Fall Home Tour 2016

Happy Fall and thanks for stopping by!

I’m so thankful for Caroline at Organize Nashville, for planning and hosting this fun event. Be sure to stop by her blog and check out her home tour going on today as well.

Now, I must warn you, I have done the most pathetic job of actually “decorating” for Fall this year. Sorry about that. With everything I’ve had going on, I haven’t even attempted to drag decorations out of storage.

This year, my Fall decorations consist of:

• Finally unpacking from our trip to the beach in August
• Organizing all our school stuff into a new room
• Digging the dining room table out from under a pile of craft supplies
• Buying mums and pumpkins for the front porch.

I’m going to be sharing some tips with you today about keeping your home ready to welcome guests, even if it means focusing on ONE room and adding little touches of Fall. Because, I know I’m not alone in thinking “where did the Summer go?”

See, what did I tell ya? Pumpkins and mums = bingo. Fall.

Our home is actually owned by our church, where my husband is a Pastor. We have lived here now for almost 10 years. It’s a different kind of experience, living in a “parsonage” as it’s traditionally called. We’re not home owners, and not really renters either. We are care takers of this home and it gets used a lot for church gatherings, youth group meetings, small groups, counseling sessions, you name it.

For my own sanity, and because I want to be ready to make people feel welcome when they stop by, I like to keep things in order. I like to stay 5 minutes from guest ready at all times. We have three kids and we homeschool, so yea, life happens. Not everything is clean at all times, but there are a few things I do to keep my sanity. It all comes down to prioritizing.

5 Minutes to Guest Ready this Fall

Here are my top priorities to keeping the house guest-ready and festive feelings for Fall:

1. Focus on one area. Keep the main floor or main area picked up and tidy (forget about upstairs, no one needs to see that). Even if the rest of your house is a mess, you can quickly tackle one main room and do your best to keep it looking clean. I’ve trained my kids to keep their toys upstairs and even when an occasional blanket fort breaks out in the living room, if the clutter has been restricted to other areas of the house, it’s easier to get this main room looking good.
2. Keep the air smelling nice. We’ve been through diapers, potty training, dogs and sewage backups, but keeping our house smelling nice has always been a priority for me! When people step into our home, I don’t want them to smell dogs or diapers. I keep scented plug-ins in every room, I’ve used Scentsys, oils, Fabreeze, you name it. Get feedback on this one because it’s very common for us to become immune to the scents in our own home. Ask someone to be honest.
3. Keep the bathroom clean. This is a pretty big deal breaker for many people. Have you ever looked your bathroom over through the eyes of a guest? I like to keep my main floor bathroom clean before any of the other bathrooms. If time runs out, I can at least take care of the main floor bathroom I know guests will be using.
4. Add some Fall touches. I didn’t do much this Fall, as far as decorations go. I’m not huge on season specific things that have to be changed out regularly. For the Fall season, switch out scents and candles for pumpkin spice, buy real pumpkins and squash for the kitchen counter, hang a cozy flannel blanked from a hook, hang a Fall wreath from your front door.

Key Elements to My Home Style:

• Compass Pillow (only 2.91!!!)
• Old Ladders
• Cotton Stems
• Ikea Bookshelves (only 24.99 each!)
• Magnolia Wreath
• Mug Rack
• Catalog Boxes (available in other colors)
• Globes

10 points if you notice the differences in the picture above compared to the one below!

After taking pictures for my tour, I decided to paint my railings black (because Joanna Gains). I loved it so much, but felt it made the wall color look blah. So, I freshened things up with my favorite grayish/white color: Glidden Smooth Stone. I love the updated look!

Ignore the door that still needs to be painted… ahem.

Barn wood coat rack can be found: HERE

You may remember seeing the before and after of my kitchen when I posted the full transformation at the beginning of the year. It is still my favorite room of the house and I am so glad we made the changes that we did. Find the full remodel post and gross before pictures: HERE

Find my numbered, wooden shelf HERE

I couldn’t finish a home tour without sharing a picture of our home on wheels: Gidget, our vintage camper! She sits outside our home and just happens to be painted the same turquoise color as our front door: Glidden True Turquoise.

Thank you so much for coming over for an “almost kind of Fallish” home tour!

Real Life

You know I can’t actually do a home tour without showing you the real life side to blogging. That room I mentioned that has turned into the craft room? The one that now contains all the piles of junk from around the house so everything else can look clean and picture ready? Here it is. You’re welcome.

 

Be sure to hop on over to Pender and Peony to hear how she readies her home for fall. I’ve added a link to everyone else participating {and the day they post} so you can be sure to check out all the amazing blogs in this series.

Monday

Organize Nashville

All Things with Purpose

Pender & Peony

Tuesday

A Purdy Little House

The Crafty Carlson

Wednesday

Roots North & South

Love My Simple Home

Creatively Homespun

Casa Watkins