Straight Outta Coffin

The holiday has come where it is entirely appropriate to place dismembered body parts, skeletons, ghosts, spiders, and cemeteries on your front lawn and I couldn't be happier.  

I love how in October the neighborhood turns spooky and dark.  

While my Halloween decor isn't all that gory, I applaud the neighbors who turn up the thrill factor and also anonymously slip the number of a good psychiatrist through their mail slots.  

I concentrated most of my Halloween decorating on the mantel thinking aside from the Jack-O-Lantern lights and webbing, everything can be left up through Thanksgiving.  The cinnamon broom is from Trader Joe's and smells like cooler weather.

The drooping eucalyptus is a timely accident, I've had it since August and now it is perfectly dried for a Halloween mantel.  

I also covered the federal mirror in the entryway with a web. A $1 bag goes a long way and instantly makes anything look creepy

Over the summer I ordered this cement dog from Ballard and have been so excited to dress him up for holidays.  We affectionally call him Wellington and currently he is all set for Trick-or-Treating thanks to a pumpkin bucket attached to his collar.  

Mini pumpkins on his head and on the rockers are cute little details. 

The front door planter is piled with pumpkins.  I have a problem with squirrels eating regular carving pumpkins but have noticed they don't seem to be attracted to the warty ones.  

Maybe they are harder to chew through?  

A peek at Wellington through the Japanese maple that is starting to change.

The other indoor spot that got festive is the window ledge above the sink.  Just like with the mantel, I can leave everything except the clings though Thanksgiving.  

The ledge theme is mini: I put gourds in a mini Le Creuset and mini pumpkins on a mini Delft plate.  

At the side entrance I put a warty pumpkin in a planter and layered in a crow doormat.  

The dinner bell always hangs there but I especially like how it takes on a sinister feeling paired with the crow.  

Now for a dog photo:
I had to include this picture of Birdie because she coordinates so perfectly with fall decor.  

Her coat is the color of pumpkin spice and her body is shaped like a velvet gourd on four legs.

Notice Russell peering out the window, Happy Haunting!

My X's & O's

Happy February!  

Since the calendar has turned I thought it was about time for a little Valentine's Day inspiration.
The mother of all made up holidays, but I'm a good American so I'll buy in.  

Before Christmas even came around the dollar section at Target had already turned to Valentine knickknacks.  I rolled my eyes and thought what a materialistic, hurried society we are 

and then started shoving things into my cart.

Said Target knickknacks included the garland and heart wreath hanging on the front door.   I permanently leave two suction cups hanging on the inside of the storm door and change out the garland for the season or holiday.  I usually pick out garlands that have some metallic element to tie in with the gold on the historic plaque.  In my head I imagine all the neighbors excitedly anticipating which garland is going to come next. 

The doormat is also new, we've lived here for 2.5 years and I just kept the soggy worn doormat left by the previous owners all that time.  This one is nice because it's made of hardwood and raised so moisture won't get trapped underneath {it's from the Smith & Hawken line at Target}.  The greenery is leftover from Christmas, to me it represents winter as a season so it stays long after December has passed.  

The gazelle hooks are wearing hearts, these hearts were used in our wedding, almost 8 years ago now, so I think they're sweet repurposed as seasonal decor.  

A little Valentine cheer in the kitchen, just a peppermint candle grouped with a rosemary plant and my pink mixer makes this corner feel sweet.

The poinsettia from Christmas is still going strong so it has turned into a Valentine's Day poinsettia, it looks cute with the red in the XOXO banner hanging on the window.  

One of the treat jars is filled with Milkbone minis for the girls.  They are laughably small for a 50 pound blue heeler and a 60 pound pit bull, but they were the only size available in the 

pink/red combo.  They prefer their veggie chews, no doubt.  

I'm so glad I got the house dressed up for the big occasion.  Our plans include ordering Thai and  sitting on our new sectional that will hopefully be delivered by 2/14.  

I am going to spice things up though, I have a pants/long sleeved silk leopard PJ set I plan to wear while eating on the couch- meow.  

**This post was not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned**

You Were Always Jealous of that Lamp: Part I

Merry Merry! While I don't have a leg lamp I do want to show off some Christmas decor in an effort to ignite feelings of envy.  That's what the season is all about.  

Let's start with the entryway. Free was the goal for the planter- tree clippings from Lowe's and magnolia branches I snipped off a tree in the backyard.  It looks unruly and messy but still contained- in other words: it's perfect.   

The door trimmings are all from Target, the garland and "Merry Christmas" are new but the wreath I've had for a long time.  I wanted a mix of metallic with the natural greenery and the stars make our historic plaque pop.

The front door has been painted Benjamin Moore's Wrought Iron since the last time you've seen it and I'm so happy with the color.  It looks so nice with the dark storm door and plaque.  

Now moving inside...

Mini boxwood wreath on the gazelle hook.

Snowflake ornaments on a metallic branch and wise men on the entry table.  

 Do you want to come into the living room? Sure you do!  

Last year when I was taking down Christmas decorations I threw my fake white tree out to make sure it would never be used again- it had turned yellow but I still kept using it,  grimacing a little more each time I put it up. This year I wanted a simple natural tree with nothing but white lights.  

I got a little tabletop tree from Lowe's because it was just easy.  I knew right where I could put him and didn't have to strap it to my car or move furniture around.  

He's flat out cute and looks so sweet glowing at night.    

Moving over to the console...we upgraded our media console and 

TV over the summer and they fit the scale of the room so much better.  

The TV will be mounted eventually but the walls need to be painted first.  

This vase and white branches always live here, but got dressed up for Christmas with white lights and metallic snowflakes. 

Underneath I framed some wrapping paper and strung lights and an ornament garland.

White and green was the theme for the mantel. 

Live garland from Trader Joe's layered in with seasonal decor I use year after year. 

Apparently I was really into putting white lights into containers this year...

two on the console and this lantern by the mantel.

Come back next week for "You Were Always Jealous of that Lamp: Part II" where we'll take a gander at the dining room and kitchen.  How's that for a cliffhanger?  

**This post was not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned**

First Impressions

If our house was on Tinder I feel pretty confident that it would get a swipe right.  The entry was cute enough when we bought it, but we've done some things to help it along.
The photo below is a good representation of our starting point.

First off, see this post for detail on how the front patio went from zero to hero.

Let's talk about what needed improvement: stairs were tired concrete, house numbers were so boring and awkwardly placed, exterior light fixture looked like a clearance big-box store find, doorbell was gross, we didn't have a historic preservation plaque like so many homes in the neighborhood do, and our poor weathered front door needed some protection .  

We started with the storm door {see this post for more detail on that} and went from there.  The photo above is just after the storm door was put on last fall, you can see the trim still needed to be repainted and this gives you a really good idea of how distressed the steps looked.

Spring forward and we're looking better!  The light fixture is from Shades of Light, house numbers are from a local store- Plenty Mercantile {but I've also seen them online at Anthrpologie}, and the house plaque was ordered through our neighborhood association.  

The egg garland is from Target, this photo was taken around Easter.  

Above is a before shortly after moving in...below is an after.

I wanted everything arranged vertically to make the entry appear as tall as possible.  

The steps were coated with Behr concrete paint in Slate Gray.  

Much better for now, but I entertain the idea of eventually doing brick steps.

The Natural light the storm door allows to fill the interior entry is so lustrous

{more on the entryway here}. 

Here is a gratuitous photo of Birdie wearing her Easter dress.

This spring/summer I'd like to get outdoor furniture and have the front exterior windows repainted along with the gable area and fascia running.  

Everything will remain the same color, just very much in need of a fresh coat.  

Oh and I'd like a new front door mat, the drab one we have now was left by the previous owners.  

Turns out I'm picky about front door mats and am acting like it's an enormous investment that can never ever be changed again.  

Maybe I'll just stop thinking about it and get one that says "Wipe Your Paws."  

I am a dog person after all.