Fall is in the air...and in my home!

It's fall!!  Well, almost...it will be official on September 22 but who cares!  I love, love, love fall.  It's my absolute favorite time of the year.  And, I am bringing out the fall decorations.  I store all of my seasonal decorations in totes so they sort of rotate.  If fall is brought out, the summer decorations go in that tote.  Anyhoo, you're not here to read about my totes.  I want to share some of the fall decor I've been adding to my home this week.  I'm not finished.  Who could ever be finished decorating, right?  But, I've got a few teasers to share until I go all out and purchase my mums and pumpkins and hay bale and cornstalks...oh goodness, I've got to stop.  I'm starting to have a craving for hot apple cider and it's just a little too hot outside for that yet.  So, here we go.  I hope you enjoy and find some new ideas.

Living room fireplace...not woodburning, sadly, but at least I can have a fire when I want one.  I love having fires during the cold months.  Our old house had a woodburning fireplace.  I think I had a fire every day.  We homeschool so we are at home every day.  There's just something about the feel, sound, and smell of a woodburning fire that says home.  Fires go so well with curling up and reading a good book or having a cup of hot tea and flipping through magazines or, since it is fall and that means football season, fires go great with a good football game on the tv, chili, and family.  We live in Tennessee so I have to say "Go Vols!" and a big "Go Titans!"  Okay, back to the fall decor....sorry.  The three candlesticks to the right were purchased separately at thrift stores and sprayed with Rustoleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze (ORB) to tie them all together.  The pumpkin was originally a traditional orange color.  I spray painted it ivory.  I'm really loving the white pumpkins this year.  To the left of the fireplace, the red box is something I've had for several years.  I purchased it at an antique store.  It was originally a film box and had a couple reels of Kodak film still in it.  No, nothing good on them, you know, like Ansel Adams original pics worth a couple of mil.  The inside has dividers and makes the perfect storage box for dvds.  On top of the box is a tiered rattan stand.  The bottom tier has a tarnished silver bowl filled with fall potpourri and the top has a red berry wreath with an old book and another smaller white pumpkin.  I didn't intend for this to go in the living room but I placed it there and thought it sort of worked.  I'm not sure if it'll stay.  I think the height is wrong for this area. 

Okay, I'm only sharing this photo if you promise to not look at the paper shades that are hanging in the windows.  I purchased those 5 years ago as a temporary solution to the morning sun beaming into our kitchen during the hot summer months.  So, yes, 5 years later, they are still there.  So, don't look at them, okay?  Instead, turn your attention to the chandelier.  Our home was fairly new when we moved in and it had several contractor grade fixtures.  The kitchen light being one of them.  I found this one on craigslist earlier this year for $40 and had hubby change it out.  I've been so pleased with it.  I had off white shades on it until this week.  I found these black ones at the thrift store for 49 cents each!  L-o-v-e thrift stores! I think I'm addicted to them, if that's possible.  So, having swapped out the shades, I wrapped this berry garland through the bottom.  I really like the look of it. 

I think this is my favorite vignette so far.  The tray has been a decorating staple for several years now.  I found it at Old Time Pottery (love that store too...another possible addiction).  That carried these wrought iron trays back when Southern Living at Home first came out with theirs.  OTP's price...about $10...love getting the same look for so much less.  Anyway, it has been in constant use in my kitchen decor since I bought it.  On the tray, the black stands (painted in ORB) all came from the thrift store then painted to match.  Actually, see the one with the single white pumpkin?  It was just a wooden candlestick with a CD glued to the top and then painted.  I liked the look of the candlestick but needed a wider top to display on it.  The CD was the perfect size and was strong enough to not bend under weight.  The cloches are all vases or candle holders turned upside down.  I described them more here.  I purchased the tiny peanut shaped gourds at a farmer's market last year.  With time, they just get better.  And, finally, just because it contrasts so well with the black, I have an ironstone platter as a background to the vignette.  This sits on my kitchen island.  As you can see, I'm not one of the lucky women with granite...one day!  But for now, this neutral speckled laminate works well.  

And, finally, for now anyway, the front porch.  I'm sorry for the poor picture.  It was at dusk and the flash just wasn't enough to properly light the whole porch.  I hope you can see the decorations.  First, I have to share my auction purchase from a few weeks ago...the rocker.  It was originally unfinished wood.  I painted it white to match my other white rocker on the front porch.  It wasn't super cheap.  I got it for $30 and it's very sturdy so I was happy with my purchase.  Behind the rocker are my harvest basket and a scarecrow standing under the "F" flag.  I received the harvest basket from my mother-in-law (world's best, might I add) this past Christmas.  It's perfect for decorating.  Last year during the holidays, it held lots of beautifully wrapped gifts sitting beside the fireplace inside the house.  Last month, it held lots of brightly colored gift bags with oodles of pretty tissue paper and several happy paper lanterns.  It was welcoming guests to our youngest's daughter's birthday party.  Now, it's adorned with a pumpkin garland.  Once I go "all in" with the fall decorating, I'll probably add a delicious pile of pumpkins and a couple of mums.

Well, that's it for the first round of fall decorating at the Forte house.  I purchased a couple of brass lanterns at the thrift store yesterday.  Hubby gutted them for me as they were originally exterior lights.  I've got them ready with ORB and will be posting about them and other goodies soon.

Thanks for hanging around till the end.  I know this is a long post.  I appreciate your stopping by!

I'm linking to:  The Inspired Room Fall Nesting

                                                                         This Blessed Nest Fall Festival