Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Brand New Fall Decor

As Dan and I continue to settle into our house, taking my time on the little details is becoming increasingly important to me. Since we moved in, I have been making a conscious effort to fight that little voice that has been screaming, "DECORATE EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW RIGHT AWAY!!" And do you know why I fight that voice? Because that voice is the one that I can blame for my far too large, totally uncoordinated, paid-too-much-for, didn't-really-even-match-or-work--in-my-space-when-I-brought-it-home collection of weird, punched tin "wall art" that was big time trending when I moved in to my first apartment. Anybody else been there? Anybody else caved in to that awful pressure that is a new, empty space?


I learned my lesson. With our house, I'm trying to be thoughtful. I'm giving things time. I'm thinking of decorating our house as a lifestyle of projects instead of a one time event.

(It's been a big help in saving money...If I'm out, I don't buy decorative things just because I like them. I have a rule that a decorative purchase has to have been premeditated...I need to have had some previous notion that a certain space needed a certain thing. If I can't look at something and know exactly where it would go and that it would definitely work, then I don't get it. It's so good for me.

Sorry for that tangent...)

Anyway, in light of that commitment to slow, thoughtful decorating, I am really excited to share with you a few things that have been coming together! Keep reading after the jump to get a little more up close and personal with the decor in the Hig house.


I read a book once that talked about the importance of prioritizing the order, cleanliness, and peace of your bedroom before dealing with any of the rest of the house.

...

Does anybody actually do that? I sure don't. When I'm going through order and cleanliness, I think about coming in the door. I want to be greeted with happiness and peace by whatever sight I first experience, and for me in my little house, that means by I want to be greeted by a happy, peaceful living room. (Yeah it's a tiny house...there's no such thing as "entryway.")

One of the things that was essential to a happy living room, or at least a happy Jessica in her living room, was that a book shelf be put in place. I have lots of books. I have lots of cool books. And I need them out and available because, believe it or not, I use them. When we were trying to name our puppy I went straight to the Tales of King Arthur. (If you also think that Galahad would have been a great name for a lab, thank you.) Anyway, I pulled together a bunch of vintage wood crates and a little bit of stack stack stack later, I had a cute little shelf.

Just for kicks and giggles, first I'll show you what it looked like when we bought the house...



Hey-o, no. Buuuut, three months and some stress later...


Ooh, I think I like it. (Better yet, I know.)

Sorry I didn't shoot the bottom of the shelves. It goes down another three crates.  The original intention of that photo was to show how bare the mantle (mantel? Montel?) was because....



That's the next thing that got dressed up!!

I was motivated to decorate the mantle for fall because of the fact that Centsational Girl is hosting a Fall Mantles link party! If you want to see some effort in decorating, jump over there and browse the links a bit...it's amazing. Some of those bloggers went.to.town. on their fall decorations.  I went for a waaaaay simple design, comparatively, but I am really pleased with the final result.



See? Simple. I didn't hang any words from my garland or anything because I want it to reflect the whole season...not just Halloween or Thanksgiving.  If I had kids, I would probably go through the motions of switching it up for each holiday but...hey, I'm still in the middle of a remodel, here. Be kind.

I went for a few pops of mustard yellow and a rich, deep blue after being inspired by the color palette in this much loved cross stitch, given to me by a precious friend...


That little beauty (full of depth, isn't it?) is sitting across the room on a side table...and in combination with some blue vases on the bookshelf, they pull the room together in a way that I just love. It's subtle but...gosh, I just hate to be obvious. Honestly. I love it.

The mustard and burlap are just so ridiculously "fall" to me...I couldn't leave them out.




This project marks the first time I try my hand at anything Monogram-related...so it's rather monumental, I suppose.  You know, just in case I forget what my last name starts with...I have it on my mantle, a constant reminder.


Do you see those little white boxes/tubes behind the TV/monogram/burlap/box? Those are some little wire-hiders that my clever husband installed after mounting the TV.  It made the whole room sooo much more attractive...seeing all those cords was a major bummer. And now they're gone! Good man.

To tie it all together, and thus declare the mantle an official autumnal space, I used some little yellow pumpkins - in sets of three, of course - at both ends.


I really do love it, simple as it is. I think it's just right for our style and our space, and doesn't take too much from the rest of the room.


Anyway, that's what's been up for me. How about you? Any fall goodies resting on your flat spaces?

10 comments:

  1. Sorry I'm such a dude... first thing I noticed was that you mounted the TV.

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  2. love getting to read up on your projects jess. this one is really really cool. i am honestly impressed. you have really gotten a good eye for this kind of thing and developed alot in your taste and skills. i would hire you against any decorator i have met personally. ( and i have met some pretty hip trendy girls... also kyle has his moments, with some pretty awesome ideas. but i would still trust your style in my home first)

    love you sis. love on people where you are at. be a blessing. enjoy your life each day. i miss you friend. looking forward to seeing you again soon

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  3. All I can saw Jessica is Wow it's gorgeous and I also love fall and decorating. Your home is beautiful I love the mantle pumpkins mustard bow everything. Well done ! And the book shelves take me back to our first home where we used crates for end tables and coffee tables. Now they would be so in. Back then it was cheap ! Lol. Scott wants a shot of your kitchen. We haven't had the pleasure of seeing it finished. So far your place is amazing you've got quite the touch for decorating. Need to post to pinterest :-)

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  4. Oh my gosh, you guys have been working hard pulling it together! So cute and pretty! And love your header photo!

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  5. It looks sooo good! Jessica, you are great at DIYing/decorating your home. It looks like such a wonderful place, cozy place! I can't wait to see what you have in store for the rest of your home as you put it together bit by bit. I, too, have learned that I need to take my time in decorating if I want to like the outcome for more than five minutes. Building a home is fun! One of the few advantages to moving so often is that I get a blank slate to start with about every year or so! ;)

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  6. What a great job you have done. LOVE it.
    First time decorating a mantle? I don't know if I believe you....lol Amazing eye for style.
    Thanks for sharing. I am your newest follower.

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  7. 1. I know exactly what you mean about having your books available. I have all my books relating to Arthurian things together on a shelf in the living room (right next to Dante and Shakespeare).
    2. Galahad would've been an excellent puppy name. Kind of makes me want to get a pair of puppies and name them
    3. I love your crate bookshelves and I love how you've arranged them.
    4. Mantel=shelf above fireplace, so you were correct. Mantle, on the other hand can mean any number of things. Dictionary.com has 13 different definitions for it. Interesting!
    5. MY CROSS-STITCH PROJECT IS ON YOUR AWESOME BLOG! YAAAAAAAAAY! With hand-made projects like these, there's always the sneaking fear that the recipient is really only pretending to like it. I'd mostly eradicated that fear, because I figured I knew you well enough not to give you something you'd totally despise. Suffice it to say that I'm honored, absolutely honored, that it has a place in your home.
    6. You're making a beautiful home, Jessica, and I'm proud of you.
    There. I've been long-winded enough.

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  8. I saw your mantle at Centsational Girl. I think it's beautiful. I go for simple but elegant.

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  9. Gorgeous. Love every bit of it.

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  10. It looks beautiful! Stef & I want to come see everything in person! I also love all the ideas on Centsational Girl - lots of great ideas. Keep up the good work!

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