Our Fall Living Room

As a family who spends a whole lot of time in the living room, I've learned that function is our main priority.  You have to be able to live in your space but it also has to be a place you want to live.  Having a cozy living room is what I constantly strive for.  What's not to love about a room that allows you to relax, have fun and spend time with your family? 

I'd like to welcome you to our main space, our living room, ready for fall...

 

How about all of that natural light?!  I apologize for the photos because most of them are very bright, but a girl can't complain about some sunshine raining in.  That fluff ball on the ottoman?  Just ignore her.  That's Maci and she likes to be in pictures whether I want her to or not, but I don't mind.  Just gives you the true feeling of what life is like in our living room.

A pie crust table...have you ever heard of such?  The precious side table in the picture above is what is called a pie crust table because the top outer edge looks like a pie crust would.  Don't laugh if you already knew what one was because I had never heard of them until I found this one, in great condition, at a hole in the wall store in my hometown for $30.  I'm pretty sure I "stole" it from the guy because I have seen many of them since then that cost WAY more than that.  Sometimes you just have to bat those eyelashes girls....;)

 

We found this chair before we moved, at a discount furniture store, for only $70!  I claim it as my chair.  Like I've mentioned before...we are on a limited budget so the nice leather chair we love at Pottery Barn will have to wait until we can afford it.  In the meantime, I find is feasible to purchase furniture like this that will "work for now".  

Chevron print galore!  It's become such a popular print these days and I understand why.  This chevron print pillow cover was an Etsy find.  You can find the shop I purchased them at for only $10 a piece by clicking here.  A budget friendly tip is to start purchasing pillow cases instead of whole new pillows.  You can completely change the look of a couch, bed or sitting area by changing up the pillows.  So instead of buying new pillows and not knowing what to do with the old ones, just look for pillow covers.  I LOVE pillow covers for another reason...you can wash them and not ruin your pillow!  Having two dogs and a husband who has to have five pillows to cozy up with, I need to wash mine frequently.  It is SO much easier to wash a pillow cover than washing an actual pillow or having to pay to have them dry cleaned. 

 

This lovely wooden rocker was pulled out of the hubs' grandparent's attic for us.  We are so thankful to be able to use it in our home.  Its was the hubs' great-grandfather's rocker.  Oh the stories it could tell...

Just a little print out from Pinterest to add some personality to the room.  Joshua 24:15. Click here to print out one of your own!

 

An informal family pic brightens up the far wall of the room.  The frame was found a couple of years ago in the clearance section of Hobby Lobby.  You should ALWAYS check out the clearance section when you shop there.  This frame came home with me for a mere $12.  The canvas I had printed at Sam's Club when they were having a sale on them.  NEVER buy canvases like this until they go on sale.  Be patient if you decided you want one because I saved over $35 by waiting until they went on sale at Sam's Club.  Many national retailers are selling these now but make sure you research and confirm the price and quality will work for you.  

Beautiful photography skills right?  A good friend of mine from home took family pictures on the hubs' grandparent's farm before we moved this summer.  Check out her work here. It's great to have cool friends who will share their talents with you.

 

Halloween is almost here!  Crazy right?  I remember as a child running around with my little brother singing:

Trick or Treat

Smell my feet

Give me something good to eat!

I am sure know we drove our mom crazy but we had such fun during Halloween.  Don't worry, my mom had fun too.  She would always dress up in a costume with us and still does every year!

This halloween sign was found at none other than....TJ Maxx for a mere $12.  I label myself as a "Maxxinista" due to my obsession with the amazing store.  And wouldn't you know the lantern came from TJ Maxx as well.  My basket is a Thirty-One brand magazine basket filled with silk flowers from Hobby Lobby that I found, of course, on sale.  Hint, Hint - Hobby Lobby is another store you should NEVER buy something at full price at.  Their sale items change weekly and you can ALWAYS use a 40% off coupon on any regular priced item.  Sign up for their weekly emails if you would like to know what is on sale each week.  Oh Hobby Lobby, if I only had all of the money I've every spent there.....(sigh)

 

There's the Maci-Boo!  Maci's uncle Stef gave her the nickname of Maci-Boo and it just stuck.  Funny how nicknames work like that isn't it?   

I know you can't miss that huge leather couch in the picture right?  We are so thankful to have parents with good taste in furniture because that couch was GIVEN to us from the hubs' parentals.  Yes, we even have the club chair and ottoman to match but that stays in the hubs' office for now.

 

I adore my Kentucky pillow with a heart embroidered on the city of Leitchfield, my hometown.  An Etsy find at only $30 for the pillow cover.  A little pricey for me but custom items add such character in your home.  You can find the Etsy shop here. I had an old pillow that didn't really go with any of my decor anymore so I used it to fill the pillow cover.  I remember hearing a saying about shopping for things that you love, when decorating, and you will always find a place for it in your home.  Well, when if come to this pillow, I LOVE IT!

Oh how I love having a mantle to decorate. 

 

These built-in bookshelves are amazing.  Although I don't use them for books I do use them to display items that make me happy.   Reading blogs like this one really helped me tie all of mine together without "over-filling" them.  Simple rule: find things that truly make you smile or feel at home to put in your bookcases.  You can never go wrong by doing that one thing.

Kentucky, The Bluegrass State. This cute little plate I actually found in an antique shop while on a vaca Out West, in a cool town of Cody, Wyoming.  How much you ask?  $14.95  Nice work, I know.  Having items like this and our Kentucky pillow really reflects who we are and reminds us of home.

You can never go wrong with family pictures in your bookcases.  Buy frames that work for the space and you can always change out the pictures when you like.  Again, order prints when a store like Walgreen's (my main photo squeeze) is having a sale on prints.  These photos are more great work from a friend found here.

Another pumpkin?  Yep!  Remember I said I collect more and more each year...a small obsession of mine.  This ceramic one was actually one of my first pumpkins that my MOH bought for me as a wedding shower gift.  I have to share the gift idea from her....I received a huge storage tote filled with "starter decorations" for each holiday of the year.  She had searched the sale racks for a year and bought one decoration (or two) for each holiday in order for me to start with as a newly married woman.  A gift idea I LOVE!

I'll give you one guess where this sign came from.....that's right, Hobby Lobby.  Go easy when it comes to decor like this...I believe they are great accents here and there but I try not to have more than two in each room.  Simply put, it's just something that people easily over-do.  

Accenting the sign is a lamp shade "thingey".  I have no idea it's name but you are supposed to hang them on your lamps to add a pop of color.  I changed the color of our living room lamps, after the move, and the darn thing didn't match the lamp anymore.  But don't worry!  I can always find a place for something I love!

Hoot! Hoot!  I couldn't pass up this adorable owl at TJ Maxx.  The hubs thinks it's weird but I think the owl is precious and reflects the fall season.  All of my grandmothers are awesome and one of them gave me this gourd a couple of years ago.  It was already painted and I just grabbed a paint pen and personalized it for our space.  Thanks G-ma! 

"I don't like those creepy wooden figures without faces."  My step-father thinks Willow Tree figurines are pretty weird.  Now I'm no collector of them but these two have special meaning to me.  The one on the right was actually our cookie tower (wedding cake) topper at our wedding.  I wanted something I could keep from our Southern Wedding.  The figurine on the left was gifted to me from a best friend.  If something has meaning to you...keep it and display it!

 

One of the hubs' graduation gifts from his parents was this awesome flag that was flown over the US Capitol Building the day of his medical school graduation.  I mean, how cool of a gift is that?  I know right, we have amazing parents.

Another budget friendly trick for decorating is to buy clear vases or apothecary jars and display seasonal items in them.  You can move them around your home where they work best and change out what's inside of them to fit each holiday or season.  Another useful hint, they work fabulous for parties or showers you may host when you have a large quantity of them.  I hosted a shower this spring and used all of my clear glass items.  The bride liked the look of them so much she borrowed them for their wedding reception for cost-friendly decoration. 

A burlap bunting can warm up any space.  I whipped up this bunting in about an hour and the process was super dee duper easy.  I will have a tutorial on it in a later post.  I am limited on decoration for the mantle because our TV hangs above it but a girl does what she can!  FYI I never light these candles because the hubs would panic due to the flame being so close to the TV....just like I mentioned in the Fall Dining Room blog post, when photographing you have to jazz it up people! 

 

And for my second printable!  Click here for a selection of free fall printables.  I plan on keeping this frame here all year long and changing our the print to coordinate with each holiday/season. And, of course, more pumpkins.  I'm telling you, obsessed with them.  

For the lamp, it was purchased during my college days at a thrift store and it's been spray painted more times than I can count.  If you aren't afraid of doing so, simply spray paint lamp bases to completely change the look of a room.  When you get tired of the color or change your decor, just spray paint it again! 

 

The only bummer about the rental house is we aren't allowed to use the wood burning fireplace.  Yes, a let down but we are so thankful for everything else we have in a rental house.  A fireplace that can't be used shouldn't be ignored though!  I found this large basket at the infamous home decor consignment store for only $20.  I am not digging the color of the basket so I simply sanded down the visible edges to add a little character.  It works great holding all of the blankets for the room.  I'm usually not comfy until I'm wrapped up in a blanket so we always have blankets in our living room to cozy up in.  The blanket peeping out of the top of the basket belonged to a grandmother who has passed on.  Isn't is wonderful to have pieces like this in your home to remind you of your family?  I LOVE IT! 

These ottomans sit right up against the window in the living room.  The hubs spotted these for $10 a piece before we moved here.  They had a few stains but were in great shape.  The hubs' grandmother (who can sew anything) made these covers for us that fit the ottomans perfectly.  They work wonderful in front of the window, as a footstool or even extra seating when lots of people visit.  

 

I felt the need to show you the view from our living room.  I originally had the couch up against this window but I couldn't resist this view and all of the natural light it lets in.  Being that the ottomans are right up against this window it is designated as Murphy's spot.  Just like I promised...the window blind is pulled 1/4 of the way up as Murphy requested.  He likes to sit here and watch squirrels run around in the yard.  He also loves rubbing his nose around on this window to make, what I call, nose art for his mommy.  Needless to say, he gets a "clean canvas" a couple of times a week to restart a new project.

Shew!  That was one long post!  Thanks for sticking around to view ALL of our living room.  A cozy, homey, comfy space for us to LIVE in.  Are you comfortable in your living room?  Does your living room reflect who you are?  As you can see, most of our decor/furniture was found in furniture consignment stores or handed down from family.  Case and point that a room can look cozy (I think) without spending a fortune or having the "nicest" things. 

Hope you are inspired to make your living room a reflection of who you are and comfy enough to LIVE in.

Peace out for now!