A Fall Vignette that Didn't Cost a Penny!

While I absolutely love holiday decorating ... thanks to a minimal budget, I love *free* holiday decorating even more!  That's why I was happy to have created a vignette on our sofa table in the great room with things I already had on hand.

Whether it's with a bowl of *seasonal* autumnal goodies, filled with faux pumpkins I've gathered over the years ...

or an inexpensive plate from Wal-Mart's BHG line that I scooped up last year (and, happy to say that they're at Wal-Mart again this year, too).

After spending time perched on the bookcase in our sitting room last Fall, this fella (from Michael's) came back for a return appearance ...

and, a lantern, once filled with nautical rope during the Summer months, now has faux leaves in its place ...

with a Fall *crown* made out of picks and leftover ribbon from last year.

Sparkly, little crows, complete with witches' hats, flew on out of our Fall bins and over to branches I recently snatched from the woods, 

annnd, a metal hammered bucket, filled with holiday pillows last year, became a comfy resting spot for a few faux pumpkins this year!  

All of these things came together to create this:

FREE!

Now let's see if I can get away with spending zero dollars finishing the mantel on our porch!  Wish me luck!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Our Fall Mantel

Happy Friday and "Happy *Almost* Fall Y'all!"

I'm excited to be a part of the "Autumn Abounds" series, featuring Fall decor and recipes from several bloggers!  I've been so inspired with all that I've seen over the last two weeks!

Now, it's my turn ... for my part, I thought I'd share our Fall mantel, full of seasonal color:  

Okay, so, when it comes to styling mantels, my OCD-self always *has* to add the centerpiece first and work my way out.  Thankfully, when I was cleaning out underneath my son's bed (yes, I hide accessories EVERYwhere), I came across this wood and iron piece that I used as part of our Fall mantel two years ago (seen here).  So, I blew the dust off of it and propped it up here once again, except *this* time, I layered a wreath in front of it for a pop of color. 

These colorful and fun "GIVE THANKS" blocks yelled out to me to take them home when I was a local decor shop not too long ago ... must've been that cute owl trying to get my attention.  It worked!

I then pulled out pumpkin candlesticks I had on hand (from Big Lots), along with vases that I filled with various Fall branches and feathers:

I've had these cute Fall cards for a few years and thought it'd be fun to attach them to various branches with mini leaf clothespins (from Michael's):

Of course, it wouldn't be a Fall mantel in our house without a little bit of garland.  And, why not raid my husband's stinky tackle box for fishing line so that I could have a few leaves "falling" off of the mantel, too.

You think if I rake those leaves up that I'll have a pile big enough to jump into?

Faux pumpkins, nestled in a simple urn, hopefully won't melt sitting by the fire:

   At night, the candles magically turn on and add a bit o' ambiance:

And, the orange string lights woven through the garland help make the leaves glow: 

Ahhh, nighttime (and, fun exposure effects from PicMonkey):

Come back soon for more of our Fall home!

In the meantime, I hope you didn't miss Mary Beth's fabulous recipe for sweet potato apple soup ...

  

or these amazing homes, filled with autumn goodness!

Monday, Sept, 9th Shannon @ http://foxhollowcottage.com

Tuesday, Sept. 10th Heather @ http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Wednesday, Sept. 11th Jen @ http://www.jenniferrizzo.com

Thursday, Sept. 12th Kristin @ http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com

Friday, Sept. 13th Maryann @ http://www.domestically-speaking.com

Monday, Sept. 16th Kristin @ http://www.yellowblissroad.com

Tuesday, Sept. 17th Vanessa @ http://www.atthepicketfence.com
Wednesday, Sept. 18th Heather @  http://www.settingforfour.com
Thursday, Sept. 19th Mary Beth @ http://cupcakesandcrinoline.com

And, here's who is up next!

Monday, Sept. 23rd Kristen @ http://www.ellaclaireinspired.com
Tuesday, Sept. 24th Angelina @ http://jojoandeloise.com
Wednesday, Sept. 25th Courtney @http://www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com
Thursday, Sept. 26th Debbie @ http://debbie-debbiedoos.com
Friday, Sept. 27th Kim @ http://sandandsisal.com

And, come party with me here!

Thrifty Decor Chick/It's Fall Y'all Mantel Party
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Fall Sitting Room

As much as I love trying to create soft and serene spaces in our home, somehow, the "old Becca" resurfaces each Fall, wanting pops of bold color!  So, when it came time to tossing pumpkins around our sitting room, SOMEthing just wasn't working.  It was then that a trip to my favorite "Fabric Showcase" solved the problem!

BEFORE ... our "Summer" sitting room was calm, with panels done in soft shades of grey, cream and taupe:

And, HERE it is today!  COLOR!

When I spotted this pretty fabric, I thought it would be a fun addition (thanks to its beautiful deep orange background and various shades of brown, cream and duck egg blue) and tie in with the blue accent chest on the opposite wall:

Pieces which blended in with the other curtains now seem to have a bit more presence:

You may have noticed that I didn't stop there, as the bookcase got a little change for the new season, too.

BEFORE:

AFTER:  I traded out the grey and white script fabric for this cool brown and white chevron fabric (thanks for pointing that one out, Beth):

I love how Fall goodies bounce against it:

Even cute, inexpensive pumpkin plates (from Home Goods) seem to play nicely with it!

I also brought in these large candlesticks from the dining room (and, oops, I forgot to light the wicks for good luck) ... just might have to splash some AS Old Ochre on them to tie in a bit better with the new colors in here!

Over on this wall ... I added large Fall branches to an otherwise muted arrangement.  Annnd, to tie in with the curtains, I decided to add a tiny bit of the same fabric to a simple white pillow:  

I suppose I shouldn't get tooo used to these colors, as I'm sure the oranges and browns will be traded for lots of red later next month!  Oops ... thank goodness Fabric Showcase's prices are really reasonable!

So, tell me ... do you change your fabrics out to suit the seasons, too?  

As always, thanks for stopping by!

And, come on over and party here:

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures
Stone Gable/Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits
Clean and Scentsible/The Inspiration Exchange

Sneak Peeks of Fall ...

Happy September, friends!  

I can hardly believe Fall is officially just a few weeks away!  Of course, you know I couldn't wait until then to start splashing colors of the upcoming season around the house.

And, lucky for me, Bath and Body Works puts their Fall candles out in August ... with "Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin" being the perfect scent to get me in the mood to "get my Fall on!"

There's something about the colors, elements and traditions of Fall that make our house feel like "home," whether it's a putting together a colorful vignette on our kitchen table ...  

or showcasing a single pinecone in a glass cloche.

A once empty bowl looks so much happier filled with pumpkins and raffia ...

Fall sprays (and a sorry attempt at a bow) now "crown" a lantern ...

and, urns somehow become the perfect place to nestle burlap, white pumpkins and splash of orange leaves.

Words of the season begin to appear ...

mercury pumpkins come out of hiding ...

and, unwanted visitors somehow become welcomed guests!

And, after SEV-eral attempts, I *think* I'm finally done with our Fall mantel!

Above all else, this season always reminds me of the importance of family, which is why I love putting together our Fall family tree!  It has become a yearly tradition and, admittedly, every time I hang this picture, I wish my son (now 7) was that 2 year old cutie-patootie again!

Soon, I'll be sharing sneak peeks of how Fall has crept onto our screened porch, too!

I can't wait to see how all of you have added the colors of the season to your homes!

Thanks so much for stopping by,