A $7 Update

I wanted to add a little color to two of my fall wreaths from last year (the one that hangs on the front door and the one that hangs on the inside door that leads to the garage).

At Hobby Lobby the other day I picked up two fall sprigs that were originally $7.00, and since they always have good sales, were half price. I was able to cut about 14 little flowered sprigs off of each one. I picked one that had more yellow flowers and one that had more orange flowers, and then I mixed them between the two wreaths.

There was a weedy looking sprig on them along with the long grassy leaves. I was able to just stick everything in without having to anchor it with any wire.

Since it's night when I took the picture, I wasn't able to take one of the wreath on the front door. Suffice to say that it looks just like this one. I just took a closer picture of the inside wreath to get a better look.

Here are the before pictures from last year so you can see the transformation.

Fall Touches

I had some little strips of ribbon left over from the hanging ties I made for my two fall wreaths. I didn't want to throw them away (the strips of ribbon, not the wreaths!) so I looked around for a place to use them. Here's what I ended up with.




I also have a cute little outdoor decorative flag I got last year on clearance at Kohl's before we moved into our house just waiting for this year to come around. Our association rules are pretty tight about what we can and cannot have in our yards and around our houses, but decorative flags are not mentioned. I still think it's cute and tasteful.


Now we just need to get pumpkins!

Fall Wreath

Last week I went to Michael's and was wandering amongst their fall decor. They have a lot of it, and it is completely different than what you will find at Hobby Lobby.

I surveyed their wreath fixings and determined that were I able to successful assemble a wreath, I could complete one for about $20. I purchased the necessary supplies, drove home, and assembled this wreath for my front door, because the one in front of my fireplace is just too pretty to have bugs and other things possibly nest in it.

To say I'm pleased is an understatement. I used one extra-leafy garland, two different berry garlands (one also had some pumpkins), a grapevine wreath, and some ribbon just to tie it up. I did use some covered wire in large 'u' shapes poked in at various intervals to hold everything on the wreath. From the road you can't really see all the colors as well as you can up close. Maybe next year I'll add in some bright yellow sunflowers or something. Or maybe I'll just be lazy and leave it exactly like it is.

I was so happy with my inexpensive wreath, since it was inexpensive and because it was easy to assemble, that I went back and purchased the supplies to make a second one. I hung it on the inside of the door where we walk out to the garage.

This is the door we use when we leave the house so we see this wreath all the time. That makes me happy. And since it's up close I can see all the bright colors and don't need to add anything to it. That makes me even happier.

Fall Decorating

One of the things I am most excited about this year is decorating for the holidays, primarily Christmas, but I've seen so many blogs lately where people are decorating for fall and it's really started me thinking — I need to do some seasonal decorating during the rest of the year.

Because we moved so frequently when Hubby was in the military it was not something that I really put much effort into. We never lived in a home that was large enough for our family plus had extra room for 'fluff.' For example, we didn't have a coffee table or end tables to put things on, we didn't have enough storage space to keep a lot of extra seasonal decorations, etc. The last two years in Virginia we didn't even have room to put up a Christmas tree.

I did have a few fall decorations that I pulled out. It was limited to five strands of leafy garland I bought in Illinois, a tole-painted Halloween basket I won playing Bunco in New Jersey, and a glass pumpkin and candy corn dish I picked up on sale last year at Kohl's. I shopped last week's Hobby Lobby sale on Saturday and then went back when the sale changed over on Monday. I only bought things that were on sale and that would cover the entire fall season, not just Halloween or Thanksgiving, except for maybe one bowl that we're using for Halloween candy. Let me give you a tour and show you the fall decorations.

This is an antique sideboard that sits to the right when you come in the front door. It is opposite the front coat closet and backs up to the stair wall that leads to the second floor. That's some of my old garland, and the bowl is what we'll use for Halloween candy. Maybe I can leave it out for the entire fall season. What do you think? Too Halloween looking or can I leave it out?

This is an antique lowboy that sits on the wall directly facing the front door. You see it immediately when you walk in. I just wrapped some of that old leafy garland I had around the base of the lamp.

This is the coffee table and side table in the living room. Again, old leafy garland with some new pieces: glass pumpkins and a glass leaf dish.

This is the bottom of the china cabinet that we repurposed and put behind the couch. Old leafy garland with those two cute dishes from Kohl's, plus the requisite somewhat black cat.

This is the cabinet with the whole hole picture, and I added a pumpkin and the tole-painted Halloween basket. At the beginning of November I'll replace the basket with a ceramic turkey that one of the kids painted during homeschool co-op in Illinois.

Last, this is my wreath. I got the adjustable height wreath hanger at Marshall's last year. It can go inside or outside, but I can't quite bring myself to put the wreath outside. I still want to figure out how to hang one from my door and then get or make a second one. That way I can always have one hanging in the house too.

Hobby Lobby had their wreaths half price, so I went ahead and got a pre-made wreath, then I bought some of the extra stuff on floral wire to make it thicker and bushier. That stuff was on sale too. I don't know what it's called, maybe floral embellishments, seasonal embellishments...I'm so guessing here, and so wrong, but you know what I mean. And this is what it looked like afterwards.

These weren't before and after pictures, just one is up closer than the other one to show you where it is in front of our fireplace.

Oops, the wreath wasn't last. I got to the end and I had one picture left. This cute little glass pumpkin. It could be a candy dish, but candy doesn't last in our house so I don't bother. It's sitting on one of the little tables in the dining room.

Football season has arrived, baseball season is wrapping up, the weather is getting cooler — okay, it's been cool all summer, but the days are getting shorter — so fall is definitely in the air, and now it's in my house! The most exciting thing is that my kids notice and they like it.

This post is linked to Get Inspired for Fall! at The Inspired Room and to Show and Tell Friday hosted by Kelli at There is no place like home.