I'm a minimalist when it comes to Christmas decorations. I had a tree up and a collection of Santa statues on my mantel, but that was about it. While the 40-year-old, Christmas sweater wearing ladies scoured the shelves during the after Christmas sale extravaganzas, I took the opportunity to get a lot of "Christmas" decorations that could be used year round. After a great Christmas with the family, I headed back to Des Moines and got started right away on decorating. My accomplishments: decor for the top of the piano and mantel, the old dining room, and a finished guest room. So, I present to you sneak peek into our house #1:


BEFORE - A cramped stairway off the kitchen housed the large bags of dog and cat food. Chris wanted to move these bags downstairs, but he's not the one who feeds them and doesn't realize what a pain this would be! I've been searching high and low for a piece of furniture that could decoratively hide the food.




AFTER - I was lucky enough to stumble upon this piece at Pier One's clearance sale this weekend. It was all I needed and more! I love the detail on the front and the scale is perfect for the wall. It holds a handy amount of dog and cat food, plus their brushes, treats and other pet necessities!