embracing the f word again {fall}

I did a similar post last year about the start of the fall season. And I know it’s not a swear word, but every September fall comes along and takes the wind out of my sails. It’s not that I don’t like this season. I love it. But my problem with fall is that winter comes next. I’m a summer girl and the cold is getting to me. But just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that… I’m going to try and appreciate the fall for the amazing things the season brings us and not think about what’s to come.

In addition to the fall colors, comfy sweaters, football games, hearty dinners, apple pie and everything pumpkin, I love to decorate for fall. Pumpkins, gourds, berries, acorns, leaves. oh, I could go crazy. Have you noticed the delicious colors of the gourds? Peach, salmon, sage green, lime… yum.

But I’ve been a little hesitant to decorate lately. We’re right in the middle of putting a small addition on our home and things are a mess. But, I couldn’t help adding some fall touches and I figured I’d share them with you because our homes don’t have to be perfect to be enjoyed. am I right?

So here are a few of the fall touches in our not-so-perfect home. Some of the decor includes fun DIY projects – click on the links to take you to the how-to for each.

Welcome to our home….

This is our foyer with an armoire that’s always fun to decorate.

I went with some real and fake gold pumpkins for a little pop. The white fur pillow warms up the space. Here’s my DIY tutorial post on how to make antique type signs.

Our dining room. I used a handmade rosette {DIY tutorial here} to add interest to my hutch and stenciled some plain baskets for pretty storage {DIY tutorial here}.

I love the randomness of this centerpiece versus one larger piece. Most of the items are things I had around the house: vases, books, candlesticks, candy jars. I added some sticks for height, painted and monogrammed a pumpkin from Michaels and decoupaged another one. If you’re doing a centerpiece like this, I suggest keeping the pieces in a similar color palette and varying the textures {wood, metallic, canvas, burlap, etc.}. Also vary the size and height of the items so your eye moves through the centerpiece. Use lots of natural elements {acorns, sticks, pinecones, shells} to ground the arrangement and keep the items very close to each other – they become more of a unit if they’re almost touching and interacting. 

Our family room. I get so happy when I can add orange to a room. And candy jars – see DIY tutorial post here on making these pretty upcycled jars.

Our mantle is always quite a challenge to decorate with the TV directly above it and the shelves on either side. I tried to stick with natural elements for color and texture. The gourds are from… wait for it…Walmart {thanks, Mom}. The prettiest ones I’ve seen and super cheap! And there’s that delicious peach color.

My daughter and I made a super easy, fall leaf garland last year. Check out the original DIY post here from The Handmade Home. She’s good!

I heart birch logs. I found these at our local farm stand.

Fall colors are just so pretty but you don’t have to do the obvious color palette of orange, gold and reds. I also like to pair contrasting colors, like orange and blue or lime green and salmon.

I love the addition of the deep teal green pillow. The brown fur pillow again adds warmth and texture.

I added rolled paper flowers to the stag – click here for the tutorial from Jones Design Company. Fall print by yours truly. Make one yourself: use a real or fake leaf and glue it on a print out you make on your computer with the words: fall. in. love. Easy art!

More gourds and pumpkins. And a twig vase – which I use all year long. Click here for the DIY tutorial. And don’t forget to download and print my free fall art prints here.

Lots of textures going on.

Our kitchen table with a simple pumpkin arrangement. I made the burlap table runner last year with my limited sewing skills. See that post here.

This is a little space that’s always hard to decorate. But adding the pouf {$25 at HomeGoods} makes it a great little reading spot for the kids.

I had some random faux leaves and flowers – which I usually don’t use – but I loved the colors. So I arranged them in a wood bin with some vases and candles and I have an instant fall centerpiece.

A little shelf with a toy truck that gets seasonal cargo. Hay bales and pumpkins for the fall. Paired with a simple type watercolor.

I painted all of our interior doors black a few years ago – see that tutorial here and I love them!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the small peek into our home and enjoy this lovely season! The weather has been beautiful but I do know that living in the Northeast, the winter will be here soon enough. ugh. But we’re not there yet so I’m going to enjoy the brisk {not freezing} air, the light {not winter} coats and the falling leaves {not snow}. 

Be sure to click on the DIY links that were included in this post in case you’re feeling it! And remember, our homes don’t have to be perfect to be enjoyed!