Welcoming Fall

We're welcoming fall with open arms around these parts.

Cooler weather

Pumpkin cookies, pie, and lattes

Halloween

Pumpkin pickin'

Hayrides

...enough said.

So I decided to get our house ready for the new season.

I figure if I make a few new decorations each year, over time, I'll build a big collection.

First I made a wreath for our front door because I've been wanting to make one since we moved in. 

I like giving people something pretty to look at when they come over for a visit.

my little man playing with the wreath before it was finished

I just googled "fall yarn wreath" and used examples I saw as inspiration.

I just wrapped a foam wreath with yarn, wrapped a twig with yarn, made circles from long pieces of felt and then glued it all together.  So simple.

And here's one of our front door with the wreath, our Halloween mat and the pumpkin Cambria picked out at Krogs. 

This season is the first time I've decorated our mantel and I love how it turned out. 

I went with a fall theme instead of Halloween so I could keep it up until Christmas time.

Used inspiration from this tutorial to make the branches.

That tall tree looking thing is actually a Christmas decoration, but I just wrapped orange yarn around it to make it work for the fall.

Again, this wreath was created for Christmas, but I think it works for the fall as well.

Followed this tutorial to make a felt leaf garland.  I'm so pleased with how it turned out.  I have lots of leaves left over, so I plan to make more for other places around the house.

I got the window frame as a gift from my sister Ashley last Christmas and thought it made a nice fall-looking backdrop.

Got this garland on super sale last year.

And I decorated the dining room table with a pumpkin which was also purchased on super sale last year and some of the beautiful, crazy-fast growing flowers from our garden.

Best part of it all, I spent no more than $10 on everything. Wooooo! 
Fall makes me happy.

Good today: Cambria said bye to her pacifier forever and did SO WELL.  We walked outside to the trash bin, threw her pacifiers in, and that was that.  She wanted to look at them every time we went outside, but I didn't mind because she wasn't putting up a fight about it whatsoever.  I'm a proud mama!  AND she said "I love you" several times unprompted.  sweetest.thing.ever

Bad today: Kyle had to work mandatory overtime AND has to go in tomorrow again.  Sucks :/