Somebody once said there are four seasons in the South: Pollen, Tornado, Football, and Summer. Truth. We usually have to make our own seasons around here, and one way I do that is to decorate! I usually put out my Fall decor right after Labor Day. You know, put away the white shoes and take out the pumpkins and gourds. (However, have you noticed that white jeans are HUGE this fall? I love that!) Anyway - Fall is starting to come down this week so I can do a quick, but thorough, house cleaning before I set up my Christmas decorations. I like to get a good two months (at least) out of them since it takes so long to get it done! (However, I've been transitioning to more of a Winter holiday scheme and not just Christmas, so a lot of stuff stays up through the end of January! But more about that later.)
The "Grateful, Thankful, Blessed" book stack (above) is hot right now. I'm seeing similar ones all over. This one actually came from Children's Harbor Thrift Shop. They were making them as a fundraiser. I think I paid about $5 for it which is much cheaper than what they're going for in boutique shops. They would be very easy to make on your own!
I found this blue chest of drawers (chester drawers, anyone?) a few years ago at the thrift shop. At first I planned to paint it, but I liked the blue so much that I didn't bother. I have an old desk in the playroom that my mama painted blue years ago. They play well together. Blue is a bit of a neutral, but with a little more personality, right?
I love the mirror above it. It's across from my kitchen bar which holds the sink. It's nice to look into it, and it also makes the space feel larger. Magical mirrors! The mirror and lamp actually came with a small sofa table that used to be there. It was pretty, but too matchy-matchy, so it's gone now. The blue chest holds some of my seasonal decor like the artificial flowers I've been collecting.
Speaking of artificial flowers, everything in this white pitcher came from Dollar Tree. I love how vibrant they are, and I thought these were pretty enough to sit out on a low surface. By the way - if you don't have some white vases or pitchers, get some. They're very farmhouse chic, and they go with everything! It's so easy to update them season to season.
The pretty metallic wooden pumpkins came from Dollar Tree several years ago. So did the amber votives. I bought them this year for Jewell's 18th birthday dinner. I love my wood slices. They're great for adding height, as well as warmth.
The tin hanging sunflower is from Bless Your Heart in Eclectic, as is the blue striped hanging frame. The collection is called "Round Top", I think. I have several that I have acquired over the past couple of years.
I used to change out my hutch decor each month. Now its changed seasonally. I just don't have the time right now to do it monthly. I moved out all of my whiteware and replaced it with my Johnson Brothers "Friendly Village" collection. Waccamaw basically gave me my first place settings! Not really, but almost! You can read about that here.
I used some of my pumpkin collection to add a little color and then wound the orange leaf garland around the items on top, along with some fairy lights. The leaf garland came from Dollar Tree this year. I found two of them. I would have bought more, but that was all they had. You have to get there when they're just putting out their seasonal stuff because everyone is shopping there now!
I love the way my great-grandmother's copper jello molds pick up the gold and orange accents in the hutch decor.
Here's another of the Round Top hanging pictures. I tried to spread the orange out around the room without being too in your face. The twig balls came from Hobby Lobby years ago, but they always have them or something similar. The "Count Your Blessings" pumpkin sign was a gift from a friend last year. I made the leaf garland last year (or maybe the year before?) from bagged leaves I found at Dollar Tree. I strung them on quilter's thread with a tiny bead in between so they would be easier to spread. Love them!
Here's more of my pumpkin collection. Most of them came from Hobby Lobby over the years. I get on kicks and collect things. Collections make the most impact when you display them together, but I didn't want them lined up like soldiers, so I put two of the orange wood strips pumpkins together (left) and put one on the far right. All of the pumpkins on the fireplace are made of twigs or wood strips, so they tell a natural story.
A lantern is a great decorating staple. It's usually always found on my fireplace hearth. I placed a large pillar candle inside, but use a small battery-operated tealight on top. I don't want an open flame near my propane fireplace.
I found this hay field Round Top this season. My parents live next door and have a huge hay field in front of their house. I absolutely love it when they cut hay and have the bales still sitting out. It's so pretty. I get the same vibe from this beautiful piece. I also LOVE the orange pumpkin made of leaves. It sticks with the natural story of the others on the hearth.
The pickle jar was my great-grandmother's. It's probably at least 75 years old. It's a gorgeous green color, and I swap out the flowers seasonally. It is definitely a treasure.
I love painted furniture, but I'm so glad I have left my coffee and end tables natural. The wood is so warm and works with every season. I usually have a runner down the middle. It just adds another layer, plus it's a large table. It helps keep it from looking empty.
I found the tray several years ago at IKEA. It's a great neutral piece for any season. The cornucopia came from Adullum House Thrift Store a couple of years ago. It was .50 cents! The orange twine apples were on clearance at Ross a few years ago. The pheasant Round Top gives it some height. The white squirrel helps to lighten everything up.
Here's a closeup of another of the leaf garlands I made.
I love to use coffee table books for height. I used to try to collect them on vacation where ever we went (these are from Williamsburg and Jamestown), but they can be really expensive! I take pictures of the ones I want in the gift shop, and then look on Amazon for used copies. It saves about 75%.
The beautiful green velvet pumpkin was a hostess gift from my dear friend and Miss Manners partner, Nancy Itson. She made it. I left the note on it because it is so pretty! The amber votive holder and orange candle are subtle nods to my orange color scheme.
I got this bench several years ago at Adullum House Thrift Shop. It was very 80's. I used some chalk paint and a light touch, then a very fine sandpaper. I'm so pleased with it. I think it was $15, and I already had the paint from painting Jewell's bedroom furniture. Her bedroom set was actually mine when I was growing up. I updated it with chalk paint. You can check that out here.
Here's a larger view of the living room. We replaced our couches about 4 or 5 years ago, and I have really enjoyed the neutrality. I can easily swap out pillows and afghans for a seasonal look.
The stripe and Ikat-patterned pillows came with the sofa. I know the orange pillows (Ross) and the orange afghan (Kirkland's) don't match perfectly. That's ok! I just don't lay them side-by-side.
I have a couple of white afghans that work with any season. And of course we have to have a football reference somewhere! This football pillow came from Hobby Lobby a few years ago.
Here's a closeup of "Jewell's china hutch". It has sets that I have been collecting for her. Lots of florals and pinks! You can also see my little lighted cherry blossom tree in the corner. I use the basket it sits in to hold afghans. I bought the wood screen pieces at an estate sale. It's actually a bookcase, but I don't use the shelves. I was going to hang the pieces on the wall, but didn't get around to it. I like the way it adds dimension behind the tree and actually makes it show up a little better.
I bought these textured pumpkins at Dollar Tree several years ago. They were orange, so I took some dark green paint and painted them all over. Then I took some white paint and just patted my brush all over. I then carefully applied gold metallic paint to the stem and leaves. They were part of my 2015 Thanksgiving tablescape. I think they're pretty next to the gold-edged espresso cups I found at a yard sale.
Here's another one of her patterns. It's vintage Noritake. It's called "Ivanhoe". I have enough for tea. Still looking for dinner plates. I found it at a Friends for Faulkner yard sale.
I love to decorate on top of my china cabinet which actually sits in my foyer. I like to play with the heights, and of course fairy lights make everything prettier!
The white soup tureen came from a Friends for Faulkner yard sale. Its great for decorating around. The turkey tureen was a gift from a friend after her mother passed away. She knew her mother would love me using and enjoying her pieces. I was so honored.
I collect the artificial greenery from thrift stores. It looks fine from a distance and it really fills out the space.
The gold glitter pumpkins also came from Dollar Tree one year. They just fancy things up a little!
Moving to my dining room table. I wanted to carry the orange and natural theme into the room.
This was an unpainted wooden tray made by one of the elders at our church. I painted it and distressed it. It's a generous size for decorating. I made the burlap runner for Easter one year. I use it all the time! The multicolor runner on top came from Hobby Lobby last year.
The orange leaves came from Dollar Tree this year. The fern leaves were something I ordered off Amazon this year for Jewell's 18th birthday party. I was not very pleased with them so I didn't use them on the table. I didn't send them back in time for a refund, so I am trying to use them where they're not the main focus. They'll be good this summer on top of my china cabinet or something like that. The taller orange flowers came from Bless Your Heart. They were 50% off during the Cotton Festival in October. The mix of items turned out nicely, I think.
The antlers are "sheds". Gerald and the kids either found them in the woods or they came off deer that were not big enough to mount.
The gold ceramic quail are just like the ones my grandmother had on her coffee table when I was growing up. I found these at a thrift store. I know they're not hers, but they sure make me think of her. They get moved around a lot.
The acorns came from Hobby Lobby and the Indian corn was grown and given to me by my great uncle probably close to 20 years ago! He's gone now, so I really cherish them. It's dried, so it lasts from season to season. I store it very carefully. I just love how all of these elements look like they could have been found on the forest floor! Corn, acorns, antler sheds, dried leaves. Fall on a tray!
My kitchen table has a pretty little teatime tablescape. It's pretty but easy to move at dinner time. I love to use my different teapots here.
I picked up this teapot for $3 at Children's Harbor this past summer. All of these gorgeous fall-toned pumpkins came from Dollar Tree a few years ago. I see a few every now and then, but they go really fast.
The espresso set is something I bought for Brack a couple of years ago at a Friends for Faulkner sale. He loves to make coffee.
I am SOOOOOO happy with this arrangement. The orange alstroemeria came from Amazon and looks so real! The tea olive greenery came from Bless Your Heart, and the white berries from Dollar Tree. I can't keep fresh flowers. Possum eats them, and many are poisonous to cats, so I have been investing in some very real looking florals. He took a bite and realized they weren't real, and then just left them alone! The white pitcher is Kate Spade. I found it NWT for $5 at a thrift store in Montgomery a few years ago.
Well - that's my Farewell to Fall decor tour! I'm leaving you with a pic of Jewell's 18th birthday family dinner tablescape. I'll blog it soon. I hope you enjoyed the tour! The golds and oranges were so warm and inviting this year. I love lighting the candles and turning on the fairy lights! But all good things must come to an end. I need to make way for my winter and holiday decorations next week!
I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!
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