"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
-Albert Camus
Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts
Decorating for Fall: Outdoors
What's the Homemaking September ShapeUp! all about?
First we decluttered, then we cleaned, then we organized, this week we're going to go through and decorate. Decorating is the fun part!
Isn't this just gorgeous? While I'm sure we'd all love to have an outdoor fireplace, many of the ideas presented work well for any home. The idea is to create a cozy atmosphere. The mums and pumpkins tucked into the corners by the patio furniture add a bit of color and fall foliage. And even if we can't have a roaring fire, anyone can add a few candles to their outdoor spaces. The warm, but bright color of the wreath adds a lovely contrast that nicely coordinates with the doors. Flower boxes which once overflowed with gorgeous pinks can be planted with mums and hardier fall flowers or nestled with pumpkins and wheat sheafs, branches and berries. Have you ever stuffed a scarecrow for your front lawn? It could be a fun project to do with children.
Southern Living
First we decluttered, then we cleaned, then we organized, this week we're going to go through and decorate. Decorating is the fun part!
Isn't this just gorgeous? While I'm sure we'd all love to have an outdoor fireplace, many of the ideas presented work well for any home. The idea is to create a cozy atmosphere. The mums and pumpkins tucked into the corners by the patio furniture add a bit of color and fall foliage. And even if we can't have a roaring fire, anyone can add a few candles to their outdoor spaces. The warm, but bright color of the wreath adds a lovely contrast that nicely coordinates with the doors. Flower boxes which once overflowed with gorgeous pinks can be planted with mums and hardier fall flowers or nestled with pumpkins and wheat sheafs, branches and berries. Have you ever stuffed a scarecrow for your front lawn? It could be a fun project to do with children.
View the Guide
Decorating for Fall: Bathrooms
What's the Homemaking September ShapeUp! all about?
First we decluttered, then we cleaned, then we organized, this week we're going to go through and decorate. Decorating is the fun part!
I actually think bathrooms like kitchens are one of the easiest rooms for adding a touch of fall.
10 Autumn Ideas for the Bathroom Under $10
1. Hollow out a small pumpkin, fill with wet floral foam and use as a vase for a floral arrangement on the counter.
2. Use Autumn scented handmade soaps
3. Add scented candles like Ginger Pumpkin votives
4. Add in some neutral texture with Natural Bath Sponges
5. Line a small basket with fall leaves and fill with pinecones, nuts and other small fall ephemera
6. Change out your shower curtain hooks
7. Add a coordinating fall colored hand towel
8. Wash a still pliable yellow, gold or red leaf gently with soap and water, place in the center of a cream ceramic soap dish. Secure leaf with a hot glue dot or scrapbooking glue dot, and use soap dish.
9. Add a cozy bath rug to the floor to take the chill off in the cooler mornings.
10. What's your favorite autumn decorating tip for the bathroom?
Southern Living
First we decluttered, then we cleaned, then we organized, this week we're going to go through and decorate. Decorating is the fun part!
I actually think bathrooms like kitchens are one of the easiest rooms for adding a touch of fall.
10 Autumn Ideas for the Bathroom Under $10
1. Hollow out a small pumpkin, fill with wet floral foam and use as a vase for a floral arrangement on the counter.
2. Use Autumn scented handmade soaps
3. Add scented candles like Ginger Pumpkin votives
4. Add in some neutral texture with Natural Bath Sponges
5. Line a small basket with fall leaves and fill with pinecones, nuts and other small fall ephemera
6. Change out your shower curtain hooks
7. Add a coordinating fall colored hand towel
8. Wash a still pliable yellow, gold or red leaf gently with soap and water, place in the center of a cream ceramic soap dish. Secure leaf with a hot glue dot or scrapbooking glue dot, and use soap dish.
9. Add a cozy bath rug to the floor to take the chill off in the cooler mornings.
10. What's your favorite autumn decorating tip for the bathroom?
View the Guide
Autumn Recipe & Tablescape Exchange
Heidi over at Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly is hosting an Autumn Recipe & Tablescape Exchange. She shared her own beautiful tablescape and a recipe for a Pumpkin Banana Tart that sounds delicious. There is a list of everyone participating. Head on over and take a look through all the tablescapes and Autumn recipes. Decide to share your own? Let me know in the comments and I'll come take a look.
My china is Southern Vista by Lenox, it's cream with blue, pink and gold floral accents. It doesn't lend itself well to autumn placesettings. Remember how I professed my love for white mini-pumpkins, they work well with the many blues in my home.
For dinner... I just love the mini salt and pepper shakers my mother found for me. They go so well with my china and I have enough for each place setting.
And my dessert place setting:
It wouldn't feel quite like autumn without warm drinks, typical choices are cocoa and cider, but two of my favorites are Glögg and Hot Buttered Rum.
Glögg is a Swedish drink often associated with cold winter evenings around the holiday season. However, I think it's perfect as the air becomes cool and crisp. Glögg can be made non-alcoholic by using a grape or currant juice in place of the wine. Hot Buttered Rum is delicious as per the directions, however I've also used the butter mixture over hot apple cider for a non-alcoholic version that is delicious.
Glögg
Orange peel from 1 orange
3 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp diced ginger root (large bits)
10 whole cardamom seeds
10 whole cloves
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 bottle of sweet red wine
Directions:
Day 1:
Scrape as much pith as possible from the orange peel (I use a grapefruit spoon, it works well)
Place orange peel and all spices in cheesecloth and form a satchel
Add spice satchel to water and bring to a boil
Remove from heat, cover and let stand 8 to 12 hours
Day 2:
Remove spice satchel from the water.
Add 1/2 cup sugar to the water and bring to a boil.
Stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
Add the bottle of wine, heat until steaming. Do not bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and serve.
Traditionally, this is served with bits of blanched almonds and raisins in each glass.
Hot Buttered Rum
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 pound light brown sugar, packed
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
Directions:
In a large bowl cream the butter and the sugars together until smooth. Add the softened ice cream and mix until creamy.
Transfer this to a freezer container with a tight fitting lid.
This mixture can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
To Serve:
Place a heaping 2 tablespoons of the frozen mix in a glass or coffee mug.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons dark rum (Captain Morgan's!).
Pour over the mix 6 ounces of boiling water and stir until the mixture is melted.
Sprinkle top with cinnamon or nutmeg and serve forth!
Cross-posted to Kitchen Comforts.
My china is Southern Vista by Lenox, it's cream with blue, pink and gold floral accents. It doesn't lend itself well to autumn placesettings. Remember how I professed my love for white mini-pumpkins, they work well with the many blues in my home.
For dinner... I just love the mini salt and pepper shakers my mother found for me. They go so well with my china and I have enough for each place setting.
And my dessert place setting:
It wouldn't feel quite like autumn without warm drinks, typical choices are cocoa and cider, but two of my favorites are Glögg and Hot Buttered Rum.
Glögg is a Swedish drink often associated with cold winter evenings around the holiday season. However, I think it's perfect as the air becomes cool and crisp. Glögg can be made non-alcoholic by using a grape or currant juice in place of the wine. Hot Buttered Rum is delicious as per the directions, however I've also used the butter mixture over hot apple cider for a non-alcoholic version that is delicious.
Glögg
Orange peel from 1 orange
3 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp diced ginger root (large bits)
10 whole cardamom seeds
10 whole cloves
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 bottle of sweet red wine
Directions:
Day 1:
Scrape as much pith as possible from the orange peel (I use a grapefruit spoon, it works well)
Place orange peel and all spices in cheesecloth and form a satchel
Add spice satchel to water and bring to a boil
Remove from heat, cover and let stand 8 to 12 hours
Day 2:
Remove spice satchel from the water.
Add 1/2 cup sugar to the water and bring to a boil.
Stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
Add the bottle of wine, heat until steaming. Do not bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and serve.
Traditionally, this is served with bits of blanched almonds and raisins in each glass.
Hot Buttered Rum
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 (16 ounce) package confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 pound light brown sugar, packed
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
Directions:
In a large bowl cream the butter and the sugars together until smooth. Add the softened ice cream and mix until creamy.
Transfer this to a freezer container with a tight fitting lid.
This mixture can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
To Serve:
Place a heaping 2 tablespoons of the frozen mix in a glass or coffee mug.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons dark rum (Captain Morgan's!).
Pour over the mix 6 ounces of boiling water and stir until the mixture is melted.
Sprinkle top with cinnamon or nutmeg and serve forth!
Cross-posted to Kitchen Comforts.
Decorating for Fall: Extra Rooms
What's the Homemaking September ShapeUp! all about?
This office brings a touch of fall to the office year round. The pumpkin color on the walls is so cozy. However, even if the walls were a cream and the pumpkin color was brought in simply in pillows it would still feel cozy. I can't imagine many people would paint walls season by season, however if you love autumn and earth tones, why not decorate a room in your home to give you that feeling year round. An office, a studio, a kids playroom, they are all good candidates for a seasonal decor. The rooms are usually tucked away from the public areas of the home and would lend themselves well to a little special autumn treatment.
Coastal Living
First we decluttered, then we cleaned, then we organized, this week we're going to go through and decorate. Decorating is the fun part! This office brings a touch of fall to the office year round. The pumpkin color on the walls is so cozy. However, even if the walls were a cream and the pumpkin color was brought in simply in pillows it would still feel cozy. I can't imagine many people would paint walls season by season, however if you love autumn and earth tones, why not decorate a room in your home to give you that feeling year round. An office, a studio, a kids playroom, they are all good candidates for a seasonal decor. The rooms are usually tucked away from the public areas of the home and would lend themselves well to a little special autumn treatment.
View the Guide
20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn
Melissa over at The Inspired Room is inspiring women all over the blogosphere to share their favorite 20 things about Autumn. It all started with this post at Beautifully Imperfect, and since this fits in so beautifully with all we've been trying to accomplish this month, I decided to share my own list.
20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn
- Snuggling in bed with crisp sheets and down comforters
- The crackling blaze of a lit fireplace
- Slipping feet into soft slippers to keep them warm
- Sunlight filtering through trees of gold and red
- Fingers keeping warm wrapped around a steaming mug
- Early mornings dripping with dew
- Crisp, clear nights bundled up watching the skies
- Your breath visible and hanging in the air
- Flannel pajamas, cozy throws and a good book
- Bundled up in fall jackets, scarves and gloves while burning leaves
- Hot Buttered Rum, Hot Cocoa, Hot Apple Cider or Hot Toddies
- Soup tureens filled with warm stews and soups
- Hot homemade chili sprinkled with shredded cheddar
- Apple Butter simmering on the stove (Recipe)
- The scents of cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg
- Brandied, Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Caramel Apples coated with nuts from Widman's
- Apple, Pumpkin, Pecan, and Rhubarb Pies with French Vanilla Ice Cream
- Spoon bread or cornbread slathered with butter or drizzled with natural honey
- Fresh roasted pumpkin seeds lightly salted
Decorating for Fall: Living Areas
What's the Homemaking September ShapeUp! all about?
First we decluttered, then we cleaned, then we organized, this week we're going to go through and decorate. Decorating is the fun part!
Fall doesn't have to mean "fall colors". Oranges, yellows, golds, reds, rusts, browns... these colors are synonymous with fall.
However, this room is all neutrals, yet still feels like fall. The natural materials in the basket and the shells and the weathered feel of the table add to the feeling, yet they'd look perfectly at home in the spring. It's the little touches like the cable knit throws tucked into the couches readily available for cuddling on a crisp autumn day and the crackling fire in the fireplace that make this feel like fall.
If "fall colors" aren't your thing, add your touches in neutrals... white gourds and pumpkins, cream knit throws, white candles. Colors like wheat, oatmeal, cream work with almost any decor and can easily transition between seasons.
First we decluttered, then we cleaned, then we organized, this week we're going to go through and decorate. Decorating is the fun part!
Fall doesn't have to mean "fall colors". Oranges, yellows, golds, reds, rusts, browns... these colors are synonymous with fall.
However, this room is all neutrals, yet still feels like fall. The natural materials in the basket and the shells and the weathered feel of the table add to the feeling, yet they'd look perfectly at home in the spring. It's the little touches like the cable knit throws tucked into the couches readily available for cuddling on a crisp autumn day and the crackling fire in the fireplace that make this feel like fall.
If "fall colors" aren't your thing, add your touches in neutrals... white gourds and pumpkins, cream knit throws, white candles. Colors like wheat, oatmeal, cream work with almost any decor and can easily transition between seasons.
View the Guide
Decorating for Fall : Kitchen
What's the Homemaking September ShapeUp! all about?
First we decluttered, then we cleaned, then we organized, this week we're going to go through and decorate. Decorating is the fun part, and how apropos that we start decorating for fall on the first day of fall.
Fall and spring are my favorite seasons. Spring brings the flowers and green life after a long cold winter, so it is always welcome. However, I love the crispness of fall: cool breezes, crackling fires with cocoa or cider, the changing colors of the leaves and their crunch beneath my feet. I typically associate a lot of fall with smells, particularly cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin and apple. What better place to incorporate those smells than in the kitchen?
2) Add autumn color dishtowels to your kitchen rotation.
3) Add a bouquet of autumn flowers to a small vase on your counter.
4) In an oven safe casserole dish put 2 cups water, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp vanilla. Turn your oven on as low as it will go, let it come up to temperature. Turn it off and crack the oven door.
5) I love candles, but they can get awfully expensive if you burn a lot of them. So I buy a few expensive votives with a heavenly scent and then cheap large vanilla candles from a discount store. I'll nestle 1 or 2 votives in with a larger display of the vanilla candles, and the votives give enough scent without buying larger expensive versions of the scent. I use vanilla because it's usually complimentary, but you can do this with unscented candles as well.
6) Bring your copper molds out for display or use them to hold candles, candies, cookies, flowers or other items on your counter.
7) Use pliable yellow and/or red leaves and wrap them around the inside of a clear bowl, put a single layer of cranberries inside the first bowl, nest a clear bowl on top of the cranberries, fill space between bowls with cranberries, use to hold baked fall goodies. Pumpkin Cookies!
8) Wrap raffia around a canister to hold a leaf tag in place. Use a gold or fall color sharpie to write contents on the leaf. This is really cute on flour, sugar and coffee containers.
9) Have kids make fall leaf collages to hang on your refrigerator.
10) What are your favorite tips?
First we decluttered, then we cleaned, then we organized, this week we're going to go through and decorate. Decorating is the fun part, and how apropos that we start decorating for fall on the first day of fall.
Fall and spring are my favorite seasons. Spring brings the flowers and green life after a long cold winter, so it is always welcome. However, I love the crispness of fall: cool breezes, crackling fires with cocoa or cider, the changing colors of the leaves and their crunch beneath my feet. I typically associate a lot of fall with smells, particularly cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin and apple. What better place to incorporate those smells than in the kitchen?
Top Ten Tips for Bringing Fall to Your Kitchen
1) Simmer apple cider with cinnamon sticks on your stovetop in a tea kettle.2) Add autumn color dishtowels to your kitchen rotation.
3) Add a bouquet of autumn flowers to a small vase on your counter.
4) In an oven safe casserole dish put 2 cups water, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp vanilla. Turn your oven on as low as it will go, let it come up to temperature. Turn it off and crack the oven door.
5) I love candles, but they can get awfully expensive if you burn a lot of them. So I buy a few expensive votives with a heavenly scent and then cheap large vanilla candles from a discount store. I'll nestle 1 or 2 votives in with a larger display of the vanilla candles, and the votives give enough scent without buying larger expensive versions of the scent. I use vanilla because it's usually complimentary, but you can do this with unscented candles as well.
6) Bring your copper molds out for display or use them to hold candles, candies, cookies, flowers or other items on your counter.
7) Use pliable yellow and/or red leaves and wrap them around the inside of a clear bowl, put a single layer of cranberries inside the first bowl, nest a clear bowl on top of the cranberries, fill space between bowls with cranberries, use to hold baked fall goodies. Pumpkin Cookies!
8) Wrap raffia around a canister to hold a leaf tag in place. Use a gold or fall color sharpie to write contents on the leaf. This is really cute on flour, sugar and coffee containers.
9) Have kids make fall leaf collages to hang on your refrigerator.
10) What are your favorite tips?
View the Guide
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