Fall Home Tour

I know it's been 90 degrees this week and still technically summer, but the cooler temps we had last week really got me thinking about Fall!  I think now that it is September, Pumpkin Spice is back at Starbucks (and everywhere else), and football has started, we can officially start talking all things Fall!

 With less than 2 weeks until our due date, every weekend is huge for us because we don't know if it will be our last weekend before we become parents or even the weekend we spend in the hospital having a baby!  We are soaking up and cherishing every last day we have of being just the 2 of us because we know how much our lives are about to change.  This past Labor Day weekend, I slept in on Saturday morning and didn't really want to get out of bed, knowing this could be my last Saturday to sleep in and just lay in bed.  Labor Day weekend for us was a great time to get some home projects done (organized the garage, outdoor projects, gardening) and time to just relax as we didn't have a lot of plans.  But one thing that was on my agenda for the weekend, was getting my home decorated for Fall!

Being so close to my due date, I knew it was now or never.  I didn't want to think about dragging out Fall decor with a brand new baby.  So I decided to take this long weekend as the perfect opportunity to get this completed.  After planting mums for our front porch and front of the house, I was really in the Fall spirit to decorate indoors.  (We always go with yellow mums for Notre Dame football!)

We moved into our new home in April of this year, so it was fun to think of new ways to decorate here.  And this is my first year to have a fireplace mantel to decorate for all of the holidays and seasons as well, which is very exciting!  Here are some ideas you can take from my home and incorporate into your home this Fall season!

The orange plaid pillow is from Joann Fabrics craft store this year and the "Our Nest" pillow was from Tuesday Morning, bought last year.  The fuzzy stool is from World Market.

The gourd on the mantel is actually artificial!  Bought from Michael's craft store.

When we moved into the house, I decided to swap out my old entry way table for this longer one from World Market, called the Everett Table.  It fits so much more decor, which I love! 

We intentionally had the builders paint the walls white and we haven't repainted anything yet (except the nursery) and I am actually really liking the bright white!  So, we will probably keep the walls white for a while.  I have ideas and plans to add wainscoting and shiplap around some places, so it may be smart to paint when we do those projects.

I recently painted this buffet table I had Mindful Gray by Sherwin Williams.  If you remember it used to be bright mustard yellow!

I like to layer things when decorating a long buffet table like this, with lots of different items and different heights.  All of the pumpkins you see here or in my Fall decorating, are all from Michael's craft store.  They have a great selection of artificial heirloom style pumpkins that are great for decorating.

This rather frightening photo to some holds lots of meaning to us.  This is actually a photo from the Chicago Tribune of my husband's great-grandfather who owned and operated a meat packing business in Chicago at the time.  So while it may be a bit disturbing to some, we think it is a really neat photo to have. 

All of the floral arrangements were put together with random stems of flowers, berries, or feathers that I already had.  There is no rule of thumb here, just throw whatever you have together. 

The wood tiered tray is from The Painted Fox Home online. 

I think this makes me officially ready for the baby to arrive.  We have less than 2 weeks until our due date and I think I am driving myself crazy with wondering everyday if today is the day!!!  We are just SO excited to meet him! 

{Holiday Decorating} Day 2: Decorating a Buffet Table

There are lots of way to go about decorating a dining room buffet table.  Some may opt for displaying their best serving pieces for an upcoming family get-together.  Others may make it an impressive liquor bar area for holiday entertaining.  With no upcoming holiday parties to plan at this household, I decided to do a simple curated display with a mixture of fresh greens, artificial greens, some antique milk glass, mercury glass, and a new way to use upholstery jute webbing.  Also, see how I turn an everyday dining table centerpiece into a festive holiday centerpiece.

The chalkboard art is a blank card from Etsy of Stone and Feather Paper.

The idea of the overall scheme for the buffet table was to keep it simple with whites and greens.  I wanted to use a lot of greenery to give it a fresh, natural look.  Of course, a little mercury glass and a glittered reindeer to add a touch of holiday sparkle!

 

I found this guy at Hobby Lobby for half off and had to get it!  It is hard to tell in the picture, but he is covered in large flakes of white glitter!!  I kind of wish it didn't say Merry Christmas on it because I want to keep him out all year!

Layering in the pieces!

A table like this - it could be a buffet table, an entry table, or even a dining room table, looks best with lots of layers for interest and texture.  

I started with a hand-made burlap runner to add a rustic base.  I layered on top a plaid, fleece runner.  I made this just by cutting a strip about 12" wide from a larger piece of fleece material used in another project that you will see a little later. 

From there I layered in the larger pieces -- a large glass vase from Pottery Barn and a large piece of art.  This candle holder is awesome because you can change out the filler in the bottom, and the candle sits at the top.  I added pine cones at the bottom and some fresh sprigs of holly and pine around the candle.  The artwork is a special piece handed down to us from a family member's art collection.  

The two matching smaller trees are from Ikea!  My antique milk glass (leftovers from my wedding decor) are the perfect size for holding the trees.

Next up, I added the deer statue.  To add a little height, I added in 3 white books pulled straight out of my bookcase.  (Goodwill books of course, used for decoration, never read!)

On the other side I added a few pieces of mercury glass.  The mercury glass Christmas tree wasn't tall enough to be visible behind the other objects, so I grabbed another mercury glass vase from my bookcases, flipped it over, and set the tree on that to give it added height!

On the left is an artificial plant from Crate and Barrel that I already had.  I just placed it into another mercury glass vase that I had to make it look a little more festive.  On the right, I used another one of my antique milk glass vases and filled it with fresh boxwood sprigs, holly, spruce, and some faux berry picks.

Layer by layer -- table runners, tall pieces, short pieces, fresh greens and some sparkle, a beautiful dining room buffet table Christmas display is easily created!

Now, more on that cute little banner I made to hang across my picture!

Upholstery Jute Webbing has been around for hundreds of years.  It is most commonly used as an upholstery base on the seat or back of the chair to hold up all of the other materials.  The wide natural colored trim has red stitching woven in which makes it a perfect accent to holiday decorating.  And at only 99 cents a yard, it is much cheaper than most ribbon this size.  Since I bought my webbing at Hobby Lobby, I have seen this online for as low as 77 cents a yard.

 
Its popularity for craft projects other than upholstery has risen in the last year thanks to places like Pottery Barn and Etsy in pillows or curtains.  This is my first time working with the material, so I decided to start small with a cute little, super easy, banner!!

I cut 5 strips, each about 3-1/2" in length.

Hot glued jute string to the top, leaving about half an inch between each.

Once they were all glued together on the string, I cut the bottoms at an angle.

I just attached the jute string to the back of my picture with masking tape.  And it's really just that easy!!

You'll notice different ways I used the upholstery jute webbing throughout my home tour!

I like to use everyday objects and decorations in a new way for my Christmas decorating.  You'll notice I do this a lot!  This is a glass cloche that I keep on my table year round.  The artificial plant in the middle is from Ikea.  Instead of switching out the entire arrangement, I just swapped the plant with Christmas ornaments and slipped a plain wreath around the glass jar.  The glass cloche is from Crate and Barrel clearance.  I got it a while back for only $15 but I don't think they carry them anymore.  You could do something similar with any clear vase or even a tall lantern.  

 

The wreath is also from Ikea!  Only $10 for a plain and simple wreath.  

(See how I transformed the antique buffet table into a showstopping piece with just a can of marigold paint!)

10 more days of Jessica's Holiday Decorating to go and 

only 19 more days until Christmas!!