Category: fall

Fall Decorating Inspiration: Decorating House and Home for Fall

It is said the early fall decorating inspiration bird gets the worm.

Far be it for me to question the validity of this wise and proven proverb, but (there is always a but) I apply the advice on a case by case basis.

Earlier is better when it comes to client appointments, home decor sales and auction previews.

Decorating house and home for fall anytime before mid September is traditionally a tad too early for this bird.

Although, tomorrow’s forecast high/low for our little corner of the world is 79/50.

I do believe that qualifies as all the fall decorating inspiration needed to begin a new tradition.

fall decorating inspirationHGTV

You can’t talk fall without the subject of pumpkin coming up.

pumpkin-paint-colors

I myself seize every opportunity to dish the pumpkin through color and good tastes.

pumpkin-bread-muffins

Williams Sonoma

Lest we forget the seasonal deliciousness of the apple- the official unofficial fruit of fall.

red-apple

Baked apples.

Candied apples from fairs and festivals.

My famous Fresh Apple Nut Cake which is the most requested recipe from readers and followers.

apple-pecan-walnut-cake

Looking forward to what’s cooking in the fall kitchen comes with the fall baking and cooking territory.

Comfort plates a sweet and savory delight for the taste buds.

Seasonal soups, spicy chili, hearty stews and gumbos of chicken and sausage will be cooking in the French blue pot.

creamy-mushroom-rice-soup

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup 

Crisp deep colors complement core foundation pieces.

Rather it’s a been in the family for generations accent chair or the I’ve had my eye on it and there’s no better time than fall to buy it area rug, the addition of seasonal color, texture and pattern enhances the decorating pomp and palette.

fall-colors-farrow-ball

M-M-Interior-Design

M and M Interior Design

Personal decorating style and taste preferences determine what design element or decor piece immediately draws the eye.

The rug and the table lamps in the above image speak gorgeous to me.

Area rugs and table lamps lend an instant chic factor to the ambiance of a space.

fall-area-rugRizzy Home Bellevue Collection Rug

Bless the powers that be at Dillard’s and the take an additional 40% off sale that brings forth the Southern Living Ash Feather Statue for a song- a sweet sale serenade.

I have big fall decorating inspiration plans for the newest addition to the decorative accents and accessories inventory.




Southern-Living-decorative-feather-accent

Winter white, a lovely color reminiscent of New Orleans style Cafe Au Lait, is a smashing color to complement a fall color palette.

white-chair

The Christopher Knight Home Toddman Fabric High Back Club Chair is currently catching my fall decorating eye.

The wingback side detail evokes thoughts of fireside evenings in New England.

Neutral foundation pieces in colors such as winter white or light beige command decorative accents and accessories rich in seasonal colors to stand at vibrant attention.

fall-fabrics-new

Inside Fabric

You never know what the catalyst for your fall decorating inspiration will be.

A throw pillow here, an accent piece there- updating your home decor to reflect the fall season warms up home and hearth and invites the current season’s best in color, texture and pattern show into your places in the home.

love your style

Fall Afternoon Color Crush

You may be asking yourself one or more of the following questions in regards to a fall afternoon color crush:

What is this fall afternoon color crush you speak about?

Another fall related post?

How much can one person possibly gush about fall?

When will the subject of fall 2016 fade from the pages of Places In The Home?

What is so special about and why all the fuss over and fascination with a fall afternoon color crush?

pumpkin-patch-2016

An unabashed expression of admiration for an awe inspiring color palette seen only for a very short season, but thoroughly appreciated on this fall afternoon.

Yes.

The beauty of fall knows no bounds.

Until the Places In The Home There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays series begins sometime around the first of November or my fall afternoon color crush cup runneth over, whichever comes first.

Inspiration is everywhere.

Fall Afternoon Color Crush

When the splendor of the season inspires, a fall afternoon color crush ensues.

orange-fall-color-crush

“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!”

Mae West

fall-canada

fall-hirsch-2016

“I see
the turning of a leaf
dancing in an autumn sun,
and brilliant shades of crimson
glowing when a day is done.”

Hazelmarie Mattie Elliott

fall-afternoon-color-crush-browns

fall-jackson2-2016

fall-jackson-2016

“…I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”

Nathaniel Hawthorne

fall-afternoon-color-crush-greens

Traditional Home, Southern Living, One Kings Lane, Online Fabric Store, The Huffington Post, What2Cook, Country Living

Love your style!

Fair Inspired, Fall Delicious Baked Caramel Apples

When the fair comes to town so does the craving for a classic carnival sweet treat, caramel apples.

The annual parish (you all say county, we Louisianians say parish) fair is in town this week which means time to develop a recipe for fair inspired, fall delicious baked caramel apples.

caramel-apple-at-the-fairThe Might Thomas Carnivals

I don’t think you ever outgrow the love of fairs and carnivals or the classic food offerings associated with these only come to town once a year midways of amusement.

Dave the Builder gets a kick out of my proclamation “fair music!” when I hear “Up Around the Bend” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Back in my midway days, I definitely pondered perpetual motion twirling around the Tilt-a-Whirl, Scrambler, and Flying Bobs.

My tastes in carnival rides runs along the same lines as my interior design and decorating tastes.  I keep the line moving to the center of traditional and classic and go easy on the thrills and frills.

say_ahhhhSay AHHH

No creepy clown sightings or clowning around with the prize winning flavor of a caramel apple.

red-apple

Baked Caramel Apples

red delicious apples, cored and hallowed ½ way down center of the apple

Per apple:

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 heaping teaspoon Duncan Hines salted caramel frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Wash, core and hallow out apples about ½ way down the center.  Place apples upright in baking dish.

apple-filled-with caramel

Sprinkle the inside of each apple with lemon juice.  Dust the center of each apple with cinnamon.

Add a generous teaspoon of the salted caramel frosting to the center of each apple.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until apples are soft.  Serve warm as side dish or as a fabulous fall dessert topped with your favorite flavor of ice cream or whipped topping.

baked-caramel-apples

No need for butter or margarine with this recipe.  The salted caramel frosting pulls double delicious duty as both butter substitute and caramel flavor.

Easy.

Delicious.

Classic fall flavor.

enjoy

Nature by Design: What Fall Means To Me

Nature by design is the consummate example of simple yet elegant beauty- what fall means to me.

Seasonal decorating need not be an exercise in expense or exhaustion.

acorns3

Rather your seasonal and soon to be holiday decorating involves pulling out all the stops or spot accents here and there, the idea is to invite the season into your home through a visual essay that expresses what fall means to me.

what fall means to me

Still moving at a slowed post surgical procedure pace means I’m mostly guiding the what fall means to me decorating tour of late.

Dave the Builder and my mother are happy to handle the fetch and feather duties.

fall-reading

Thank goodness I like to sit and study a space beyond tape measures and fan decks.

Looking at the world through design and decorating colored glasses promotes a gorgeous result.

“An empty room is a story waiting to happen, and you are the author.” Unknown

creamer1

Readers of Places In The Home know music beats in the heart and soul of this house.

Music keeps me company in the creative process, and a verse or chorus strikes a note of I’ll groove to that inspiration.

The chorus of singer, pianist, composer, producer and engineer  Carol Duboc’s latest tune, Open the Curtains, mirrors my personal decorating style philosophy.

song1

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A punch of personality is as influential to the collective look as the pop of color and the decorative oomph.

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What fall means to me is obvious in the gorgeous bouquet of white hydrangeas from my mother and the fall is in the house display Dave the Builder picked up at Kroger.

fall-squash

“Nature is not a place to visit.
It is home.”

– Gary Snyder

buffet

sunflowers

mum

Cabbage resting in a mixing bowl staged along side a pie pumpkin gives a simple and fresh nod to fall.

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Nature-inspired simple elegance.

I know exactly what fall means to me.

Love your style!

 

 

Pumpkin Pie Spice Sugar Scrub

Good morning, afternoon or evening, friends!

Friday is in sight or here which is always a plus.

Fall is getting its look and feel on, the small surgical procedure I had Tuesday went well, and I love the way the homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Sugar Scrub turned out.

Anesthesia is drying, and knowing this I wanted to have a hand scrub on hand.

Looking ahead to more fall decorating with the branches and cuttings soon to fill ironstone pitchers and the demijohn Dave the Builder recently found in his rounds, I quickly recalled that getting to and cutting down the aforementioned branches and cuttings do a number on your hands.

Put the pumpkin pie seasoning in the coconut (oil, that is) and treat your hands to a fabulous Pumpkin Pie Spice Sugar Scrub in the morning.

Or noon.

Or night.

You get the point.

pumpkin-pie-scrub

After a day filled with political mudslinging from every channel, network and streaming site, am I the only one who feels like a day at the spa treatment is in order?

Pumpkin Pie Spice Sugar Scrub has got you and your hands covered.

pumpkin pie spice sugar scrub

This scrub is super emollient, softens immediately, and can I just tell you- the scent is fall in a bottle.

sugar-scrub-container

Mexican vanilla and pumpkin pie spice marry together in notes of fall fragrant harmony.

For the hands:

Dampen hands with tepid water.  Apply a small amount of pumpkin pie spice sugar hand scrub and gently massage in a circular movement to exfoliate and renew skin.  Rinse well with warm water and gently pat dry.

To further promote  at home spa experience,  apply a small amount of your favorite hand cream to seal in the moisture and protect.

sugar-scrub

Taking the new mixing bowl out for a recipe mixing test drive.

Now for the recipe.

pumpkin-scrub

Pumpkin Pie Sugar Scrub

Ingredients

½ cup coconut oil; softened

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1½ Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together until blended.  Store the Pumpkin Pie Spice Sugar Scrub in jar(s) with air tight lid(s).

The scrub will keep at room temperature for up to one month.

enjoy

 

 

Seasonal Updating With Fall Decorating Favorites

I am ready to get the seasonal updating with fall decorating favorites ball rolling.

Home pumpkin

Postings of home decor and fall decorating ideas from several hundred of my blogging and social media friends confirm fall fever is going around.

zebra-wallpaper

Let the brisk mornings-cinnamon flavored-pumpkin decorating-colors on parade-sitting on the front porch-spice tea sipping-football tailgating afternoons-sweater wearing-sock feet snuggling with the one you love-crisp evenings spent in front of a fire pit season commence.

foyer-wallpaper-sconce1

While we’re on the subject, let me ask you this.

Fall?

Autumn?

What say you?

foyer-fixture1

Now to the seasonal updating with fall decorating favorites portion of our show…

I’ve been looking “foyer” to this seasonal update for quite some time.

The wallpaper I selected for my Mother’s Day gift (Mother’s Day 2015) is finally up where it belongs.

Getting this wallpaper project to completion and fall coming to Louisiana have something in common.

It seems to take forever.

I learned a long time ago that patience is a virtue in the pretty on a penny process.

Count the looking “foyer” to fall wallpaper project and estate sale chandelier makeover as the first seasonal updates of the fall 2016 season.

ginkgo-leaves-in-bowl

We are ginkgo a gogo for fall decorating.

Inexpensive is good, but free is better.

Using natural elements in your seasonal decorating plan gifts the eye with the beauty of the season.

Simple.

Elegant.

Fall.

Cotton_boll_nearly_ready_for_harvestCotton Boll

Seasonal updating with fall decorating favorites is _________.

A.  Fun.

B.  Easy.

C.  Affordable when you use natural elements found in nature’s arts and crafts store and decorate with items that you already have, collect, love, and reflect your personal style.

D.  All of the above.

Multiple choices factor into the decorating scheme of things.

shells-on-buffet

Cotton bolls placed in and around collected sea shells is a match made in memories from my childhood heaven.

Cotton fields remain an integral part of the fall harvest scenery in our area.

cotton-in-tall-vase

A farmer friend with acres and acres of cotton fields generously supplies me with several bundles of cotton stalks for my fall decorating needs.

Another good friend supplies me with the dried hydrangeas and eucalyptus bunches perfect for fall arrangements in another fall decor essential, the dough bowl.

Good friends bearing gifts are rewarded with the house special, a fresh apple nut cake.

Fall Decorating

An accidental placement of this antique chair in the foyer and the light of a late afternoon produce an effect worth keeping.

foyer-chair-2

Maybe it’s the lighting, the off-center placement, the new wallpaper or the combination of all three, but I love how it all works together.

Ambiance plays a significant role in interior design and decorating, and light is at the control.

white-fur-throw-pillow-in-chair

I’ve noticed the change in the color of the afternoon sun.

It is white bright- full of nuance as it streams through the windowpanes and French doors to shadow dance with colors, patterns and textures.

sun-on-rug

Simple.

Elegant.

Hello, fall.

Love your style!

 

Great Northern Bean and Chicken Soup

Great Northern Bean and Chicken soup is the taste of fall in a bowl.

fall-bean-chicken-soup

The culinary concept of the one-pot meal is brilliant.

Easy and quick from prep to finish are two of my favorite ingredients, and this easy and quick recipe for Great Northern Bean and Chicken soup hits a hearty high note.

For a weeknight dinner big on taste and easy peasy prep appeal, give this recipe a try.

Great-northern-bean-and-chicken-soup

Great Northern Bean and Chicken Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon minced garlic

2 cans Great Northern beans

1½ cups cooked chicken, shredded

1 32 ounce box chicken broth

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 cups water

Directions

Melt the butter in Dutch oven (or just toss the butter in with the veggies like I do).

onions-carrots-celery-butter

Add the sliced carrots, chopped celery and chopped onion.  Sauté until onions become translucent.

shredded-chicken

Once a good bubbling boil is reached, reduce heat to low and allow soup to simmer for 45-60 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and serve with crackers or cheesy cornbread.

fall-soup-bean-with-chicken-carrots

Spicy sea salt and black pepper crackers add a touch of the all important c’est si bon.

bean-and-chicken-soup-bowl-on-plate (1)

Simple serves a satisfying dish.

enjoy

Crisp Fall Afternoons And An Apple Nut Cake Recipe

To kick off the fall baking season, I thought this reader favorite recipe for Apple Nut cake recipe repost worthy.

apples-walnuts-copper1

Apples.

Pecans.

Walnuts.

Cinnamon.

Thought that might get your attention!

Fall is officially here, and although the signs of the season aren’t in full fall reveal, a few brisk mornings have teased the senses turning my thoughts and taste buds to the fall baking season.

apple-nut-cake-frosted

Dave the Builder’s mother introduced me to a delicious way to welcome fall which has become a tradition.

In terms of a wonderful fall culinary complement, there is nothing better on a cool afternoon than a cup of strong Louisiana coffee and a slice of old fashioned Apple Nut cake.

I always think of my dear mother-in-law when the first day of fall comes.

apple-nut-cake-on-cake-stand

It’s been thirty three years since the first time I made this cake as a new bride.

I can see myself standing in the cooking corner of our tiny kitchen pouring the batter into my grandmother’s bundt pan, windows open, flour everywhere, and a true autumn nip in the air.

That was many Apple Nut cakes ago, and over the years I have tweaked the Apple Nut Cake recipe to suit my taste.

I think it is an apple nut winner.

bundt-copper

My daddy was my apple peeling, apple cutting sous chef.

He knew the Apple Nut rule and took his apple peeling role seriously.

To enjoy apple nut goodness you must help in the peeling prep.

My mother now stands as the house sous chef.

The family that peels apples together makes memories together.

apples

Apple Nut Cake

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups granulated sugar

½  cup brown sugar

2 eggs

½  teaspoon nutmeg

½  teaspoon cinnamon

½  teaspoon ground cloves

½  teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½  cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans

½  cup applesauce

3 cups fresh apples, peeled and sliced

Icing

½  cup firmly packed light brown sugar

¼  cup butter or margarine

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

½  cup chopped pecans

Directions

Peel and slice apples.  Add brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves and lemon juice to apples coating well; set aside.  Mix together sugar and oil.

chopped-apples

Add the eggs and beat until creamy.

Add vanilla.

Combine salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour together.

flour-in-measuring-cup

Add dry ingredients in small amounts to sugar and oil mixture.

Next, add apples, applesauce and chopped pecans and mix by hand.

floured-Bundt-pan

Bake in greased and floured Bundt pan in 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

apple-cake-batter

Feast your eyes on that baked apple nut cake goodness!

apple nut cake recipe

This cake is so delicious no icing is required, but hold on to your apples.

The icing is fantastic!

apple-nut-cake-pecans

For the icing:

In a medium saucepan bring brown sugar, butter, and milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly.  Boil for one minute continuing to stir or whisk constantly.

Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Add powdered sugar and stir or whisk until smooth and continue until it begins to thicken slightly.  Immediately drizzle over cooled cake.

Top with walnuts or pecans.

Another delicious icing option is this simple cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1  8 ounce cream cheese, softened at room temperature

1  cup butter, softened

4  cups confectioners sugar (I’ve tried 3 cups, but prefer the thickness using 4 cups renders).

2  tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, mix together softened cream cheese and butter using an electric mixer.  Beat at medium speed until creamy.

Slowly add the powdered sugar (one cup at a time) until smooth and creamy.  Add vanilla extract.

apple-pecan-walnut-cake

enjoy