Fall Porch Decor With Thrifted Finds

What do you get when you take a thrifted nail keg barrel,

and add some curly willow branches from the yard,

and thrifted, faux, fall stems?

A cute, fall decor display perfect for a porch.

I simply cut the branches from our fallen willow tree and put them in the barrel.

I stuck the faux, fall stems amongst the branches and,

voila, a perfect porch piece. Throwing a few rocks in the bottom helps the barrel to stay upright on windy days. This nail keg will work year round--add pine branches in the winter and pussy willows in the spring. This item will be for sale at my upcoming pop-up-shop!

3 Ways to Use a Thrift Store Crate

A cute, small, green, thrift store crate or wood box can be utilized in so many different ways in the home. Here are just three!

A small box like this is a good way to corral and organize items in the kitchen on the counter.

Cooking oils, a jar of tea, a cutting board, and rolled towels look neater when organized in the green crate. It also makes it easier to move items when counter space is needed.

A wood box is a unique way to create a centerpiece for a dining table or shelf. Autumn items--art, dried flowers, candles bundled together, a wood acorn dish, and plaid napkin are neatly displayed in the crate. 

The centerpiece sits on a vintage, needlepoint piece in fall colors.

Set the crate on a guest bedroom bed and fill it with comfort items for your guests--an extra throw blanket, tissues, books, and a decanter with some good bourbon in it for a nightcap.

There are so many other ways to use a sturdy wood crate--books, bathroom towels, stuffies,  hang on a wall as a shadow box. Be sure to pick these up when you see them!

5 Ways to Add Cozy to Your Home

Fall means it is cozy season, a time when we tend to be indoors a bit more and when we want to feel relaxed and comfortable in our spaces. And although cozy may mean something different to each of us, there are certain elements that you can add to make your space feel more inviting and warm. 

Let's start with COLOR. No matter what colors you decorate your home in, you can always add touches or "pops" of warm colors to cozy up your home. Use yellows, oranges, reds, browns, and mossy or olive greens. By the way, chocolate brown is back and is coming in hot this fall for both clothing and home decor. Remember there are so many different hues and shades of these warm colors and you don't have to repaint a wall, just incorporate small touches.

Faux flowers tucked here and there are a good way to incorporate warmth.  

This chair is always in my family room because I love warm colors, but a golden mustard colored throw adds a bit more color.

LIGHTING is the perfect way to add some coziness to your house. Candlelight is the very best, please remember to never leave burning candles unattended. Changing lightbulbs to warmer hues in lamps that aren't used for tasks add more warmth. Twinkle or fairy lights wrapped around a banister or placed in a house plant are also a good way too ambient lighting. 

FABRIC choices and texture make a space feel more homey and comfortable. I change out the cotton and linen pillows and throws I have been using during the spring and summer for velvet, wool, velour, sherpa, etc. Incorporating more texture also makes a spot feel cozier.

LAYER decor! I always like layers, but tend to pare them down for cleaner, more streamlined displays in the warmer months. For autumn, I start to add small extra pieces and bits to my vignettes. I also use more warm metals--brass and copper in the fall and winter.

Decorate with some WARM ART. I no longer go nuts with seasonal decor, but I do change out some pieces like this art in my front entryway. This thrifted, original painting is the perfect way to add some coziness to the hone and to transition into a new season.

You don't have to make huge changes to cozy up your home. Simply use color, lighting, fabrics and textures, layers, and art to make your home feel comfortable and welcoming this autumn.

Flat Lay of Fun Fall Finds

Have I mentioned that fall is my favorite season? (Yes, yes I have!) Sourcing for fall pop-up shops is so much fun. Here are some recent finds. Be sure to keep reading for details!

They are hard to see, but there are a couple fall colored textiles underneath all of the goodies. In the upper left of the picture above there is a throw rug in soft blues, tans, and golds. At the bottom of the photo is a cream colored tablecloth with gold and orange flowers on it.

Vintage art is my favorite thing to curate and I have found some wonderful pieces lately. The Art Nouveau print, "Courge Squash Flowers", by French artist Pillard (1896) is such a lovely way to celebrate fall harvests. The original, acrylic landscape is definitely vintage. The vintage print on cardboard is Picasso's "A Peasant Woman". I thought she was kind of spooky for Halloween. A wicker cornucopia holds plaid napkins and a wood pestle. A brass compass sits on the gourd print.

These large pottery mugs are by designer Leanne Ford. They are Brekkie mugs and originally sold at Crate and Barrel. They are perfect for hot cider or cocoa or coffee on a cool autumn day.

I love the sweet, vintage, hand-painted orange and brown floral art piece.

This original, acrylic painting of mountains and a fall field is not old, but I adore the colors and composition. You can see the rug better in this picture and some brand new, fall floral cloth napkins. The wood round object is a cake stand and the stoneware coasters are fun and colorful.

A spinning caddy is perfect for any time of the year. I think it would be cute on a coffee table with curiosities in it--shells, old photos, small collectibles, dried flowers. The pumpkin holds a candle. The 1973 gold bust might get white painted eyes to enhance it's creepiness. I found 45 wood bullseyes and will make some art pieces with them. The teapot works well to hold a floral arrangement or hot tea.

A pair of watercolors by the same artist depict late fall or early winter scenes. The wool lumbar pillow is a nice addition to a chair.

A picnic basket holds fall stems and a brass trinket box sits on a wood cutting board. The oh so soft, plaid shacket is most likely a keeper. A pair of Pottery Barn pillows are a good way to add some fall color to a sofa or bench.

A sweet pastoral print in browns and golds adds a calming and homey touch to any space. 

If you think cozy when you think autumn, the pair of sherpa pillows under the orange flower painting are just the thing. They are genuine sherpa.

Wow! I think that is all. That is a lot of curated goodness, isn't it? What do you see that you like?

Front Porch Flooring and Fall Makeover

When you live in a 93 year old schoolhouse, there is never a shortage of projects to do. This past few weeks we tackled the covered front porch flooring. When we bought the house, there was painted plywood over the original beadboard porch flooring. We removed that a few years ago and were left with the beadboard that needed help.

It had a cut across the front and the front edge was rotted (in the above picture hubby had already cut off the front edge).

We chose to lay a tongue and groove cedar over the beadboard. There was enough space at the threshold that we could lay the cedar on top of the original flooring. We then used a good finish on it that took 9 days to dry!! Montana is a dry climate, but we got lots of rain two days after clear coating. a ribbon had to go up across the porch to keep people off of it. 

It is finally dry and I was able to decorate for fall. I changed up quite a bit of the decor and furniture. 

On this side of the porch there was loveseat. A loveseat that the neighborhood cats loved and would pee on! Grrr! Those cushions have all been thrown out. The loveseat will be moved to my sunroom and the matching couch in the sunroom is going to my son's. My son was given these high end chairs from his former place of employment. (He went into business for himself and contracts with them now.) These chairs are super comfortable, very ergonomic and I love them on the porch. 

The typing table, a dumpster find, was previously on the porch. For fall I've added yellows, and greens, and oranges. The garage sale fountain is fun and gets plugged in when I am on the porch. The mustard yellow tote under the table holds some seasonal items. Faux flowers hide them.

We use the door on the right. I had the cutest green, wood wagon here in the corner for years that I changed decor on seasonally. But, the wagon made it hard to open the door wide and so I decided to move it to a flowerbed. 

I put this ice cream bucket, that did sit on the wagon, in the corner instead. I may set it up on a little stool, but I am liking the open space. I've added some dried tansy and faux orange stems to the curly willow.

In the corner facing the doors is another sitting spot. I tried to put this chair in the corner where the wagon was, but it didn't work with the door open. A little green wicker table is the perfect place to hold a coffee cup or drink. The concrete urn on the table doubles a s a door stop on windy days.

I have some mums hanging out front and the yellow/orange petunias on the steps are still blooming. We have white twinkle lights around the porch opening that are on a timer that make the space glow at night. The space is cozy and comfortable and is so much more attractive with the new flooring.

Easy DIY Fall Decor from the Thrift Store

It is Labor Day weekend and for most of us, that means the unofficial start to fall. 

When I spied this brand new hearth or fireplace broom at the thrift store, I knew it would be perfect for a fun and easy fall wall or door decor upcycle.

I found some good quality, faux stems at another thrift store and wired hem onto the handle of the broom.

I love that the hook on the end make it perfect for hanging. the short size means that this works well on a door or a window or wall.

A few other thrifted finds complete this window display--a vintage fall print, a wood acorn bowl, and an orange candle. 

I like that this piece is subtle Halloween due to a broom, but can easily be used all fall. 

I am not a big ribbons and bows kind of a girl, so I added simple, jute tied into a knot.

This fall broom will be for sale at my next pop-up shop and remember to look for fireplace brooms at the thrift store--I see them often

Fresh Finds For Fall

Fall feels are in the air. Ok, it is 90 degrees out for the next week, but I am still seeing signs of autumn--some leaves starting to change, it takes longer for it to heat up outside, and it is getting darker earlier. I have been sourcing vintage and unique home decor items for the pop-up shop with all of the cozy, fall vibes. Here are some of them.

Let's start with this awesome, crocheted, granny square blanket. I love the muted colors. The needlepoint, orange, and blue pillow is beautifully handcrafted.

The black picnic basket is definitely an oldie. I like the wood lid with the round, wood handle. A trick or treat plate holds one of the three rattan pears. a pair of handmade wood candle holders with fall colored candles sit on the picnic basket.

A pottery pumpkin bowl (that looks like carved wood, but is indeed a clay piece and is a bowl even though it looks like a platter in this picture) will make a Halloween great candy dish. The blue creamer repeats the blues in the afghan and pillow and the black pillow is perfect for fall and winter.

The original art that I have curated includes a vintage stitchery, and two watercolors--one of fall trees and one with pumpkins and apples.

I love fall, it is m favorite season, and I look forward to offering these curated items to my customers soon.