Tag

fall

Spoooooooky: Halloween Mantel

Posted by — 11 Comments

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

Posted by — 4 Comments

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

Posted by — 8 Comments

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.

Unofficial End of Summer: Fall Fest

Posted by — No Comments

This past weekend, was our town’s annual Fall Fest. It includes, food, live music, parade, and HUGE craft fair. It is the perfect way to end summer and kick off the school year. We live walking distance to “The Fest,” so we usually invite friends over to come park in our driveway (saves them $20), and we walk up and enjoy.

Sara (my friend from college who I talked about here), took some pictures of the kids enjoying their favorite part of Fall Fest, which was the carnival rides.

 

Now that Fall Fest has come and gone, I guess it is time to plant some mums and get some pumpkins.