Trick-or-Treat Halloween Mantel

Happy Halloween! My kids are so excited to dress up today as a pink fairy and Iron Man for their school costume parade and then head out trick-or-treating this evening. I hope I can keep up with them! I'm 38 weeks along now, just waiting on Baby Girl to make her appearance. 

A few weeks ago, I finally got the "Halloween decorating bug" and did up our dining room mantel. Hazel and Owen had fun helping me and making their own decorations too.

Mainly, I used items we already had, decorations from previous years, and some crafts we worked on together. The only new purchases were all of the pumpkins and gourds.

Here is what we put together…

Although I MUST WARN YOU!! Before we venture ahead…

Simple Fall Mantel: Minimalist & Natural

This year, I decided to go fairly simple with my fall mantel decor. The walls and salvaged mantel are both white, so I wanted to bring in a bit of deep seasonal colors and natural elements to welcome autumn into our dining room.

I shared a glimpse of it in my recent Fall Home Tour. Today, I am sharing more details of how I brought it all together.

Eclectic Fall Decor Ideas

Fall is finally here! After the hottest summer I can remember, I am thrilled that cooler weather has arrived in my neck of the woods. The leaves are changing, we've actually had rain after one of the driest seasons, and the humidity is finally gone. I love this time of year!
Decorating for this season is one of my favorite things to do, and I love being inspired by the cozy fall homes of others. I've gathered together some of my personal favorites from my own blog and from fellow bloggers, each with their own unique style and take on autumn decor.

Eclectic Spring Dining Room & Mantel

Spring is here! And it has gotten me in the mood to declutter and freshen up my home. Today, I'm sharing our simple dining room with subtle hints to welcome the season.

As I've mentioned other times, my dining room is the worst for collecting clutter. This room leads to the kitchen, basement and back patio so things are always piling up.

Holiday Home Tour 2015

This Christmas season has been special for me. With a three and four year old, it is absolutely the best time of year, so I have been taking things slow to savor all of the sweet moments and create lasting memories. I decided to hold off on doing a holiday home tour post for just that reason, but I'm happy to share it with you today.

I was invited to two large group tours and was a bit sad to turn them down, but I knew it would cause me a lot of stress getting our home all done up the week after Thanksgiving. I wanted to take my time and not get lost focusing on what everyone else would be impressed by, but what would make every day magical for my little ones. So that is what I am sharing today: our kid-centered, real life holiday home. I hope you enjoy the "visit"…

DIY Advent Calendar & Festive Holiday Mantel

I have been sponsored by Command Brand and received product for this post. All expressed opinions are 100% my own, and all additional products selected were chosen by me. This post also contains affiliate links*. Read my full disclosure. 

Decorating for Christmas has always been a favorite pastime of mine. Some years, however, I let the pressure to have a "perfect holiday home" get to me, and lose the joy the season brings trying to get it all done. This year, instead of trying to tackle decorating our entire home and going over the top everywhere, I decided to focus on what would bring my children joy and fill their little hearts with wonder. What better way than a homemade advent calendar?

Today, I hope you are inspired by how I made it with some simple materials and I'm also excited to give you a glimpse of our festive mantel.

Natural Bohemian Fall Mantel

Last week, I showed my most recent mantel vignette in the second part of my fall home tour. Today, I am showing you more details of how I decorated it for fall this year. It has some similarities to last year's…natural with vintage finds, but this time around with more bohemian style thrown in.

Oh, hello fall {free printable}

Fall is is pretty much here in my book (except for the extremely hot weather we are experiencing right now in Western New York), so, for me, it's time to start bringing the warmth and beauty of autumn all throughout my home. Today, I am excited to usher in fall with several other talented bloggers as we share decorating vignettes, along with free printables, for you to enjoy all season long!

I love, love, love this time of year. I really can't say it enough. So much beauty to behold and comforts that bring me back to the best memories of childhood: jumping in leaves, going to pick out pumpkins, selecting a Halloween costume, good food, family get-togethers, the scent in the air. There is pretty much nothing that I don't love about fall expect maybe that it is too short. It always seems to go by in a flash. Oh if I could just hold onto it for a bit longer. 

July Dining Room Mantel Vignette

It's no secret that I like to change out my mantel decor…a lot. If you visit here regularly, your probably know this. Today, I am sharing how I just recently redid it for the month of July. I kept it fairly simple with a mixture of vintage and eclectic pieces, hints of black, potted succulents and fresh cut flowers from the yard.
We bought this old mantel from a local salvage shop and gave it a makeover a couple of years ago. It used to have very chippy brown paint. It has lived in our dining room for the past several years. Sometimes, I want to move it back to the living room where I first put it, since in my mind, it seems that is where a mantel is "supposed" to go. But whenever I look at it with our antique chandelier above it, I know this is really where it belongs.

Hazel’s Frozen 4th Birthday Party

I seriously never thought I would do character parties for my kids, but as they have gotten older and have their own interests, it would be pretty hard not to, right? So the challenge for me then? Still make it as creative and unique as possible, while keeping with the theme they love. For Hazel's fourth this year, she knew for months what kind of party she wanted. A Frozen party. And not just any Frozen party: an Elsa party.

I guess I just had to let it go about my hopes and dreams that she would choose a unicorn party (her second choice), and go with the flow of the Elsa Frozen party. 

DIY Abstract Art “Masterpieces” on Canvas {Crafting with Your Kids No. 2}

Well, it's no secret I love art. All kinds of art. And I love sharing this passion with my children. Today, I have a simple and fun project that my two littles ones (Hazel & Owen) worked on with a little bit of help from me. We collaborated on these pieces to make abstract art masterpieces (in our humble opinion) to decorate our home.

I love coming up with projects or artwork that both parents and children can work on together, to create new decor for the home. This is one such project and is the second "official" post in my Crafting with Your Kids Series. This has been a long time coming, as my kids and I made these at the end of the summer. I used them in our decor in late September as part of a mantel vignette. They have moved around our home since then, but are special pieces that I love displaying.

A Year of Mantel Vignettes

Today, I thought it would be fun to share all of the mantel vignettes that I created this past year. I love changing out the decor of our mantel season to season. I am still on my blogging break but got this post ready for you before, so you could enjoy it now!

Our mantel currently resides in our dining room and has for the past few years. We purchased it at an architectural salvage store right after we moved into our current home. It was painted dark brown then, but because the paint was literally chipping right off, we sanded it down and gave it a rough coat of white. Click on each of the links below to be taken to the individual posts to see all of the vignette details. I hope you enjoy this "mantel recap"!

Vintage Stacked Book Christmas Tree {inside our mantel}

Last month, I shared a project over on Jennifer Rizzo's blog for an unconventional Christmas tree that I set up inside our mantel. I literally thought this up on a whim one afternoon while the little ones were napping. I had no idea how much it would inspire people. The images of my vintage book stack Christmas tree are some of my most popular on Instagram, and I am constantly hearing people say how much they love it. This was even featured on Country Living's Facebook page and one morning I saw that the Junk Gypsies shared the image on Instagram (with credit to their Pinterest boards <—insert my sad face here).

Who knew? I certainly didn't when I set it up. I am resharing that post here today in case you missed it!

I am currently on a blogging break and will return in the new year!  I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Here is the original post:

White Christmas Home Tour with Sweet Biscuit Paper and Press

I am so thrilled to share an amazing holiday home tour with you today! My dear friend Tina Lowery of Sweet Biscuit Paper and Press has the most impeccable style and an amazing talent for filling her home with special touches. She is a creative genius. She doesn't have her own blog up and running yet, but in the meantime, she has graciously allowed me to share her home with all of you!

Tina and I have never met in person, but have been online friends for several years. I truly consider her one of my dearest friends and love that we have grown so close through emails, texting and social media even though she lives in Florida and I in New York. Whenever I make it down to Florida next, meeting her will be at the top of my "Must Do" list! I hope you enjoy this little "visit" into her home as much as I have enjoyed putting it together for you. Every detail is filled with charm and love. Her style is mainly white with whimsical touches, a good mix of vintage and modern and creativity at every turn.

Rustic Fall Table & Dining Room

Last month, I shared my fall home tour including a peek into my dining room decorated for the season. I am joining with several other talented bloggers today, sharing our Thanksgiving tablescapes, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to give you the full dining room tour. I am keeping things simple and the same this Thanksgiving. Be sure to visit the other talented bloggers at the end of this post for more inspiration and a big thank you to the very talented Bre of rooms FOR rent for hosting this event.
I don't think we will be having Thanksgiving at our house this year (it's kind of nice when you can leave the cooking and the mess to someone else, right? {grin}). But we have been enjoying meals as a family at the table every night, and I am reading the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and trying daily to find thanksgiving in everything around me. Even when the house is a mess, the kids won't sleep, and I have piles of laundry and dishes calling my name. There is still beauty to be found in each and every moment. They are harder to find some days, but I am learning that I can train myself to look for them, by recording them in my own journal of gifts.

Fall Home Tour 2014

Welcome to my fall home tour! I have been anxiously awaiting this day for weeks (well months if I were telling the truth). I love fall, and I think this season makes me fall in love with my home all over again. The crisp air, beautiful leaves and feeling that autumn evokes, awakens my soul with inspiration.

Today, I am excited to be part of the 2014 Fall Tour of Homes hosted by Cherished Bliss. If you headed over from my sweet friend Danielle's home of Finding Silver Pennies, I am so happy you came my way! We live in the small town of Mumford, NY where fall is pretty glorious right now.

If you are new here…I am so happy you stopped by today! If you are returning…you know I love having you. If you can believe it, in my seven years of blogging, this is my very first fall home tour post!

Rustic Fall Mantel Vignette & a Free Printable

Fall is finally here! Okay, well I know not "technically", and I am still enjoying these warm summer days, but fall is absolutely my favorite time of year. I already have my rustic mantel decorated for the season – which I am sure will be redecorated several times over during the next couple of months, but here is the "early fall" version:

Seasons of Home: Midsummer Botanical Mantel

Welcome to Seasons of Home Summer Edition 2014! I am thrilled to be sharing a botanical mantel vignette in my dining room with you today. Be sure to visit the other talented bloggers participating after you leave here!

4th of July Mantel and a Free Printable Banner!

Today I am sharing my 4th of July mantel and have a free printable patriotic banner for you! Can you believe it is already almost July? Time sure is flying by. 

Eclectic Bohemian Summer Mantel

Summer is well on its way and with it I have been sprucing my decor.