Pillows that take your House from Summer to Fall

Hands down, the EASIEST way to bring a season into your living space is through textiles - most specifically, throw pillows.  You don't have to make a ton of big changes to make your home feel like summer, or Christmas, or in this case fall, and they are the easiest, and cheapest way to do so on a budget.

Obviously, there are certain fabrics and pillows that easily run into the hundreds, but there are so many affordable options.  Some of my favorite sources... Etsy, Target, and Homegoods.

A few of my favorites out there right now??

BOTANIC PRINTS:

I love a good floral print - combine a large scale floral with the colors we associate with fall and bam, we're in business.  I ALMOST bought the top pillow here from Target, but could only find one.  Sad day friends.  It's so luscious in person, and a sweet deal too!

I also love the look of the branches and leaves, and the more understated print of the lumbar pillow here.  It could really be used in any season, but the rust red and mustard yellow say "fall" to me.

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ETHNIC TEXTILES:
In a different color, any of these pillows could be perfect for other seasons, but something about the texture (especially in the Kilm pillow) along with the colors, these would be perfect for the season.  In colder months, I especially like thicker fabrics.

They just say, it's cold outside, so come snuggle on the couch. 

Am I right, or am I RIGHT??

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IKAT PRINTS:
Again, it's all in the colors that make up the ikat print, but I'm loving the soft melon colors with lots of white.  These are kind of perfect for those that live in more temperate climates, so your house doesn't feel bizarre on those random warm days.

Mixed with neutral pillows, these are lovely and warm for fall, but mixed with fun blues, you could re-use them again in summer!

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Any good ones you've seen recently?  I missed the boat for the blue and white pillows I have yet to make - I have a few months to stitch those up, and we can use them after the holidays are over, but for now, I'm on the hunt for some good autumnal pillows!

xo

Fall Decor: The Magnolia Leaf

Hey Guys... happy Fall!  Can anyone else believe that it's the last day of September???  Seriously, where does the time go?

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Our home still has some of it's summer decor up, but with fall in full swing, and the days getting noticeably shorter, my goal for this week is to get some fall decor going at home.  It seems that everyone goes straight for pumpkins when decorating for fall, but I want to go for a less obvious approach.  

There will of course still be pumpkins and gourds in the mix as well, but for this fall, I'm really liking the magnolia leaf.  

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It's extremely classic, and I love that the leaves look as lovely bright and green as they do once they brown out.  I also really like that the magnolia leaf - whether in the form of garland, nosegay, or wreath will take you all the way through Thanksgiving... even into the holiday season!

Look how pretty this garland below is - very autumnal without needing in your face bright orange leaves.

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As a side note... I also really like the dark brown jug. It also feels very autumnal without being juvenile.

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This garland is also a favorite - the mix of brown magnolia leaves with the green is so pretty, and while to me this looks like fall, it's clearly something that can take you into the holiday season too.  Imagine that lit up at night.  So pretty. 

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These nosegays clustered around lit lanterns is a very grand way to light up the stairs leading to your house... even along the driveway.  Or take this look inside, and cluster a few lanterns of varying sizes on a mantle, flanking a long dining table, or as a centerpiece on an outside table.

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I am fairly sure that I've posted this idea last year, but I still love the look of magnolia leaves as placecards.  So simple, although my handwriting would look nothing like that.

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And finally, one of my favorites...  the gilded magnolia leaf wreath.  I want to try and tackle a similar project this weekend.  Now that our front door is looking all fresh and pretty, I'm thinking of retiring our moss wreath until the springtime, and attempting a similar gold wreath.  

That would look so pretty against it, don't you think??

Dark Moody Rooms

Good morning friends!!  The last several posts I've had are mainly about progress on our own apartment, but I've been thinking a lot about dark moody rooms.

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 Maybe it's because all the fall clothes have hit the stores and I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity to bust out my new faux fur vest.  Maybe it's because it's been foggy and cold in San Francisco, and the drippy, dreary days have me ready to hibernate and think about pumpkin spiced lattes, and cozy nights, and big glasses of red wine while the wind howls outside. Or maybe, these rooms are just so beautiful and I can't resist.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still craving warm weather and summer nights, but mentally I'm in the fall mindset.  Don't you think there is something so inviting about a dark moody room?  It is an invitation for dim light, candles and ambiance.

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It's probably (definitely) not something I'll be trying out in our current apartment, mainly because our place is not super large, and because all the rooms are pretty open to one another, but I'm really into this look - dark walls, dark furniture.  IF (and that's a big IF) I were to test this in our current place, it would probably be in our bedroom since it's the most separate from the rest of the house, and because the dark walls, and dark furniture would feel really calm, cozy, and sleep inducing.

Normally, you'll find rooms with dark walls and lighter furniture, or lighter walls and dark furniture, but I'm loving the combination of dark with dark.

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I'm also finding that the rooms I love best with this dark on dark use rather monochromatic hues - the first picture (and one of my favorite spaces in general) has the ink curtains next to the ink sofa, next to the dark grey window frames, and everything is on top of the inky purple rug.

In the photo above, everything is painted in the same dark taupe.  And below the walls, and rug are nearly the same shade of grey.

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This next photo, the walls, columns and ceiling are the same shade of grey, and only the sofa and flowers bring color to the space.

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What I find really interesting too about all of these spaces, is that they seem to work best with more traditional details.  The moldings, and more ornate mirrors.  Classically tailored sofas, chairs and ottomans, panel curtains, and a good dose of brass.  

I think that these traditional elements keep these spaces from feeling cold, even through there is so much dark, and drama going on.  They still feel inviting.  They say, come bring your cup of tea and tattered copy of Pride and Prejudice in here for the afternoon.

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What do you think?

Would you ever experiment with a dark and moody room in your own home?

Happy Weekend, and Happy November

Well hello November, it's nice to see you again...  

October was a great month - warm weather along with the first few real tastes of fall weather, and my little blog hit an all time high for site traffic.  When I started this blog, I had no idea people would actually read it, so to see how it's grown is just crazy to me.  Thank you to all who read, and comment, and message me privately - it really means a lot :-)

I was looking back at some of my old posts from last November, and it's hard to believe that was just a year ago... it's funny to read and remember some of the projects I'd worked on (and posted about) that totally flopped.  Some of them I totally forgot about, but this blog is like a living timeline of my life, so even though there are some I'd like to forget... it's all there in writing.  

Remember this Gold Leaf Barware DIY??  Those glasses went to Goodwill shortly thereafter.  I'd almost forgotten that failed project.  Also... our hallway had STRIPES... NARROW stripes.  Another "what was I thinking" moment.  Such a terrible idea for such a small space.  But you know what? That's all part of it.  Some of the DIY's turn out to be AMAZING... like this Wine Rack Makeover... or our Ikea Dresser / TV Stand Makeover... but there are plenty that are realllllyyyy bad... and I'm sure there will be more in the future that don't quite work out, but that's part of the fun.  Trying new things, trying to stretch our budget, and trying to make our apartment feel like a home.

This week was a quiet one for me on the blog, but I have a little project I worked on the other night that I'm excited to share with you all.  

Need a hint?

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Any guesses??

Well, you'll find out for sure next week.  Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo

Gold Leaf Placecard

It's almost November, which means it's almost my FAVORITE holiday...  Thanksgiving!!

With fall, and Thanksgiving on the brain, I saw this image, and had to share.  Isn't this the best idea for simple DIY place cards at the table??  

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Just go out in the yard and collect the biggest sycamore leaves you can find, spray them gold, and write everyone's name on each one.

I thought that was the most clever idea - can't wait to copy it...

Happy Tuesday!

Butternut Squash + Sage Soup

I guess our "Indian Summer" is officially over. The last week has been cool and crisp - you can see your breath in the mornings, the wind was howling all last night, and it was the first time in a while where we had to put an extra blanket on our bed... 

Just like that, it's fall!  

With the cool weather finally upon us, I decided to make soup.  Butternut squash soup to be exact, and it could not have been easier!

I didn't use a specific recipe, and eyeballed pretty much everything, but it turned out amazing, and I pretty much guarentee that this is going to become one of our fall staples for supper this year.

Here's how to make it...

Ingredients:
  - One large butternut squash
  - Half of a yellow onion
  - Three large cloves of garlic
  - One low sodium carton of chicken stock
  - Sprig of Sage
  - Olive Oil
  - Butter
  - Half and Half
  - Salt
  - Pepper
  - Cinnamon
  - All Spice
  - Chili Powder

Recipe Instructions:
Use a regular potato peeler to peel the thick skin off the butternut squash.  It's pretty tough so I don't recommend a paring knife unless you really know what you're doing.

Once the skin is off, cut the butternut squash into cubes.  Near the "bulb" of the squash, there is seeds and fiber that you'll want to scoop out with a spoon.

Once it's peeled, toss the cubes in a large pot with the chopped up onion and garlic (you can also use shallots, but I didn't have any on hand).

Coat everything generously with extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt, and get things sauteing. As everything starts to cook, add in a bit of butter - I used around 3 tablespoons, or roughly 1/4 of a cube of butter.  At this point I also added in a dash of cinnamon, a dash of all spice, a dash of chili powder, and a large sprig of torn up sage (about 5 large leaves).

Cook things on medium to high heat until everything has softened a bit - just before the butter starts to get brown, add in the chicken stock.  I didn't measure at all - just poured until the stock covered most of the butternut squash, about 3/4 of the way - I used about half to 3/4 of a 1-quart carton.

Put the lid of the pot on, and let things cook.  You want to make sure the butternut squash is really soft - let it go for 15 - 20 minutes or so.

At this point, turn the heat off, and let it cool for a few minutes.  Spoon the cooked ingredients into the blender (in batches) and blend until smooth.  I ended up adding a bit more chicken stock as each batch blended to get it really super smooth.  An immersion blender would have been amazing at this point, but the regular blender worked just fine.

Once everything was all blended, I added everything back into the big pot, turned the heat back on and tasted the soup.  It will probably be pretty bland still - I went with low sodium chicken stock so I could control the salt, so I added in more salt (I'm guessing around two teaspoons or so), along with two more dashes of cinnamon, two dashes of all spice, two dashes of chili powder, and pepper.

Keep tasting as you season - you might like more salt, or pepper, or less cinnamon, etc.  It's all personal preference at this point. I also added a splash of half and half (only about 1/4 cup).

The soup was already really creamy without it, so you could absolutely skip this step if you wanted to keep this healthier.  Mix it all together, let the ingredients cook a bit more, and you're ready to eat!

That's it!  It sounds like a lot of steps, but it was SO EASY, and it only took me about 30-40 minutes total.  Also, it ended up being super cheap!  I think it cost about $8 total for the squash, stock, and sage.

I'm guessing it made about 2 large servings, so if you're making this for more, double everything.

I ended up garnishing it with a few more sprigs of sage, but if you don't like sage, feel free to skip it entirely.  I happen to love it, and I find that it really tempers the sweet flavors of the squash.

Enjoy!!

Simple and Subtle Fall Decor

As you know, I'm a big fan of making small changes to our space for the seasons.  I love the idea that you can keep the core of the room the same, but that by making a few tweaks, you can completely change the feel of the space.

I also hate the gimmicky fall and "Halloween" decor you see in the stores, so I've put together a little list of seven easy changes you can make to take your space from summer to fall, while avoiding the dangling skeletons, and ghost flags.

1. Display the seasons' harvest:

The grocery store is the best place to find super affordable decor in the form of food and produce.  Grab a bag of walnuts in their shell, 8-10 pears, and some cool little pumpkins and gourds for an easy fall mantle or dining room table centerpiece.  I also love the look of a big bowl of apples, and the Cinderella pumpkins and white pumpkins are always a little different.

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2. Work in muted colors:

Summer is about bright colors, but as the days get shorter, I like to stick with a more muted palette with lots of white, creme, and earth tones that pick up the colors of the harvest (and candlelight) well. A feather wreath and a bundle of wheat also never hurt anyone :-)

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3. Bring the Outdoors In:

Mother Nature knows what's up, so why not clip a few branches from a tree in the yard, and bring some natural fall colors indoors?  Not only are they so much cheaper than a bouquet of flowers, but they last longer, and bring more impact to a space.

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4. Do a little Faux Fur:

The nights are a bit more chilly now, and there is nothing cozier than a little faux fur to snuggle up with.  Not only that, but the fur just says "cold weather is here" when it's folded up at the end of the sofa.

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5. Replace vases of Flowers with branchy twigs:

Once the leaves have all fallen from the trees outside, bare branches are cool to incorporate into fall decor.  I love how they are displayed in varying jugs and vases below...

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6. Let there be (candle) light:

Grouping candles together is a super inexpensive way to make your home feel cozy at night (or at 5:00pm when it's already dark out).  Not only would this make for great ambient lighting while you watched a movie, but it would be a cool tablescape for Thanksgiving dinner. To replicate the below photo just grab a planter from the Home Depot, some faux berry branches, a few gourds and mini pumpkins, and a lot of white candles.

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7. Swap out Pillows and Blankets:

Bring in a little fall color through accessories - a burnt orange throw pillow and blanket turn this space from summer to fall in a snap.  Everything else is seasonally neutral, but the punch of orange says "fall" without being completely in your face.

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Did I miss any good ones that you love?  What are your favorite little fall decor updates??  I also love a good fall wreath on the front door!

Happy Tuesday!

Pumpkin Bread

I'm in Portland this week for work, and after checking the weather online yesterday, I realized that that I would be going from 80 degrees and sunny to 50 degrees and rainy.

I needed to get myself in the correct mental state for cool weather, stat.

So I made pumpkin bread.

I mean... you GUYS!  This plate, could not look more "Halloween" if I tried!!

Aside from it looking like fall, and our house smelling like a haven of pumpkin spice, it is AMAZING.  Like unbelievably good, and soooo easy to make.

It all started with this pin from Pinterest...

The recipe said that all you needed was yellow cake mix, and canned pumpkin.

Let me start by saying, I LOVE yellow cake.  In my heart, I KNEW, that this recipe could only end in success, since we were starting with the base of my favorite sweet treat in the world.  As I went along, I doctored the recipe a bit, and found that I needed (and wanted) a few additional ingrediants.

As I was mixing, the batter was really REALLY dry, so to get the mix fully incorporated with the pumpkin, I added a little bit of milk.  Roughly two tablespoons did the trick to get it fully mixed in.  I also added roughly a teaspoon of vanilla extract, a few dashes of all spice, and about two teaspoons of cinnamon.

All I have to say is, you have to try this.  It's cheap, and simple, and apparently somewhat healthy since there's no added sugar (two weight watcher points per piece... or so says Pinterest).

The recipe is for muffins, but I made a loaf of pumpkin bread since I apparently don't have a muffin tin (how is that possible??)

I baked it until a knife came out clean - roughly 45 minutes - and even so, the bread is SO moist, without falling apart or being gooey.

You have to try this!  For once, the recipe turned out to be both easy AND good... you really can have your (pumpkin) cake and eat it too.

Enjoy!

A Fall Mantle

Seasons are changing, and between weddings, work, and enjoying the absolutely glorious weather we've been getting (how has it been perfect weather - 80 degrees and sunny for weeks?!) I've neglected my poor little blog.

Luckily, I've got a thoughtful, creative mama (I must get it from her) who sent me some autumn inspiration, and some lovely pictures of her fall mantle...

In her own words...

My favorite season is Autumn, not fall, Autumn. Just saying the word, autumn, has such a sense of solidity. I'm also a Virgo...go figure!

At any rate here is my mantle, decorated with items collected over a lifetime of sixty + years. 

There's the pewter topped mug my mother in law brought back for her son (my hubby) when she visited Germany. 

And the antique Haviland Limoges plates-I've always been particularly fond of the one with the radishes. 

And the pumpkins and gourds...collected from visits over the years from visits to "Half A Moon Bay" as my Baby Boo used to call it.

Not the most original holiday decor, but special. Each item has a story I remember when I set it in place.

Xoxoxo to all....Becky's Mom

Not original?!

It's called traditional, and as everyone who knows me knows, I am a sucker for tradition.  In fact I hate change, so if the mantle at my parents dramatically changed... let's just say, it would not be good. I love seeing the seasonal pieces brought out, and remembering the stories behind them.

Thanks mom for sending these over!
xoxo

Weekend Recap

Whelp... fall is officially here...

I quickly snapped this picture as I was walking down the hill from our house to the Marina over the weekend... how gorgeous are the yellow leaves against the blue-blue-blue sky.  I absolutely LOVE this time of year...

It was warm and perfect.  Here's a quick peek into my weekend - through the eyes of my feet...

Cooling off the tootsies after a hot run...

 Admiring my wrist bling against an all white outfit...

 How can you not be excited for little workout when your footwear is day-glo.  Loving my new Nikes!

 Feeling a little fancy, and trying on white dresses for the fabulous Dinner en Blanc on Friday night... SUCH an amazing event...

And of course my new obsession - my moccasins from Target.  They are SO COMFORTABLE... like slippers, but totally appropriate to wear out in public...

Happy Monday!