Fall Style Board Challenge

Even though we're now well into November, there's still time to talk about incorporating cozy autumn decorative touches in the home! So today, with a little inspiration from the Douglas Elliman real estate firm's Florida office, I'm sharing a fun style board to help you bring fall accents into a room. 

Adding fall accents to my home's decor is one of my favorite things about getting ready for the colder months. I like to add in cozy, warm linens, layered textures, and fall colors like oranges and golds. 

An easy way to bring fall into your home is to start with a neutral canvas. Let's take the living room, for example. Start with a tan, gray, or beige sofa, along with neutral curtains and rug that you can keep as a staple year-round. Then switch out accessories like throw pillows, blankets, and candles as the seasons change. The best thing about this method is that you can find inexpensive decor accessories just about anywhere. Most of the items below can be found at stores like Target, Pier 1, or World Market.

Here's a look at my Fall style board (sources with links are below):

Sources:
1. Curtains - World Market
2. Tan accent pillow - World Market
3. Faux birch LED candles - Pier 1
4. Scented candle - Bath & Body Works
5. Faux fur pillow - Target
6. Copper mugs - Pier 1
7. Sofa - Joss & Main
8. Gray knit throw - Target
9. Orange pillow - Target
10. Rug - Joss & Main
11. Plaid throw - Target

And just for fun, here are a few more decor accessories and items that are all super affordable and remind me of fall! Again, the sources for each item are below.

Other fall decor accents I love:

Sources:
Top row:
1. Scented Candle - Bath & Body Works
2. Branch string lights - World Market
3. Vine pumpkins - Pier 1
4. Cornucopia accent - World Market

Middle row:
5. Gray pillar candles - Pier 1
6. Dancing orchids - Z Gallerie
7. Thankful pillow cover - West Elm
8. Mondu wave mug - Pier 1

Bottom row:
9. Drum shade - World Market
10. Ivory chenille throw - World Market
11. Fox mug - World Market
12. White chenille pillow - Target

I hope this inspires you to add your favorite touches of fall to your home! 

Baseball Pumpkins (Go Cubs!)

Is there anything more exciting at the end of October than watching your team in the World Series, especially when it's the Cubs?! Trent and I have been watching every game, from the playoffs until now. Us Cubs fans are all hoping this is the YEAR!

That said, these are the pumpkins gracing our porch this October! Gotta cheer on our Cubbies.

I painted both last weekend. A slight change from my painted pumpkins of last year.

One thing's for sure - "We ain't afraid of No Goat!" (In the words of Bill Murray).

You know we all believe that we can win the World Series this year, but honestly, whether we win or lose in the end, this season has been nothing short of amazing for the Cubs!

P.S. - My blog was recently featured in the article, "25 Blogs, Resources and Tips for Remodeling a Fixer-Upper Home" from GarageCabinets.com. Check out the link and scroll down to the "Blogs" section to see a nice little blurb about This Little House of Mine! :)

Our House, Fall 2016

I snapped a couple of photos of the front of our house the other day. Even though it's fall, the leaves on the trees by our house haven't quite turned yet.

It was a pretty windy day, so the corn stalks on our porch blew over! We've fixed them since, but it's kind of comical to see them all wind-blown in these photos. Plus, look at the flag - it's blowing like crazy!

The above photo is actually a panorama. Makes things look a little distorted, but it shows the whole front yard and all the leaves that have fallen so far.

It's not perfect, and there is still a ton of work left to do on this house, but it's our little house, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Fall Front Porch 2016

Hello all, and welcome to our newly decorated fall porch! I added the final touches this weekend. I think this is one of my favorite things about fall - decorating the porch.

 

Nothing is more welcoming, right? This year I included a lot of the same items from years' past. Scaredy the scarecrow gets to make an appearance every fall. The last couple of years we've also had corn stalks flanking the stairs of the porch. They came from the garden out back. 

I picked up these beautiful mums on the Scenic drive again this year. I love the deep red ones - though the others are starting to bloom like crazy, too. I also found a new "Welcome" sign on the Scenic drive - hung right by the door. It's kind of cute and rustic looking.

My DIY welcome pumpkin has been a staple on my fall porch for a few years now. And the real pumpkins came from my grandma's pumpkin patch. There are some small pumpkins and gourds throughout - some real, some fake...along with a few pots of Dusty miller that are still going strong from the summer.

Finally, something else new this year - I found a couple of Cinderella pumpkins at the Little Red Barn in Knoxville. They are darker and flatter than regular pumpkins, and they're great for stacking on top of each other. Kind of a different look, but I'm digging them!

So that's our fall porch this year! I'm hoping the weather continues to be on the warmer side into late October, because it's been so nice lately. Best enjoy it while we can!

Do you have your porch all decorated for fall?

Until next time :)

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Fall Sunday

It was a beautiful sunny, fall day today. I spent this Sunday at home getting things done around the house while Trent was working. Laundry, dishes, and fall decorating. Yes - I'm finally getting my fall porch finished! It's taken me a while to lug my fall tote out from the closet and finish changing up the decor, but it's all coming together. I'm hoping to have fall porch photos up this week!

The leaves have also been taking their sweet time to change this year. This lone leaf was one of the first colorful guys I've seen on the ground so far. I have a feeling they'll all start changing like crazy soon.

This weekend has been full of fun with friends and family. Friday night we watched the Cubs playoff game at The Fieldhouse in Davenport with a group of friends. It was a good time, and we won the first game vs. the Giants.

Last night was my cousin's couples shower and bonfire, and game 2 for the Cubs. It was a perfect fall day to spend some time outside with family. There was plenty of food and drinks to go around, and the Cubs snagged their second game and are off to San Francisco for game 3. This is the YEAR! I'm tellin' ya.

Well, as my fall front porch is nearly finished...stay tuned for pics this week! Eek!

Another Scenic Drive in the Books

It's October! Where has the time gone? Fall is officially here, and although the leaves around our area have yet to fully change their colors, you can definitely feel it in the air. It's cooler outside, a little gloomier at times, and pumpkins are beginning to line peoples' porches.

Fall for us also means the Scenic Drive is here. Our annual fall festival - the Spoon River and Knox County Scenic drive - is full of flea markets, crafts, sales, and fall fun. It's become one of my favorite fall activities every year. This weekend was the first of the festival - it also continues next weekend - and Trent and I spent some time yesterday to enjoy it.

This year we stopped in Knoxville again, and I enjoyed more fried rice at the town square. It's my favorite! We then headed south and made another stop at the Little Red Barn, which had loads of antiques, pumpkins, gourds, and even a fire and some live music.

We also stopped in Maquon and Farmington. I would call this year's trip a successful one. I spent all of the cash I had for the day. :) I ended up taking home 3 giant mums that are just starting to bloom, along with some small ghost pumpkins, a couple of cinderella pumpkins, and some gourds. 

I got my porch somewhat decorated when we got home last night, but I need to add some pumpkins and a few more fall decor items before it's finished.

Today Trent is working, and I'm feeling kind of lazy, spending the day at home with my allergies and waiting for my Claritin and coffee to kick in. Maybe I'll get the energy to finish my fall decorating before Trent gets home. :)

The Walkway Work Continues

It's been a long time since I've blogged about our DIY walkway out front. We've only been working on it all year. No big deal. Actually, the last update I blogged about was in May, before summer and all the craziness of planning the wedding set in.

But Trent has been working on it still, little by little. It's a long path to create, wrapping around half of the whole house. And we've run out of supplies countless times. (Only so many bricks and bags of paver base and rock can be hauled in the back of a GMC Canyon) Plus, daylight hours are few and far between this time of year when you work full time.

There's always the weekends though, and we've been lucky enough to have some really nice ones this fall. In fact, it's the middle of November, and it's sunny and in the sixties right now! You couldn't ask for better late fall weather like we have today.

It's Saturday and I've been in the house watching episodes of The Wonder Years on Netflix. But I've been sneaking outside every now and then to check out Trent's progress on the walkway and cleaning up the yard.

Here's where we are now...trying to finish before the snow comes!

We just need to pick up more paver base, pavers, and rock. It's getting close to winter, so I'm hoping we can get it all finished. Then at least we'll have something to walk on when it gets messy out there.

The yard is full of leaves at the moment, so Trent's out raking right now.

It seems like forever ago when we started at the very beginning, laying out the path where it would be. It was early spring - March in fact! 8 months later, and we're still not finished. I guess it was a bigger project than we expected!

We have gotten a lot of compliments from neighbors on how good it's looking. Just wish we had more time to work on it.

Here's a panoramic view. I'm not sure how many feet it actually is, but I'd say it's a pretty long way. We might have the best DIY walkway in the neighborhood after it's done. Ha.

Of course, Trent has had a little help...

In the form of a four-legged furry pup.

Here's hoping by next summer, we'll have a nice, grassy yard again, won't have to walk through the mud to get into the house, and the landscaping will look a lot better than it does now...And best of all, be finished. Fingers crossed!

I'm also hoping I'll be able to post a breakdown of all of the supplies we've used and the costs when it's all said and done. It just might take a little while to add up (and find!) all of those receipts! Wish me luck! :)

Painted Pumpkins

Who has carved or painted their pumpkins already for Halloween this year? Most years we carve them, but a couple of years ago, we drilled designs in them for a little change. Here's a look back at our pumpkins throughout the years to jog your memory. This year, I decided to just paint a couple. Trent hasn't done anything with his. Party pooper. :p

Here are my lovely little painted pumpkins:

A realistic looking tree and of course an owl, just because who doesn't like orange colored leaves on trees, or cartoon owls?

I had to be cheesy and take a picture with my pumpkins. And I'm all by my lonesome. Maybe Trent will get into the Halloween spirit and carve one tomorrow night. We'll see!

And here are a couple of close-ups of each. I can't seem to move them back outside and out of the house. I think they'll be staying in the living room for a while. :)

Can't believe it's Halloween on Saturday! Trent and I watched the entire Scream movie franchise in 2 nights to commemorate the holiday. All 4 Scream movies. Good times!

We're headed up to Chicagoland to visit Haley and Dan this weekend. It will be nice for a break from the usual day-in, day-out! 

Happy Halloween, folks! :)

Fall Colors Galore

Fall is in the air in our small town! There is every possible color of tree on our street right now.

We took a walk with Sandy and Brennan tonight with all of the dogs, and I admired the pretty colors of the leaves changing on the trees the whole way. This month has been one of the nicest fall months, weather-wise I can remember.

It's been in the mid-sixties to lower-seventies this week. All you need is a fall jacket, and a bonfire.

Tomorrow after work, we are tailgating at the hockey game. It's the home opener for the Mallards. We're hoping the weather stays nice, though there is a chance of rain. Trent's really excited about the tailgate party, though, so our fingers are crossed! Hope you're enjoying the fall weather where you're at!

P.S. - Cubs lost last night, and are done for the season! They had one of the best seasons they've had in a long time though, so I have a feeling they will be even better next year. There is still hope, as always. :)

Living Room, October 2015

This past Sunday, we finally had a day to stay home, so I spent some time cleaning while Trent worked more on the walkway outside. It's so nice to get all of the furniture dusted and clutter picked up. I snapped a few photos of the living room in the meantime...ready for a short little tour?

It was afternoon, so the sun was shining in! And we've been binging on Netflix since we got it last month! I've been watching new movies, and Trent has discovered a couple of new TV shows.

Here's a better shot of my new quilt rack that I scored for $25 at a yard sale. The quilt in front was a wedding gift, which was finished by Trent's aunt. His grandma had started it, and his mom had also worked on this quilt before she passed. It has our wedding date sewn in.

And here our are new Mr. and Mrs. pillows again, also made by Trent's aunt. They've moved from the couch to the side chairs. We may have too many pillows to count in here...

My little plastic pumpkins are making an appearance again this October. Which reminds me, is Halloween really just a couple of weeks away now? This year went by so fast.

This weekend is our friends Justin and Elizabeth's wedding, and Trent is a groomsman. Tonight is the rehearsal/dinner, and tomorrow's the big day! Then Sunday I have a baby shower to attend. It should be a busy weekend again. Who has time to think about Halloween?!