Natural Autumn Home Tour

It’s officially fall! Summer is over and usually I’m pretty bummed about that but this year I’ve been looking forward to fall SO much. I may have been rushing it a bit. I actually took these photos weeks ago. It’s been such a terrible summer for forest fires in BC and it hasn’t really felt like a real summer with all the smoke… needless to say I’m more than ready for some crisp, clear air.

Today I’m joining in with some totally amazing Canadian bloggers to share our fall home tours with you all! Every day this week 5 Canadian bloggers will be sharing their tours with you all and I know you’re going to be completely inspired by them. Like… I’m a little out of my league ;) You can find all the links down at the bottom of this post.

Let’s talk a little bit about seasonal decorating… I feel like I always say this but I guess I’ve got a strong opinion on the topic! I LOVE being able to decorate seasonally but I feel SO wasteful buying a bunch of pricy things that will only be out for a month or two or three… and even more hesitant to buy seasonal decor that takes up space to store the rest of the year. So what’s a girl to do? I have a few things that I always, always return to. I joke with my blogging friends that pretty much every seasonal home tour I just switch out the sticks in a vase and take a picture. And while that’s not ALL I do, that’s totally my first order of business.

There’s something about fresh cuts- whether branches of foliage or garden blooms that make a space feel so much more inviting. And while they’re beautiful, they’re also affordable (free if you have the access!), approachable and not fancy pants. You know… like the kind of thing you’re afraid to go too close to. Precious? Is that the word? Yeah, we have *wild* kids- so I’m glad there’s nothing precious about branches as decor.

The first space I’ll share with you all is our kitchen. It’s the first thing you see when you walk upstairs in our house, so I love having some sort of ‘centrepiece’ on the island. I’ve been pulling out my hexagon marble cheese tray (from Homesense) lately to group a few things together to keep it from looking cluttered. You know… besides the usual clutter that’s on my island ;) The vase I snagged from Sears since they’re closing for a great deal (Aubrey actually picked it out while we were killing time waiting for the doctor… I couldn’t let her down and not buy it #win) and filled it with branches cut from a family members tree. I’m in LOVE WITH THESE LEAVES. That’s a funny thing to be so excited about but I took these photos weeks ago and they’ve wilted, so I need to go back and cut more. The pinecone is one Emmitt found for me and the candle is Homesense as well. Hurray for a copper candle that smells amazing and kids can’t shatter.

Okay, these shots aren’t the most decorative… but I still love ’em. That hoop chalkboard gets switched up depending on the season. Chalkboards and other signs are a great way to seasonally decorate without buying ANYTHING. Just change what they say! I got really creative on the quote, don’t you think? And the bowl of veggies isn’t really a decoration but I found that bowl at Superstore and had to share it… I’ve been looking for a fruit/veggie bowl that I WANT to leave out all the time and fiiiinally, I’ve found one. It’s matte and cost under $10. What’s not to love?

OH, and isn’t my sleepy guy the cutest? He woke up from his nap while I was taking the pictures, so sat and watched with this look on his face the whole time.

Next up is our dining room! I haven’t been to quiet about claiming this is my fave room in our home. We’ve done some makeovers in the last week that I’m dying to share with you because they give the dining room a run for it’s money. But I can’t share them yet #killingme

I found this navy table runner/fabric ribbon from Michaels on clearance and it’s perrrfect for our table. I love keeping the table clear so it’s easy to clean with kiddos but I find most table runners are too short for this table. I love the look of some fabric hanging off the ends. That pumpkin is also from Michaels- I KNOW I broke my own rule about not buying stuff that I have to store. Buut it was on sale and I wanted a pumpkin before they were selling real pumpkins so I can justify it ;) I lettered ‘autumn’ on it with my fave white paint marker. The little hedgehog is one that Shane and I picked up on our first anniversary trip.

Those BLOOMS! These babies are straight from the garden as well. I’m pretty spoiled with family who drop off fresh cuts for me on the regular. I added some of those deep reddish fall leaves and some willow looking leaves to finish it off. I just love how wild and beautiful this arrangement was. Dahlias  (that’s what all of these are) are just so darn beautiful and apparently they’re pretty easy to grow. So I’ve added them to my list of plants to try growing. If you have any tips for them- let me know!

This is the only corner of the living room I’m going to show you. Why? Well… because it’s one of the rooms we just made over! Secrets are killing me, you guys! You can see all the inspiration for the room right here though. On the mantle all we really changed up was the saying on the letterboard (I took a break from my Michael Scott challenge to get seasonal) and a couple vases with foliage.

Last but not least… the entry. It was ridiculously hard to get a picture of this view without seeing myself in the mirror… so you’re going to have to make do with this one ;) Again, I just swapped out the eucalyptus I’d had in the vase down here for some fall foliage and swapped the wreath on the door for this fall one I made. Oh, and Emmitt picked out a decoration rock for us as well ;)

That’s it, that’s all! I’m always amazed at how a few simple changes and some foraging will completely transform a space seasonally. Do you decorate seasonally? I’d love to hear your favourite decorating tips/tricks! If I haven’t said it enough… mine are vases full of seasonal foliage/blooms and signs/chalkboards that you can change up.

Make sure you hop around and check out ALL the other amazing home tours from these rad Canadian bloggers! There are some incredibly talented ladies in this group, I know you’ll find some amazing inspiration!

Monday

AKA Design
Amidst the Chaos
Lemon Thistle
Love Create Celebrate
So Much Better With Age

Tuesday

The Learner Observer
Woman in Real Life
Life is a Party
Clean and Scentsible

Wednesday

Satori Design for Living
The Happy Housie
Rambling Renovators
Craftberry Bush
The Sweetest Digs

Thursday

The DIY Mommy
Home To Heather
White Wood
A Pretty Life
Vin’yet Etc

Friday

Kim Power Style
PMQ for two
The Creek Line House
Sustain My Craft Habit
northern style exposure