The holidays are practically here and I've been in denial. Suddenly the weather is starting to cool down and all the stores have pumpkins out front.
It's almost impossible for me and my kids to pass these by and we've amassed quite a collection of mini (and not-so-mini) pumpkins over the past week or two. So I was thrilled when Glade® invited me to share a few of my fall decorating tips with you (hoarding justified!). It actually worked out perfectly because I had recently been thinking that that little stretch of hallway by the mudroom is a great place to display holiday decor. I was able to transform the space with a few small projects (like stripping the shelves!) and styling with inexpensive finds (including the newly designed Glade® Sense and Spray® Automatic Freshener). Now my home looks and smells like it's ready for autumn. Here's how I did it:
The shelves used to be painted a really dark brown and the walls were a mid-tone gold color and it felt just a little too dark.
I used stripper gel to remove the two or three layers of paint, which came off pretty easily and left behind a primed pine beam.
So far I haven't done much with the wood after taking off the paint. I like how the light wood feels brighter and more airy, but I'm not sure I love the distressed look.
It's fine for now though (kind of works with the fall theme, right?). And either way I won't do too much to the shelves because they'll likely be removed in the big kitchen remodel down the road. A darker gray wash would be easy and pretty though.
So, as for the decorating, I decided to go to Goodwill to see what they had in the way of vintage wares in golden, warm tones. It was a total jackpot thrifting day. I think most of these were from the same home - they all had a similar look. (you can see more of my finds from that day here).
I also stopped into Homegoods to grab a few baskets for the floor. Homegoods is the best place to buy storage baskets.
The cute herringbone pattern one is the perfect size for about a month's worth of magazines - anything bigger would just allow for an unwieldy reading pile, and who needs that?
The taller basket will be used for umbrellas maybe, once we actually find the box with the umbrellas (!). I spray painted the basket gold, because everything is better gold. (with the exception of fingers).
And speaking of gold/brass, Homegoods is selling a lot of brass things right now - really cool trays and accessories like this brass-inlay dominos box set.
I mixed my new and old finds together on the shelves and put lots of pumpkins out and some books too. I think it's a good idea to not fill every square inch of shelf space or else it can start to feel like a store display.
I love that piece of pottery here on the left.
I also think it's a good idea to go pretty neutral with the colors on a display shelf. And if something is more colorful, try to group it with items in a similar color family.
Can you spot the freshener below? I love how it just blends in with the decor.
It's the newly designed Sense and Spray® Automatic Freshener by Glade® that sprays every time you walk by. You set it to spray no more than every 15, 20 or 30 minutes, so it works perfectly in high-traffic areas just like in this hallway by our mudroom. The scent travels all around this side of the house.
You can choose different scents (and in fact, there's a whole line of great, new fragrances), but my hands-down favorite is their Lavender and Vanilla. It smells really good and it's a more complex scent than you normally find with air fresheners. This is a bit of a side note, but isn't it weird how houses/families have a smell? I'm always wondering if our house has a smell that I'm just used to - the idea stresses me out a little bit to be honest. I think scent is a big part of the experiencing of a home and it is a huge relief for me when visitors comment that our house smells nice. And just like putting out the pumpkins, choosing a warm, inviting scent is the perfect, simple way to welcome guests and to celebrate the season. I just popped in the Cashmere Woods scent yesterday to get the warm, woodsy smell happening, and now it really feels like October! :)
And it was downright genius of the makers of Glade® to design such a pretty diffuser. How far we have come from the days of those scent cone eye sores!
So, tell me, have you started decorating for the holidays yet? Too soon? :) Our old neighbor had a rule where as soon as she saw Halloween stuff in stores she felt she could start listening to CHRISTMAS MUSIC. That is a level of holiday commitment unknown to me!