Fall Wreaths...BUY or DIY?

Need to add to your fall decor? A wreath is the perfect accessory, whether hanging from your front door or a mirror in your entry way. There are some great DIY tutorials out there for those of you that are feeling crafty and lots of fun etsy options if you just want to BUY.

{Image: ItzFitz}

{Image: TwoLauras}

{Image: S.A.S. Interiors}

{Image: In My Own Style}

{Image: Two Inspire You}

Are you going to (or did you) BUY or DIY your fall wreath?

A Guide For Planning Your Thanksgiving Table

Image: Southern Living

Now that Halloween is behind us, it is time to start planning for your Thanksgiving celebrations. This will be the first year that we are staying home for Thanksgiving and hosting a small dinner of our own. While I am looking forward to helping plan the menu (my husband and I will be sharing cooking duties), the thought of setting and decorating the table and our house is what really gets my heart fluttering. I have been looking for decoration ideas, inspiration, and tips to make our first Thanksgiving at home a memorable one. While I haven't made any final decorating decisions, I thought that I would share a few of my favorites tips and ideas for dressing your table this Thanksgiving.

To start off, I found this great diagram on how to properly set a formal dining table. It's always nice to have a reference to go to when you can't quite remember whether the soup spoon goes beside the dinner knife or on the other side of the teaspoon. Martha Stewart also offers some table setting tips, here.

Next, decide how you are going to dress your table.  Table linens serve as an important base for building the rest of your table on and offer an opportunity to introduce color. For a bold holiday table, vibrant reds, oranges, and browns can be used to create an autumn scene. If you prefer a more simple, understated table, select neutral linens (think browns and creams) as a base and add color with your accessories.

Image: Williams-Sonoma

Now it is time to accessorize, be creative, and add a personal touch to your table. Layer items (placemats, plates, napkins) to add depth to your table. Add color with natural items, such as flowers, pumpkins, leaves, and acorns and/or decorative items, such as candles, serving pieces, and sentimental pieces that reflect the season and add character to your table.

Image: Pottery Barn

Put your placecards to work. Not only do they add a personal touch, but they can serve a decorative purpose as well. This is another chance to be creative. Mini pumpkins, leaves, fruit, and acorns are just a few natural props that you can use to showcase your placecards and guide guest to their place at the table.

Image: Better Homes and Gardens

Image: Apron Strings Aflutter

Inspired yet? I hope so. Have any great Thanksgiving decorating ideas? I would love to hear from you.

A Halloween BOOfast Celebration

Halloween is just around the corner! Are you ready to celebrate with your little ghosts and goblins? If you are a regular follower, you know that breakfast is BIG at our house. It is my husband's and kids' favorite meal of the day, which has led me to the tendency of styling breakfast themed tables in place of the popular dessert tables on occasion. I liked the idea of a Halloween BOOfast Celebration because it allows guests to celebrate Halloween and the autumn season without the focus being on candy. Don't get me wrong, I know how important candy is to young and old alike on Halloween. I'm not trying to veto the candy! This just allows for a festive celebration  before the main event (Trick-or-Treating!) without the sugar overload.

I wanted to make the Halloween BOOfast table simple and easy to re-create, healthy enough to satisfy my fellow moms, and appealing to even the littlest party guest. This breakfast themed table would be perfect for a Halloween party, playdate/playgroup celebration, or even to surprise your little ones on Halloween morning.

The BOOfast menu included pumpkin muffins, a variety of cereals, yogurt parfaits with various topping choices, and milk. Everything was "dressed-up" so that the kids wouldn't even notice that the candy and sweets were missing.

It's amazing how a little wrapper and cupcake topper can transform a muffin! The kids won't even notice that the extra sugar or icing is missing from these pumpkin muffins.

I found these adorable mini tins a few years ago in the Target Dollar Spot and I have gotten so much use out of them. I decided that they would be perfect for getting the kids excited about having a bowl of cereal. Don't be fooled...these cereal choices are healthy and light on sugar content as well (Fiber One, Whole Wheat Chex, and Gorilla Munch). Just don't tell the kids!

Milk in a plain glass just won't do for this celebration. Instead, I transformed empty jars into a Ghostly Glass of Milk! My kids LOVED these and they are so incredibly easy to make.

I used small, paper-wrapped canning jars to serve yogurt & fruit cups while the ceramic pumpkin containers held granola, dried fruit, slivered almonds, and other topping choices for the guests to choose from.

To dress up the serving table, I covered two lamp shades with black card stock and added some buntings for fun. This is an inexpensive way to temporarily transform an item that you already have at home (in this case, a lamp) to add to your table's decor and the overall presentation. I also made some paper rosettes and used a few Halloween decorations that I had at home (the cute witch and the spiders on each end) to finish things off.

I hope that this BOOfast Table has inspired you to start your day off with a little Halloween Celebration!

Autumn Craft Ideas

Last week I took my youngest two for their first autumn nature walk of the season. We had so much fun collecting "treasures" along our walk. Five days later,however, we have had two bags full of leaves, sticks, and acorns sitting in our garage, waiting to be put to use. This afternoon we did some traditional leaf rubbings which were fun, but short-lived. I decided to look for some other fun, crafty uses for our treasures and this is what I came up with:

How beautiful is this Autumn Tree craft from Full Circle! I love the simplicity of the project and it is the perfect craft for making use of our crunchy leaves.

These Leaf Ghosts from SheKnows.com are just so cute. Not only will your little one have fun painting their leaves, but you will get an early start on your Halloween decorations, too!

Let everyone create a few mini trial versions of their jack-o-lantern design with these Acorn Pumpkins from Family Fun.  When everyone is done, vote on the best designs for when the real deal rolls around.

Let your little one help add a festive touch to your holiday decor with these Acorn Picture Frames from Better Homes and Gardens.

Looks like we are going to be busy crafting this week. I hope that I have inspired you to get out with your kids, collect some treasures, and have fun crafting!

{Party Inspiration} Apples, Apples!

I love Fall! The colorful leaves, the crisp air, and all of the delicious APPLES! Yes, I said apples. There is just something so wonderful to me about fresh, fall apples. Don't you agree? I was inspired by the recent cool down in Virginia and ready to style a Fall-themed party. My mind naturally focused on an APPLE theme (apple cider, candy apples, cider donuts...) and this is what I came up with for my inspiration:

An Apples, Apples! Themed Party Inspiration Board

This apple-themed party would be fun for a back-to-school celebration, an apple picking party, a fall birthday, or just to celebrate the season with your family and friends. What comes to mind when you think of Fall?

Image Credits:
1. Apple Cupcakes: What's New, Cupcake?  2. Apple Invitation: The Homespun Hostess  3. Candy Apples: Wedding by Color  4. Apples Sign: Hello Naomi  5. Cider Donuts: Handmade Simple  6. Apple Wreath: Faux Flora  7. Apple Plates Craft: Two Shades of Pink  8. Apple/Floral Centerpiece: Style Me Pretty  9. Apple Cider: Google

DIY Thanksgiving Treat Holders

If you are a Pottery Barn Kids lover like myself, you have probably seen their adorable Thanksgiving Collection.


I love the traditional Thanksgiving elements, including Pilgrim Hats and Turkey Headpieces, turkey-shaped placemats, and a Mayflower inspired centerpiece. When I first got the fall catalogue and saw this collection, my eyes immediatley went to their Sailboat Treat Holders.



These treat holders are super cute and can be used a place cards as well. Wouldn't you know they are sold out. No problem. You can make your own! That's what I did. Here are the SUPER EASY DIY instructions:

You will need:

1 Piece of Brown Felt
1 Piece of Cream Felt
1 Wooden Dowel Rod (mine was cute to measure 9")
1 Piece of 1"x1" floral foam
Scissors
Glue Gun
Small Hole Punch

Step One:


Cut two pieces of brown felt into the shape of a boat. Cut the cream felt to resemble a sail (mine measured roughly 3 3/4" x 3 1/2", with the top of the sailing being slightly less narrow).

Step Two:


Using a hot glue gun, glue the sides and bottom of your brown boat pieces together. Do not glue the top portion, as this needs to be open for treats!

Step Three:


Using a small hole punch, punch a hole in the top middle and bottom middle of your sail. Thread your wooden rod through the holes.

Step Four:


Stick the bottom end of your wooden rod into a 1 x 1 piece of floral foam.

Step Five:


Secure the floral foam to the bottom of your boat using the glue gun.

You are done! Fill your Sailboat Treat Holder with the goodies of your choice and enjoy!



** If using as a place card, you can either use a heavy cardstock with names printed or written on them for the sails or you can write directly on the felt sails.

Pumpkin Love

One of my neighbors/friends brought over some homemade chocolate chip PUMPKIN cookies the other day to share. I LOVE anything with pumpkin and her cookies put my mind in motion, thinking about all of the yummy pumpkin goodies that I like bake this time of year. My traditional recipes are great but I am always looking for new ones to try out. Here are a few that got my belly grumbling:

Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee from Better Homes and Gardens



Pumpkin Whoopie Pies from Martha Stewart



Pumpkin Creme Caramel from Better Homes and Gardens



Gingersnap Crumble Pumpkin Parfaits from Better Homes and Gardens



Do you have any favorite Pumpkin recipes to share? If so, I would love to see them.