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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Fall Home Tour 2013

Hello and Happy Fall! 

As usual, I am once again, late to the party.

I like to arrive fashionably late. 

...Yeah, that's it. It was totally planned. And thoughtfully executed. 

I meant to wait this long. 

Really. 

Ok, not really. 

I am sorry. Sometimes my life feels overwhelming, and I just have to put the brakes on. 

Plus, we just got back from a really lovely family trip to Switzerland and England. 

I promise to share more about that soon!

So, I have been decorating for fall for weeks now, but have not gotten around to showing you any of it.

...Until today. :-)

Prepare for photo overload!

I have been buying pumpkins, gathering leaves, and pinecones, and adding fluffy pillows, lots of cozy 

blankets to snuggle under, and flannel sheets on the beds. 

I decorated my mantel ages ago. I made my own Autumn Banner and gathered things that I already 

had on hand. I like to keep my decorating simple.


I don't do a lot outside for fall, as the winds in Southern California this time of year can be extreme, and I don't want to decorate with lots of little cute things, only to have them blow away!

Inside my house, I only put a few things up for Halloween, and I normally do it just a few days prior. 

I like to have Autumn decor that will last from early fall, through Thanksgiving. 

The day after Thanksgiving, and sometimes even turkey day itself, all of the Christmas stuff is pulled out, and holiday preparations are in full swing!

So for fall, I don't buy a lot of new things. I just gather all my pinecones, twigs, feathers and gourds, and fill and fluff until I have something that makes me smile.



Now prepare for a few in bad light...



View from the dining room back towards the living room. See what I mean about my lousy photos? 
The light in here is just never conducive. But then again, I was using my iPhone here. Lol!


 My little reading nook got a few ears of indian corn.

I bought nothing new for the dining room table, I just used a cloth napkin I had, and some cotton stuffing, a rubberband and a ribbon to create this fabric pumpkin. The stem is REAL! I found a whole bunch on the ground at the pumpkin farm last year, so I picked them up in hopes of making fancy fabric pumpkins. 

But, turns out I'm a tad lazy. ;-) 
So I cheated. 


I had some burlap that I received at the Haven conference, and I used that instead of placemats, for a rustic feel. 

I gathered my ironstone dishes, and layered in some green plates for color. 

 I also used some satin ribbon in brown, and I just layered it on top of the burlap. Across the table lengthwise, I layered a thicker sheer amber ribbon with an oak leaf print. 


My sweet little Quail mom and baby I found thrifting...


And a few random odds and ends thrown together. Somehow it all makes sense to me! That stem of pods fell from one of my palms, and the copper acorn tag was found at my local flea market. 

I have no idea why I like the ripped old book page liner, but I just do.


I added thrift store ironstone cups that I could not seem to walk away from, to a wreath in my dining room. I LOVE how it turned out, and will be sharing more about it this soon! 


The living room and dining room have 11 windows between them, so these two rooms get TONS of light, making them quite a challenge to photograph well. 

So I usually dont. 
Photograph them well, that is...


It doesn't seem to stop me from taking ten thousand pictures. ;-)


I love the vignette on the buffet, but I am still looking for something else to go in the center of that charger. A cool plate maybe? 

Or, maybe I will take that down and do something else. Ya neva know! 


In my kitchen, I have a rustic farm table with grey legs. 

I added some wheat bundles that I already had, and set the table with my pretty everyday dishes...






I love that I did not have to buy anything to make it look festive!


The above is a sneak peek at an upcoming post. But it is how my mantle looks now, and how it will stay until the day after Thanksgiving. I made the Book Page Wreath from an old dictionary, and the banner I made this year too!

I love to decorate for the seasons, but as you may notice, I don't feel that it's necessary to spend a lot, or even ANY money to accomplish the look that I want.

I hope you enjoyed a little look at some of my fall decor. 

Happy Fall! 
Please come back and visit again soon! 
I've missed you!


Thanks for stopping by!
xo-Lisa

10 comments:

  1. Beautiful! I am with you. I love decorating for fall using things that will carry me until Thanksgiving. Not a huge fan of the Halloween stuff.

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    1. I hear ya! I just don't love the spooky stuff, plus I am too lazy to an elaborate Halloween thing around the house!

      xo-Lisa

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  2. You did a beautiful job filling and fluffing ... and it has certainly made me smile!

    :) Linda

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  3. Well, I love it all!!!! I have to ask: about your everyday dishes....what is the brand and design???? I love them!!!!!!! Love all your vignettes and your house is beautiful!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Pinky! My everyday dishes I have had for 12 years. They were from Macy's and are the Cellar brand that Macy's used to have as their casual kitchen line of dishes, etc. I still love them, but they have not been available for years. Thank god I thought to get a setting for 12 back then. I have lost a few to breakage, but they have held up remarkably well. I think they may have been Cottage something? I'm sorry, I'm just not sure of the name of the pattern, and it's not printed on back.
      I have been looking for their replacement, and have not found anything I like nearly as much.

      Thanks so much for stopping by, and your sweet compliments!

      xo-Lisa

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  4. Everything looks great! Can we talk about your floors? I'm in a quandary about what kind of wood floors I want and yours are really beautiful. Do you mind telling me about them - type, manufacturer, etc. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Sandy!

      My floors are engineered hardwood. They are by Carlton Hardwood Floors, The Brentwood Collection, and the color of mine is Rockingham. I have had them a little over a year, and I love the color, but they do show indentations from my pooch's toenails. :-( In most cases the surface doesn't scratch, but as I said, they show definite lines where they didn't scratch the finish, but sort of made an indentation instead.
      That being said, I still love them, and I am fortunate that the floors already have a bit of a rustic vibe, so I am just going with it, and trying not to freak out about every new little mark.

      Thanks so much!
      xo-Lisa

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  5. I always love seeing more of your gorgeous home and you have so beautifully decorated it for Fall…everything is so warm and cozy…a home so lovingly decorated for your family….

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  6. Just wanted to wish you and your family a very happy and healthy New Year!

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I love reading all of your thoughtful comments!