Hey there!  I'm so excited to be one of five Hoosier women bringing you tips this week on how to do fall right.  As part of the Indiana Blogs Fall Tour, we will be sharing recipes, decor and even fall style!  Make sure to come back everyday this week to see the featured blog of the day.

I get the privilege of starting the week off by sharing some of my fall decor tips.  Two things influenced my decor this year.  The first being that I painted our TV cabinet green this past winter, and I thought that a lot of orange would clash with my cabinet and other green touches I've been adding to the home.  For this reason I stuck with a pretty neutral palette.  The second thing that influenced my decor was my desire to simplify.  I didn't want to go out and buy a lot of new fall decor just to have to store it.  I've come a long way this year with trying to declutter, and I didn't want to backslide.  I hope that you enjoy the tour!

As I said, I didn't want to end up with a lot of decor that I needed to store.  To combat this, I relied heavily on natural elements like mini pumpkins from a local farm stand, sunflowers from the farmers market and even pears from the grocery store.  These seasonal items remind me of the changing weather and can easily be added to the compost pile (or eaten in the case of the pears) to help our garden grow next year.  Win-win!

Another way I added a sense of fall to our home without adding a lot new decor, was through smells.  I bought this delicious Pumpkin Nut Bread candle at Target.  Besides smelling amazing, I loved that this candle was white and went with my decor!  Plus, the jar nods to farmhouse style.

I've been using the Grove Collaborative to purchase many of my household supplies and cleaners for several months now.  I love their mission of only carrying natural, earth-friendly products.  Normally, I buy my Mrs. Meyer cleaners in the lavender scent, but this past month the fall scents arrived!  I ordered the apple cider scent in the dish soap, hand soap, and surface cleaners.  Every time Lakota washes her hands, she says, "They smell like apple pie!"  You have to clean, so why not make the process help you enjoy the season?

For the items that I did purchase new this year, I tried to buy things that could be used for another purpose or season.  A white linen tablecloth from Target can be used for just about any season or occasion, but I liked the idea of a tablecloth for fall because it adds another layer of cozy.  Layering throws, pillows, and linens in any color scheme will give a nod to the coming fall season and cooler weather.  I bought the harvest basket at Target as well in the Dollar Spot.  The pumpkins were from a local farm stand.  I love white pumpkins!

The magnolia garland is from Hobby Lobby.  I loved the green, but I felt that the brown allowed for the garland to be used in my fall decor.  Plus, now that Fixer Upper and Jojo are such huge hits, you can't really say that you have farmhouse style without owning something with magnolia leaves or cotton stems.  But because this garland is not season-specific, I can really move it around the house or use it for other seasons as well.

The pumpkins on my hearth are a combination of collected pumpkins.  The only new one is the burlap pumpkin in the basket.  It is from the Target Dollar Spot.  The other pumpkins in the basket are Dollar Spot finds from years past.  Last year, I bought the white plastic pumpkin and B decal from Hobby Lobby, both of which were still available at my Hobby Lobby this year.

I made the burlap banner on the mantel a few years ago when we first moved in.  I was so excited to be debt free and finally be able to decorate for the seasons.  It is really quite easy to do.  Buy the pre-cut bunting from Hobby Lobby, black paint and whatever stencil you want to paint on it.  I make my own stencils by printing letters or pictures on card stock and using an utility knife to cut the image out.  Once you are happy, string the bunting on a cute ribbon and hang it using clear Command Hooks.

Again, outside I used natural elements, dual-purpose items and things I already owned to create a welcoming front porch scene.  My mums are grown by the local nursery, and I simply put them in galvanized containers I bought from Hobby Lobby.  I can use these containers again next summer for different plants and one of the containers is going to become a trash can.  See? Dual-purpose!

 

The antique folding chair is something we already owned and use for family gatherings.  My wire baskets stay on the porch as long as the garden produces so I can easily get to them for picking veggies.  The purplish-maroon plaid blanket scarf could not have been a luckier find!  I was worried about how to tie my fall wreath in with my newly painted door color, but this scarf did the trick perfectly!  Plus, I can actually wear it for a scarf at any point!

The wreath is perhaps on of my favorite pieces of my fall decor.  I made it a few years ago as well, with a pre-made wreath from Hobby Lobby (which is still available at my store), a wooden letter that I painted, brown ribbon and a hot glue gun.

But more than decorating, one of my favorite things to do in Indiana during the fall season is to attend the various festivals and markets.  Living in a small town means that our hometown festival, the Apple Festival, is even more special.  School closes for the Friday of the festival so carnival rides can be put up on the grounds and most everyone (my family included) goes each day.  When I was in high school, I was crowned The Apple Festival Queen and last year I won the apple pie baking contest for my age group.  I'm already looking forward to a taco in a bag (or a walking taco to some) and homemade apple dumplings!

And that's it!  I hope that you've enjoyed the tour and that I've inspired to you to enjoy the season a little more simply.  But I also hope that I've shown you that just because you are living a simple life, doesn't mean you can't decorate for the seasons.

Day 2: Ali Wren

Day 3: Woven and Threaded

Day 4: Her Tailored Life

Day 5: The Blog Bloom

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