Tag Archives: Fall

Autumn Mantel Makeover

Thought I’d pop in today to share the seasonal spruce-up I gave to my mantle (and a bookshelf) last night! I was inspired by some of the ideas I found yesterday through The Lettered Cottage Fall Decorating Link Party. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should! There are plenty of cute, clever and creative ideas to be found!

I literally cut these sticks out of a smaller, dead tree in our backyard. We’re planning on taking it out, so we might as well put it to use for decorating! The vase fillers were in a set decorative fillers I bought a few years ago. I think I got them at Michaels.

If you haven’t already guessed. I LIKE SPARKLY THINGS! The mercury glass candle holder was part of a set of 3 from Kohl’s earlier this year (snagged ’em on clearance for $6! So I got 2 sets). The brown tealight holder probably came from Michaels (I’ve had it for a few years).

Most of the items I used are things I already had, like the hurricane vase (Bed, Bath & Beyond, circa 2007). I just switched out the usual candle for acorns. The metallic pumpkin is new – Michaels had all of their fall accents for 50% off last week! Booyah! The gold pumpkin and glittery crow above (I’m calling it a raven in honor of Edgar Allan Poe) were also sale finds from Michaels! The purple glass spikey things were made by my cousin, who’s a glass artist.

Here’s one last shot of the whole mantle:

Now, on to the bookcase! I’ve been struggling with what to do with this space. I think I’m happy with this arrangement. But that doesn’t mean it won’t change 😉

Aren’t those flowers pretty? The color palette is so perfect for this time of the year, and I think they do a nice job of complementing my Subway Canvas. Check out how I made it here.

I just love that Scentsy owl warmer! And the Caramel Pear Crisp scent inside isn’t bad either!

Well, that about covers my mantle and bookshelf makeover! Hope you like it!

PS- Sorry that these photos are a bit grainy – I took them with my phone… and it was dusk, so the lighting wasn’t the best. I was too anxious to blog about my makeover to wait for the weekend, i.e. the benefit of natural daylight. Sorry. I’m impatient. I’m trying to work on it. Especially since my impatience is constantly at odds with the care and detail that needs to go into things like drilling holes in walls and painting…

*Update – I linked this post up to Centsational Girl’s Autumn Mantle Party. There are soooo many great ideas! I wish I had more mantles in my house!

Weekly Wishlist: Autumn Accents

It’s beginning to look a lot like… Autumn! In preparation for the changing of the seasons, I’ve pulled together some home accents that really set the mood for crisp nights, hot cider and weekends spent watching football.

by WorleysLighting on Etsy

The natural texture of these candle holders feel perfect for fall. Check out their shop for more sizes and shapes. With so many options, you could create a nice little arrangement on a mantle, shelf, or even a table centerpiece.

by feltjar on Etsy

These felted acorns would look so cute collected in a dish or bowl, or even just casually scattered on a table. The plum and chartreuse palette is a fresh take on traditional reds, oranges and yellows. (And would perfectly match my family room, wink, wink).

by TheBakersDaughter on Etsy!

I ADORE this wreath – the raven totally makes it. And makes me want to read some Poe.

by claylicious on Etsy

You knew there had to be an owl in here, right? 😉 Love me some owls!

by My Sweet Savannah (found via Pinterest)

These pumpkins are so fun! I have so many visions for my front porch this season… I think I need to make some room for some painted pumpkins! Imagine the possibilities!

What’s on your wishlist this week? How do you incorporate Autumn elements into your decor? (I’m still working on this… my collection of Autumn decor is pitifully small… trying to do a few vignettes around the house without breaking the bank!)

Weekend Photo Montage

Whew! It was a long, busy weekend! Apologies for the lack of a photo post on Friday – I was hauling dirt around our yard all day. In lieu of that, here’s a weekend recap in photos!

An “after” photo of Friday’s hard work. Doesn’t look like much, but we pulled crabgrass, spread dirt to fill in the holes we created, and re-seeded in hopes that next spring’s yard will be lush, green, and weed-free!

The berries are starting to come out on my Snowberry bush. So pretty!

Captured some raindrops on one of the Knockout rose bushes in our front yard.

We went to a wedding on Saturday night that was hosted in an art gallery. A cool environment, with a really cool view of Cincinnati at sunset.

On the way out of the reception, Tom sat down in these funky, mod chairs. I think he looks pretty handsome, no? Like Mad Men meets James Bond?

On Sunday, my mom and I hit up the Burlington Antique Show across the river in Burlington, KY. I picked up this little table – it’s the perfect size to fit between our two accent chairs. And it was only $28!! Now I just need to decide how I want to refinish it. I think spray painting is in order (yellow? black lacquer? metallic?) and I’m debating adding a mirror trim, a la Kristin of Bliss (check out her DIY makeover here). What gets your vote??

I also picked up some new, upcycled yard art at the antique show! The dragonfly is make out of silverware handles (so clever!) and the flower is made out of glass bowls. The center is a tiny amber beer mug! Ha! Love that! You can check out the artists’ website here – Allglassflowers.com.

That about covers my weekend! We finished Sunday out by watching football (welcome back, old friend) and eating some delicious black bean and zucchini chili (recipe from Real Simple)…

Now that’s what I call a good weekend!

Autumn Subway Canvas

When it comes to seasonal decor, I tend to stick to Winter/Christmas. And by “stick to” I mean Make It Look Like Santa’s Workshop / A Wintery Wonderland Exploded In My House. I. Love. Christmas Decor.

But, I have to admit that I’ve recently had a hankering for some Fall-inspired touches around the house. In the past, I think I’ve been turned off by the predominantly brownish color palette of Fall decor, but with the recent metallics trend… now that’s a seasonal bandwagon I can get on! Whoo! Whoo! (wait, sorry, that’s a train sound. What sound does a bandwagon make?)

Anywho, I came across this seasonal Subway art on Pinterest…

from Antsi-Pants blog

and decided this was totally something I could decorate around. She’s even got glittery pumpkins right next to it! Yessss!

This is actually a printable that can be downloaded (for free!), but I had a Craft Itch that needed to be scratched. I decided with some paint and scrapbooking accessories, this could easily become a personalized piece. So I made a trip to Michael’s, picked up some supplies, and got to work!

I picked up an 11″ x 14″ canvas and figured I’d need at least eight words/phrases to cover it. I made a list of all of the Autumn-related words I could think of, then narrowed down to the ones that best represent what I love about the season.

I wanted a variety of fonts, so I purchased stencils and 3D sticker letters. I also decided to free-hand some of the words, which I saved for last so that I could fill in remaining spaces as needed. I started with the stencils, tracing them lightly with a pencil.

Then I added the 3D sticker letters, free-handed in the remaining spaces, and added a few “accessories” in the form of the sunflower, pumpkin and leaf stickers. Just to add some extra pizzazz!

I’m surprisingly pleased with how it turned out! And how relatively easy it was to do! A little bit more time consuming (took me about 2-2.5 hours from start to finish), but fun and worth it.
I already have plans for a Christmas one 😉

It hasn’t found a permanent home yet, but I have a few other Fall ideas in my mind that I’m hoping to pull together this weekend!

Where do you stand on seasonal decor?

Update: found this fun Fall Decorating Link Party from The Lettered Cottage! Check out all of the other bloggers’ awesome fall decor ideas!

Friday Photo Reel

my latest owl buddy, hanging out on top of one of my copies of Pride and Prejudice

autumn isn’t that far off! these colors stood out to me; bold, warm and the perfect palette for my purple & yellow family room / kitchen!

discovered this enormous caterpillar, plus his three BFFs, on my tomato plants this week. Google told me he’s a nuisance to gardens (i.e. eats like there’s no tomorrow), so they were promptly relocated to the woods.

You can follow me on Instagram @onuwriter06

Have a lovely, long holiday weekend!