Fall Mantel

Well a few weeks ago I posted about the mantel updates HERE

And since I just changed it up... I didn't want to do too much for fall. Because I am really liking all the photos up there.

So I decided to keep it simple. Add a burlap banner (that I have had for years), Put some pumpkins on candle holders, add in a few random fall items I had... and I decided to throw a sign I made last year on top of the blanket basket.  It's a weird spot. I know, but I didn't have anywhere else to put it at the moment, so that is where she ended up.

So enough talk. Here is what I came up with

Have you put out your fall decorations yet?

Updating Frames with Paint and Plywood.

I had plywood photo frames in my living room that I made a while back. You can see the original post Here

I gave them a quick update with paint

I really love the black and white modern stripes tied in with the rustic frame.
I love how adding a cheap square piece of painted plywood around the frame makes a huge impact on that wall.  and it is always cheap and easy to switch out when I get bored with the design:)

Don't mind the random sailboat on the floor. Maddux's superheroes were using to escape Dr Doom :)

Front Door Updates

So... I posted a while back about some planters I found on Shanty 2 chic.
And i love them on her house. i really really do. 

But they are huge... and i built one... looked at it and realized... that was enough for me...
So I left it at that. Maybe I will build the second one someday. But working on the library and finding time for other projects has been difficult. Have you heard me complain enough yet? Well I will continue to do so for a few weeks more :)
I do love the one I built. I can picture filling it with pumpkins or mums once I switch to my fall décor. 

But the real star of the front door update is … The Giraffe door knocker. Hello! Amazing. Right? 

Maybe not everyone adores it as much as I do. But I swear… I love this door knocker in a weird amount. She just makes me happy. I may or may not go outside randomly to look at her. And I named her.
Penelope.
We are quite fond of her around here. 

I love the amount of whimsy she adds to the front door. That and this justifies me never putting up those adorable seasonal wreaths that I always consider. So Penelope also allows me to be lazy without feeling guilty. Because who needs a wreath when you have whimsical Penelope? Not me.
Thanks Penelope.

Now I am just hoping to update the outdoor lights to oil rubbed bronze something or others. I just haven’t found any I completely love yet.
Anyone want to suggest some?

Plus all my summer flowers are slowly dying... I cannot wait to update the porch for fall. :) Anyone else looking forward to it as much as I am??? 

Small Updates- Exterior Trim

I always hated that the door trim blended in with our house... (you can see below where i tested the new trim paint...)

Plus it was peeling and in pretty rough shape.

So I googled and googled because I could not figure out what color to paint the trim since our house is an off white... I thought white trim would look off. But I didn't want it to blend in with the siding again. so it was hard. So I found some color combos on BHG that had blue, Off white, and a color called wood smoke.

So I went to Home Depot and grabbed a quart of exterior paint in wood smoke.

So after 13 bucks... and about 45 minutes of work, my door now looks like this...

Not too bad for round 1 of finally getting to the front of my house (I am running a little behind.... this crazy weather set me back... BIG TIME)

Next is some porch planters, new exterior lights, and I am thinking of a door knocker rather than a wreath (we don't have a wreath in this photo... but there is a hook for one. haha). Not sold on that yet. Still debating. We will have to see.

But round 2 will still be a few weeks away. so hopefully by mid July I will have some new porch planters up there.

And because he thought it would be funny to keep opening the door and smiling while I was taking the photos... he deserves to be up here :)