This is one of my favorite posts to share as I love seeing how others decorate their homes for the holidays, so it’s a fun post to write.
Just like with my fall decorations, I didn’t buy but a few new things to decorate for Christmas.
Two weekends ago, I took about an hour to put up all of my festive fun.
So, my house pretty much looks the same as last year, but I’ve added a couple of things here and there.
In the morning, I tend to turn on the colored Christmas tree lights. This mug is still one of my faves and very “on brand” for me.
Then at night, I love the white lights on the tree! Last Sunday, we took a few minutes to put the ornaments on the living room tree.
{Side note: those “gifts” under the tree are Amazon boxes that I wrapped years ago, and they are a perfect holding spot until I get my act together and wrap actual gifts!)
This year, I did a good job picking up ornaments to capture trips we went on. I got this Washington, DC ornament as a nod to our trip on spring break.
I’ve decided for the next few years, I’m going to make a point to get both the kids an ornament as one of their birthday presents. They’ve received tons of ornaments through the years, but not any from us. This year, I got Hayden the Oregon ornament to remember our trip to the Olympic Trials this past summer.
I found this Dr. Pepper ornament on Etsy, and Hadley laughed when she opened it. She loves a Dr. Pepper!
Hadley’s tree has a lot of fun ornaments, and the tree looks so pretty in her room.
The tree in our bedroom has a few meaningful ornaments I’ve been given through the years. Including this Betty White ornament from my friend a few years ago.
Most of the other ornaments on this tree are the ones I ordered on Shutterfly last year.
Last year, I ordered ornaments that included pictures of the kids at Christmas time through the years. Most of them are front back with two different years, and some are front back with pictures for the same year. I just have so many great memories of the kids at Christmas with Santa or dressed in their green and red outfits.
Shutterfly always runs a good deal around the holidays, but their regular shipping is still expensive. So, the past two years, I’ve ordered the ornaments when I order my Christmas cards.
2019: This was the first year that we had Homer, and the kids really wanted him in the pictures. That was harder than I thought it would be. haha
2020: Apparently, they had the same request for 2020!
I didn’t realize it did, but this next ornament is another 2020 pic with Santa…and then…
2021 – We stumbled upon Santa at Union Station in KC when we were then for Thanksgiving. This was the first year I was pretty sure I didn’t have “believers” anymore, so I love the pic with Santa.
2022- I loved our 30A beach pic so the kids and family pic is on each side.
2023- The Christmas card pic last year was of the kids dressed up for the December cotillion. The other side was went we went to the “Magic Tree” in KC when we were there for Thanksgiving.
2024- I always love our front yard tree, and snapped this pic of the kids. Then, another family beach pic to capture our time in 30A again this year.
As for a few new decorations:
When I went to Kirkland’s a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t resist these cute felt reindeer!
I also thought this festive ceramic house was cute. I love the jingle bells and ornaments.
On one of my many trips to Micheal’s, I got this bell to hang on the front door knob. It’s just a slight jingle, and nothing annoying. The one I’ve had for years was showing its wear and tear.
I thought I’d use this wreath elsewhere, but ended up tying it to the arches I have on front hall table.
Just a few touches here and there. I will enjoy all the sparkle and shine of the Christmas decorations, and then it always feels nice to have a fresh start with everything put away in the new year.
Today I’m sharing all about Hadley’s “room refresh.”
Once the kids turned 13, I had it on my mind that I wanted to update their rooms and some of their furniture. Last summer, I got serious about clicking around trying to find ideas for Hadley’s room since she cared way more about a room update than Hayden did. Well, like I do…I started to feel overwhelmed, so I hit pause on that project.
Around their birthday, Hadley mentioned her room again. So, I decided to reach out to my friend who has an interior design background. She said she’d love to help. So, one day when Hadley was at volleyball practice, my friend came over, measured Hadley’s room and we chatted about ideas.
We live in an older home with smaller bedrooms. I wanted to somehow give Hadley more storage while also eliminating a bigger piece of furniture. My friend knows Hadley pretty well, so I knew whatever she came up with Hadley would love. When she asked what color palette Hadley was thinking about, I only knew that Hadley likes blue.
The next day, she sent me these designs, and I immediately knew that Hadley would love it.
(This wasn’t the blue on the walls that she thought Hadley would want — it’s just what was in the rendering) I’d never thought about putting Hadley’s bed in front of the window…or thinking there’d be room for two night stands.
I’ve shared a few “peeks” in previous blog posts…
…and another when we did the wallpaper a couple of weeks ago.
…and Hadley really tidied up her closet during this process too.
Before:
Well, Hadley got to purging and Travis got to painting before I could take a true “before” photo, but I’d shared these pics in a previous post a few years ago, and her room still pretty much looked like this:
…and this…although we’d gotten rid of the bean bag a while ago. The cubed shelf is what I was trying to eliminate with the new refresh.
(Hadley’s furniture was my furniture from when I was a kid. We painted it white when it was time for the kids to have their own rooms when they were three.)
Ideally, I wanted a new bed for Hadley, at least one night stand, a vanity that could also be used for a desk, and then instead of a dresser and bookshelf, I wanted a combination of the two which would eliminate one big piece of furniture from her small space.
It was crazy to think about, but I also told my friend that whatever we chose/bought, I wanted Hadley to feel like she could take with her to her first apartment.
I was blown away by the design.
I like that my friend emailed me the design board with clickable links. So, if we didn’t purchase everything all at once, we’d have that email to go back to when we’d make purchases in the future.
Also, since I wasn’t 100% sure what Hadley would want, I initially only bought the bed and desk. The desk was out by the Christmas tree on Christmas morning, and then, I wrapped up the board for Hadley to open with the ideas.
She was surprised and excited.
Since were home over Christmas break, we used that time to get started. She purged her room filling bags with trash or donation piles. We moved everything out of her room, and she helped Travis paint.
Over break, we also put the bed together and after she made some decisions on what she wanted from the design board, we ordered the rug, vanity mirror, night stands, and bedding. The bedding on the design board was back ordered, so we found something similar at Target.
We’ve pieced the rest of her room together over the past six weeks or so.
Anyway, here’s the finished product…
After:
Ta da!
The wallpaper was the “chef’s kiss” to the room. I’m very grateful my friend Amy was able to help me with it a couple of weeks ago.
The nightstands are perfect and easy to put together.
The bigger drawers in the night stands are still empty…which makes me happy knowing we still have empty storage.
I love that Hadley kept her “girl boss” sign.
She’s had it for years!
The natural light in the room is so nice, and creates a calming vibe with the blues.
We bought the bed that has two storage drawers. In the IKEA picture, these drawers are side by side under the bed. I was pleasantly surprised that you can put the drawers wherever you’d like, so she has one on each side of her bed. Side by side didn’t work because of the nightstands.
On this wall, it was so blank I wasn’t sure what we would do. The design called for two bigger pieces of art, so I thought we might do that…and I’d let Hadley choose, but then we decided that she had a few things she didn’t want to part with.
She likes gold accents, so I went with that idea.
She updated the pics in the white collage frame that she’s had for years.
The quote above the collage is something my mom gave me when I graduated high school. It’s always hung somewhere, including in Hadley’s room the past few years, so we kept it.
Hadley loves macaroons, so I picked up this print at a yard sale, but then I put it in a frame I got at Target.
The gold pineapple we got at Hobby Lobby years ago when we updated her room when we first moved in our house.
Travis gave Hadley the dancing picture last Christmas, but it was in a white frame, so I spray painted it gold.
Then, I had one spot that just “needed something,” so I sent a puppy pic of Homer to Mixtiles for one last piece for the gallery.
I’m really glad we used what we had and incorporated meaningful pieces. And…I think we could still add to this wall if we want to through the years.
We bought the full length mirror a few weeks ago. I needed the mirror, so I could spatially figure out the gallery wall.
I’ve never purchased from Ruggable before, but this rug is washable. I already see a muddy Homer paw print, so we will probably have to wash it sooner rather than later. haha
This vanity has been perfect. It’s long but not wide. The one drawer is big enough where Hadley has a few school supplies on one side and then her skin care/make-up and earrings on the other side.
I bought the suggested desk chair from Ikea, but I didn’t realize Hadley preferred one with wheels. So, we looked at Home Goods a few times and never found what she wanted. We clicked around on Amazon, and she found this fuzzy/Sherpa fabric one….and it’s cute and functional.
The vanity mirror isn’t what was on the design board. I should have known that Hadley would want one that lights up. haha
She found this one on Amazon, and it is neat. It has three light modes and a USB charging port.
Not to sound dramatic, but this vanity has saved my sanity in the mornings. The kids share the world’s smallest bathroom, and they always seem to be in there at the same time in the morning. Because of this vanity, now all Hadley has to do in the bathroom is brush her teeth! Otherwise, she can get ready in her room.
Hadley is still loving her new makeup/skincare organizer. I like that it looks cute, and it’s a spot for her to hold her products.
Then, to keep it real –this corner still needs some TLC. The one piece from IKEA that we haven’t purchased yet is the cabinet that will replace the bookshelf and this dresser. So, we’ve left a few things sitting on top of the dresser until we know if we’ll need them once we do get the new cabinet.
We have plans to go to Cinci next month, and I hope to go to IKEA for a couple of returns and maybe to go ahead and get the cabinet for this corner.
We had leftover wallpaper, and my mom put it in the cabinet. We also took out the bottom shelf to make room for my Gma’s jewelry box that I’ve had for years.
*one more update*
I’d forgotten we bought these knobs to add a touch of color. We did have to buy different screw to make them work for this cabinet, but they were a cute finishing touch.
We did have to buy different screws to work for the drawers.
I just love walking past her room now. It’s such a bright spot in our home.
Sources:
In case you are interested, here’s where we purchased everything:
Paint Color: Benjamin Moore White Dove
Wallpaper: Wall pops: Blue Wisley (I purchased four rolls for this one wall. We have leftovers, but we did have to use more than I thought to find the correct spot to match it up along the way)
Rug: Ruggable: Verena Soft Bluerug (I got the 5×7 for her room)
Bedding: white quilt from Home Goods, Linen Chambray comforter set from Target
Night stands: Her pretty blue ones aren’t available, but there are a couple other color options. When I ordered her “ice blue” ones, it did say only two in stock…so I’m not sure future availability.
It’s the time of the year when I really love my time at home enjoying the twinkle of Christmas lights. It’s always quite a bit of effort to get everything in the right spot, but I’m always so happy when we have our holiday decor out.
While it doesn’t change too much year to year, today I’m sharing how we decorate for Christmas.
Come on in!
I changed up the console in the front hall a bit compared to last year. I just moved some holiday items to different spots, and then added in a couple of my cute new houses from Kirklands.
This year, I did print out old pics of the kids with Santa to change up the frames that are out year round. They are sweet memories.
This year, I changed up the trunk in the living room. Last year, I made note that I wanted to get a couple of pre-lit trees for the trunk and then add in a mix and match of trees that I’ve collected through the years. I love these trees from Walmart, and it was fun adding in various trees I had in my Christmas storage bin.
I love my morning view of the coffee table tree and scented candle.
On the fireplace, I put out my favorite Santa and some nutcrackers.
On the built in, I switched out the picture in the frame to include my favorite Santa pic of the kids.
I added snow globes and another LED house from the Kirklands set to a couple of shelves too.
Just like when I shared my fall decor, I have to be honest and say my couch will never really look like this, but I love when it does. The couch is usually covered in order to Homer proof it! haha
I’m still loving our new tree, and it’s even better now that it’s decorated with ornaments and a few presents.
Nothing new in the office area…but a few of my favorite decorations and the sweet pic of the kids under the tree for their first Christmas.
I love my view from the kitchen when I’m cooking…and I love the little pic of Hadley being Hadley…and Hayden being embarrassed of Hadley. My brother took their Christmas pic many years ago. I also picked up a snowy fern from Trader Joe’s.
On the kitchen island built in, I added the bell and candle. The Santa plate isn’t really a spoon rest, but that’s what I’m using it for currently. The Merry and Bright sign is of KC’s Plaza lights which I love. I’ve had the monogrammed hand towel for years.
I’m still loving how I decorated the mantle this year with new garland and “Merry Christmas” sign from Smallwoods.
I decided not to hang the stockings yet…and Hadley is beside herself 😆
I added a few things to the tray on the kitchen table; I decided not to use a table runner this year.
Hadley’s favorite part is the village…She put it out the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
It looks even better at night.
A few other festive touches in the dining area:
A couple of years ago, my mom gave me this Santa cross-stitch that she made.
Much like the living room couch, the sun room doesn’t often look this neat and tidy, but I love when it does!
It’s similar but different every year too. I always change what I put in the tray and what I add to the side tables. The pillow slip covers are an easy way to decorate.
At the end of the hall, I added a few things. I put out some of the cards that I received last year from my mom, Gma, and aunt. They always make the best cards. The LED trees are also from Kirklands and provide the perfect glow for the nativity scene.
In our bedroom, I have our pencil tree and reindeer crock. When the crock has a candle in it, the stars shine on the wall. I love it.
Some years, I wish I had more neutral decorations, and this year, I wanted to “do less,” but Hadley wouldn’t let me! haha
Well, last week, I shared my first “Five Things” post highlighting some things in my kitchen.
Today, I’m sharing another post…but I’m still in my kitchen.
The post last week included items in the cooking part of my kitchen, and today, I’m sharing the other half of the kitchen.
1. Hutch
This hutch was my dads grandma’s hutch. He doesn’t know the history, but he remembers it at her house when he was a kid. He said it’s at least 80 years old.
I’ve only had it a few years, and we actually rented a small U-haul trailer to bring it back after a visit. I just didn’t have anywhere to store glassware and other odds and ends, so I appreciate this gift.
I’ve thought about having it painted, but I don’t know.
This little nook in our kitchen would be perfect for a coffee bar/wine fridge, and that’s on our somewhat short list to do. I have another wall this hutch could go on if we end up doing that.
In the hutch, I have glasses, some Bourbon (fun fact: Travis loathes bourbon…won’t touch it…but it tends to be a common gift in the horse biz…lol), a few personal touches, and then I store place settings and seasoning things in the drawers.
Anyway, it’s a sentimental piece that we have in our kitchen.
2. Woven basket
My mom was cleaning out her garage (I think) and found this basket that she’d made years and years ago. I typically keep it on top of the hutch (see photo above), but I’ve used it to store dinner plates when we’ve had people over.
3. Window pane/shutters
We’ve lived in our house for nine years now, and when we first moved in, I wanted to hang a window pane for a farmhouse vibe. We found this window at Re-store I believe. Travis hung it for me, and I added the wreath.
There’s a story with the shutters. They aren’t actually shutters. The previous owners had taken down swinging doors that went from the hall to the living room. We found them in the garage, and Travis cut one in half for me. I painted it, and he hung it for me next to the window pane.
I will say that after living in this house for nine years, I kind of want to clean things up a bit…but I know that takes a vision and time (and probably money)…haha. I still like the farmhouse vibe, but I do want to update some things and maybe simplify some of our walls. We have a gallery wall on the other side of the kitchen that I’d like to simplify one day as well.
4. Wine rack
This wine rack was a gift from my Gma when Travis and I bought our first house. It’s from Pier One, and I still love it.
5. Wine bottle
How fun is this wine bottle? For Trav’s birthday, one of our friends gifted it to him. There’s a local artist (@holidayroaddesigns) who hosts painting parties and designs and paints bottles as gifts.
This bottle has his initials, UK and horse references.
So that wraps up a peek at the other side of our kitchen. I don’t know which area I will tackle next, but I’ll move on from the kitchen. haha
Well, I felt like I was a little late getting my porch together, but really, it was probably only about a week later than I have done it in previous years.
Every year, the porch looks similar but different. We always buy a couple of cornstalks, a few mums, and lots of pumpkins!
Here’s a peek at the porch:
I’ve had this cute garden flag for years. I love the mix of orange with black and white.
I went to my favorite spot to pick up a variety of pumpkins, but the goose neck gourds came from Trader Joe’s.
The “mum man” comes to my husband’s work, and he always has the best price on mums.
I’ve had these pillow covers for a couple of years, and the jack-o-lantern is from a friend.
On a whim, I recently bought a new black and white plaid rug at Aldi’s, and then I’ve had the door mat and door hanger for years.
I always love pulling up in front of my house this time of the year. ‘Tis the season!
I love fall…it’s definitely my favorite color 😉
Our temps have actually started to cool off a bit which has been so nice, and it got me in the mood to pull out our fall decorations. My plan was to decorate this past weekend, but I actually went ahead and did it the weekend before. It doesn’t take too long and I had an extra hour, so I went for it.
Not much changes through the years, but I always pick up a new thing or two…it’s hard for me to resist when I see a cute pumpkin.
Now, I’ve been able to enjoy my pretty mantle, candles and light up pumpkins for over a week.
When I told Hadley was I going to decorate, she said, “Yay!” I’m raising her right, y’all.
Come on in.
Entryway:
The only thing new in the entry way is I bought some pretty satin pumpkins at Hobby Lobby to put in the glass cloche.
The other decorations I’ve had for a few years.
Living room:
I keep it pretty simple on the trunk and add a few neutral touches including this pumpkin that I picked up last year.
Real talk: This pic is from last year.
As much as I would love for my couch to look neat and tidy with pretty pillows, it doesn’t look this way 90% of the time….and we keep it mostly covered because of Homer.
I still love my grapevine pumpkins…and you can’t go wrong with an Antique Candle Co candle.
I added these cute light up pumpkins from Hobby Lobby to the fire place. Shay shared hers recently, and I was influenced. The cute cat was one of my first ever decorations that I bought years ago, and I still think he’s cute!
I added a few pumpkins to our built in shelves in the living room.
This might sound silly, but when I put out this votive candle holder, I had a flashback to 2004.
I don’t put this out every year, but I found the perfect spot on our shelf. Anyway, I remember picking it up at Walgreens during the first fall at our first house. I know back then that I didn’t decorate to the extent I do now, but I do remember being excited to make our first house a home…even on a tight budget. A few seasonal touches made our house homey. We’ve come a long way, but I still want to have a cozy and inviting home.
Sorry for that trip down memory lane!
Office:
I always swap out the regular pic that’s in this frame for the one of the kids the first time we took them to the pumpkin patch. You know how much I love that tradition!
I still have my “morning pumpkin”pillows that one of my former students made for me.
Kitchen:
I added a few fall touches to the tray on our island. The squishy plaid pumpkin was a find at Hobby Lobby.
The buffet in the kitchen is one of my favorite areas to decorate.
A variety of pumpkins…
…seasonal plates and flowers help make it festive.
I still love the my plates from Target.
I filled up this cute bowl with the rest of the fabric pumpkins.
I shared this peek of the mantle recently…
…but here she is in all her glory. When I was at Michaels, I bought this four pack of candles, and they have a subtle fall touch with the gold leaves on them.
This is the second year that I added lights to the leaves…and I love the glow.
Sun room:
Like the living room couch, I’d love to say that our sunroom stays this tidy, but we usually flip the cushions up, so Homer isn’t tempted to get up there. Anyway, I sit out here the most from September to December, and it’s one of my favorite spots.
I will read, sip my coffee, and enjoy the scent of the pumpkin apple candle. There’s nothing better.
I swap out my regular wreath for this one:
Bedroom:
I have my other Michael’s pumpkin in our bedroom with a seasonal candle.
….and Hadley is still enjoying her neon “Boo” sign that I got her a few weeks ago.
I haven’t decorated my porch just yet, but I’m hoping to get to it this weekend.
Well, with Easter less than a week away, I thought I’d share my Easter decorations.
Honestly, they are mostly the same year to year, but I usually move things around. Also, I seem to get something new every year. This year, I ordered a cute wooden bunny from Ruffled Nest.
I like the fact that I can decorate for Easter in about five minutes by just swapping out a few “regular” decor items.
Come on in…
I’ve had this garden flag for a couple of years and the door hanger for at least five years.
I added the bunny plant from Trader Joe’s along with the egg plate to the front hall entryway.
I think this little nook is my favorite:
Flowers from Trader Joe’s, candles, and a little wooden bunny I picked up two years ago in Nashville.
Here’s the 20″ whitewashed bunny I got from Ruffled Nest. A little 16″ friend is on the way. I couldn’t resist!
This little guy is so cute, and sits on the table in our office.
I added one of my favorite bunnies and some eggs to the tray on our kitchen table.
The little “peek a boo” bunnies are cute up on the mantle.
And that’s it! Do you decorate for Easter?
This time of the year I also start switching out my candles for more floral scents. A trip to Bath and Body is on my to do list this week to pick up a couple of candles.
I hope it’s feeling like spring in your neck of the woods.
Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite posts of the year…
Honestly, not too much has changed since last year, and I even referenced this post when I started getting out my Christmas decorations. That being said, of course I picked up a few new things, and I always love getting a peek inside other people’s homes…especially during the holidays.
So, come on it!
Front Porch:
Of all the spaces, the front porch pretty much stays the same from year to year.
We’ve had rain for the past few days, so I wasn’t able to get a pic, but here it is last year:
That being said, I haven’t picked up the fresh garland from Trader Joe’s yet, and I did pick up a new doormat at Michael’s this year. I think I will leave it out all winter.
We didn’t put lights out this year. We might get to it this weekend, but I had to tell myself that it’s ok if we don’t get it all done in this season of our lives.
Decorating early:
In early November, I put up my two pencil trees. One goes in the sun room…
…and the other goes in the living room until we get our real tree.
Front hall:
The front hall table is one of my favorites spots.
I picked up a couple of new things including the green and red frosted tree at Michael’s as well as the new tealight set from Amazon.
Living Room:
I did change the chest in the living room up a bit this year. I added a new tree from Home Goods and put lights on the tree and mirror. Then, the rest of the string of lights fit perfectly in the snowman lantern.
….and we played “musical trees” with one of the pencil trees. Once we got our real tree, we moved this one to the corner behind the chair in the living room. I love the reflection of the tree in the mirror as well as the extra glow of light in the living room.
The Santa that sits on the fire place is one of my favorites, and then I have a few festive odds and ends that I put on the antique chest.
I love the contrast of our new dark brown leather couch with the white pillows. (Truth be told, 90% of the time, the couch is covered for Homer, but I do love this set up when we can enjoy it.)
The tray on the coffee table holds the same flocked tree I’ve had for years as well as a candle. I usually leave the tray styled this way through January for winter.
Our built ins house a few decorations like ornaments, a snow globe and nativity scene. The light up present is one of my favorites. I’ve had it for years.
Office:
I joke that we are a “5-7 day business” tree decorating family. We got it on a Sunday, let it “fall” until the next day. Then, Travis strung the lights, and on the fifth day, we finally had time to hang the ornaments. #itsaprocess
Ta da….!
The nutcrackers and presents top our office cabinet.
Festive Touches:
Some of my favorite pieces are the most meaningful. I’ve always loved this pic of the kids with Santa. Also, when the kids were a month old, I took this photo of them under the tree. I put it out every year. Lastly, last year, my Gma gave us this framed sewing hoop with ice skates that she made. It sits on our desk in the office.
Kitchen:
I always change out the tray that sits on our island. I love the snowman that holds the tea light, and the candle in the lantern provides an extra glow.
I picked up the tartan plate at Home Goods this year, and love it next to the Trader Joe’s candle. An easy way to decorate is by switching out kitchen towels. I put the monogrammed one out every year.
For the second year in a row, we put out the Christmas village. On the cabinet, I add ornaments to the cloche that sits out year round. The cabinet is also perfect for the snowy tree and Christmas dishes. The mini wreath with red ribbon is the perfect finishing touch.
Last year, Hadley got the Christmas village organized. She helped me again this year. Hayden promptly moved the pieces around, and now I often find the village rearranged from day to day.
I’ve had the tree pillow and chair decorations for years. In our cabinet, I have one of my snow globes, a Christmas tree that my Gma painted years ago, and a Merry and Bright plaza lights (KC people #iykyk) print that my mom gave me last year. We have three swags with ribbon for our chairs, and they’ve yet to be #homered through the years.
This is the second year that I hung the stockings on the side with command strips rather than using stocking holders. The mantle is the same as last year…
…except I did pick up these gold bell trees at Michael’s. (A few new things this year from Michael’s, but just one trip to Michael’s! haha)
I still love my plates from Target. I have Santa, snowman, and Christmas tree plates that we use this time of the year.
The plaid table runner is a festive touch, and I just add in some faux holly trees and ornaments to the tray.
Sun room:
The sun room is easy to decorate with pillows, a red and white blanket and berry wreath.
The pillows add more pops of red and green.
A mix of trees and ornaments as well as a candle are on the tables out there.
Bedroom:
Musical trees continued when I moved the sun room tree into the bedroom. Since we decided to keep the other pencil tree in the living room, but I still wanted one in our bedroom, I moved the sun room tree. The pencil trees sure are easy to move around…😂 While I miss a tree in the sun room, we don’t really hang out there this time of the year.
The crock that holds a tea light and another tree are all that I have in our room (besides the pencil tree and a candle). I just wanted a few festive touches. I love falling asleep to the glow of the tealight in the crock after I turn off my tree.
In last year’s post, I mentioned that I’d thought about decorating all of the house in early November because last year I felt like by the time I finally got everything put out, it was time to take it down. This year, I had the house mostly decorated by mid-November, and that has felt like a really good compromise.
By January, I’ll be ready to get the house back in order after a few months of fall/Christmas decorations. That being said, the pencil trees may stay out through January. I love the glow of the light in the winter months.
Thanks so much for reading. See you back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites.
Hello! How is your week going? We’ve been having a really great one. More on that later!
One of my goals last week was to get my front porch up to snuff for fall.
It all started with two mums that I purchased from the kids’ school PTSA a couple of weeks ago. I put those in the planters that sit out front year round.
A trip to Trader Joe’s was about all I needed to gather my pumpkin collection. From stackable fantasy pumpkins to mini pumpkins and squash, they have it all.
Then, I went to my favorite flower shop to pick up the cornstalks. They have the really tall ones for about $12/each. It’s kind of a mess to get them in my car, but it’s worth it. While I was there, I picked up a couple of white pumpkins as well.
Lastly, I’ve shared about the “Mum Man” who stops by Trav’s work, and has the best deal on mums. Travis picked me up one more smaller one, and I added that to the porch too.
Once we get to the orchard in October, the kids will each pick out a pumpkin to carve that will sit on the porch until we carve a few days before Halloween.
Every year, I put out the pumpkin garden flag, change out my door hanger and door mat and pillows. This year, instead of putting a few pumpkins on the little table outside, I put out a jack-o-lantern lantern that my friend gave me a couple of years ago.
I just move things around on the porch and steps until I’m pleased the final product.
Anyway, this just brings a smile to my face every time I arrive home. It’s the little things…or the $100 dollars worth of pumpkins and mums…that make the porch festive this time of the year.
Happy Thursday and Happy September 22nd…or as my calendar says, “autumn begins…”
Well, it’s my favorite time of the year! In case you missed the memo, I love fall. Also, I love a good quote, so here are a few of my favorite fall quotes:
I finally had the chance to decorate over the weekend. Actually, I thought I would be able to decorate one day last week, but I couldn’t find my tub of fall decorations.
We found it under the basement stairs on Friday. I’d forgotten that last year I purged and went from two tubs to one by donating or tossing older fall decor.
Friday night before we went to my school’s football game, I pulled a few things out trying to remember where I usually put things….by Saturday morning when I wanted to finish up, I turned to last year’s blog post to help me out!
I’m basically Oprah for pumpkins. “You get a pumpkin and you get a pumpkin…” haha
I know I love a good home tour…especially a seasonal one, but these blog posts also help me remember where I put my decorations!
Last year’s post started with my front porch, but the only thing I have out there right now are two mums in my planters. I hope to start adding to the porch this weekend.
Entryway:
I put my decorations in the exact same spot on the entry table as last year. The only thing that is different is that I now have two arches here (year round) instead of our family photo.
A few faux flowers, a tea light, and some pumpkins spruce up this table.
Living room:
I love the tray on the coffee table in the living room. It’s a great spot to change out seasonal decor. I’ve had this light up pumpkin (I have two) for two years, and it’s a favorite. A pumpkin spice candle from Antique Candle Co and a small fall wreath for the base of the candle are all I needed to create some cozy.
One of my Michael’s purchases this year, was this wooden pumpkin candle lantern. It fits perfectly on the wooden stool. My other decorations I’ve had for years. I add a few fall touches to our built ins, and then change the candle in the fire place lantern. We’ve had this little jack-o-lantern (with a tealight) for years, and it’s always nostalgic to put out. The kids always loved it when they were little.
I used the same pumpkin pillows that I’ve had for a couple of years. I love how they look on our new couch.
Office:
I keep it pretty simple in the office and just swap out the chair pillows for my “Morning Pumpkin” pillows. Then, this year, I decided to put out this fave pic of the kids in the frame that always sits on that table. This was October 2010 and Hayden and Hadley’s first trip to the pumpkin patch…such a sweet memory.
Kitchen:
I love this plaid pumpkin pillow in our sitting area. I picked up the turquoise pumpkin at Home Goods a couple of weeks ago, and added it to our island tray. It’s actually a candle, but I’ve been burning the Trader Joe’s Vanilla Pumpkin one recently. I always change out a nice hand towel each season on the oven, and put this pumpkin sign where one of my favorite cookbooks typically sits. I added the apple cider candle too.
The buffet is a fun area to decorate. I change out the flowers as well as my China plates to include these cute pumpkin ones.
Last year, I got this table runner and then I’ve had these plate for a few years. I picked them up at Target. I also add a couple of pumpkins in the tray.
The fireplace is my favorite part. Orange candles, leaves and pumpkin garland. So easy to hang up. I picked up the “Gather with a grateful heart” sign at Michael’s as well as the yellow pumpkins.
I have cute little metal stands that usually have topiaries in them, and I wanted something for fall to sit in them. I picked up these pumpkins the other day. They come in orange, yellow, and white. I chose yellow to compliment my orange candles. (By the way: Fall decorations at Michael’s were 40% off) {At this point, I feel like Michael’s should sponsor this post!)
Then, I added a string of lights behind the fall leaves for a little extra glow at night.
Sun room:
Swapping our regular pillows for these pumpkins ones as well as the burnt orange throw are a quick way to decorate out here.
I always change out the candle on the tray as well as the back door wreath to something more fall appropriate. I’ve had the plug in pumpkin for years, and actually didn’t have a spot for it in the living room like usual thanks to the mirror I bought last year. Anyway, I decided to move a lamp and plug in the pumpkin on the nights we sit in the sun room.
Bedroom:
I keep it very simple in the bedroom with a season candle and another one of the pumpkins from Michael’s. It’s nice to read or fall asleep at night to the glow of the pumpkin and a fall scent.
Yesterday, was 90+ degrees, and today the high is 70 with some 60 degree temps in the future too. It’s like Mother Nature knew what she was doing 😉
With cooler temps finally arriving, I definitely hope to get the front porch decorated this weekend.
Happy Fall {y’all!}
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