Fall 2020, "Come on in!"

Is it just me, or did September fly by?! That was when I brought out all the fall touches of decorations in our home—September 1st, to be exact. I thought I'd let you in and show you around our home and all the little fall touches I have sprinkled around.

We still don't have landscaping, but our porch is cute! Here's to hoping I don't kill this pretty mum. I purchased some new door mats recently. One simply says, "Hello" and the other is black and white that goes under the brown one. I got the cute welcome sign from Hobby Lobby for half off! The other side says, "Welcome, Friends." 

You can tell a lot about the house by a front porch and I've always tried to make ours inviting. Sometimes I succeed and other times I don't. 

Myquillyn Smith (The Nester) says that a home feeling welcoming involves all of the senses, beginning with smell. I love the scents of fall that I find in my favorite candles and I have them burning if I'm home during the day or at night. The other senses are important as well, especially sound and sight. You'll always hear music playing in our home, or a favorite show (Gilmore Girls!) and I like things that are pleasing to the sight. I like for things to be neat and orderly too, which is why my home will always appear to be clean, even if it's the farthest from that—remember all the dogs we have? Their hair is always all over the floor, along with all of Chip's toys.

I have touches of the season all throughout the house and most of them are what I've had for years. This runner was a gift from my mom and I use it from September through Thanksgiving. 

I have little pumpkins sprinkled about the downstairs, just along with my other stuff. I don't want to have so much out that I have to put other things up—so as a general rule, I try not to have too many knicknacks. 

If I do have knicknacks, they're in this tiered tray in my kitchen or on bookshelves. I do have some things that I keep out, but again, I am lazy and don't want to have to move a ton of things out of my way as I clean. I try to keep them contained. Things like this are kept either in storage containers in the attic (just one for fall) or in my hutch in the dining room, for easier access.

In the year, I always have a decorative plate in this stand, so I just switch them out for the season. I also keep that little vase with flowers out and add to them.

I have a basket full of cozy blankets for people to grab if they're cold, which are also there throughout the year, because we keep our house like the frozen tundra. 

I found this container in a downstairs closet, so I added in some fall branches that I already had. The lights stay there year round, because they make me really happy.

I won't win any awards for my style, but that's not the point of this post. Especially during this time when we're all at home more than ever before, decorate with the things that make you smile. If twinkle lights do that, then by all means, keep some up all year. I keep them here and in our bedroom. I love falling asleep at night with them on. If I had to narrow down my style of decorating, it would definitely be cozy and minimal. I don't like clutter, except for on bookshelves where it seems to belong, but even then it's mostly books and small things that were given to me as gifts from friends. I love things that mean something, so I like to use coasters I've been given, I like sentimental pictures and Bible verses or hymn lyrics that are important to me. 

That's the beauty of having your own sense of style, whatever that is embrace it and enjoy the feeling it brings to you. More than any of this, I want people to feel the love of Jesus when they enter into our home and I want them to feel important, loved and cherished. I always ask the Lord to make our home a haven for all who enter through the doors and that His presence would be felt throughout.

Here's our bedroom that I still love as much as I did the first day the makeover was completed. The second the weather turns cool, this blanket gets pulled out and the windows are opened at night. 

So, let me see your home! I'd love to see pictures if you're on social media. I hope you've been inspired to do the same in your home. Thanks for reading, love to all.