living room refresh | diy picture frame moulding

when we bought our home in December 2016, there was a laundry list of things that needed to be done.  the popcorn ceilings were to be scraped and repainted.  every wall in the one-and-a-half story house needed patching and painting.  the kitchen and bathrooms had to be updated.  the carpeting needed to be replaced.  you get the idea.  while I am thankful there is a fireplace [there wasn't one in the original tiny white house], I have never been never crazy about it.  but with so much to do, this issue didn't even make the list.

let me clarify: there wasn't anything wrong with the hearth,  per se; it was simply dated and not my taste.  the red brick matches the exterior of our home.  I don't mind it there, but it doesn't do much for me inside.  it just looks tired.  I considered painting it white.  I have always loved white brick.  I was hesitant, though, because painting brick is so final.  there's no coming back from that.  I didn't want to paint it white and regret it and then be stuck with it.  I also considered a wash... but after some research, I learned that the result of whitewashing red brick is pink brick.  the only thing worse than a boring, 80s red brick fireplace is a boring, 80s pink brick fireplace.  that was the last thing I was looking for.

fast forward to 2018. the fireplace remained untouched and I couldn't take it any longer.  I began brainstorming, trying to figure out the solution to my dilemma.  something I had considered earlier were built-ins.  if there had been built-in shelving flanking the fireplace, it would not have seemed so out of place.  I also wondered if the ceilings weren't quite as high, perhaps the fireplace wouldn't stand out the way it did.  but, alas, there were no built-ins and the ceilings are high—the latter of which, I am glad about.  as with most of my home endeavors, my budget was on the small side.  consequentially, built-ins were out.  and that really was okay with me.

so I brainstormed and daydreamed until I came up with just the fix.  after scrolling through pinterest, I observed a common theme.  several things I had recently pinned had gorgeous picture frame moulding.  the wheels started turning and the solution finally came to me!  what if we painted the walls flanking the fireplace white and added a chair rail and a little moulding.  sounds easy enough, right?  compared to some of our other projects, it was!

there are lots of helpful tutorials all over the internet with detailed how-to guides, so I'll leave that to them.  this tutorial from Kristi of Addicted2Decorating was the particular source we used for our project.  between skimming a couple of online tutorials and using a little common sense, we were able to bring my vision to life.  

one of the best parts of this project to me was how dramatic a difference was made for the price.  for Christmas last year, we were given a $150 Lowe's gift card and we were able to buy almost all of the supplies [millwork, roller brush, roller frame, and paint tray] needed for this project and still had $40ish left over!  as for the tools, we borrowed a chop saw from my husband's grandfather and Drew already had the other required tools [nail gun and level] on hand.  

all millwork needed for this project was purchased from Lowe's.  in our case, a piece of 12' chair moulding was more than enough for the chair rail. we also bought about ten 8' pieces of picture frame moulding.

I wanted the new wall color to match our current trim and ceiling color.  I thought [read: hoped] this would make the new wainscoting to seem as if it had always been part of the house.  I painted the walls in Benjamin Moore's White Dove in an eggshell finish.  I painted the chair rail and picture frame moulding the same shade of white in semigloss.  I had enough trim paint left over from our home renovation to use for the chair rail and moulding, and bought a new can of paint at Sherwin-Williams in the same shade, in an eggshell finish for the wall color.

I painted the walls while my husband cut the moulding.  lucky for this project [and our marriage], he is good with measuring and numbers and all that.  remember, I mentioned in my bio that this is not my strong suit.  and when I say 'strong suit,' I really just mean suit.  math isn't my suit at all.  if the wires in my brain to compute mathematics do, in fact, exist, they are not connected.  not even close.  but if you need a good guesstimate, I'm your girl.  I am the queen of eyeballing measurements.  seriously. 

once the walls were dry, my husband installed the chair rail.  together, we attached the picture moulding—I held, he nailed.  next, he filled any holes or gaps with caulk.  then, I painted all the trim.  this project took about four or five hours to complete, not including breaks.  the walls were painted Friday evening, dried overnight, and the millwork was cut and installed while the babies' were down for naps Saturday.  I finished painting the trim Saturday night after the boys had gone to bed.  although it was challenging to work in segments rather than knocking it out at once, it was a treat to wake up Sunday morning to a completed project and admire our hard work.

I could not be happier with the finished product.  what a transformation!  it creates interest, adds architectural detail, and draws the eye up to the 11' ceilings—which definitely deserve some admiration after all the hours my sweet husband spent removing the popcorn texture and repainting.  all in all, about $150 was spent.  not too shabby considering.  on a difficulty scale of 1-10, my handyman rated this project a 4.  after we finished, we pulled out the lawn chairs to sit and admire our work.  I'm kidding.  however, we did discuss doing so and probably would have if we owned lawn chairs.  sometimes, it makes me feel like I'm in a fancy New York apartment, but these sweltering, summer temps remind me that I'm home, sweet home in Louisiana.

just for fun... here are a few shots of how our living room has evolved since we got the keys to our fixer-upper mid-December of 2016. 

this room has come a long way.  and the best part—I'm just getting started!  it's still a little vanilla as far as the color goes.  I'd love a darker rug and more furniture and accessories, but you know... we're living real life over here.  we've got kids to feed and bills to pay, and apparently that is the priority.  I do have big plans for the artwork that will be featured inside the picture frame moulding. stay tuned to see just what it is...

what do you think?  do you have picture frame moulding or some type of wainscoting in your home?  is that something you would ever add?

dressing up the windows.

this post was actually written in June 2017.  as is my tendency when it comes to blogging, I composed it rather quickly, but took months to complete a photoshoot to go along with it.  I have been asked about our window treatments a few times, so I figured now would be a good time to [finally] share about it on the blog.  the remainder of this post will be written from my point of view ten months ago, when I was 33 weeks pregnant, just having finished the DIY renovation of our home, merely weeks away from the arrival of our second baby, as that is when it was originally written.

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You know how when you move into a new place, there are a million things to do?  and some of it's fun, and some of it's not.  I think most would agree that unpacking isn't considered fun.  on the other hand, many would say that decorating and adding your own personal touch to make it a home can be pretty fun.  I have so enjoyed this part of moving into a new home.  whatever your feelings on the matter, I think we can all agree that it is a process.  from the actual moving to the unpacking to the organizing to the decorating and hanging pictures and curtains... it's a lot of work and it takes time.

I had to come to grips with this when we moved into this house.  I had to learn to be okay with not having everything done or finished or just so.  at times, this was a struggle.  but as we completed [or mostly completed] projects on the extensive to-do list, my husband and I both got comfortable and kind of took a break.  I mean, the house was livable and we had already made so much progress and we were tired and we have a one year old and we've got another one on the way, so a break from the renovations and house projects sounded nice.  but then a few weeks ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and realized: if we aren't getting things done now, why should I think they will get done after we bring another baby home in a few short months?  and that was all the motivation we needed!  within weeks, the rest of the quarter round was installed, my husband built more shelving for my closet, the butcher block countertops were finally complete, all the new exterior doorknobs and locks were installed.  we were on a roll.  

one of the things halfway marked off the list was window treatments.  they were done in about half the rooms; and I'd started on them in the other half, but then took a break.  after that 3am epiphany, I got my act together and set out to work on completing the window treatments.

here's what I knew:

• I wanted something simple and linen-like

• I wanted to hang my rods high

• I wanted my curtains to puddle

• I had four large windows [ 72" + a 10" transom] to dress up

I had seen some gorgeous ready-made panels at a local fabric store while helping a client months earlier.  I remembered them being on the pricey side, but I reasoned that if they were what I wanted and were ready to go, it may be worth splurging.  so, to the fabric store I went!  as I looked at these panels again, I realized even the longest length wasn't long enough for my windows.  also, they were $150 a pop.  yes, you read that right.  one hundred fifty dollars per window panel.  if I did two panels per window, I was looking at $300.  if I wanted all my windows done, in the master + living, which I did, I was looking at spending $1200, plus tax.  on curtains.  having done design work for a contractor and renovated our own home, I am well aware that things for the home can be costly, but that just wasn't going to cut the mustard.

so after a little brainstorming, I decided that canvas drop cloths were the best, most cost-effective option.  perhaps you've heard of this.  it's become a popular go-to thanks to Pinterest—and for good reason!  canvas drop cloths are versatile and can be used in all sorts of DIY projects.  in regards to window treatments, they can be used as-is, meaning right from the package, sew or no-sew, and hang.  in fact, I currently have drop cloth curtains in the nursery.

The wall color is Sherwin William's Wool Skein.  this was in the original tiny white house and it's one of my go-to paint colors.  I know grays are super in right now, but I've never been a big fan myself.  they feel too cold for my taste.  at the same time, I didn't want to paint everything white.  I loved Wool Skein in our old house, so we decided to use it as our wall color throughout in this house.  I love it, still; but it matches the natural color of canvas drop cloths almost exactly.  I wanted there to be some contrast between my walls + drapes; so after doing some research, I decided to bleach mine to lighten and soften them.  they say this gives them more of a linen look + feel, as well.  so, I bought lots of bleach and got to work.

for this project, I used a 9x12 drop cloth.  I'm not great with numbers; but I figured that if I cut it in half twice, I could have four 9x3 panels.  this would be enough for the master bedroom, allowing two panels per window.  however, once I got the drop cloth out of the packaging, I noticed the seam ran long ways, down the 12' length.  I didn't want a seam running across them horizontally, so I split them in half, along the seam, and hemmed the raw edge.  then the bleaching process began.

this was the trickiest part of all.  it was kind of like a science experiment.  I read a few blog tutorials on how-to.  there are several different recipes on bleaching drop cloths, and I kind of mixed a few together.  but the gist of it is this: take your drop cloth, place it in a top loader washing machine, start a normal wash cycle, fill washer with water + 8 cups of bleach.  after the washer fills and before the cycle actually begins, stop it. let it soak 3-4 hours.  turn the washer back on to complete the cycle/drain the bleach + water mixture.  once that's done, restart the washer on a normal cycle and add detergent.  do this once more.  in one of these last two cycles using detergent, I added a cup of hydrogen peroxide.  I read this neutralizes the bleach and keeps it from breaking down the fibers.  throw it in the dryer.  and voila!  bleached drop cloths. 

I only did one drop cloth at a time so it would be completely submerged and that's what made it so difficult.  I had to follow the exact recipe for each canvas.  the first time around, I soaked the drop cloth in the bleach + water mix in my washing machine for three hours.  then I followed the above recipe.  but on the next go-round, I started the three hour bleaching process and then left the house to go run errands.  I didn't return home to finish it until four hours later.  it was kind of a happy accident, though, because that extra hour made a dramatic difference and I ended up following that recipe for the rest.

then it was time for the fun part.  dressing up the windows!  my handymen [read: father and husband] hung my rods high + wide.  this creates the allusion of higher ceilings + bigger windows.  in my case, the ceilings really are higher and the windows are a good size.  I love this about my house.  next, I placed my ring clips onto my panels and inserted the ring clips + panels onto the rod and hung them.  I squealed at the finished product.  my husband squealed at the finished product.  shh—don't tell his friends!  okay, maybe he didn't squeal, but he was very complimentary and a little too excited.  but for good reason! you see, we live at the end and on the corner of our street so the streetlights beam right into our bedroom at night, even through our temporary curtains.  we've mostly gotten used to it, but he had asked more than once when we would have "real curtains" in our bedroom.  bless his heart—real for him means painters' drop cloths.

below is a breakdown of the cost:

9x12 canvas drop cloth - $21.98
3.78 quarts of bleach - $4.72
hydrogen peroxide - 98¢
drapery rod - $15
ring clips - $4.74 [I used 2.5 packs per window]

that comes out to be less than $55/window for "fabric" material, hardware, and supplies, bringing the grand total to $220 for four 130" curtain panels.

I am thrilled with the finished product.  they lighten our living room and master bedroom with their natural, mild color, while softening it at the same time as they puddle onto the floor.  and honestly, the way the curtains are hung so high, I'd venture to say they make me feel fancy.

This will seem like too much work to some and too homemade to others, and that's okay.  DIYing isn't for everyone, in the same way that paying a fortune for custom drapes isn't for everyone.  there are a lot of things going on in my heart lately and I have been realizing that interior design + decorating is not my "dream" anymore.  while I enjoy it, it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life, or at least to the extent that I thought I did.  I love to create + work with my hands.  I feel most like myself when I am doing these things, but I am beginning to think that this will look differently than what I envisioned even a few months ago.  I don't exactly know what this means or what it will look like.  I'm still figuring that out myself.  but if you stick around, maybe we can find out together.

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and now here we are, nearly a year later, and I'm still not certain about certain things [who am I kidding? that should read "most"], in regards to design or work or what I'm doing.  however, I am certain that I still love the way these bleached drop cloth curtains turned out and I am certainly trying to enjoy the journey and make the most of every opportunity I am given.

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sources:

canvas drop cloths | Lowe's Home Improvement
curtain rods | Tuesday Morning
ring clips | Mainstays via Walmart 

tuesday tips: mixed nuts

today's Tuesday Tip is simple and a bit nutty.  pun intended.

one of my favorite things to do when decorating for the holidays is to fill a bowl with mixed nuts.  it's easy, adds some natural hues and a little texture, and it's lovely.  throw them in a pretty dish or a small basket and—viola!  an easy bowl filler.

from a coffee table to a console table to a table setting in your dining room, this is an effortless way to create interest and make a simple snack a bit more elegant.  what more could you want?

just don't forget a nutcracker like I did this past holiday season.  oops!

thanks for tuning into another edition of Tuesday Tips at the tiny white house!

holiday cheer + Christmas home tour.

when decorating for the holidays, I've always liked the idea of a little Christmas in every room.  nothing over the top, but at the very least, a touch of warmth.  I like to think my home is warm year-round.  so, this is a different kind of warmth—seasonal and perhaps a little brighter and more intentional. 

before I share a small tour of our home at Christmastime, I've got to tell you about my heart leading up to the most wonderful time of the year.  brace yourselves.

almost every year, usually in October or November, I have to take a moment and mentally prepare myself for Christmas.  I have to get still and take a deep breath and realize just how soon Christmas will be here, whether I'm ready or not.  I have the choice to prepare for this beautiful holiday or simply wing it, to stress myself out over it or relax and enjoy it in all its madness.  maybe I'm not alone in the overthinking of this, or maybe I am.  I like to do this and have to do this because, much like life, December 25 comes and goes so quickly.  it almost seems as if you blink, you'll miss it.

this year was different.  I remember having my "moment" in the last month or two.  I was excited.  I was ready.  I'd already begun my Christmas shopping in October and I was going to be ahead of the game.  it was our first year to celebrate the holidays in our new home and I was ecstatic about that.  then things got busy, and I began to lose focus.  I made two trips to the store for tree lights and it still wasn't enough to dress the entire tree.  I kept thinking of all the things we didn't have that I needed for decorating.  like the majority of our household possessions, all the Christmas decor we had collected was lost in the flood, so we were sort of starting from scratch.

so, I got angry and frustrated and ungrateful and maybe even a little apathetic.  one Sunday after church, we went to pick out our Christmas tree.  at this point, I was feeling hopeful again.  I grew up in a family that always had a live tree at Christmastime and am happy to carry on this tradition with my own little family.  we got home, ate lunch, took naps; and I don't know what happened during that nap, but I woke up and wasn't my usual self.  my husband, on the other hand, would have won the holiday cheer meister award.  and the following dialogue ensued...

"let's decorate the tree!" he exclaims.
"we don't even have ornaments." I reply in a voice reminiscent of Eeyore's.
"who cares? let's put on the lights. do you want Christmas cookies? I'll make some!"
"we don't have any."
"we've got chocolate chip!"
"those aren't Christmas cookies," I mutter.  I mean, what even?  what kind of person turns down cookies that they don't have to bake?  while I'm unboxing the new lights I purchased, I turn around to see my husband in his "Christmas" sweater... a terrible purple sweatshirt with cats and snowflakes with the words "meow meow pur pur" plastered across it in white vinyl appearing like a knit sweater type.  for the record, it was a white elephant gift.  this is not the gay apparel he typically dons. "WHAT are you wearing?"
"my Christmas sweater.  duh!" he replies cheerfully, as he searches for Christmas music on television.
"that's not a Christmas sweater."  I wrap lights around the tree, huffing and puffing and hating life and Christmas.
"do you want me to do that?" he offers.
"NO!" I fire back, like the monster I am.

it seems as if I vaguely remember my mother also despising putting lights on the tree.  when I text her about this particular Christmas task later, she responds with words that struck me to my core—sort of kidding, but sort of not.  "That is the absolute worst part of decorating. For real. But - after it's done, you'll love it. Kinda like childbirth."  truer words have never been spoken.

I'm sure I didn't take notice of this the same night; but while I was grumbling and complaining, my husband was full of joy and cheer.  and to all my complaining, he responded with love and grace.  I've always said he's the nice one.  he's obviously a better person than me, as well.  all I could see was a halfway lit tree with zero ornaments, an empty mantle with no garland or stockings or Christmas decor in sight, family members who are no longer here and won't be able to spend the holidays with us, and the babies crying and holding onto my legs as I wrestled lights onto the tree.  I was focused on all the things we didn't have.  my husband saw the first tree we ever picked out with our children in tow.  he saw the beautiful house the Lord provided us with that we got to celebrate the holidays in.  he saw our babies that are here with us and healthy.

"someone is happy with less than [what] you [have]."  have you ever heard that before?  those are some powerful, convicting words.  looking back on that night a few weeks ago, I can hear this phrase in my mind and clearly see it to be true.  it was a memorable night kicking off the holidays and a lesson that I hope I never forget.

I still haven't finished my Christmas shopping, besides the matching $2 swim trunks for the boys I found at a Gap outlet that I know neither child will care about.  and I still need to wrap a few more gifts.  and the five beautiful, live wreaths I hung on my front door + windows are all dead.  BUT I'm choosing to get over myself and the imperfections and embrace this season in all its beauty and madness.  not having all the ornaments and lights and decor I'd like is trivial in the grand scheme of things.  because whether I am ready for it or not, Christmas is here and I don't want to miss it.

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and now, time for a Christmas tour of the tiny white house...

I have always loved garlands draped over banisters.  that was one thing I couldn't wait to decorate for the holidays!  I wish I could leave this up year-round, but it will probably have to come down eventually.  although, I certainly plan on leaving it up through the winter months.

this garland came from Hobby Lobby.  it was $49.99 for a 6' strand.  being the bargain shopper that I am, I snagged it during a 50% off sale.  I bought two garlands as the length of our hand rail is approximately 8ish feet and I knew I wanted to loosely drape the garland.

I made a bow using this pretty off-white Offray ribbon I found at Walmart.  I followed a wonderful tutorial by Ann Drake of On Sutton Place and made three bows for the garlands and five bows to put on the wreaths on the front door + windows.

my taste in Christmas stockings has varied over the years.  I purchased two our first year of marriage; and by the next Christmas, I wanted something different.  those were destroyed with our other holiday decor when our home flooded.  last year, we were with my parents for Christmas so we didn't have or need stockings of our own.  so this year, I really wanted us to have four matching stockings.  believe it or not, if you're buying these from a store in the middle of the holiday season, it's hard to find four matching stockings.  I ended up seeing an ad from a sweet friend of mine's monogram business and ordered from her.  the neutral stockings were advertised with red or green thread monogram, but I really wanted something simple and classic—shocking, I know.  the tone on tone stitching in a traditional typeface make for a gorgeous monogram.  she brought my vision to life and I could not love these stockings more!  I can't wait to use them for all the Christmases to come.

our dining room is currently in transition.  we moved my grandmother's piano in about a month ago.  we first had this precious family heirloom in the original tiny white house.  somehow, it miraculously survived the flood.  then it lived at my parents for almost two years, and is now back home with us.  I'm happy about this because it means music fills our home again.  I say that as if there wasn't any music until nana's piano arrived... there was music.  where Drew Willis is, there is always music.  however, it was mostly guitars—acoustic and electric.  so, it is refreshing to have something a little more classical + romantic as background noise.

but back to the dining room... the already-tight room is in transition after or because of moving the piano in.  I love the little green table we've used for years.  it once belonged to Drew's great grandparents.  Louisiana Power + Light Co. was planning to throw it out, so my husband's great grandfather brought it home.  his wife refinished it with a green antique kit, then leaves were added to accommodate her needs as a seamstress.  I love a good story, especially a telling one of the history behind a piece of furniture.  the friends who gave us the dresser-turned-vanity for our master bath, also gave us this beautiful round dining table.  it just made sense to switch out the large rectangular table for the smaller round table with the piano in the room.  I'd love to strip it and stain it eventually.  someday...

in September, I gave my little sister our old white chairs because she needed some for her apartment.  I have four beautiful cane back dining chairs sitting in the garage waiting to be redone.  here we are nearly four months later and that still hasn't happened, so we're using a mix of chairs.  I set the table using the dishes from our wedding registry, our mismatched collection of flatware, and antique scalloped cloth napkins.  I threw some branches from our Christmas tree into a silver pitcher five minutes before we had guests over for dinner one evening.  we ended up sitting on the living room floor to eat dinner and keep up with the babies.  I'm sure Emily Post would have something to say about that, but aren't those the best kind of friends?

later on, I added some mixed nuts in a little silver bowl and a cloche with sheet music rolled + tied.  I really like how this turned out. 

in the boys room, I hung this cute little plaid banner I found in the Target dollar spot.  I found a couple miniature trees at TJ Maxx.  they came wrapped in burlap, but I put them in some planters I found at Goodwill.  there's one in the nursery and one in the upstairs bath.  I decorated them with a thin, red gingham ribbon.  it's certainly on the simpler side, but I like it.

and there you have it!  the most wonderful time of the year at the tiny white house.  I've really enjoyed the house feeling so cozy and I'll be sad to see Christmas go, but I plan to soak it all up while I can.

merry Christmas to you + yours!

but the angel said to them, "do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all people.  for this day in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior who is Christ the Lord.  and this will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Luke 2:10-12

garland on banister | Hobby Lobby
ribbon for cream bows | Offray via Walmart
garland on mantle | Michaels
magnolia wreath | Hobby Lobby
white candles on mantle | Walmart + Dollar Tree
stockings | Monogram Central
ribbon for red bows | Wellesley Manor via HomeGoods
miniature trees | TJ Maxx
plaid bunting | Target dollar spot

a {mini} fall tour.

Decorating for holidays, and decorating just because, looks a little different than it used to, as we have been living with family since the flooding of our home.  I really and truly have loved almost every minute of it, but it has certainly been challenging, at times, for all my "roommates."

One of the wonderful things about being back at home is that my sweet mother has given me complete "creative control."  in other words, I am free to style, decorate, rearrange, etc. the way I would in my own home.  this woman is so gracious to do this because, you know, it's not even my house!  but to be completely candid, I think she has probably enjoyed it a little, because who doesn't want a live-in decorator?

that said, it is interesting to decorate a different house in these new seasons.  I never dreamed that last fall and Christmas would be my last time to decorate for the holidays at the tiny white house.  however, at my parents', I have a great canvas to work with.  for instance, they have a mantle!  I know, I know—what a luxury, right?  but this is something we didn't have in our first home, so it's fun to create something centered around this.

But enough with all the words! without further ado, I'd like to share the 2016 {mini} fall tour with you!

When I began to envision my fall decor, I knew I wanted to incorporate this oversized frame. I actually acquired this sometime earlier in the year. one afternoon, I was driving the little girl I nanny to her voice lesson. the church where her lessons took place was located near Good Will; so some days, if time allowed, we would stop by to see if they had any treasures for us. but, that's actually not where this came from. it was on the way to Good Will that I spotted a dumpster behind a store and what looked like a dresser sitting near it. so we took a detour and that's where I happened upon this piece! the dresser was beyond repair, but this frame was on the ground behind it. it used to frame a mirror, but I suppose the dresser + mirror fell and cracked so the store threw it out. obviously, they didn't realize they could paint it, staple some toile fabric in it, and place it on their mantle for fall decor, but that's neither here nor there.

In the spring, we hung a boxwood wreath in the frame.  but when our baby arrived, that wreath moved to the nursery.  so the frame sat empty for some months, and then September rolled around.  I got the idea to frame some fabric and then remembered I had a couple yards of toile fabric I'd bought from Hobby Lobby to recover some pillows.  it had been sitting under our bed, folded up, in the very plastic bag it left the store in last fall, waiting for its time to shine.  with some assistance from my mother, we stretched + stapled this fabric in the frame.  it's a little simple, maybe even understated; but, to me, it definitely shines.  this is one of my favorite projects to date.  and the best part is it cost less than $10 to make!

As I've mentioned before, silver is one of my favorite things to feature in my decor.  this antique silver ice bucket was a gift from my husband last Christmas.  clearly, he knows the way to my heart.  in the spring + summer, it was filled with hydrangeas.  for the fall season, it holds stems of cotton.

The ice bucket sits upon my great grandfather's Bible.  my mother has several Bibles that have been in our family for generations, and I'm jealous and I want them.  isn't that ironic?  to covet someone else's vintage Bible.  she says I can't have them [yet, anyway]; but since we're roommates, I am free to use them in my/our decor.

Of course, pumpkins are a staple when it comes to fall decor, and there's just something about white ones.  the oversized blue pitcher is a favorite of mine and adds a little color to this mostly neutral scene.

A wire basket filled with cozy blankets is a simple, yet decorative way to create storage and warmth—quite literally.

In the 2015 {mini} fall tour, I mention that simply placing pumpkins throughout your home adds a little touch of fall without much effort.  this lovely vignette is on the shelves of the hutch in the kitchen.  you already know I love blue + white dishes and greenery, throw in a pumpkin and I'm sold.  and would you look at that?  another old Bible I covet.

As pleased as I was with the way the mantle turned out, I couldn't help but feel as if the fall decor wasn't complete.  so, I decided to set the little drop-leaf table in the kitchen.  I used my favorite blue + white dishes, fresh apples + berries, and a few nuts I found in the backyard. 

I was excited to use these chargers I scored at Home Goods when we were visiting family in Texas last Christmas.  I found them hidden under some bowls on a bottom shelf and just had to have them.  I did feel a little bad, though, because I'm pretty sure someone hid them there with the intention of coming back for them.  but you know, finders keepers, or whatever.

the mismatched flatware is part of my collection that I've gathered along the way, from antique stores to garage sales and junk shops.  the antique linen napkins were another Christmas gift from my husband.  cloth napkins are another one of my favorite things to collect.

It's not much; but it's warm and inviting, and that's enough for me.

thanks for looking!  what do you think?  how do you decorate for fall?

life begins all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.
-Anne of Green Gables