Hello everyone! How's everyone doing? Home schooling got you in a tizzy? Or are you the person that's jonesing for some live music? Wishing you could go tailgating? Or are you just happy to see football back on television?
Whichever category you fall into, 2020 thus far hasn't been normal for any of us. Me, being the social creature that I am, has found it most difficult to face the fact that this holiday season I won't be doing the kind of entertaining I have in years past, and that makes me a bit wistful. However, although the gatherings will be on a much smaller scale, there WILL be gatherings and therefore, the fall decor must come out!
One of the things that does feel normal to me is making the trek to my garage, weeding through the neatly stacked and prominently marked clear, plastic bins, ( I am a organizational Nazi - thanks US Army!) to the boxes marked "FALL/SUMMER". I haul everything inside and start to open each bin and as I do I am delighted at what I find. It's almost like Christmas each season because I tend to forget some of the things that I'd purchased the year before, as I'm always adding to my collection of stuff. You see, making my home feel warm and welcoming is really important to me. A true Libra ( if you believe in that stuff ) I love beauty and a feeling of coziness in my home.
Nothing says "Come on In" like a festive, seasonal patio to greet your guests as they arrive. I love to scour places like Tuesday Morning, Home Goods, and Hobby Lobby for unique pieces that I can display on my patio. I also search Amazon for cheaper prices than most of the aforementioned stores have and typically, I strike gold. Case in point, last year I found several pumpkin stems and fall stems and a White Pumpkin Bundle that I put into this wicker basket, that is actually supposed to be used as a bathroom garbage can, all from Amazon. Add one of those little green styrofoam thingys to the bottom ( you can pick one up at any Michael's or Hobby Lobby) stick in and arrange all the stems and Waa-Laa, you have yourself a really cool, made it yourself, fall outdoor decoration.
The milk can jug came from Hobby Lobby but you can get a similar one HERE at Amazon and the Buffalo Plaid Print Pumpkins ( I LOVE These pumpkins) are all from Amazon as well. I have them ALL OVER MY HOUSE! You can buy them by individual size or they come in bundles.
There are also a few mint green colored ceramic pumpkins that I picked up at Home Goods, but unfortunately I can't link those here and I searched high and low for a similar product on Amazon for one to no avail. Home Goods is always a great place to find seasonal items if you don't mind the sticker price.
Now, anyone that truly knows me knows that I have a soft spot for Prosecco, specifically La Marca, so when joining me in my home for any type of gathering, if you've got La Marca, you'll be greeted with open arms! (But seriously, you don't need to bring anything) I saw this Welcome Mat and it was love at first sight (many styles to choose from on Amazon) so it was in my cart and at my door...along with the super cute Fluffy Slippers. Let's talk about these slippers for a sec. They come in 27 color combos and what a great holiday gift they would be to any of the ladies in your life! I have wood floors throughout my house so I wear slippers all the time when I am home and these are just so feminine. I'm all about the Diva style.
I've expressed to you all before how much I like pillows and changing out the pillows around the house like I did on my patio was an important task to ensure that fall was present throughout the house so I picked up a couple bundles of Pillow Covers from Amazon like this one. They have several choices of patterns and colors and it's a great way to change your decor without breaking the bank. I just slip these off at the end of the fall season, which for me is the day after Thanksgiving, and put on my Christmas pillow covers that will take me all the way into 2021, which, by the way, couldn't come sooner. Am I right???
One of our favorite things is to host dinner parties during the holiday season (except at the height of the shutdown) because my husband loves to cook, and is really good at it, and I love to host...so it's a match that makes for a lively evening. And of course setting a beautiful table is important and of course, the decor must match the season. This tablescape is brought to you by items picked up at Hobby Lobby, Amazon, and Home Goods. The Placemats and Napkins are from Amazon. The leaf shaped placemats are from Home Goods so I can't link them directly but I've linked some similar ones that I found on Amazon for you. The White Pumpkins are from the bundle that I purchased to use on my patio (linked above) and the Orange Chargers come in a pack of 6 for $14.00!
The White Pillar Candlesticks are perfect to use as centerpieces and the orange sunflower napkin rings were a find at Hobby Lobby but I've linked some Yellow ones HERE from Amazon.
On my sideboard, behind my dinning table, I created a small fall vignette using a few small Ceramic Orange Pumpkins along with some additional candlesticks, some Orange Candles, (I use unscented candles around the house except for the Yankee Candles) a Small Fall Floral Arrangement and this fab Thankful Sign that I stumbled across on a Hobby Lobby tear one rainy day last week. I have linked a similar one HERE for you. The Buffalo Plaid Coffee Mug was an impulse purchase because it came up when I put "Buffalo Plaid Pumpkins" into the Amazon search bar.
It sounds like a lot of work, but honestly, switching out the seasons in my home makes me feel productive and gives me a sense of comfort and safety, all the things that the word HOME should bring. Growing up, my childhood home was chaotic and haphazard at best, with it usually just being a wreck, with nothing in it's place, no order or sense of who lived there. As I've grown I've always taken great pride in the fact that when you walk into my home, you feel welcomed and you immediately get a sense of who I am. And now, as I create a wonderful living space for my husband and I both, blending our two worlds into one familial, inviting, entertaining ready space, is not only tremendously important to me, but it's really alot of fun! I'm so thankful that I get to share that now, with you.
Cheers ya'll!! XOXO