Fall Home Decor from Etsy

Happy Monday everyone! Since Labor Day is kind of like the official end of summer vacation and endless beach days, I figured I’d get a jump start on all the fun fall decorating. Growing up, my mom always made our home so beautiful for autumn. We had a “fall tree” in our dining room all decorated with pretty leaves and twinkly lights. The front steps would always have pumpkins, chrysanthemums, and dried corn stalks arranged nicely for a warm, welcoming entrance. Best of all, a cinnamon-pumpkin candle would always be burning in the kitchen when you walked in. These are the things memories are made of! In my own home/apartment, I want to make the same lovely memories!

I love browsing Etsy for unique decorative items. Some of my favorite things are instant download printable artwork. I buy several frames at Michael’s and then download pretty seasonal art to put in them and then switch out for the next season. This is probably the least expensive decorating tip I have! Anyway, for fall Etsy didn’t disappoint. Between adorable pumpkin spice latte mugs and “hocus pocus” tees, I think everyone can find something to suit their fancy here! See something you like in the picture above? See below for a direct link to the Etsy shop and product!

1. “Pumpkin Spice Y’all Campfire Mug” – Lexington Lettering
2. “Hello Pumpkin Mug” – Pretty Collected
3. “Morning Pumpkin Mug” – Leya’s Vinyl Words
4. “Pumpkin Spice Mug” – Do Take It Personally
5. “Pumpkin Spice Everything Nice Mug” – Logan and June
6. “Pumpkin Spice Mug For Fall” – Let Love Flourish
7. “Fall Essentials Mug” – Scribble Studio
8. Pumpkin Spice Latte Travel Mug” – Sweet Water Decor
9. “Let’s Stay In and Watch Hocus Pocus Tee” – Moss and Crown
10. “Fall Glitter Monogram Shirt” – Dream Thread
11. “Pumpkin Spice Fall Sweatshirt” – The Lavish LEO
12. “Happy Fall Y’all Banner” – A Party in a Bag
13. “Gold Autumn Leaves” – Autumn Weddings
14. “Fall Burlap Banner” – Sunshine at Heart
15. “PSL Season” – Kara Ashley Shreeve
16. “Pumpkin Spice Printable” – Pretty Plus Paper
17. “Coffee Break Watercolor” – Make Things Co.

I always do my best to support small businesses like these and they have such cute things anyway! Definitely browse their shops for more if you get a chance! Happy September!

-Liz

Pumpkin Spice Candle Season!

As a Monday morning pick me up, I thought I’d start you off with something we all look forward to every year- fall candles! Seriously, I get so excited over these delicious smelling things. Marketing emails I get have been featuring more and more fall-themed items lately. I’ve been trying to ignore them because my summer is not yet over but it’s a little hard to when everyone else is getting excited too! The other day, Bath & Body Works sent me an email featuring their fall candles and fragrances. I tried to “keep calm and carry on” but I couldn’t. Later that day, I found myself wandering into one of their stores sniffing every candle I could get my hands on.

The candles are the same fragrances as last year but the packaging has been upgraded I think. I remember a few people commenting on their Facebook page saying that the candles looked like something that would be sold in Walmart as opposed to B&B Works. Yikes! Not what the marketers were going for I’m sure. I did a post (link here) last year on the candles so you can see which is better!

I love the sugary, pumpkin scents because they remind me of home. My mom always decorates for Autumn with pumpkins and chrysanthemums on the front steps and a cinnamon candle burning on the kitchen counter. It’s easily one of my favorite memories from growing up! Some of the newer fall-ish scents have sparked my interest though, like the “Crisp Morning Air” and “Sweater Weather” scents. They are a little more masculine and much less sugary!

I love the aesthetic appeal of all the candles together. It really sells me on the product. As we all know, packaging and presentation are everything in the world of marketing! Let me know what your favorite candle is in the comments below!

–Liz

5 Ways to Love November

Today’s post is all about celebrating the last bits of fall and enjoying November! I feel like we jump from Halloween to Christmas too fast and don’t get to relish in the forgotten but equally important month of November. For whatever reason, we lump Thanksgiving and Christmas into one big event! The stores are stocking Christmas trees already, Hallmark channel is playing their cheesy Christmas movies, and I’ve seen more than one eggnog latte being sold. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving gets a little shelf filled with silly looking pilgrims and a turkey. In the spirit of enjoying this month, here’s 5 things to put on your to-do list.

How to Enjoy November

1. Take a walk- It’s amazing how very little people get to enjoy the outdoors. Whether you’re going to walk down a city sidewalk or a country road, go feel the crisp air and smell the freshness of it.
2. Bake a legit pie- Not a frozen one or anything that says “Marie Calendar’s,” a real one that you baked yourself from scratch.
3. Plan your Thanksgiving table- Whether you have a big crew coming or it’s you and your cat, bring out the linens that need pressing and the china you only use once a year.
4. Buy fresh pumpkins- The ones you carved for Halloween are probably a little soggy and rotten. There are plenty left to choose from at your local farmer’s market though! Create the perfect front door display for Thanksgiving!
5. Create a leaf garland- A Pinterest DIY that’s sure to be more difficult than it looks, but give it a shot anyway! You get points for creativity at least.

Share with me what you might add to this list with a comment below! Follow me on Twitter to find out what sweet thing my mom left for me as a welcome home present! Is it annoying if I say #blessed?

Easy Halloween Checklist

Halloween is this coming Saturday night and I’m so excited about it. However, I have to ask myself where did autumn go? One minute I’m hounding the Starbucks baristas about when the PSL will be available and the next minute someone else is asking about gingerbread latte season. I walked into Target today (surprise, surprise) and all the fall stuff was on clearance and employees were unpacking boxes of reindeer and LED Christmas lights. I’m a little bummed out honestly.

Anyway, since Halloween is like any other holiday that requires some preparation, I’ve created a little list to help get you through the day. By no means is it an exhaustive list (especially if you’re having a party) but there’s a few things on it that you might have forgotten. Add a comment with anything else you’d suggest!

• Pumpkin carving kit
• Assorted pumpkins
• Battery-operated lights for the pumpkins
• Candy to hand out to the neighbor kids
• Supplies for baking (sugar, sprinkles, butter etc.)
• Costume
• Accessories for costume (tail or ears, makeup, jewelry, shoes)
• Fake spiderwebs to put over the bushes outside
• Flashlights for trick-or-treating
• Uber booked for pickup after parties

Enjoy what’s left of this season! I’ll be showing you my costume later this week if all goes according to plan. My Halloween plans include a masquerade ball at a haunted inn, here’s a peek at my costume! Follow me on Facebook and Instagram for blog updates!

First Day of Autumn

Yesterday was the first day of Autumn and I completely forgot! What kind of fall fan am I? Clearly not a good one! I woke up to my Facebook and Instagram feeds full of pumpkins and “happy fall” messages. To celebrate the beautiful day, my mom and I went to our local Amish market and farm to get a few pumpkins, chrysanthemums, indian corn, and corn stalks.

Every year since I can remember my mom would always decorate the inside and the outside of our house with beautiful fall decorations. It made our home so cozy and inviting! The way she would perfectly place the pumpkins on the front steps and the cinnamon potpourri that would be burning on the stove when you’d walk in the house. Memories and traditions like these are what build a lifetime of happiness. We carried on the tradition today!

The best part about living in the area I do is that we have a large Amish community. Their farms are so beautiful and typically, they’re pretty nice people. My mom and I picked out a bunch of gourds to put in a wooden bowl on the dining room table. They’re so colorful and add a little something to the room!

We usually get a few mums for the front steps too. This year we chose burgundy and yellow to grace our home. Half way through the month of October they’ll either die because we forgot to water them or our cat Puddin’ has decided to sit on them. Here’s hoping they make it a little longer this year!

As per usual, I did my decorating and pumpkin-picking in style. I’m wearing a striped Old Navy dress from last season. Similar one here. My necklace is from Erica Lyons and my shoes are Clarks Bostonian. I absolutely love this dress because it’s so versatile. I’ve worn it for the office and just for a casual day like this. It’s kind of become a staple piece for me!

I couldn’t leave the farm and produce stand without taking a picture of these incredible peaches! Aren’t they beautiful?

What are your favorite fall traditions? Leave me a comment!