Feathering one’s nest in this time between the end of the holiday hustle and bustle and spring’s arrival in winter blues offsets the harshness of the actual winter blues.
Small touches in seasonal splendor will do the trick.
My winter blues estate sale find that made getting up at the crack of dawn on a cold dreary February morning worth it.
Perhaps it’s time to add to the collection with this trio of framed Mosa Holland Delft blue tiles.
Fresh or faux florals and/or stems placed in a blue and white porcelain vase or ginger jar brings in seasonal elements and elevates the tone and tenor of the space.
Mid-winter blooms of pink and white camellias floating in a blue and white porcelain bowl is a mid-winter tabletop centerpiece tradition in many Southern homes.
So many of us who enjoy interior (and exterior) decorating know it to be an absolute labor of love.
Decorating home and hearth in a manner which best reflects the current season focuses on warming up your decor with an item or two depicting nature inspired colors, patterns and textures visually aligned with this time of year and pieces that simply speak settle in to the senses.
Sometimes it does seem we are settling in for a long winter’s nap.
Warm to winter blues with spot additions such as a new set of pillowcases, throw or duvet.
As the thaw of winter initiates the need for lighter weight linens sherpa gives way to chenille for evening air perfectly balanced between crisp and cool.
Curb appeal discovered with this distressed blue embossed tin mailbox sure to put a hint of spring in your step out to porch or street on a winter day to get the mail routine.
Many of us are still in full summertime mode and loving every minute of it. Skipping the best of one season to leapfrog to another runs the risk of taking all the fun out of seasonal updating and decorating, and we certainly don’t want that to happen.
Small touches make a big impact to your dominant décor style accomplishing the intended purpose of seasonal decorating- to create standout statement vignettes, spots, and corners ready to capture the eye and the essence of the current season.
Harvest Still Life Framed Canvas Brown – Threshold™
(Currently out of stock, but if you like it sign up for
an email notice of when it is back in stock)
Shipping delays, supply chain snafus, Halloween candy shortages (say it ain’t so, Hershey’s), and price increases all around breeds an earlier than normal buy it now while it’s available and affordable retail response.
Granted it’s seasonal updating and decorating we’re talking about and not meat and potatoes (and fuel) concerns, but we decoristas do find so much joy in the time honored tradition of seasonal updating house and home and porch and patio for each new season.
Here’s my it’s only August but I’m getting ready fall décor preview complete with first impressions, must have classics, and the splendor of the season plan to bring it home.
Developing, baking, cooking, and tasting new recipes spotlighting seasonal spices and seasonings rich in flavor and fragrance is one of the very best parts of the fall festival.
Beat butter, sugars, and salt together until light and creamy. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined. Fold in the flour.
Divide the dough in half, shape both halves into disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
Flour the work surface. Working with one disc of chilled dough at the time, roll it out to approximately ¼” thick.
Lightly brush a coating of flour onto both the dough and the springerle mold. Press mold firmly into the dough making a deep impression. Remove dough filled mold and cut around the design with a knife. Place each cut cookie on prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Allow baked cookies to cool either on cookie sheet or wire racks.
Store cookies in an air-tight container. Cookies will keep for 1 week.
Feast your eyes on two recent additions to my cookbook collection purchased in anticipation of fall’s arrival and the recipes it will bring to the table.
Today’s Fetching Friday finds us in the holiday spirit scrolling in a December Wonderland.
The twelfth month of the calendar year ushers in season’s greetings, snow dusted scenes, and visions of seasonal beauty dancing in a December wonderland.
Blog posts, like the spaces and places in the home, benefit from seasonal updating. If you’re like me, all things fall home decor and recipes is a conversation worth having and a blog post worth reading.
We’ve had a subtle preview of fall between hurricanes thanks to cooler mornings and noticeably shorter days here in the deep South.
I makes no excuses or apologies for my gush for what I’m convinced is the absolute best time of the year on all points weather, decorating, entertaining, baking, cooking and tailgating.
That’s the great thing about favorite things- they compel us to share the excitement.
Many of the new seasonal activities we normally take part in will be a celebration of fall fun and feast at home.
Fall home decor and recipes suited for cozy days into evenings and scrumptious snacks and meals scripts a feels good to be home narrative.
A great serving piece, serving tray, compote, set of table linens, throw pillows, lamp, wall accent, rug- it doesn’t take a complete space overhaul or remodel to introduce texture, color, or pattern of the season to your interior or exterior home decor.
Oh, and don’t forget the menu.
Talk about one of the most delicious ways to welcome fall home decor and recipes to a new season!
Let’s take a look at this season’s Gotta Have It list.
Designing a cozy setting is not an exercise in difficulty.
Warm colors mingled among textured accents, collected finds, and antique pieces, set against the backdrop of soft and comfy candlelight or a crackling fire in the fireplace, invite cozy to settle in and stay awhile.
Cozy is a delightful guest- one who never wears out its welcome.
I’m considering ordering two of these pillows to pair with the faux fur throw pillows currently adorning the accents chairs I use as captain’s chairs in the dining room.
Notice the shadow on the lower part of the pillow.
A late summer into early fall sun casts shadows full of nuance ready to shadow dance with rich colors, patterns and textures that highlight the very best of the season.
If I didn’t know better, I would think wooden dough bowls strictly exist for housing a natural bounty of fall’s most gorgeous finds.
She is of the belief it is in poor taste and the epitome of bad entertaining manners to have an empty cake stand or cake plate set out on the buffet or sideboard when having guests over.
Far be it from me to argue with that particular entertaining principle, so allow me to play the fall baking fairy furnishing y’all with my apple nut cake recipe complete with sprinkles of cinnadust.
This classic recipe is a c’est si bon fall favorite, and is cake stand or plate worthy.
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. Add the eggs and beat until creamy. Add vanilla. Combine salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour together.
Introduce dry ingredients in small amounts to sugar and oil mixture. Next, add apples, applesauce and chopped pecans and mix by hand.
Bake in greased and floured Bundt pan in 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
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.
As a tasty bonus, I’m adding my recipe for Great Northern Bean and Chicken Soup as a culinary accompaniment to the antique white pumpkin soup tureen on my Gotta Have It list.
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). Add the sliced carrots, chopped celery and chopped onion. Sauté until onions become translucent.
Add shredded chicken, beans, bay leaf, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate all the flavor goodness together. Add water, bouillon cube and chicken broth bringing to a boil.
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.
Spicy sea salt and black pepper crackers add a touch of the all important c’est si bon.
While we’re on the subject of crackers, fall, cozy, snacks, and seasonal goodness, let’s pumpkin cheese ball this fall recipes thing up.
Combine cream cheese, 1¼ cups cheddar cheese, the pumpkin, butter, sage, paprika, garlic powder, and ¼ tsp. each salt and black pepper. Beat with a mixer on medium until fluffy.
Chill, covered, 4 to 24 hours.
Wrap in plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Unwrap; roll ball in remaining ¾ cup cheddar. Serve with crackers.
Serves 24.
To shape into a pumpkin:
After rolling the cheese ball in the remaining cheddar cheese, rewrap the ball in plastic wrap. Place a few rubber bands vertically around the cheese ball to form ridges. Chill 30 minutes.
The intention of this touches and hints of fall at home preview is to bring about that cozy-colorful-bountiful-nature inspired-pumpkin spiced-apple appealing feeling of fall at home.
Those of us who absolutely love the fall-autumn season revel in the fall at home preview planning and prepping.
Actual signs of fall may not be obvious in your neck of the woods (or skipped you all together i.e. 101°F in Denver one day, 33°F the next), but the excitement of a fall-autumn arrival is building.
Fall at home preview posts on the pages of food and shelter magazines, recipe and home decor blogs, and the social media platforms of choice confirm the anticipation.
“Fall has always been my favorite season.
The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving
up all year for the grand finale.”
—Lauren DeStefano
They say good things come to those who wait.
On that logic I liken fall’s tease and eventual arrival to the pot of harvest gold at the end of summer’s scorching rainbow.
A sure sign the beauty of fall is upon us.
Ella Claire & Co. gifts this lovely free printable vintage landscape for fall framing and decorating.
Sending a big thank you to creative friends and blogs bearing gifts.
I have a bronze gold frame picked out to frame the print in, and am leaning toward placing it on a small decorative easel.
Click on the link to visit this wonderful blog and print your copy- Ella Clair & Co.
Natural touches such as seasonal foliage picked from your yard or garden and housed in rustic crocks, vintage silver pieces, or basic glass jars bring the beauty of fall to a tabletop or vignette near you.
As one who always includes setting and staying within budget when selecting, suggesting, and sourcing home décor accents and accessories for clients as well as myself, I love the endless possibilities afforded by decorating with items found at home, in nature (the best arts & crafts store going!), farmers markets, and the flower and produce departments of local grocery stores.
It’s a fact of life in Louisiana when the temps fall below 70°F you can hear the collective clang of gumbo pots making their way from cupboard to stove top in true c’est si bon fashion.
Isn’t it funny how you assign a season to particular foods and flavors?
Gumbo.
Cinnamon roll candied yams.
Pecan pie made with Louisiana pecans and pure cane syrup.
Apple nut cake.
We’ll cook it, bake it, and eat it any time of year, but it taste so much better in the fall.
Fall ushers in thoughts of DIY projects for door, porch, mantel, and seal.
Shine a light on fall with these DIY Pumpkin Lanterns from designlovefest.
When the Canadian snowbird was in school, yours truly pulled room mother duty every year kindergarten-8th grade.
Loved it!
I was in my element decorating for the teachers appreciation gala, fall festival and Halloween carnival extravaganza.
Included in my bag of decorating tricks was the idea of using faux fall flower bouquets for everything from tabletop decorations to gift favors.
Wrapping each bouquet in inexpensive craft or tissue paper tied with ribbon and raffia in assorted seasonal colors and textures took the presentation from faux to fabulous.
I saw this idea of draping faux fur throws over the back of dining chairs in a fall decorating feature in Elle Decor, and quickly filed it under F for faux fur for fall at home preview.
A seasonal accent here and a seasonal accessory there layers house and home with touches and hints of the season.
Add a decorative throw or pillow to an existing piece and you instantly create a seasonal update though color, texture, and/or pattern.
‘Tis the season for feathering one’s nest with touches and hints of the season through décor additions and updates inspired by the best features of the season.
This week finds me tuned into fall decorating inspiration 2018.
Warming home and hearth with seasonal updates for fall in this the season of cozy colors, textures, and patterns appeals to my penchant for gifting the home, eye and heart with the much anticipated unveiling of the best the third season has to offer.
Transitioning the spaces and places in your home to mark summer’s exit and fall’s arrival is easily achieved through welcoming rich warm colors and engaging layers to create and convey a cozy mix.
Let’s take a look at what’s in home motivated by fall decorating inspiration 2018.
The needlepoint fabric in pheasant detail I wanted was just a bit too pricey for my taste- $2000.00+ too much.
One enhanced search and source session later and this P Kaufmann Game Birds Heritage Ducks Pheasants over paisley fabric is on its way to Places In The Home.
Autumnal bouquets in harvest tones, pumpkins, gourds, acorns, pecans, cotton bolls, persimmons, apples, pears, ornamental cabbage, pansies- nature absolutely is the best arts and crafts store.
When nature is in the house the simple yet elegant essence of fall-autumn is present and accounted for.
A touch of autumn through new to me art, accessories, scents and taste.
Pastels pair beautifully with deep rich tones of copper, mahogany, and ebony creating seasonal color contrast for fall through winter decorating.
A mix of traditional and modern pieces creates visual interest and curated contrast.
I associate autumn with checking the how many days until autumn (or fall) countdown timer every day from the first day of August until the official first day of fall.
I’ve broaden my when will fall get here consults to include the SmokyMountains.com fall foliage prediction map.
Louisiana and the deep South is estimated to experience the peak color for fall on November 19.
Until the real color deal arrives, nandina leaves color my world with a hint of autumnal color.
Our sense of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch is naturally heightened by autumn’s splendor.
My East Tennessee roots run as deep as the fall foliage colors in full peak season, naturally leading me to check hotel availability in the Pigeon Forge area and the happenings at a Gatlinburg jewel, the Buckhorn Inn.
The above image is of the Transferware vegetable bowl I bought last year on one of my late October treasure hunts.
When I spotted the A Welcome Inn sign in the pattern, my mind immediately engaged in a lightening round of I associate autumn with.
I associate autumn with a Transferware vegetable bowl placed upon the Thanksgiving table.
A framed print of Grace by Eric Enstrom hung on wall of my grandparent’s dining room and never fails to take me home.
Thanksgiving holidays spent in East Tennessee at my paternal grandparents house included aunts, uncles, and cousins from Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, and surrounding Tennessee towns gathered together in Fountain City to break cornbread together.
We lovingly referred to it as hillbilly old home week.
I admit to checking the fall countdown clock several times this afternoon. An obvious love of the fall/autumn season drives my thoughts, naturally inspiring me to get with the decorating in full fall colors flaunt program.
This collage features scenes of seasonal interest, inspiration for future fall themed blog posts, color, pattern and texture of the season, and a late fall/early winter photo of the newlywed couple.
I can’t wait to share the photos from their wedding.
Gorgeous.
Gorgeous.
Gorgeous!
Spoken, or as in this case typed, like the proud mother of the groom.
Fall’s traditional color palette is unequivocally breathtaking, but when married with shades of blues and jaw-dropping antiques the result is exceptional.
Obsessed best describes my fall fascination with the portrait of William I, Prince of Orange.
Fall colors flaunt divine.
William I, Prince of Orange
Pottery Barn
Ralph Lauren Home
Friday, September 22 at 3:02 pm marks the fall starts spot.
The clock is ticking and the fall colors flaunt excitement is building.
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Blue & White Peony Temple Jar With Lion Handles
Sadik 2 Door Accent Cabinet
A framed print of 
Fallen Leaves
William I, Prince of Orange
Pottery Barn
Ralph Lauren Home