As we near the end of September and begin to move into my favorite season of all, FALL I thought I could share a few ways to make the transition a little sweeter. Fall has always been my favorite time of year for so many reasons, candles, sweaters (hopefully), rain thunder and lightening (I wish you could be here to experience the joy these weather conditions bring me lol), pumpkin decorating, football, family, and great company. I can find great things about every season but Fall is my favorite above all (and not because I can rhyme so easily with it either!) Well, in a desperate attempt to getting a smooth running routine for our new life with kids in school I totally didn't even have time to long for Fall (like I tend to do) before receiving my first Fall gift (my mother in law loves to spoil me). The gift was a fantastic way to be push me into the next season and it motivated me to revamp the house before the other half of my family returns. It's always comical to me when I am dripping sweat beads down my back as I pull out my warm and cozy fall decorations... I don't let that change my mind though! I discovered my wreath (pictured above) I made last year and a few other decorations (I was a little disappointed in my decor stalk, I thought I had more). I went to Hobby Lobby and grabbed some CANDLES (a great way to add warmth to your home) and a few cheap things to make me feel better about my lack of decorations (I haven't made it to my Tia Cookie's level of holiday decorating supplies) and on my way home low and behold, a thrift store! Your writer girl (me) CAN NOT pass up a good thrift store find. I found an $11 coffee table, sold! I squeezed it in the trunk of my Mazda 3, ok I have to be honest it would NOT fit so after 20 min of refusing assistance from the gentleman at the store, I drove 5 miles with my trunk wide open and my flashers on! Never mess with a woman on a fall decorating mission. I had left over paint from a previous living room table I painted so I sanded my new $11 table slapped 3 coats of red paint on her and BAM, I just turned my fall failing home into a warm and cozy space for under $30. My house is always being tweaked and modified, if you knew my mother you would know why, I love changing things up especially within my cheap budget that I have for seasonal things. I love that in the spring and summer I can paint the table yellow and after that I can replace it or paint it dark again for the next fall.
My house that I currently live in is smaller and older than any house we have ever lived in, including our condo that we first lived in when we moved to Texas! When I found it was only 1,350 I didn't even care, I have come to love the lack of space, it creates this environment in my house of love, togetherness, and family (because we can't pee without each other listening j/k). I wouldn't add 500 square feet to it in exchange for anything... ok ok maybe some more bathroom space (: I tell you this about my house size because I have always been the girl growing up that knew that when I lived in the big house with a room for every one and their hobby I would be so happy, organized, and creative. That big house was going to cure laziness, lack of productivity, and produce the feeling of welcome and love all because of its size and appearance. I laugh as I type this because I realize how much I have changed just since living in this house. My little box of fall decor sure wouldn't make my mansion feel as warm as it does this little box. There have been challenges to condensing, one great thing to help my sanity in my cozy home is ORGANIZATION! Organization is something I have been slacking on since the birth of my little angel princess (2 years ago). I would de-clutter and purge crap out of my garage that I didn't use but I would hold on to some useless junk that had no place. FIND A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING and discipline yourself to ALWAYS PUT IT WHERE IT GOES and GIVE IT AWAY if it has no place in your space! In the last month I have been a nazi about this and Cody has caught on and begun putting his stuff away more frequently (as will your babies because they are little reflections of us). My Garage has never looked so sparse and it feels great, now I have tons of shelves and room for a work space and my business supply storage. Imagine that I used to have bigger space and less room for everything and now I have less space and more room for everything. Take the time to MAKE YOUR SPACE yours today! If this is your first fall decorating experience get on Pintrest (because it's cheaper than buying a magazine) and tackle a project. They have tons of cute cheap fall decorating ideas, it doesn't have to be a completed mission today but set a goal to finish your project and stick to it, then watch your space evolve into a cozy place where your friends and family love to gather and admire the creativity you have tapped into. The cool thing about cheap D.I.Y is that it's OK TO MESS UP! It's ok! I could have totally butched my table project and the worst that could have happened is I would have lost $11 or had to start over, remember that when trying to step out of your comfort zone. I can't wait to hear all about your projects and what you do to bring the fall atmosphere inside your home. If you really out did yourself, consider hosting a Halloween party and bring back the gathering of neighbors with costumes, games, and great food! Good luck. xoxo!