Find refreshment for your heart, home and life
Here we are in the pretty dreary days of winter with the possibility of six more weeks ahead of us, however, we have the opportunity to add some sparkle and cheeriness to our homes, thanks to Valentine’s Day, just around the corner!
I’ve added just a few touches here and there. It’s nothing grand, but enough to change things up a bit in the entry way, living room and kitchen.
Yesterday, the first day of fall found me riding the highways of New England where we spotted trees topped with hues of reds and yellows. The brisk temps, hovering in the low 60’s for the high, were both invigorating and welcomed.
After reading The Cozy Minimalist Book a few years back, I have taken a whole different approach to decorating for fall. I have only a few “fall only” pieces in my home. Now I try to use real leaves, real pumpkins, and things from my yard. I pull out my fall-colored dishes and candles. I attempt to incorporate all five senses to find fall touches all through my home. Let me give you a few glimpses of what I mean.
In my kitchen I have a cookbook on a book stand, opened to a fall cake. The pumpkin plate on the stove is one of the few pieces I mentioned. I’ll use it September – November as my spoon rest as I cook.
The lazy Susan on my island holds a candle that I try to keep lit. It is a Wood wick that crackles. It gives a great aroma of fall scents, but also the sense that a fire is crackling somewhere. The tiered stand has a couple snack plates and a fall leaf spreader on one side.
The other side holds an orange Fiesta cup used as my salt pillar, a succulent and a couple pumpkin napkin holders.
My Southern Living Magazine is opened to a page of fall scenery and a tall pillar candle rests on top. Here there are both fall visuals and scents.
For the mantle I put branches from trees in the backyard into a white pitcher. They last a long time in water! I like it so much better than a stem of fake leaves!
Twinkly lights in a bowl filled with moss balls and wooden decorative balls add a little more sparkle and warm glow in the living room.
Cozy layers rest on my leather ottoman in our family room. Leaves from my yard are my florals and a magazine picturing a yummy stew is there on the tray.
Dried leaves and wheat stalks are in a tall vase on the armoire. I love those turquoise candle sticks in the brass holders. I learned that you should always burn the wicks of your candles. A little drippy wax down the side of the candle adds to the coziness.
One thing you can’t see is my Alexa that plays the Autumn playlist I’ve made up. It has songs like, Autumn Leaves and songs from Little Women. Cozy music is so-o-o inviting!
It’s all the little appeals to the five senses that make a house feel like fall is slipping inside. I have also added my fuzzy pillow slipcovers and some soft throws on the couches. Yep, it feels, looks, smells and even sounds like fall in my house.
Do you consider all five senses when you decorate for the seasons? What else do you add?
Refresh the senses for fall!
Happy week before Christmas! I’m posting pics of our house this year, albeit, my house is NOT the overdone, beautiful Christmas showcase. There are a couple reasons my decorations are minimal. First is because my husband and I took two weeks vacation in December. Therefore, we’ve been gone a good chunk of the month. Secondly, I’m really scaling back on my holiday decor, and instead am trying to simply decorate for the season as I explained here.
But I do love all the holiday things, and have tried to add a little pop here and there to make the home Christmas-cozy. I’m reminded that it’s more than just what you SEE. I’m hosting our family (Lord willing), so all the smells, sounds and warmth of the season will also be present when everyone gathers! I can’t wait!
Here’s a little tour of what I have done so far…
My kitchen is the hub of our home. The counter just has a runner with my tiered stand. I used my red and green Fiesta Ware cups for my salt pillar and measuring spoons. A little sprig of fresh greenery was tucked in the top. Oh, and baked goods like this sour dough Cinnamon Bread add to the fragrance of Christmas!
My living room coziness starts with this rug that feels like the softest blanket you’ll ever wrap up in! I adorned the mantle with fresh greenery from my yard. I hope to add my white lights there when we return from vacation!
The fireplace in our bedroom adds such a visual warmth. Liza enjoys it, too! My little Memory Tree is a special treasure and the perfect size for a bedroom. My sweet friend gave me this tree several years ago. Each ornament has a special memory written on it – the name of a loved one, a place we’ve gone, or a ministry we’ve served in. What a precious treasure the entire tree is!
Our “big tree” is back in our family room again this year, but in a different spot. I’m in the final stages of redoing this room and I can’t wait to reveal the whole project, but for now, here’s a little corner for you to see. My new rug has pops of bright pink and light blue, so I added those colors of ornaments to my tree and I love it!
You just can’t have Christmas pictures without a Christmas Cat! Liza has adorned our Christmas tree for 15 years. I think she approves of the new room and the location of the tree! The next picture also gives a better view of the colored ornaments I added to our HUGE collection of “special” ones we’ve been amassing through the years.
Our tree is a very full tree, but it’s appropriate because Christmas reminds us how full our lives can be. His Word tells us that in the “fullness of time” God sent His son, born of a woman, under the law to redeem us out of the law and to adopt us as His own. When we trust in Christ, we become a child of God! We have the rights and privileges of a full-grown son! Now that is a reason to celebrate!!
I pray your heart is even more full that all the decor in your house because you know the Christ of Christmas. If you don’t know Him personally, let me just say, He’s waiting for you with open arms.
Merry Christmas, Friends!
Rather than inundating my rooms with pumpkins and fall foliage, I’m only adding a few touches of fall around my home right now. I’m really trying to just pick out of my own resources things that are fall colors, textures and fragrances. I love the Yankee candle pictured above. It’s Sweet Maple Chai and smells just like fall.
The candle sits on my kitchen counter and beside it is my tiered stand. I keep a salt pillar in there for my cooking. I chose my orange Fiesta ware cup, to add another touch of fall and it sits beside a tiny ceramic pumpkin. This is an example of using my daily dishes and accents that just happen to be the right color!
I love this mint plant because it looks so realistic. The green against the colors of the orange cup and pumpkin are perfect for this time of year since there’s plenty of green still in our yards.
Of course my chalkboards are some of my favorite ways to “decorate” for any season!
The bike drawing below was done for summer,e but I loved it so much that I decided to just change out the colors of the flowers in the basket and add some fall leaves all around.
My mantle has a branch of bittersweet and a little pumpkin. The taper candles’ jewel tone also speaks of autumn.
Fall wreaths welcome our guests and also the family who come in through the garage door (in the next photo).
I’ll still be adding a little more in the way of throws and pillows, but that’s about it! Simplicity is the name of my game this year! I’m holding out for Christmas, which is just around the corner!
Refresh your fall decor with colors and textures,
RefreshHer 