.

So, we honestly don't eat at our dining table daily.

But, I did decide to do a seperate post to show our Holiday dining tablescape options.

Okay...so maybe I got a little camera happy:)

But heck.... I guess I just got in that good ol holly jolly holiday spirit!

To see more you can check it our here.

This is the view from our back porch that is attached to our kitchen.

So, I'm gonna be partying with my all time favorite blogger tomorrow!

Head on over to Layla's at The Lettered Cottage for the party!

Layla's blog was the first blog I totally came across accidentally in a google search.

I swear I litterally read every post......all the old archives.....

if she said hey go here...I went.....if she said I'm following these blogs.....I followed......

I mean cover to cover just like a great book you can't put down.

I had NO idea there were all these crazy people out there JUST LIKE ME

Decorating Obsessed Enthusiasts.  Who knew???

So, thanks Layla!  You are still my #1 daily read.

Oh yeah....I almost forgot

YOU ARE ALL INVITED!!!

{Home for the Holidays}

With The Corson Cottage Every Friday in December!

I hope to see you there!

Happy Holidays!

Carrie & Travis
also linking up
Between Naps on the Porch
Savvy Southern Style
The Shabby Creek Cottage
No Minimalist Here
Saved by Suzy
Remodelaholic
French Country Cottage
Funky Junk Interiors
It's So Very Cheri
It's Overflowing