Tag

autumn decor

Fall Decor: Better Late Than Never

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It’s Fall Ya’ll, and about time I got my act together with some seasonal decor don’t you think? Sure, I have some Halloween decorations, but mostly I like to put up Autumnal decorations that can last through Thanksgiving. So, it’s ok that I didn’t put up anything until last week. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway.

Rather than trying to rush through each holiday and looking forward to the next, I have found myself enjoying the process much more this way too. We took our time putting out decorations, putting the summer stuff away, and I feel like we are living more in the present this way. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway.

My favorite space so far is the dining room. 

 

When I started to take everything out, I thought, “What is with all the pumpkins?” Apparently, I have a pumpkin problem. Rather than scatter them all over the house, I thought it would be nice to put them all together in one space to create kind of a centerpiece.  (My mom has since baked us some cookies to fill the pumpkin jars, thanks Mom.) 

The wreath is something I have had forever, but decided to hang with some leftover burlap to dress up the window.

 

In the living room, I created a couple little Fall inspired vignettes. 

 

The rest of the house I have kept pretty much the same, as the kids love the candles on the mantle, and the curtain sillouettes in the window I made last year.

And let’s not forget the best part of putting Autumn decor up, I finally got some new slipcovers for the living room couches, and a few new pillows. Which means our house is ready for lounging now that the weather is getting chilly.

 

Now, I can relax for a few weeks before I even have to think about Christmas, right? That’s what I’m going to keep telling myself, anyway.

 

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Change Up: Fall Tablescape

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Because I love autumn so much, I think I started decorating for it a bit too early this year. Also, since Brian and I built and finished our dining table, we eat dinner in our dining room pretty much every night. It was time for a bit of a change with our table decor for autumn.

Here is what is going on now:

 

The color scheme is not traditionally fall, but I really loved the dark browns. I folded some fabric that I had on hand from when I recovered some chairs awhile back.

 

I found this pumpkin on sale last week at Michael’s. It was half off, as is is most of their autumn decor (they are already putting out Christmas decorations…commence hyperventilation).
Then, I just added some crystal candlesticks and the glass vases filled with stones and twigs from my last autumn tablescape.
It is much more simple, and is a nice change to get me through until Thanksgiving.

Linking up at Serenity Now.

Leftovers: More Autumn Decor

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So, I’m finally finished decorating the house for Autumn. I know most people go all out, but I only decorated three small areas of my home. I first put together an Autumn tablescape for Sunday Dinner, put a few small decorations near the front door, and then I put together a spooky Halloween mantle. All of these decorations only took a few minutes each to put together, and they help to make the house seem a little more festive.

Which brings me to this shelf.

 

It is the perfect place to create seasonal vignettes like a mantel, but, Houston, we have a problem. It is right above where we keep all the kids’ toys. So, to be honest, I didn’t want anything too fancy there, and most of the time it is empty as practicality tells me something could get knocked over. Someday, when I come up with more of a cohesive look for the family room, I will probably have a better idea of what to do in this space.

So this is what I came up with to spruce it up a little for the season:

 

 

These are all things that I have had on hand for years. I thought the red canisters bowl and pitcher added a nice pop of color in an otherwise very neutral space. The pumpkin sign, ceramic pumpkin, and maple leaf bowl helped to bring some seasonal flair. Also, the framed photo is of Brian and I the Autumn before we got married. You cannot tell from this photo but the picture has some pretty fall foliage behind us.

So that is it for fall decor around here. Now, I think it is time for cooking up some comfort food and finding some more indoor projects to do with the kids.

Linking up today at Thrifty Decor Chick for the last installment of the “It’s Fall Ya’ll” Autumn Decor Link Parties!

Spoooooooky: Halloween Mantel

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Sometimes, more is more. I usually do not subscribe to this methodology as I like clean lines, simple decor, and practicality, but when it comes to Halloween candy… er I mean decor, I cannot get enough.

 

 

This year, again, with the help of my niece Allison, I have put together a Halloween Mantel with all of my Halloween candles. These candles have been collected slowly over time. I can usually find them after Halloween at places like Party City and Target for deep discounts. Together with some ceramic decor made by my mother in law, some faux cobwebs, and glittery spiders, I think we came up with a pretty spooky mantel.

 

 

When the candles are lit, it creates the perfect spooky atmosphere for watching a spooky movie (which at our house is Monsters Inc.) with some cozy throws and popcorn.

Linking up at Centsational Girl as part of It’s Fall Ya’ll Link Up Series. Come and see everyone’s Autumn Mantels.

 

Autumn is here… Sort of: Outdoor Decor

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I absolutely love Autumn. It is my favorite season. Crisp weather perfect for running, hooded sweatshirts perfect for snuggling, hot chocolate perfect for drinking, and the colors. Did I mention the COLORS?

Well, so far, my area didn’t get the memo that fall is on the way. The weather has been a little too warm for my taste. I just feel like there is something wrong with still having to wear shorts this time of year. I was kind of resisting putting out any fall decor outside because I thought it was still too warm to fully embrace it, I mean I still have pentunias in full bloom, but I couldn’t take it anymore. So here is what I did.

I started slow and hung a wreath, which I found at Michael’s. I love that the colors are a little muted. Just some small pops of soft orange, but mostly green and gold which contrast nicely on the black door. The autumn greetings sign I hung on the brick to the side of the door. I bought this years ago at Michaels.

 

 

 

Also, our old door mat was kind of yucky, so I replaced it. I found this one at Target on clearance for $7.48. It was a great find and freshens things up around the front door.

 

Finally, using this beautiful gold pot that the previous owners of our house left behind, I planted some neutral mums. I love how everything I used has a soft golden tone to it.

 

 

Anyone else having a hard time putting out fall decor in this weather?

Linking up at Southern Hospitality outdoor decor link party.

Sunday Dinners: Autumn Decor

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When my Mom was growing up, my Grandma Nano hosted Sunday Dinner every single Sunday for whoever wanted to come. Most of the time it was family, but often the parish priest or friends were known to stop by for my Grandma’s cooking. My Dad used to talk about coming over for Sunday Dinner while him and my Mom were dating. Over the years, Grandma Nano kept the tradition alive. I even remember helping her set the table for Sunday Dinner at her house, and my sister helping her clean up in her kitchen after dinner.

Recently, I have picked up the Sunday Dinner tradition, and while we don’t do it every single week (seriously I don’t know how Grandma cooked for that many people every week), I host my family once a month.

This past weekend, I hosted Sunday dinner, and wanted to dress up the table with some autumn decor, but wasn’t really keen on spending any money to do it as I already have tons of fall decor (it is my favorite season after all). Since, Brian and I built and finished the plank table, I have been having some trouble coming up with tablescapes that aren’t dwarfed by the size of the table.

So, I called in some reinforcements. My niece, Allison, just graduated from college with a degree in Film, and she has had some experience with set design. I asked her if she would help me decorate the table.

 

She started with a red table cloth and folded it to make it a runner. Then added the beaded runner for some texture. Then she filled two simple glass vases with some river rock, a branch (which we found outside), and wrapped a little twine around the vase for some extra texture. She placed them on each end of the table.

 

Then, for the centerpiece, she placed some candles at different heights, filled a shallow glass bowl with apples and wicker balls, and placed a faux hypericum wreath around the container.

 

Finally, for each place setting she used some cloth napkins that I found on clearance awhile ago (I originally planned to use them for Christmas, but she thought they were perfect for autumn, and now I agree).

 

Voila! Simple, elegant, and inexpensive. What do you have around your house to create a tablescape? Anyone go outside and grab a few sticks? How about using twine to make something a little more rustic?

 

 

Linking up at The Lettered Cottage for their Autumn Tablescape link party.





Also sharing at DIY By Design for the Fall into Fall Link Party.