Sunday, September 28, 2014

Fall Decorating | On A Budget

 
Fall is rapidly approaching -- beautiful, cool evenings are closing warm, harvest-filled days, chestnuts are covering my favorite sitting spot, and leaves are changing into their very best. 
 
Happily, the fun doesn't stop outside the door! I love bringing Autumn's beauty into our home: creating a place full of comfort, peace, and refreshment simply by decorating. However, no matter how much I love browsing Hobby Lobby's aisles, we , as newly weds endeavoring to stay faithful to our budget, couldn't convince ourselves to spend $40 on one wreath (no matter how cute it was!).
 
What's a girl to do?
 
Hop over to Pinterest, browse DIY books, and put her creative genius glasses on, of course!
 
Join me as I share my joys of decorating on a newly wed's budget ... if anything, you'll have fun chuckling at my attempts!
 

My momma always decorated her front porch with the seasons ... a tradition I cannot break! Utilizing an old pair of mud-boots, pinecones collected on a neighborhood walk, a sprig of fabric leaves, and your own chalkboard greeting is a fun way to welcome guests in.
 
Oh, and then there is our very important friend, Owl. He was very delighted to be given the seat of honor (protecting the basil, of course). To add some spice and texture I used a few of the tree rings I asked Dalton to cut for me last year. :)  

 
Collected chestnuts are scattered gingerly along the living room windows and splashes of orange and red leaves (and the occasional flash of golden rod) help tie the room together. Of course the coffee table has a few books begging to be read but this time they are accompanied by the ever-available (and free!) chestnuts, leaves, and Dalton's beautiful black bean candle. We had collected wax from previous candles planning on reusing it for some craft. Earlier this week, my beloved had a blast drizzling wax over the dried beans --the way the wax melts round the beans creates a very beautiful and unusual candle. :) 

 
The hope chest in the dining room is covered with our beautiful table runner given as a wedding gift along with various jars tied with twine and filled with chestnuts and tealight candles. Beside the candles is the adorable harvest blessings pumpkin we found in our local Walmart. We also bought a white pumpkin from Aldis --this is Dalton's favorite purchase! He absolutely loves it!
 
(Pssst ... want to know how to drive your husband nuts? Buy into the idea that using tree branches as a floral arrangement is cute, ask him to gather said branches, then place the arrangement in a prominent place of the house. Say, the dining room table. (See above.) I promise you, if he is anything like my man, he will never run short of  hate-speech against your super cute, totally DIY, free, fall find! And, if you're anything like me, you'll be sure to get a good chuckle ... because you know its not going anywhere! ;)

 
Remember the fabric balls my mom and I made for Fourth of July? I recovered the balls with a different fabric and gave them a home on the bakers rack. It's a super easy, fun, and affordable way to bring splashes of color into your home.
 
I am so thankful for the many blessings Autumn brings and I cannot wait to see what the coming months surprise us with. In the mean time, I hope that our home and all my little, sometimes silly, touches create an atmosphere that speaks of love, peace, and most importantly,  a God who loves.
 
What are/were some ways you made your house a home when you were a newly wed? (Or a poor college student, or a single mom, or a stay-at-home daughter ... ;)
 
I'd love to hear about it!
 
Frannie
 
|| This week I linked up with A Blossoming's Life's Monday blog hop ... Wow! Big things are going on! ;) Head on over and see what other amazing, crafty things are happening around the world. I know I will be! ||

4 comments:

  1. Oh Frannie! Your decorations are just adorable! I love the little wood stumps with the owl! So cute!

    Before I was married I tried to make my own decorations for my room. Mostly through sewing, and gathering from nature. I still do that now I'm married. It makes décor so much personal. :D

    Have a wonderful day friend!
    Angel

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  2. Wow, everything looks so beautiful, Frannie!! The thing I like about your décor is that you do a great job of bringing the "fall" vibe in without overpowering your house with dark colors or clutter. I feel like a lot of fall decorations tend to get kind of cluttery (leaves, pine cones everywhere, that sort of thing), but you did a great job keeping things light and pretty. Beautiful pictures!!

    Erhh, decorating ... never one of my strong suits. I'm a very messy person, so "decorating" for me tends to mean making sure my book piles are lined up evenly and the dust bunnies have been removed from my dresser top. :-) Maybe that will change one day when I have my own house ...

    And a completely random side note, the "Lady and the Tramp" soundtrack just started playing on your audio player, and it brought a huge smile to my face!! You're adorable! :-D

    Thank you also for popping in to my blog from time to time ... I'm sorry I don't comment back to you as often as I should. But I definitely read and treasure every encouraging note you leave for me. I'm so blessed to have you as my sister and friend!!

    Blessings to you and your husband, dear Frannie! Enjoy your first change of seasons together!!

    Warm hugs,
    Vicki

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  3. Frannie,
    I totally understand the budget, even as a college kid I wasn't willing to spend money! lol. However, Rob and I did buy two little harvest gnomes from the Dollar store this year and we love them. Joel has teased us about them lol...we're weird! :D I've also found candles are a way I have loved getting in the season. And hanging lights. :)

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  4. lovely decor! Isn't fall just so fun! As a newlywed myself, it is quite exciting to start diving into truly decorating my own home (& I'll admit I am so excited about Christmas decor) It just does a girl's heart good! And I have so appreciated your other posts on newly wed journeys - your honesty & humor is great and refreshing!

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Hey there, darling!

I'd love to hear your thoughts -- leave a comment below and I'll do my best to give you a reply. There is nothing sweeter then hearing from my readers!

Love, blessings and a steaming cup of coffee,

Frannie Anne

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