Fall

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

As the weather cools down, help your kids make the most of the season with plenty of indoor activities. Crafts are a fun way to keep kiddos occupied and out of trouble. Who knows, you might even get a few decorative additions to your home while they’re at it!

Move over pumpkin carving. The following ideas are festive and require less clean up after the fun is over.

Tree Painting

This is a great keepsake project for older kids. Better yet, it isn’t fall-centric, so you can keep it on your wall year-round!

Materials:

4 square canvases of the same size

Paintbrushes

Oil paints

Directions:

1. Fit the canvases together to form one large square.
2. Draw a tree on the big square so that all four canvases have a piece of the tree on them.
3. Assign a season to each of the small canvas squares and paint the tree accordingly.
4. Let the painting dry overnight and then hang it for everyone to see!

Styrofoam Owls

Bring fall indoors with these Styrofoam owls. Place the colorful creatures on a windowsill or mantle for an super-cute addition to your seasonal décor.

Materials for one owl:

4-inch Styrofoam ball

2 googly eyes

Felt sheets

Glue gun

Scissors

Directions:

1. To keep the owl from rolling around, begin by gently pressing the ball onto a surface to flatten the bottom.
2. If you’re not using a template, cut out the following pieces by hand: two concentric circles to layer for the eye shape, a brown triangle for the nose, two triangles folded in half for the ears and about 40 half-inch-wide triangles in different colors to make the feathers.
3. Using a hot glue gun, glue down the two concentric circles for the base of the eyes and add the googly eyes on top of that. Put the brown triangle between the two eyes for a nose, and then begin layering the rest of the body with the multicolored feather triangles. Lastly, take two triangles of the same color for the ears, fold them in half and hot glue them to the Styrofoam base.
4. Let the owl dry and re-glue any loose pieces before placing the owls throughout your house for a festive fall look.

Faux Stained Glass

Why adorn your windows with store-bought seasonal appliques when you can make your own? Faux stained glass in the shape of a leaf is just what the season calls for!

Materials:

Glue

Tissue paper in fall colors such as red, yellow, orange and green

Waxed paper

Small paintbrush

Fall leaf template

Scissors

Craft paper

Directions:

1. Print or draw the leaf template on craft paper.
2. Tear the tissue paper into small pieces, the smaller the better.
3. Tear off a piece of waxed paper that is double the width of your leaf.
4. Paint glue onto a small section of the wax paper then layer the tissue paper pieces on top, the goal is to cover the glue. Continue this process until half of the wax paper is covered in tissue paper.
5. Spread a thin layer of glue on the empty half of the wax paper.
6. Fold the wax paper in half so that the glued half is in contact with the tissue paper half.
7. Cut the leaf shape out of the stained glass, then cut a hollow border of the same leaf shape out of the craft paper and place it on top of the stained glass shape. Tape the paper to a sunny window and enjoy!

Bird Feeder

Attract some avian visitors to your yard with an alluring bird feeder filled with tasty treats.

Materials:

Pinecones

Twine

Peanut butter

Birdseed

Directions:

1. Tie a piece of twine to the top of your pinecone. Make the length of twine as long as you’d like it to hang from the tree.
2. Use a butter knife to coat the pinecone in peanut butter.
3. Roll the peanut butter-coated pinecone in a tray of birdseed.
4. Hang the pinecone on your tree—it won’t be long before the birds arrive!

Tin Can Bowling

Kids feeling a little stir-crazy cooped up inside? Keep them active with tin can bowling.

Materials:

6–10 empty tin cans

Paintbrushes

Oil paints

Bouncy ball

Directions:

1. Paint the tin cans using a stencil or freehand. Leaves, pumpkins, bats, owls and turkeys are all seasonal favorites.
2. Allow the paint to dry overnight and follow up the next day with another coat of paint if necessary.
3. To bowl with the tin cans, stack them in a triangle shape and roll a bouncy ball at them from several feet away. Then let the cans fall where they may!

Happy crafting!

Bree

 

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

It was a long time coming, but the seasons here in North Texas seem to have finally clicked into place. Mark the transition with a much-needed front door update. Whether your home’s entry consists of a grand wraparound porch or is just a simple doorstep, you can create an inviting entrance for your family and friends to enjoy this season.

With so many fall objects and colors to choose from, it can be overwhelming to nail down a cohesive look that fits the existing style of your home. Follow these steps for your chicest, most inviting entryway yet.

Color scheme

The first step to creating a fall-ready doorstep is to define your color scheme. For a traditional, rustic look, go with shades of orange, brown and red. Combine gray and white with black details for a more modern approach. Another option is to use a mix of jewel tones. These shades, including emerald green, ruby red and amethyst purple, dominate chic fall wardrobes, so why not incorporate them into your décor? Highlight these luxe colors with neutrals such as white or beige wherever you can.

Think transitions

In order to make less work for yourself, keep your front door décor transitional. Halloween is quickly followed by Thanksgiving, so instead of tying your door décor to a Halloween theme (skeletons, bats, witches and so on), go for a more general fall theme that will last you through Thanksgiving. A few pieces might even last through the holidays with just a few minor tweaks. Pumpkins, gourds and leaves are classic yet versatile fall décor accents. Make traditional elements your own by using an interesting color palette or unique configurations. This fall, I love the idea of decorating our pumpkins with our house number using glitter.

Fall foliage

As always, a front door is not complete without seasonal foliage. If you’re not the gardening type, fake a green thumb with a pumpkin topiary. All you have to do is stack successively smaller pumpkins on top of each other, either on a planter or on the ground. It helps if your pumpkins are of the more flat variety! For those who enjoy getting their hands dirty, plant species that not only add color to your doorstep but are also hardy enough to withstand cold weather. English ivy and ornamental cabbage are two of my fall go-tos. Other options for instant foliage include hay bales and large vases filled with bare branches. These additions will lend some autumnal texture to your entryway, however when the holidays roll around, you could remove the hay and winterize the branches by glitter-dipping the ends or wrapping them with tiny twinkle lights.

Wreaths

A tried-and-true way to bring the fall season to your doorstep is with a handmade wreath. Wreaths can be made out of all kinds of materials, from burlap to twigs, and can be personalized to fit the style of your home. Even if you choose to buy a wreath instead of making one from scratch you can add a personal touch by gluing on fallen leaves from a tree in your front yard or sticking on figures made by your kids. Cornhusk figures are a fun project to tackle with kids this time of year!

Porch accessories

For those with a porch, be sure to continue your chosen décor theme there as well. If you have a porch swing or an assortment of weatherproof furniture, incorporate fall-appropriate pillows and cozy throw blankets. Pillows in a stylish, yet durable fabric such as burlap are perfect choices. Personalize these pillows by painting a stencil on them. Make the most your pillows by taking advantage of their two sides: Put a Halloween motif on the front and a Thanksgiving design on the back!

Take these ideas and run with them, and soon you’ll have the most stylish doorstep on the block!

Bree

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

When the leaves begin to fall, you swap out your summer staples for warmer tones and textures. Why not give your home the same consideration you give your wardrobe?

Invite the beauty of the season across your threshold with Pantone’s fall colors. The 2015 fall color wheel honors moments in American history with a particular emphasis on the style of the 1970s. Pantone’s palette is deeply grounded in earthy tones, with a few vibrant pops of color. But it doesn’t matter which of the 10 colors speaks to you most, any of them can be easily blended into your home’s decor regardless of your style.

As for where to put the colors—the possibilities are endless. Given that these colors are rich tones well suited to fall, incorporate them on items you can easily trade out. In other words, if you’re going to do a seasonal décor swap, don’t commit to painting an entire wall.

Choose warm colors and cozy fabrics that complement each other. Change out your couch or chair slipcovers for a heavy fabric like velvet in an inviting color such as Cashmere Rose. If you’re going to change out curtains, a color such as Biscay Bay will maintain the light in the room but add some subtle fall color. Choose a heavy material for the curtains so you can block window drafts once the temperature drops.

Depending on the size of the room, changing the area rug can also be a difference-maker and requires minimal effort. To make decorating the rest of the room a little easier, go with a rug in a neutral, earthy tone so it doesn’t overpower the space with its color.

While these color swaps can make a substantial change in the look and feel of the room, there are other small ways to try out Pantone’s fall colors with less commitment. For example, instead of purchasing an area rug in eye-catching Amethyst Orchid, try the color out on a small item first. It’s less nerve-racking to experiment with color when it’s limited to accent pillows or window box foliage.

As you choose your fall palette from the Pantone wheel, imagine how you’ll transition the colors into and out of the season. After all, fall is only three months long! If you had a lot of vibrant yellow accents in the summer, replacing them with a similar color such as Oak Buff might be easier. Another component to consider is how you’ll move from these fall colors into a winter palette. With the holidays in mind, you might discover that you’ll get the most use out of a timeless, neutral color such as Desert Sage.

So what are you waiting for? Make the most of fall and bring the great outdoors in with the Pantone palette!

Bree

 

Bree here, from Home Zone Furniture.

Fall is officially here in North Texas, which means temperatures are hovering just below 100 degrees and pumpkin spice everything is on the menu. While it might not be cool enough to break out your coat and crank up the fireplace, it’s the perfect time to prepare your home for the cooler months ahead. Use some of these ideas to get you in the mood for the season and make holiday prep that much easier!

1. Check the gutters. You can expect a good amount of rain and plenty of falling leaves in the coming months. Have your gutters and downspouts inspected now and in a few months to make sure everything is clear. It’ll be easier and less expensive to correct issues now than after disaster strikes.
2. Weather strip. Make sure all the heat stays indoors this winter by weather-stripping your windows and doors. Check for gaps and cracks so your house will be well insulated when the cold sets in.
3. Furnace and fireplace maintenance. Bring in professionals to confirm your heating system is in working order before you kick it into high gear. Additionally, furnace filters should be cleaned or replaced, and fireplaces should be cleaned and maintained by a chimney sweep.
4. Pillow swap. Switch out your lightweight summer pillows with fall-appropriate fabrics. Velvet pillow covers in a variety of jewel-toned hues introduce warmth to any couch or bed. Take fall comfort to the next level by filling a deep basket with a few extra blankets and pillows and placing it in the corner of your living space. This encourages family and guests alike to get comfy!
5. Change bedding. Cool weather calls for heavier bedding. Swap cool summer colors for rich fall hues and heavier textures for an invitingly warm look. Add an additional blanket atop the down comforter, or place a cozy quilt at the end of the bed for ultimate coziness. Don’t forget to tend to the guest bedroom as well; this will save you an extra step when guests come home for the holidays.
6. Hang curtains. You’d be surprised how crucial curtains are to maintaining warmth in a home. Opt for a heavy fabric and a dark neutral color to complement your existing color scheme.
7. Layer rugs. Large rooms with wood or tile floors can feel particularly chilly when the cool weather sets in. Create a unique look by layering rugs one on top of the other. They don’t have to be perfectly lined up or centered—an imperfect layering technique will lend bohemian flair to your rooms.
8. Romantic lighting. Fall is the perfect time of year for mood lighting. Scatter your favorite candles throughout your house, scented or unscented, it matters not. The soft flicker of candlelight certainly sets the fall mood! Another lighting option is to string twinkle lights. Whether you use them inside or outside, twinkle lights create a romantically dim glow regardless of placement.
9. Dress up your mantle. It’s generally agreed that the mantle is a key component of a living room, but this is especially true during the cooler months. If you have a fire going in the fireplace, you don’t want the mantle overhead to be bare or, even worse, boring. Add some fall color with framed photos or mini flower arrangements created with fall-appropriate plants.
10. Fall foliage. A fall home makeover isn’t complete without an outdoor foliage revamp. Tend to your pots, window boxes, beds, what have you, by replacing summer blooms with seasonal color. Anticipate the cold by choosing hardy plants such as English ivy, pansies and ornamental cabbage.

Happy fall!