Nothing excites me more than decorating. It's an addiction. I've painted the house in neutrals because I'm so fickle and change the accessories so often.
So now that it's almost technically Autumn, I've been working on putting out the festive decorations that will take us through Thanksgiving. And I love to share, so here's a tour of what I've done so far. Keep in mind, it's always a work in progress. I'll find things throughout the season and incorporate them. Things get moved to new spots when I find something better.
The front porch:
I definitely need more leaf garlands. I like to swag them or wrap them around the top of the rail, but seem to have a shortage. Unless there is a box hidden in the attic that I missed, I used to have enough, but they do take some wear & tear being outdoors for three months of the year. I usually find them at Michael's. On the porch lights, I use yarn to tie leaf swags. It's easy to tie, blends, and is even easier to remove.
This adorable wheelbarrow was something my Momma found at the Church Bazaar last year. Filled with hay at the bottom and lots of pumpkins and some random leaves and flowers. I'm really thinking a big pot of mums need to go in here... I keep it out year-round and change what it's filled with.
The Living Room:
We don't have an actual foyer, but I use furniture placement to divide the very large living room. The Blanket Chest is from
Charles Neil and the wall art came from Southern Living at Home. I've put a simple centerpiece that was found last year at Big Lots. While I love Southern Living, Pottery Barn, Pier 1, etc., I'm always on the hunt and will not leave a decoration behind just because it came from Big Lots, Family Dollar, or even the Goodwill store. I score well at Cracker Barrel, too.
Love these apothecary jars! Picked them up for about $10 each at TJ Maxx. The large one is full of fall pumpkins and leaves from Big Lots, the tall one has some candy, and the short one is full of candy corn I got in the bulk section at Martin's Grocery store.
My mantel is my pride & joy in this room, mostly because that wall needed a fireplace and the house wasn't built with one. So I found one on Craigslist for $100, built a "hearth" out of 2x4s and plywood, and covered the hearth and inside the mantel with peel & stick tiles. The candelabra came from Southern Living at Home and the fireplace screen was something I'd traded a friend hubby's unused weight bench for. I used Command strips to hang the garland (aren't those AWESOME???). Across the mantel is a candy dish with a candle ring inside, a set of 3 iron pillar candleholders I bought years ago at Walmart (candles came from Big Lots), a family photo, a praying angel (SLAH), a trifle dish full of different color beans (SLAH), and a wire pumpkin candleholder (sorry, can't remember where it was bought, but I've had it several years). The red dishes are also SL@H. The glittery pumpkins and the metal pumpkin that are on the hearth were all found at Family Dollar.
The Dining Room:
I try not to overdo it on the table, as we eat there on any evening we are actually home for dinner. Just a simple table runner (Big Lots) with a centerpiece that can easily be moved (SLAH).
The piesafe in the corner offers a great place for another vignette. Most of these accessories are Southern Living at Home, but I found the pumpkin baskets for 75 cents each at Goodwill, a vase of fall flowers behind the picture to add more color, and let it be. Most of these are on my mantel during the "off" season.
I've had this hutch for 20 years and when we bought our current home 8 years ago, my Momma repainted it for me in this beautiful olivey-sage green. Again, the accessories are a mix of Southern Living, Big Lots, Family Dollar, and I even had a scarf that I wasn't so fond of wearing but looked great pooled around the little lamp.
The Kitchen:
The breakfast area of our kitchen is decorated, although the placemats, plates on the wall, and red accessories are there almost year-round. Plates on wall & placemats were bought at Pier 1 earlier this year, the dishes & plate rack are Southern Living at Home. The doughbox is from Charles Neil. And a close-up of the shelf:
They all thought I was crazy when I hauled this shelf home from Goodwill for $2.95. After painting it white, I screwed it directly into the studs. Command hooks hold the garland under the top shelf. It's decorated with many pieces I've had for years, but a few newbies have been found at Rite Aid, Family Dollar and Big Lots.
No, I don't think I'm done decorating for fall yet, but with some
Scentsy (my baby sis is a consultant, gotta give her a link here!) in the warmers and a chill in the air, I'm ready for Fall, y'all! This part has been easy, it takes me weeks to finish putting out the Christmas stuff.
Love,
C
