Fall Decor in the Living Room

I'd like to move on to the last leg of our Fall home tour.  

Today, I'm going to share the remainder of my living room.

In August, we purchased new couches for our living room.  

(It was torture waiting for them to be made, let me tell you!)

New couches lead to a new coffee table, 

which lead to new curtains, 

which lead to new end tables,

which lead to a new area rug....

oh you know how it goes.  

I wanted to show you this room once it was completed, 

but by the time I had most of the players in place, 

it was time to decorate for Fall.  

Here's my new living room all set for Fall:

I don't know if you remember what it looked like before, 

but you can take a peek here.

I can't even begin to tell you how I love this new look!

All the major pieces are neutral, so I can add whatever accent

colors I want without worry.

I sewed 3 out of 4 of the pillows you see here.

I used the same fabric to make the banner for the mantel.

I'm sure you've seen my gallery wall decor before,

but I decided to give it the Fall treatment.

I had crafted the rag wreath earlier in the year for my dining room.

It was all in neutral shades so it was a cinch to add some orange fabric

scraps to it and turn it into a Fall rag wreath.

I rarely share the shelves of the entertainment center 

because in all honesty, I'm just not confident in my 

shelf decorating skills.   

I was somewhat happy with these, so here you go.

This room did not have a coffee table previously,

I had leather ottomans instead.

This time around, I wanted a coffee table.

I had to order it and  wait several weeks (there's that torture again!),

but I was so happy when it finally arrived.

Coffee table vignette:

Here's another view where you can see a bit of the fire place as well.

I hope you enjoyed my Fall tour.

Now that that's done, I guess it's getting about time

 to decorate for Halloween, isn't it?

Linking to:

Inspire Me Monday @ Sand & Sisal

 

2014 Fall Mantel

My Fall mantel this year is fairly simple.  

~Simple, but warm~

The only things new here are the beige candle holders.

I bought them at Hobby Lobby.

Everything else, I'm sure you've seen before at one time or other

throughout different Fall vignettes over the years.

(Please, as always, ignore that ceiling fan image in the mirror!)

I think I've had these pumpkin topiaries at least 10 years!

This Fall, I crafted/sewed quite a few items.

You saw the wreath in my dining room here,

and above is the banner I sewed.  

I love seeing my Mantel all dressed for Fall.

I'll be back soon to share the rest of the living room with you.

Enjoy the day!

Have a pumpkin flavored something or other to celebrate!

Linking to:

Tuesdays at Our Home at Our Home Away from Home
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

     

Fall in the Dining and Sitting Room

Last week, I shared my dining room hutch and chalkboard with you.

This week,  I thought I'd share the rest of the dining room 

and the adjoining sitting room with you.

The dining room:

I found the Canada Dry crate at an antique show.

I was so thrilled!

My Dad was the manager of Canada Dry locally,

so the crate is for sentimental reasons.

Although knowing my Dad, he's looking

down at me from heaven saying,  

"You paid money for that?  
I had dozens of them you could have had for free!"

Of course, he would be right, but those free crates are no where to be 

found now.  It took me a long time to view this kind of stuff
and not think of it as junk.  Now, after all these years,
I see the value.  

Anyway,  I filled my beloved crate with lots of  fall goodies.  

Just a note:  the crate has our city & state stamped on the side.

Who knows?  Maybe my dad handled this very crate way back when.

The sitting room:

My favorite blue dresser got the Fall treatment.

I got the suitcase at the same antique show where I found the crate.

(I made a good score that day!)

A vignette for the coffee table.

I even added a little Fall to my white wire shelf.

Isn't that little pumpkin painting so cute?

It was an Etsy purchase.

I hope you enjoyed touring this part of our home.

Next up:  

My Fall mantel!

Linking to:

Fall into Fall @ DIY by Design

 

Fall Decor (Dining Room Hutch)

Last week, I showed you my dining room chalkboard all set for Fall.

 Today, I'd like to share the white hutch in my dining room.

I found the pumpkin platter late this Summer @ Home Goods.

It was only $10.00, so I couldn't resist.

I was thinking of how nice it would be to use it for Thanksgiving dinner.

At the time, the thought didn't occur to me to use the platter

for display purposes, but I'm glad it did occur to me....I love it here!

All my old familiar pieces being used.  

Nothing new.  

I did struggle with the mirror.  

I added just about every wreath in my possession,

but liked none of them.

I tried wall pockets, I tried burlap banners...

nothing was doing it for me.

Then I saw a burlap wreath on Pinterest

that I really liked.

I bought exactly $11.15 worth of supplies

but had no real plan for what I was going to do.

Within 20 minutes, I had made this wreath:

 Funny thing is,

it was exactly what I had envisioned for this mirror all along!

I'll be sharing more of my Fall home

with you in the upcoming days.

See you soon lovelies!

Linking to:

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away from Home

 

Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes

I don't know if it's only me, 

but have you noticed that zucchini is getting a big boost

in popularity lately?

For some reason, I keep seeing recipes 

dedicated to this green squash everywhere.  

I have always liked zucchini, 

well...mostly breaded & fried, 

and as I get older, I'm finding I like it other ways as well.

I have enjoyed this recipe for a few years now 

and thought I would share it with you today.

I believe the recipe came from Everyday Food magazine.  

Oh how I miss that magazine!

These cupcakes are so yummy

and the cream cheese frosting is a wonderful

little bonus that compliments the cupcake perfectly.

Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes

1½ cups all purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
1 zucchini (10 ounces) coarsely grated (1½ cups)
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting (below)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line cups of a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners.  Set aside.  

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Mix in nuts.

In another bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla; add to the flour mixture and mix just until combined (do not overmix.)

Divide batter evenly among cups.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.  (I find this was too long and baked mine about 25 to 30  minutes.)

Cool in tin on wire rack for 10 minutes; turn cupcakes out, right side up, and cool completely. Meanwhile, make Cream Cheese Frosting.  Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread frosting on cupcakes.  The frosted cupcakes are best eaten within 1 day.

Yield:  12 cupcakes


Cream Cheese Frosting

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat 4 tablespoons room temperature butter and 4 ounces room temperature bar cream cheese until smooth.  Add 2 cups confectioners' sugar and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract; beat until light and fluffy.  Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 1 day.

Even my picky son, who will go to

great lengths to extract anything green

or remotely healthy from any dish I've made,

loved these, so please give them a try!

And yes, if you're wondering,

I am still dieting, but I do find

I can indulge every now & again, but 
still keep on track.

Have a wonderful week!

      

Ready for Autumn

I've been ready for Fall for a few weeks now.

I know it's not right to push Summer aside, 

especially when Summer is so short lived in these parts, 

but when my calendar shows "September," 

 my mind automatically thinks "Fall."

Things were going along smoothly too.

There was a nice chill in the air.

 Until...this past week.

We had a couple of hot & humid days, 

with temperatures in the 90s.  

Ugh!

This left me wondering how it is that you girls in the warmer climates

 can decorate for colder seasons/holidays when it's so darn hot outside.

 It messes with the mojo, I tell ya!

Today I am happy though.  

Today is a sunny 70 degrees...a perfect Fall day!

So I guess it's time to start sharing all the 

Autumn goodness going on around here.

I feel like I've been a crafting & sewing fool lately.

I'm going to start nice and easy though, 

with the dining room chalkboard.

I think this is my favorite chalkboard design to date.

I'm no artist, but this task seems to be getting a tiny bit easier

than when I first began.

So friends, tell me, 

are you getting ready for Autumn, too?