Lighten Up for Fall

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. ~Jane Austen

Dear friends,
I just love this time of year, don''t you? I've been busy following my nesting instincts and I've managed to get a few things checked off my Fall to- do list too!

•  replace hideous vinyl flooring
• get a small section of picket fencing installed ( Home Depot, here I come )
• refresh our dining room and kitchen with a new coat of paint
• fall cleaning and organizing
• figure out how to keep Stevie, our rebel chicken in the run ( honey, are you reading today?)

 If you've been reading my blog for a while you know I LOVE gardening and sharing images from all seasons with you.

Here are a couple of fun and easy fall decorating ideas. The old tea pot that was brimming with nasturtium's this summer is brewing silk flowers in vibrant fall colors.

 This tiered desert tray is perfect for creating a tall fall arrangement! I added some dried Hydrangea blossoms from our garden, a pine cone, a birds nest and some small pumpkins to each level and WA La! Instant Fall! I also like to do my fair share of feathering our nest inside too, but let's face it, being in the middle of a make- over is the messiest part of the process, kind of like having your hair woven at the Salon. The time to unveil your new do isn't when your head is covered in foil!  That being said, we've finally gotten things together enough to give you a peak of some  of the progress we've made.  Our Fall decorating frenzy started with picking up where we left off last December.. in the middle of a kitchen remodel! We don't like to rush into things around here! Why the long break? We had to find just the right light fixture to replace the HELICOPTOR  over our dining room table. It was here when we moved in 9 years ago!

It was a happy day when the electrician came to remove IT! We saved big $$$ by looking online at Restoration Hardware for our light fixture then finding an outlet nearby for better pricing.

We love the aged bronze tone of the metal and it matches the hardware on our new kitchen cabinets which I promise to feature soon.... Today it's all about color and light!

Notice the cozy, warm apricot colored walls in the the back ground of both of these photo's? I'm a big fan of using colors that speak to my soul in decorating. A few years back, I was drawn to a color I found at Lowe's in their Waverly Paint line. To me, it spoke of the warm western sunsets of the high desert that I grew up with and the sunsets that I now enjoy here on the East Coast or images of cozy English cottage walls bathed in orange sunshine sure to chase away the winter doldrums. I found it so wonderfully comforting that I wrapped our dining room and living room walls in Autumn Glow and settled in to enjoy it for as long as the feeling lasted. It's been about five years and all I had hoped for in a wall color! It made us feel cozy during long, gray winters and was the perfect color to off set many of the flowers that we can see from our dining room and kitchen window. Lately though, I've been craving a lighter, fresher look but with plenty of colorful accents!  My need for comfort with that color has been satisfied and I'm ready to throw off my blanket of Autumn Glow in exchange for something a little brighter, creamier and yummier! I courted the new color for a while to see how it made me feel. After a while I noticed something interesting. The new paint color is also the color of my favorite winter robe, my favorite scented candle ( vanilla ) and my favorite milkshake, Lumina Pumpkins and sea shells softened by waves and bleached by the sun.

TA DA! Benjamin Moores Standish White is our new wall color!

I believe a persons home should reflect their personality, not what the latest shelter magazine has predicted as the latest popular trend. I do look to them for inspiration in things like furniture placement, lighting, window treatments, flooring, and color combinations but I always go with my gut when it comes to decorating my own home.  Besides my MaryJanesFarm magazine, I LOVE  The English Home, The English Garden, Victoria and Natural Home.

 I made our window treatments with a Waverly Fabric and a pattern from Joanne's Fabric Store.

Creativity is key when you are decorating on a budget and you want a home that expresses your family not someones elses! We use and re-use our furniture pieces that we've collected over the years by placing them in different rooms or just adding a quick ( or not so quick ) coat of paint. The antique table in the above photo is from the early 1900's made from oak. I painted it black a few years ago but it's on the list for some re-freshening in the near future.

Faux Brick walls are a fun way to add some character to your home. They come and go as far as trends go, but if you like them, paint them! The beauty of painting your own bricks is you can make them any color you wish! I wanted a warm, rosy brick color with a few blackened bricks for an aged look...I first painted the walls with a suede paint in a neutral color, then with a brick wall stencil from Royal Design Studio I went to work creating my bricks one section at a time using various craft paints and sponges. They feel real to the touch because of the base coated suede paint underneath.

Look for future posts on how you can create an environment that supports creativity in yourself and your family members, by DE- cluttering, re-arranging furniture, then organizing! You'll feel better, think clearer and be much more productive and prosperous in your creative endeavors!

How do you decorate to make you feel AT HOME?

Happy feathering!

Forever fluffing,
Deb

Linking up with the wonderful Homestead Barn Hop  and Show off your Cottage Monday with The House in the Roses.