Fall In Our House

I love fall (I know I've mentioned that numerous times recently, but I enjoy hammering home a point). I love it even more now that I live somewhere that actually experiences fall weather. Changing leaves, cool, crisp nights, and fall festivals every weekend are some of the things I love the most about the season.

Whenever those nighttime lows start dipping into the 40's and 50's, I figure it's time to start making the house look a little more "fall-esque." In case you aren't aware, I consider myself somewhat deprived in the interior design department. I mean, I'm savvy enough to not have any posters tacked on the walls or indulge in extreme theme decorating, but I'm still a novice at best. I tried to add a few little details to our house this fall to make it reflect the season and I thought I'd take the plunge and share them with you. These are just small little things around our house that are intended to remind us of the season, nothing over the top. Less is more in my opinion (and the kids like the additions, so that's what really counts!).

These first couple of things are the ones I am most excited about because I actually made them myself! Little Miss Crafty I am not, so this was a pretty big deal for me. Of course I stole the ideas from other people, but I actually did the labor myself, so that counts for something!

The first was this super-cute fall mat that I made with my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group this past week. It was super easy and turned out really cute. The colors will let me use it throughout the fall and it's something pretty and different that anyone can see upon entering our home.

Isn't it cute? I love the colors and really all you had to do was tie on all of the ribbons. And while I'm not a Virginia Tech fan, I have always said that I liked their team colors.

My second project was even easier. I wanted something fall-ish for our table and this is what I came up with ...

 (Excuse Sam in the background. I didn't have the heart to tell him I was actually taking a picture of the centerpiece and not of him).

I like them because they look classy but also seasonal. And they look like something I spent a lot of money on at the store. In actuality, I just bought a few gourds at a roadside stand and picked up some metallic gold spray paint at the hardware store. Then I sprayed those puppies (not real puppies, I'm referring to the gourds PETA people), let them dry, and placed them on a silver tray that has been collecting dust in our basement. Pretty cool, huh? AND easy, which is my main requirement in  a craft. Here's another shot just because I love them so much.

Two crafts in a week pretty much pushed me to my limit, so I made up for it for adding some other things around the house that didn't require assembly or labor.

Nothing says "fall is here" like a gigantic mum ...

Or, if you're a pyro like me, nothing says fall like a fire pit. With a mum in the background, of course.

And yes, those are miniature adirondack chairs for the kids around the fire pit (if they were adult-sized, that would be a pretty big fire pit). And NO, we do not let them play in or beside the fire. We leave that fun for us grown-ups.

And what would fall and Halloween be without an abundance of pumpkins everywhere you look? We have some on our windowsill ...

In our bellies ...

And hanging by the front door to remind us of the fast approaching night of sweet treats!

Aren't those trick-or-treat bags cute? Quadruple bonus that they have their names monogrammed on them, so now we don't have any fights over whose pumpkin is whose.

And finally, I had to let the kids contribute a little of their own to the decorating. Even though I'm not a super-crafter, I don't want to stymie any budding artists in my midst. Their contribution made it to the wall of fame ... the coveted refrigerator.

We'd like to feel they were channeling their inner Picasso's with these pumpkin representations, but something tells me they just haven't advanced to the concept of "straight" in preschool yet. I guess there will always be something new to learn.

I'd love to hear what you think of our seasonal additions and if you have any suggestions for things to add (or remove!). I'm learning as I go, so throw me a line if I'm drowning!

Now I'm going to head outside and put my feet up by the fire while smelling my mums and stuffing myself with candy pumpkins. Happy fall!