Thursday, October 1

Autumn inspiration

It's October! The air is crisp, the sky is blue, the sun shines in a friendly way. Autumn has officially started. Dear Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is hosting a Fall Inspiration party today. I've been looking forward to this!

Here's a glimpse into a few spaces at my house that are sporting a fallish look. As you walk up the front walk:



And a closer look at each side of the door.




See that terra cotta jack-o-lantern? It was the first of my collection of pumpkins. My husband and I got married in 1985. Almost immediately, we moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, for my husband to go to graduate school at the University of Virginia. We lived in a tiny little apartment in married students' housing, just getting by on my income. Those were wonderful times, but they were lean times. My parents came to visit us in October that year, and they bought me this jack-o-lantern. I never could have afforded a pumpkin to carve into a jack-o-lantern, so I proudly lit this on Hallowe'en night as I gave out inexpensive candy to our trick-or-treaters. This year will be the 25th year that I've lit this little guy.

If you come to my house, you'll be greeted by Snickers (our beagle) and Cocoa (our pound puppy). Did you spot them in their guard dog positions? You wouldn't believe how often I have to wash nose prints off those windows.

The side door in from the front porch sports a wreath as well as the front door. This one is a pine cone wreath made for me by a friend many years ago. I wired this fun little sign to the wreath for fall.



And now inside. A simple autumn arrangement on the dining table. . . a burlap runner (okay, a piece of burlap from the fabric store), a few of my beloved pumpkins, and a couple of topiaries I made. I do so love topiaries, but I struggled to find a pair that were the right size and the right price. So I finally made a couple with materials from Michael's: clearance-sale urns, foam spheres, florist moss, and foam spheres. They're not fancy, but I like them--and they cost me less than $10 each to make.



A fallish look for the coffee table in the living room. I'll bet some of you have these same pumpkins--the two smaller ones were Dollar Tree finds.



I showed you my prized dough cabinet here. Now it's proudly holding many of my pumpkins.



Isn't it fun to cozy things up for Fall? Visit Rhoda and be inspired!

43 comments:

  1. Your home is lovely. Love the dog peeking out the window!

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  2. That pinecone wreath is my favorite by far! It is stunning. But the story of your jack-o-lantern is very precious too. Congrats on 25 years with the same lantern (and man ;-) ).

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  3. Your fall decor is gorgeous! I especially love the vignette on your dining room table! Gorgeous. Happy fall!

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  4. Your house looks great! I LOVE the story behind your terra cotta jack-o-lantern! Sweet, precious memories....

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  5. Richella, Your home is lovely and you have definitely given it a touch of coziness and comfort! Love the porch and the pinecone wreath and the topiaries... You've done a really nice job, and I enjoyed reading the story of your first jack o'lantern.
    :-) Sue

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  6. Your front porch is so pretty and welcoming. Like all of your fall touches.
    pk @ room remix

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  7. Lovely. I have the same first pumpkin you have; I made an arrangement in it. You can check in out today on my blog for tablescape thursday. Your home is beautiful.

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  8. I just love topiary's they are so classy looking. You can dress them up for the holidays with ribbon or bows. Love your table with topiary's and your porch!

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  9. Love it all, but your front porch is just like a magazine. Really beautiful and full of style!
    Debra

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  10. Hello sweet Richella - I'm lovin' all your Fall decor! My fave is your front door. So warm and welcoming. Thank you for sharing!

    Blessings,
    Marie
    http://emmacallsmemama.com

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  11. Oh this is just beautiful! I LOVE YOUR PORCH! Definitely a fantastic way to ring in fall! Oh, and if you're going to be doing any spooky Halloween decor, stop by my blog for a how-to and a giveaway! I hope you can!

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  12. Your home is warm and welcoming, just like you! Blessings!

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  13. Oh Richella...your home is absolutely lovely! What an inviting front porch...love that stone work. My favorite is the dinig room arrangement and the wall color is delish!

    ~Amanda

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  14. ga-or-geous! I love the story behind your first pumpkin :)

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  15. Your front porch is so welcoming - and the pups peeking out are cute!
    All the fall colors are so warm and inviting.

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  16. It is fun to cozy up for fall (that's why I love fall). I'm definately a more is more type of person so in the colder months I like to pile it on!

    I did see those cuties in the windows! I know...our Golden, Maxie has a huge black nose that leaves lots of smudges on all my doors. But he's so cute and his nose is so cute that I can't be mad!

    You have such a beautiful front door! It looks beautiful with that wreath and all your fall touches. That's so wonderful that you still have that pumpkin your parents gave you after all these years! Love the pinecone wreath too!

    Manuela

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  17. Oh, you have my "dream" front door! Everything looks beautiful, great job!

    Stop on over for a visit!

    Blessings,
    Cara

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  18. It's all oh so pretty for Fall, Ms. Richella. I love that brown welcome wreath & all your festive pumpkins. Thanks for joining the party. Happy Fall to you!

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  19. Hi. Visiting you through DIY Showoff! I love your fall decor, the dogs and of course, the story of the Jack-O-Lantern on the porch. I love to hear stories like that. Have a wonderful day!

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  20. your entry way is gorgeous. Love the fall decor. LOVE the permanent stone detail!! gorgeous.

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  21. Loved your fall decor. And yes, I too have the dollar tree ceramic pumpkins. The terra cota pumpkin story was nice. Glad to see you all have survived 25 years of wedded bliss. Thanks for sharing your home with us.

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  22. Ooooooh love that collection of gourds on the porch! And I have moss topiaries on my dining room table too !

    You are my autumn sister.
    Smiles,
    Kate

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  23. I love your topiaries!! Your autumn decor is so pretty!

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  24. I love your decorations. I really like your pinecone wreath. Great idea to put a sign in it.

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  25. Everything is beautiful and inspiring. I also have a terra pumpkin I've lit for years! I LOVE your antique piece full of gourds!!

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  26. Your home says "Come on in... and stay a while!" I love it!

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  27. Richella, love all your decor. You are gifted at arranging. Love the gourds in the tool box. What a great idea.

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  28. Everything looks so beautiful ... I love all your Fall
    xoxo
    Julie

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  29. How warm and inviting! I love your pictures - and the pumpkin collection is so cute!!

    I love the thing on the front porch holding all the gourds/mini pumpkins!! It's adorable!

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  30. Your front door entry is gorgeous adn so welcoming! I love the terra cotta pumpkin and the story that goes with it. Great job. I love all of your festive fall decorations! So pretty.

    We have nose art on our French doors too. lol

    Have a fabulous weekend!

    Roeshel

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  31. Awe...love everything! I like your topiary things you made with styrofoam! I'm gonna have to try that...
    Thank you for stopping by Red Writing and commenting...Neither of my little ones ended up with red hair. (Sigh) Oh well, they're still cute.

    I'll be back to visit!

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  32. Soo pretty! I would love to see the molding detail around your dining room arch! We have one to and I would love to dress it up like yours.

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  33. I LOVE YOUR PORCH and the stone. It is dreamy. So many pretties. I hope you will post this to my Celebrate the Holidays party on Wed.

    Cheri
    Oh be sure to put your name in for my huge give-a-way

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  34. Hello! Your front door is gorgeous and I love how you have styled it for fall. Love the puppy looking out the window, too! Happy fall!

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  35. I love your front porch! All your fall decor looks so great!

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  36. I connected to you through another blog...


    Your home looks like an old fashion arts and craft store.

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  37. Lovely Richella! I love the little gourds in the box on the porch. And those little dollar store pumpkins -- I never saw that slightly bigger one! I love it!

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  38. love your dough cabinet with the ironstone inside. what a beautiful warm home you have. happy fall

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  39. Hi Richella, your home is jaw-droppingly beautiful. I love your kitchen, your fall decor, your dining room...and I'm sure I'd love the rest! Can't wait to explore the rest of your blog!

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  40. You have a beautiful home, love your dog faces. I really like the discription of yourself in your profile. That is not to mention your story about the jack o lantern. Funny how we all have a special story that is heartwarming. I have a similar tera cotta jack o lantern from my Mom who passed away 6 yrs ago and it is even more special now. Thank you for bringing back the warm thoughts. This is a nice post.

    Donna

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