Friday Favorite.

Fall is in the air!

This weekend is such a magical weekend! College football starts and I continue my yearly tradition of decorating for fall while burning pumpkin candles and watching College Gameday. So, in honor of this weekend, this Friday Favorite is dedicated to all the pumpkins that are beginning to accumulate around my house!

Last weekend, I went to Bath and Body Works and started to stock up on candles. Have y'all smelled the Carmel and Cayenne candle?

The fall theme in my house is quickly turning into white pumpkins. I bought out all of the small white pumpkins at my local Michaels and Joann's! Hobby Lobby is next!

Did you catch Tuesdays blog post? I gave a sneak peek of these pumpkins! There are from Joann's, and I love them! They are not perfectly shaped but they are perfectly imperfect. 

Fall is the time of year for pumpkins and burlap! I am making the most of every minute! Even if its been 100+ degrees this past week!

Have you checked out thing magazine yet? I stumbled upon it in Walmart this past weekend. As far as I can tell this is only the 2nd issue that they have come out with. It is adorable and has a lot of great decor ideas that don't break the bank! I would definitely recommend it!

Lastly, I caved and burned a pumpkin candle early... This one is to die for!! My whole house smells amazing!

Happy Fall Y’all!!

“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face."  John Donne

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Cotton Wreath.

Who ever said that wreaths were only for front doors? I love to bring wreaths indoors and use them for a personal touch inside the house! 

I have an old piece of house siding that is leaning up against a wall that is perfect to hang a wreath on. I just place the wreath hanger over the top like I would a door, and all of a sudden you have a new place to hang a wreath!

Wreath Details:

* 1 grapevine wreath

* 4 stems of cotton from Michael's

* Bow of your choice

* Hot Glue

The bow is made from wired ribbon that Walmart currently has for the fall season. 1 spool of ribbon = 1 bow. It has directions on the back or the packaging if you need help making the bow, or as always Pinterest has 1 million different ways to make bows!

I cut the stems of the cotton up and intertwined them with the grapevine and hot glued where needed. 

At the end, you will have one beautiful cotton wreath perfect for the transition from summer to fall.

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Changing Of The Seasons.

It is that time of year, again when the mantel decor gets face lift as the season changes. With the changes always comes a period where the mantel is bare. Even though the mantel has no decor currently, it is still amazing to see how far it has come.

I know it will soon be filled with new seasonal decorations, but when I see the mantel bare like this, it makes me think back to when we first got the house, and there was no mantel and all the built ins were empty! Sorry for the blurry picture, this is from 2011.

This verse rings true in my heart and soul about our home! It immediately comes to mind when I see the empty photos of our little home!

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Proverbs 24: 3 & 4

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Simple Dining Room Update.

It is truly amazing how much of a difference that a set of curtains can make in a room. The color, texture and pattern can really change the whole feeling of a room. Don't believe me? See the difference it made in our Dining Room!

I originally purchased these sheer navy curtains for the dining room, and I alway wondered why the room seemed so dark. It is the same color as most of the rest of the house, and has a nice sized window that lets in a ton of natural light. 

Before: 

After: 

The curtains are a tan and cream large buffalo check print. The tan is almost the same color as the walls. It blends nicely, white making a statement. I am also making a set that goes in the entryway so that the 2 will match. I'll post an update on those once they are completed! 

Updating the curtains really inspired me to start decorating my fall tablescape. I do my best work when its quiet and its just me. KJ was exhausted from mowing the lawn, so while him and the puppies slept I was able to get in my zone and knock this thing out. I cannot wait to share all the details with y'all I think that it is my all time favorite table!

If you are looking for curtains, don't rush into picking them if you aren't sure what you like. They can make a huge difference in the overall look of your space. There are so many options out there for curtains, so don't be intimidated by an unfinished space while picking out the perfect set!

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Linen Closet Maximization.

I love our master bathroom, we have double sinks and a separate tub and shower. But sometimes I wonder what the previous owners were thinking when they created the layout! This bathroom could be laid out so much better! There isn't really empty wall space to put anything. There are 5 doors in this bathroom, it can get very overwhelming.

Being OCD, I don't like the mix towels with the regular dirty clothes, so I like having a separate hamper for towels. The problem has always been, where do you put the hamper! I didn't want to put it in the closet, because we have 2 separate closets in the master. Finally one day it hit me, why not put the hamper in the bottom of the linen closet.

The bottom of the cluttered and not really being used anyways, so I took out the bottom shelf and made space for the extra hamper for towels only.

AHHH! Now there are no wet, dirty or nasty towels mixed with our laundry! They have their own home and place to go. The husband didn't seem to impressed with my new breakthrough. He was wondering what was wrong with the old way. (men!)

I love using see through baskets for towels, especially those that are decorative. It is a great way to organize, while also being able to see what is inside. Sometimes I love to hide what is inside, if it something that can get messy, but these simple towels make a nice decorative touch in a small closet. 

Have a great Monday! Just remember college football is coming Saturday!!

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Friday Favorite.

Since Fridays are such happy days, I thought I was extend that happiness and share a favorite place/item in my home! And since yesterday I shared my dirty little secret of being a dish junky, I thought I would show y'all that large distressed cabinet's sister!

My mom found this almost a year ago now at Marshall's we were out looking for a burlap stocking to match one I already had. She called me over because it was on sale, and I remember literally dropping almost all of the christmas items I had in my hands when I saw it! The top right photo in the below collage was the day I got it, and since then its been in many different places and has been adorned with a variety of decor!

Now, it is in our living room and houses some of my favorite items in our home!

One Saturday afternoon, not long after we bought our house we decided to drive around and see what all was around us. We stumbled upon a consignment store and I had to go inside. I was in my usual zone when I go in these places, when KJ came up with this white lantern and he thought I would like it. Like it I did! I means so much to me when he goes shopping with me for our home and picks out something on his own!

The double galvanized bucket was a wedding gift and it is filled with our ever popular wedding flowers! We bought all of the ones our Hobby Lobby had, and we had to order more! They pretty much knew us by name before the wedding!

Side Note: When someone first mentioned the idea of using fake flowers for our wedding I wasn't too happy about the idea. Forget the fact that we were getting married in the middle of July in 90+ degree weather, I still wanted real flowers! But, I am so glad I decided to choose fake, because now we have all these flowers to decorate our home with!

This cabinet also houses our wedding cake topper. I found this at an antique store before we were even engaged, and my mom tried to talk me out of it saying that I would change my mind by that time and it would be a waste of money.  Well, I proceeded to purchase it anyways. My grandmother was an avid Precious Moments collector and this just reminds me of her and my grandfather! It was like having them there on our wedding day, even thought they couldn't be physical present. 

Here is a photograph of it on our wedding day. Our wedding was in a barn and we only had one 2 layer cake, so that we would have the top tier to eat on our one year anniversary. The other 6 cakes were single layer cakes. (Thank you summer heat!)

What is your favorite item or place in your house? I love hearing the stories behind pieces because it shows were the piece came from and where you are going to take it!

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Confessions Of A Dish Junky.

Its true, I am a dish junky. I get it from my mom, we have been to countless antique, thrift and consignment stores over the years adding and adding to our collections. I have purchased items as low as 10 cents, but I don't care how cheap something is priced, I look for the beauty!

The 2 hardest things about being a dish junky is storage and organization. It can be hard to stack cups and bowls and platters, but I finally tackled the daunting task of organizing this stuff!

I have 3 cabinets for a majority of the stuff. One for my main dishes that are glass, porcelain- well just anything really breakable! Another is for my table linens, candles and small table top items, and the last is for vases, jars and anything else I couldn't find a spot for!

This looks so peaceful and simple, until you open it and see what is inside!

{Frame: Kirkland's

Table and Candle holder: Marshalls

Mercury Glass Candle: Anthropolgie}

This cabinet is the main culprit, I would hate to see someone try to move it without unloading the additional 100+ pounds sitting there! Those 2 pink cups are some of my favorite! There were less a dollar a piece, so I couldn't resist!

So, if this weren't enough, there is another cabinet hiding in the closet in my office! I guess you could say I'm not just a dish junky but also a table linen and candle junky! Decorating tables is one of my favorite things to do, I find it calming. I love the trial and error of putting together the perfect setting.

{Mercury Glass Candle Sticks- Set of 5 from Ballard Designs

Clear Glass Candle Sticks- Thrifted}

I cannot wait until Christmas, so I can pull these birdies out!

{Birdies Khols}

Then theres the odds and ends that wouldn't fit else where!

In addition to my 3 cabinets, there is the self under my coffee bar! This is mainly for items I use on a daily basis.

{Mercury Glass Cake Stand- World Market

White Scalloped Platter- Home Goods}

{Salt & Pepper Shaker- Pier 1 

Creamer Dish- Kate Spade}

All of this inspires the urge to decorate tables! I might have to decorate some tables and share them with y'all on the blog next week!

What is something that you are overload on? What would your title say?

Confessions of A _________.

Go ahead, fill it in and let me know what yours would say!

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Breathe.

It is that time of year again when life starts to get busy. School is back in session and the holiday season is right over the horizon. I am still wondering where 2014 has gone so quickly! It seems like just a few weeks ago we were celebrating christmas of 2013! In the midst of the whirlwind of life it is hard to take the time to stop and breathe. 

This time of year, it can be easy to become overwhelmed and forget to take time to stop and focus on what is really important. I encourage you to take time to breathe and to cry out to the Lord in your times of frustration, weakness, and in your times of joy and happiness!

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Add Some DIY To Your Day.

I frequent antique and thrift stores, and I have found some really good items at great deals at these places! The downside to some of the pieces you may find is that they may not be the right color for your house. When I am out, I try to look past the color and focus on the shape and details of the piece. The color can almost always be changed but the construction of the piece cannot.

This weekend I found some goodies, and I wanted to share with y'all the before and afters!

Before: 

1 set of brass candle sticks and one wooden bird basket!

After I got the pieces I ran to Lowes to pick out spray paint. This aisle is slightly overwhelming sometimes because of the number of color choices!

I took the pieces home, gave them a good sanding and cleaning and then painted away. After they were painted I went back over them with some sandpaper and distressed them.

Here are some of the details that drew me to theses pieces.

Taking old or forgotten pieces and painting or staining them can give them new life and allow you to have a one of a kind piece in your own home! I challenge you to go out this week or weekend and find one piece to update in your own way! If you do, please share it with me! I would love it see them!

PS- Fall decor and DIY has started in my house! I cannot wait to share with y'all! Stay tuned for my fall series called Fall in Love with Your Home! 

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