Fall Home Tour: 4 Ways to Beautify Your Home for the Season
I’ll admit it was a bit early, but this year I’ve been dreaming about it since early August. Finally, the newly-crisp mornings whisper that our family-filled houses are almost here. In the weeks ahead, we will warm our ovens, mix our casseroles and pies, and gather around the table. Soon enough, we will have guests coming to celebrate the seasons with us.
So, 90-degree afternoons or not, I’d love to show you how I'm sprucing up for fall. Here are 4 easy ways to beautify your home as you prepare for the time together to be about more than simply the gathering.
1. Welcome well. Autumn is a special time of year when the crisp air sends us crunching over vibrant leaves to the coziness of indoor spaces. As we enter homes across the street and invite loved ones into ours, a warm welcome is key. My favorite porch decor is a vibrant-colored mum set in a galvanized pail. Our local grocery story has a bin of different colored and textured pumpkins. I picked up a few white ones to offset the yellow flowers. I added a personal touch with a handwritten welcome note. But before you get out the dust cloths and buckets of Clorox, remember that true, meaningful hospitality is not about inviting people into your perfect home, it’s about inviting them into your imperfect heart. This subtle whisper of gratitude can be a reminder of the gospel that an open home is simply the doorway to an open heart.
2. Set the scene. Consider for a moment what story your home is telling. Milk-splattered walls and toy-scattered floors might whisper tales of little giggles erupting from behind bouncing baby curls. Shoe-strewn doorways and teetering laundry towers might speak for a tired workweek just passed. Or you might have neatly swept walkways and crisp, clean sheets waiting on beds that guests will soon fill, like how I've been getting a guestroom ready! But there’s more of the story that needs to be told. In the midst of daily living, add something that centers your family on Christ. Here’s an easy way to get started with the Leave Him Thanks wreath. I hung three of these across my favorite place in our home, the sunny window seat, to create a natural, farmhouse feel. What I love about this wreath is that it’s about more than looks with the hymns and scriptures imprinted on the maple-shaped paper leaves.
I might like it too much because I also found a spot for it in my entryway, nestled with some branches from my yard and a few more white pumpkins.
3. Craft conversation. Fall festival block parties, Thanksgiving potlucks, elementary class pilgrim lunches, and more offer countless reasons to grab a friend and get together! Don’t miss these opportunities to truly connect. I'm already getting my dining table ready!
As you gather and are tempted to talk about this year’s hot toy on the market or that family member you’re dreading seeing at the holiday meal, take the time to go deeper. Offer to have the party at your house to get the guests sharing about gratitude. Add a vintage feel to your table with these 12 muslin napkin ties. Loop each tie around a silverware serving set and get your guests talking. Each ribbon is imprinted with a question like, “What little things are you thankful for today?” or, “Name a person or event before your time for which you are thankful,” to invite heart-bonding conversations over ideas that really matter.
4. Leave room for reality. I have to show you my living room because when all my kids are home with my 22 grandchildren we snuggle up in every nook and cranny. I don't do a lot seasonally here to ensure that this is a kid-friendly, family-friendly, mess-friendly room! But I did add some of the outdoor branches to my mantle vases and I want our family to know that we will stand the test of time, so I have a We Still Do pillow in a lazy chair.
Dennis' deer head over the fireplace is year-round decor, but since it's almost hunting season, I'm classifying it as festive and autumnal. How's that for letting my husband work a piece in?
It's a delight to welcome a long-awaited Autumn after a blazing summer. It's refreshing and renewing to come back to the traditions and gathering and gratitude. Fall, I'm glad you are here!
I pray that as the leaves turn and the change blows in that you'll be reminded of God's faithfulness in every season.
If you'd like to get the look for readying your home for fall, click on each picture to take you to the link in our store.
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