Our Halloween Home Tour

Last week I shared our fall and Halloween decorations on the front porch and the screened porch (you can see them HERE). Today, I’m sharing what we did inside, when Baby Love came to “help” me. :) She’s almost six, so as she opened each bin we brought up from the basement she was delighted to find decorations that she now remembers.

First we worked on the buffet, where we used our terra cotta Jack-o’-lanterns ~

Now, of course I couldn’t just plop them on the bare furniture, right?~~ I had to have my decorating fun too, so the layering started early. Do you see that there’s someone or something inside the big Jack-o’-lantern???

Yep! Shadow, her and her little brothers’ black-and-white kitty cat, and Shadow’s baby peeking out. In years past we’ve had the “Jacks’” hats off and the kitty cats climbing out of them, but this year she wanted to hide them in there.

For the more grown-up touches I added a sterling footed compote with tiny gourds, buckeyes, and other fall touches, as well as a beautiful tan paperweight that was a gift from our DIL’s uncle—he MADE it, and I LOVE it! A crystal candleholder serves as a pedestal for a small pumpkin.

These rusty pumpkin candleholders are special…they’re from our son, and I bring them out every single fall, but I don’t think I’ve ever coupled them with the Jacks. Nice filler for the vignette.

We also worked on the china cabinet, leaving the blue-and-white color scheme I’ve had there for several months, since I’m not ready to move that out yet. After Halloween, we’ll move to more fall colors there as well. For now, we added touches of Halloween, and that was fine with her.

Her decor on the bottom shelf was a bit more…shall we say age-appropriate for her? I wanted to honor her efforts and taste, so I tweaked it just a bit after she went home, but quickly put it back to her liking before she and her little brothers came back. I’m glad, because as soon as she walked in she brought the older one over to show off her decorations!

A more subdued look :) with touches of fall.

This is one piece I couldn’t wait to fill with fall flowers, so I managed to get it done as she found more treasures!

And of course, hydrangeas. Some dried, some fresh off the Endless Summer bush I bought this summer. The variations are so beautiful. And the “vessel”? A recent GW find!

I’ve had this little witch vignette for many years. She stands on a log that’s decorated with bittersweet flowers/berries, and twigs and moss, and a cute ghost, so I put her out for them too—on a silver tray, of course! :)

The final fall touch for this decorating event was the Southern Living Ballard Designs tiered basket on our table ~

This basket is so versatile, that I always have an idea of what I want to do next, but the center basket has become our real fruit basket—it’s perfect! It saves counter space and yet keeps the fruit handy.

Remember the geraniums I was rooting out on the screened porch toward the end of summer? I put more cuttings in these little apothecary bottles I got from my compounding pharmacist, and look at their roots now! They’re very happy with the amount of light they get at the table, and their leaves add nice texture and color to our fruit.

These pumpkins and awesome leaves are also from years ago, when I was doing holiday boutiques. Do you recognize the Pottery Barn lantern as one of my auction box lot finds? Love it! Wonder what I’ll do with it for our Christmas decorations??

Well, that’s the fall and Halloween tour of our home! I hope you enjoyed the tour. Do you do Halloween AND fall decorating, or just one or the other? I try to not buy too many new things and to use what we’ve had for years but in different ways. This year I bought the small pumpkins for $1 each…just six or seven of them. What about you? Do you get your head turned when you walk into stores? :) (Pssst….I try to not go to stores…that’s how I keep from buying more; it’s not will power. It’s lack of. LOL)

I wish you a fun and safe Halloween.

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

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Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Fall, on the Porch and Inside

Mid-October, and the days are still in the 70s here in central Ohio…the shift to fall has been slow and easy, not rushed by the weather or too-early color, and for me, that’s just about perfect!

So now that I’m “into fall,” our surroundings are too.

As my mind made the transition into fall I’ve been mulling over lots of decorating ideas. The one I could.not.wait to carry out was:

…a fall twig arrangement in my vintage red-plaid Skotch Kooler.

This cooler used to be store our charcoal for our grill until I promoted it to the front porch this summer, where it held a large pot and also served as a small table when needed, since it was right next to the rocking chair.

These twigs usually live in our blue and white umbrella stand, first next to the piano, and now next to the buffet, but there was a very specific reason why I wanted to use them on the porch! They LIGHT UP!

The fall decor on them is simply two garlands wrapped through it,

and at the base, as anchor, are pinecones, berries, and a pumpkin with lots of leaves that gives a nice texture and is a great filler.

Now for the rest of the porch…

The fall pitcher was a gift from one of our sons many years ago, and I use it every.single.fall, either as a pitcher at the table, or more often as part of our fall decor so it’s out and visible.

You’ve seen this wood box many times…it seems to now be a staple, because I love its rustic nature.

I’ve had this beautifully painted pot for many, many years. It was a sweet and unexpected fall gift from my cousin’s wife, and year after year it’s part of my fall decor—sometimes in the china cabinet, sometimes holding bittersweet, sometimes outside somewhere.

The old bird’s nest is filled with faux pumpkins and gourds, but the BUCKEYES are VERY REAL—after all, Ohio State is our alma mater and THIS IS BUCKEYE COUNTRY!

Now, back to the rest of the porch ~

Can you see the guy holding the mum is a pail with a jack-o-lantern face? A simple nod to Halloween.

And to honor my most-pinned item on Pinterest…

About 350 pins on this garland wrapped around our front-porch light! With such popularity, I of course had to do it again!

And now for a quick tour of the screened porch ~

With little grands around the house, something fun for Halloween…Oh, and let me introduce you to Wilbur, there in the background. He’s been around our family for many, many years, and his clothes are definitely starting to show it, but that makes him all the more perfect for his role in the family!

On our shelf we still have a lovely mix of summer flowers and sunflowers…the summers are still happy to be around, and I can’t bear to get rid of them.

Another nod to Halloween…

Since Baby Love came over to “help” me decorate for Halloween/Fall, she decided that her “amiguitos,” which is the Spanish word for “little friends,” should be part of the decor, since they’re all dressed up in costumes! (The rag dolls were all her dad’s and uncle’s, which I saved for the happy day when their children would play with them too, and that day is happily here.)

Oops! She couldn’t find Raggedy Ann’s clothes!

Happy Halloween and Fall to All!

If you don’t have little ones around, how much do you decorate for Halloween versus fall? We did some Halloween inside too, because we’re blessed with little ones around. I’ll share that next week.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

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Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

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Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Wednesdays at Ivy and Elephants: http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com

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Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Fall Decorating, The Front Porch

If you’ve been reading my recent posts, I LOVE summer, and it takes quite a while for me to get into the swing of things with fall, but eventually the changing colors and the nip in the air make summer decor look out of place and the collision of the two starts to get to me…that’s when I know it’s time to make the change.  How about you?  In which camp do you “fall” ?  Keep summer alive as long as possible, or welcome fall with open arms?
So when I step into fall I’m always surprised that it’s a pleasure…I actually enjoy it! 
I started with the front porch.  Welcome to our home!
I have “a thing” about our flag.  The way we have it on the house allows me to see it from inside, and never do I fail to notice it and its beauty.

I love shadow play—see the light post on the steps?  And the flag, flying high on a beautiful, breezy fall day?

 We’ve had these “jacks” for years and years, and I believe we’ve used them every single fall since…I really like them.  I decided to use them on the front porch instead of the screened porch, so the baby grands can see them when they come over.  The jacks have orange lights in them, so they’re on a timer to come on at dusk.  The plaid throw and the gold and orange one on the swing are actually shawls of mine that seemed to fit the vignettes this year.

Recently we stumbled into a fun, neat shop off the beaten path—Back Roads (www.shopbackroads.com), and we promised ourselves that when I transitioned into fall, it would be there that we would buy our mums.  Aren’t these gorgeous?  That’s only TWO plants in this big, old A&P bin.  And the price was fabulous.  Happy to deal with a small business instead of the big boxes too.

Later, when the sun is long gone and the “jacks” are lit, the baby grands and I will surely need the extra blankets to bundle up on the swing at bedtime as we do all summer long.  We’ll stretch the swing season as much as possible.

I would say fall {finally} arrived at our house, wouldn’t you?  And there’s more…several vignettes inside, and the screened porch.  I hope to have those in a post SOON!

How quickly do you adapt to fall?  What signals fall for you that gets you in the fall decorating mood?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I love to read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you! I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back. I’ll be joining these fun parties this week.  I hope you join in the fun! Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/ Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/ Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/ Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/ Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/ What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/ Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/ Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/ Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/ Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/ Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/ Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/ Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/ Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/ Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/ From my nest to yours~ Zuni

Real Thanksgiving Table

The tables we set for "play"--or to post--are sometimes not real tables.  The centerpiece might be too tall, or too big to allow for the other necessities that must go on the table for a real dinner--bread baskets, pitchers, wine bottle coasters, butter dishes, etc., so this is a post about our "real" table.

Our big family dinner was at my brother's this year (at their log cabin--another post for another day).  The Friday after Thanksgiving has always been our day at home--with turkey and all the trimmings again--initially for our children and my parents, and now DILs and babies too.  It's a more relaxed day, and a more relaxed table--our "real" table. 

I used the pomanders I made a few weeks earlier (tutorial HERE) as the basis for the centerpiece.
The amber platter is a recent find at my first auction.  It's an old Tiara piece.  I'd never heard
of Tiara until then, and now I'm in love with this dish.  Perfect for fall.

I L.O.V.E. this flower pot.  My cousin gave it to me years ago; I wonder if she remembers?
I use it every year for fall decorating.
Earlier in the season I had it in the china cabinet (HERE)

I imagined these twig pumpkins long before I found them, so...
THE SEARCH WAS ON!
I found them at a $$ store, where I paid $2 for them...(how does that work?!)

The PGBs (Precious GrandBabies) had their own placesettings with their Royal Doulton Bunnykins

dishes and feather headband for full Thanksgiving effect.



I used white dinner plates as chargers, and though they're not large enough
to be chargers, they added a bit more ummmppphhh to the setting.

Dinner plates are Friendly Village, and the salad plates--I don't remember.



Somewhere along the line I decided that the pumpkins I had so much wanted
were covering up the turkey plates I so love, so I moved them to the top of the plate,
'where I could enjoy both.



The view from our front door--our glorious American flag x 2.

Then...Christmas arrived at our home.

Every year my husband comes home with 2, 3, 4, 5 poinsettias, and every

year I am surprised and thrilled to see him walk in carrying the first one, then

another, then another.  This year was more of a surprise, though, because he came home

with them earlier than usual--because he also brought one for my mother

and one for our DIL to take home with them.

So fall met Christmas...

and we're ready to transition to
the joys of the season.

Tell me, do you have "real" tables that are different from you posted tables?

From our nest to yours, I wish you a sweet and smooth transition into the Christmas season.~

    ~Zuni

Miscellaneous:

Napkins: Crate and Barrel

Table runner:  My pashmina

Goblets:  Pottery Barn many years ago

Thanks for stopping by.  Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them!  They encourage me and inspire me.  And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post too!  I'd love it if you would follow me; I promise to work hard to make your visits worthwhile.  Thank you!

I will be joining these fun parties; please stop by to see all the great things there!

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