A Summer House On A Christmas Home Tour

Welcome to the 306th Metamorphosis Monday!

How was your weekend? Go on any Christmas home tours? Did you do a little Christmas decorating? I finished decorating the front porch and I’m looking forward to sharing that soon.

This weekend I attended the Marietta Pilgrimage and though pictures weren’t allowed inside the homes, I have a few to share of some of the outside spaces that were transformed for Christmas. I also have a couple of pictures from inside one home…more on that in a sec.

Remember recently when I shared pictures of a cute cottage that was available for purchase. The listing stated the home was a Sears kit home. It was so fascinating to learn about these homes built from mail-order kits!

As we stood in line waiting to enter this home below, the docent told us it was originally a one-level home and was built from the Montgomery Ward kit called “The Florence.” I’m not sure how much it still resembles “The Florence” since the home had a second story added to it and saw an extensive renovation in later years. These kit homes are really all around us, but we don’t always know it since many have been renovated over the years.

Montomery Ward Kit House 'The Florence'

 

We saw three homes on the day tour and three homes on the candlelight tour. Behind one of the homes on the day tour we saw a Summer House in the back yard. Photos were allowed inside  so I snapped a few with my cell phone.

Detached Screened Porch or Summer Porch

 

The summer house was screened and there was a nice seating area in one corner.

Seating in Summer House or Screened Porch

 

Another corner was furnished with a place to eat on breezy summer days.

Dining in The Summer House

 

There was also a great fireplace which would be wonderful for those early spring and late fall evenings.

Fireplace on Screened Porch_wm

 

Love the little outdoor kitchen….it’s like a real playhouse, only for grown-ups! 🙂

Outdoor Kitchen for Screened Porch Summer House

 

Outside another home we toured, I noticed their pretty window boxes.

Christmas Window Box_wm

 

The window box above made me think of another one I once saw on this same tour during a previous year.

Windowboxes-decorated-for-Christmas1

 

Have an old wagon around the house? Here’s a fun way to decorate for the holidays. Decorating with cotton seemed to be a big theme this year. We saw quite a few wreaths and other Christmas decorations that incorporated cotton either pulled off the stems or left on the branches as shown below.

Christmas Wagon Filled With Greenery_wm

 

As I mentioned in a post here on the blog a couple of weeks ago, my friend Marie’s home was on this year’s tour. This was the very first year her home has been a part of the tour so I hope some of you were able to see it! From talking with Marie, I know several of you did attend. Pictures do not do this beautiful home justice so I’m so glad some of the BNOTP readers were able to see it in person.

Victorian Home

 

Marie was there and told me to take any pictures that I wanted. I snapped one in the dining room of the pretty table she had set. After I snapped this photo, I was going to snap a close up of the salad plate but one of the docents stopped me so I didn’t get that one for you. It had a sleigh on it and the year, 2014…you can see it a little in the picture below.

Christmas Table Setting

 

Marie was sitting on a bench in the master bedroom along with the house chair and told everyone within earshot that it was fine to take photos of any of the rooms, so a few of us invaded Santa’s private bath for a quick pic of him soaking in a nice bubble bath. He’s evidently getting ready for the big night! HA! If you subscribe to my newsletter, Postcards From The Porch, you saw this picture in the one that was sent out this weekend.

(Pssst: If you’re not already receiving Postcards From The Porch, it’s free and you can subscribe here: Postcards From The Porch, the newsletter for the blog, Between Naps On The Porch.)

Santa in Bubble Bath

 

Cell phones don’t take great pics at night but I had to try to take a picture of this Dutch Colonial home because it was just so pretty lit up at night. The picture just doesn’t show how pretty it was.

Dutch Colonial Home Open For Christmas Tour_wm

 

One of the homes we toured on the candlelight tour was on several acres and the long driveway was lit with mason jar lanterns. The driveway twisted and turned and it was really beautiful seeing the lanterns the whole length of the drive.

Pathway Lit With Mason Jar Lantern

 

It was a full moon the night of the candlelight tour.

Full Moon for a Home Tour

 

Such perfect timing for a candlelight tour! It made everything even more magical.

Moonlit Night

 

Saw this just outside the back door of another home…such a cute idea!

Decorate Bike With Christmas Lights

 

If you didn’t get to attend this year’s Christmas home tour and would love to see Marie’s home decorated for Christmas, check out these previous posts from year’s past:

Tour a Beautiful Victorian Home Decorated for Christmas, Part I (Exterior, Entry, Powder Room)

Tour a Beautiful Victorian Home Decorated for Christmas, Part II (Library, Study and Beautiful Dining Room)

Tour a Beautiful Victorian Home Decorated for Christmas, Part III (Gourmet Kitchen, Breakfast Room with Peppermint and Gingerbread Theme)

Tour a Beautiful Victorian Home Decorated for Christmas, Part IV (Great Room and Outdoor Entertaining Spaces)

Tour a Beautiful Victorian Home Decorated for Christmas, Part V (Elegant Master Bedroom & A University of Georgia (Bulldog) Themed Bedroom)

Tour a Beautiful Victorian Home Decorated for Christmas, Part VI (Adorable Pink Bedroom For The Little Ones)

Gift Wrapping Room and Terrace Level With Guest Room, Kitchen & Bath

Four Beautiful Christmas Table Settings, One Gorgeous Victorian Home

Looking forward to the other Before and Afters for this Met Monday!

Met Monday

 

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In order to link up, you’ll need to include a link in your MM post back to the party so the other participants will have an opportunity to receive visits from your wonderful blog readers.

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Only link up Before and After posts that are home, gardening, crafting, painting, sewing, cooking, DIY related.

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Comments

  1. Thank you for the lovely party, Susan! I enjoyed the homes….Marie’s in particular! 🙂

  2. Thanks for hosting Susan! I love Santa in the bathtub. Your friend’s home is beautiful!

  3. Thanks for hosting, Susan. We didn’t go on any home tours this weekend, but did have the opportunity to see our church’s Christmas Cantata. There’s nothing sweeter than hearing choirs sing Christmas carols! I love the bicycle wrapped in lights you posted. So fun! Have a great day!
    Blessings,
    Nici

  4. Thanks for sharing Susan. Santa’s bath is adorable.

    Madonna

  5. I did go on a home tour this weekend that was totally over the top. Such decorations would be hard to top. I couldn’t help but wonder where all the “stuff” goes after the holidays.

  6. Thanks for hosting! I love the Santa in the bathtub- too cute!
    Blessings, Pam (www.everydayliving.me)

  7. Fabulously fun photos today Susan! I would love to have a little “summer house!” Love the bike decked out in lights and the little red wagon~ I have decked my halls with cotton this year too, and my Frosty is taking a shower 🙂
    Thanks for the fun today!

  8. Santa in the tub is toooooo cute! So glad you snapped a photo of him! Thanks for taking us along on the tour with you!

  9. Looks like a fun home tour. I always love seeing Marie’s amazing decor. The dining table is gorgeous. I think the bike with lights is such a cute idea. Thank you for hosting. laurie

  10. Love that Santa in the tub! Thank you for hosting Susan.

  11. What a fun idea to do for the holidays !
    I just finished hanging wreaths outside ( with red ribbon too ! lol )
    Thanks so much for the party Susan – have a wonderful week
    Hugs,
    Suzan

  12. What a gorgeous tour! The C’mas house is amazing, I love all the details and attention to detail, such as the wreaths with bows in the windows.
    My grand girls would love it, specially the Santa in the tub, lol!
    Thank you for the great Met.Monday dear Susan.
    Happy holiday season to you.
    FABBY

  13. I am all about traditional, elegant Christmas decorating…but Santa in the tub is the best thing I have seen for the season in long time!! 🙂 Ho Ho Santa, enjoy those bubbles! Thanks for the party and sharing the pics, Susan!

  14. Thank you for hosting, Susan! Looking forward to seeing your porch.

  15. Hi Susan! Oh, I have enjoyed my tour very much. Love the lit bike! Hope you’re doing well and getting ready for Christmas. Thank ou always for hosting your party.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia;)

  16. Love the window boxes and, of course, Santa in the tub. Oh yea, and those plates with the sleigh! Thanks for the party, Susan. Sharing my auction deals on Black Friday weekend – turned out to be a great time to be at auction!
    Rita

  17. Dear Susan,
    Love those h u g e ornaments within the window boxes!!!
    The wagon decor gives me a creative idea for my son’s vintage wagon, too!!!
    Thanks for hosting Metamorphosis Monday each week!!!
    Fondly,
    Pat

  18. Wow that must have been fun! Marie’s home is amazing- and that bathtub with Santa is too cute! Love the glass ornament/bubbles! The bike is cute with the lights and I love the driveway with the mason jars- I wonder how many it took for that!!
    Thanks for hosting!!

  19. Beautiful tour Susan! I got to go to the Biltmore during Thanksgiving week and it is so much fun to “snoop” through other houses. Thanks for hosting dear lady and blessings to you,
    Patti

  20. Loved the tours you shared…isn’t it fun to peak inside these homes during the holidays (or any time of the year, really!). It’s hard to imagine that you could buy a home from a kit, isn’t it?

    I hope you are enjoying the holiday season and thanks so much for the link-up!

  21. Thanks so much for hosting!!

    Hugs,
    Deb

  22. Six homes decorated for Christmas; my holiday spirit would have been in overdrive. Those sleigh plates look adorable. Maybe Marie would send you a closeup to share with us. (Thanks Marie for opening your home to tour). I never knew about the Montgomery Ward homes; that is something I will investigate more. Thanks.

  23. Wow, those are some amazing homes in their Christmas finery! Thanks so much for sharing and for hosting this party!

  24. Thanks for hosting, Susan. I loved the virtual tour — especially Santa in a bubble bath! 🙂

  25. bobbi duncan says

    Hi, Susan. Thank you for the lovely tour…brought back fond memories of when I lived in Marietta. Atlanta has so many beautiful homes, many of which are charming cottage or Craftsman styles on pretty tree-lined streets. Know you had a fun day! We’ve gone on three tours so far, two local and one in our old neck of the woods in Moorestown, NJ. ( not to be confused with Mooristown, NJ., which is much farther away). This Sunday we’ll do our own little town’s Christmas open house tour. Longwood Gardens, Nemours, and Winterthur are also gorgeous, especially decked out for the holiday, and we always check them out as well. Fortunately, we have an amazing number of places to tour because we border on three other states. Unfortunately, it is not possible to see every one as some overlap…..whoa is me; such a dilemma. LOL. I love touring all the places as I get so many creative decorating ideas….many of them are done by interior designers, so you can just imagine the look. So many of the places will not allow photography which makes it difficult for my little pea brain to recall all the details. I try to jot down as many ideas as I can in between houses but it’s not the same as seeing a picture. Marie is such a sweetheart to show her magnificent home…thank you, Marie! They are calling for above average snowfalls around here this winter….sure hope we’re not without power again like we were for five days last winter.

  26. This looks like a great house tour, Susan! I’ve only ever been to one Christmas house tour years ago, and I loved it!! I went with my mom and sister; I’m thinking I won’t be able to talk my hubby into going to one of those. 😉

    Thank you for hosting Met Monday and have a great day!

    Hugs,

    Denise

  27. Lovely home tour. That adorable fireplace and outdoor kitchen….love that!

  28. I just wondered what the bubbles were made of. Someone mentioned clear glass ornaments. Is that what they looked like up close?

    • Yep, they appeared to be clear ornaments, but they were plastic, not glass. I’m not sure where Marie got those but I can ask if you would like to know.

  29. I love the window box decorations. Think I’ll pull out my old window boxes and try this for the holidays!

  30. That Santa is a “hoot!” Thanks for hosting, Susan!
    JP

  31. My mom’s farm house is a ‘Sears kit house’. It was built in 1880, and it’s actually pretty big. I love the history! In the 50’s, the owners added a bomb shelter! When my parents purchased it, the granary had to be torn down and they found bottles two feet deep buried underneath. Apparently it had been a ‘blind pig’.

  32. Fa-la-la-la-FUN!!! franki

  33. Susan, we lived a mile from Marie’s home before moving out of the state 8 years ago. I passed by her house nearly every day and wished I could see inside. What a bummer that I can’t be there for the tour! That curved front porch is a dream. Thanks for hosting another fun Met Monday. 🙂

  34. Susan ~ I had to run out the door before I got a chance to comment. That Santa is hunky! Surprised me, I’ve never thought of him that way ; ) I can’t wait to visit the posts this week. Thanks for the party!

  35. I love the Santa in the tub!!! Thanks for a great party Susan.

    Big Texas Hugs,
    Susan and Bentley

  36. Always love to see Marie’s house, Susan. Thanks for sharing your house walk pictures and for hosting. Hope you have a great week.

  37. Totally died laughing at Santa in the tub. Too cute. Thanks for hosting.

  38. Thanks so much for hosting Susan and have a wonderful week!

  39. What a good time it looks like you had. I love going on house tours. Thanks for hosting Metamorphosis Monday!

  40. Hi Susan. Are we going to see all of Marie’s house like we have before. Are you going to do a post on it. I hope so!

  41. What a wonderful home to tour. Love the santa in the tub!

  42. Thanks for the beautiful home tour, Susan! I’m still working on mine…yikes! Have a great week!…hugs…Debbie

  43. Hi there, just wondering – what did they use as fake bubbles in the Santa bath? Wanting to do something similar but I can’t work out what to do to fill it! Thanks in advance

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