Decorating for Easter

With Easter less than a month away, I thought it was time to decorate the house for Easter.  I have to admit it felt a little strange pulling out all my bunnies, eggs, and pastels when there's still snow on the ground.  But I figure why not make it feel more like Spring, even if it's only on the inside.  And the best part is, after Easter is over, I can remove the bunny and egg decorations and still have some really pretty decor perfect for all of Spring.  

Last year I shared how I decorated for Easter, and honestly, most of it is the same.  I added a few new pieces and moved some things around, but the general feeling of it all is the same.  When we first moved into our house I was experimenting with what I liked and was constantly on the search for new decor.  But now I'm pretty happy with what I have and don't feel the need to switch it up every year.  And Chris is thrilled since it means I'm spending less money ;)

When decorating for any holiday, I usually stick with the living room and dining room and add a wreath to the front door.  First up is the living room.  When we lived in an apartment I couldn't wait to have a fireplace.  Not because I wanted to sit by a roaring fire (we have never used this one for it's real purpose), but because I was desperate to decorate a mantel.  And I'm happy to report that I still love switching up my mantel decor based on the holiday/season.  Just like last year, I hung my egg garland, put up my blue candles and pots of fake grass.  But this year, I switched out the vases for these pink ones I got for my birthday last year.  I love how the pinks and blues from the garland are repeated in the candles and vases.  

metal pots and fake grass 
candles (Target) | candlesticks (Home Goods) | garland (old Pottery Barn Kids) | vases (old Crate & Barrel)

Over the years, we've collected quite a few stuffed bunnies.  They really are the perfect addition to an Easter basket.  Many of these are from Pottery Barn Kids, but the Jellycat bunnies are some of my favorite... and softest!  While we don't keep them out year round, I love pulling out these super soft stuffed bunnies (and sheep), and displaying them as some kid friendly "decor".  

As for our dining room, I kept with my favorite decorating formula.  Since we use our table for much more than dining (think game boards, puzzles, and Lego making), I prefer not to "set the table".  Instead, I cover the table with a seasonally appropriate runner and add my new favorite gold tray filled with pretty decorative accessories as well as the necessities, like a box of tissues (cause Noah always seems to have a runny nose when we are in the middle of a game!).  

I've had this bunny candy dish for years and love filling it up each year.  It must be a popular item, because Pottery Barn still carries it at least 6 years later!  I'm actually shocked I haven't picked up any Easter candy yet... I definitely plan to remedy that situation as soon as possible!  And can we talk about this runner!?!  Another gift for my birthday last year that I was so happy to take out this Spring.  I love the delicate material, but my favorite part is definitely the beautiful floral print.  

gold tray | bunny candy dish | runner (old Crate & Barrel)

Another repeat decor item is my cake stand topped with a nest of eggs.  If you'd like to make your own, I shared exactly how I made mine in last year's post.  And if you are extra crafty, you could even paint your own eggs!  

placemats - Ikea | cake stand and bunny - Home Goods

Another piece of decor that I bought last year is this pink wreath.  I knew it had faded when I was putting it away last year, but I didn't realize how much until I compared these photos side by side.  While I love the amount of sunlight our house gets (especially for indoor photography reasons), I have a real problem with fading wreaths.  My boxwood wreath looks so horrible after one year that I am embarrassed to use it again.  While I love how vibrant this pink wreath was when I bought it, at least this one looks like it could have been light pink all along.  I wonder what it will look like by next year!?!

Here's the blinding sun I was talking about...

Do you decorate for Easter???

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An InLinkz Link-up

Fall Home Tour 2016 | "All Things Pumpkin Party" Announcement!

Good Morning Friends!  One of my favorite things about the seasons changing is making small tweaks to our house and decor.  I love bringing in more neutrals in the Fall, pastels in the Spring, and lots of red and metallics at Christmas! Another one of my favorite things to do is to peruse Pinterest and go on virtual home tours.  I really enjoy seeing how others decorate for each season and holiday.  So today I thought I'd share how I decorated our house this Fall for all of you who are just as nosey curious as I am!  

As I do every year, I like to buy a few new things to incorporate with my old favorites in new ways.  I love moving things around and finding new ways to display some of my favorite pieces.  So while I tried to provide sources and links as much as I could, many of my decor pieces are from previous years and no longer available.

When walking into my house, the living room can be seen right away.  This sofa table acts as a separation, creating almost a hallway to the rest of my house.  It also stores Noah's shoes and our winter hats and mittens (not yet, not yet!).  I like adding a few seasonal touches to it, but also leaving some space since it's often a landing zone when we walk in the door.  

runner - similar, pumpkins, and lamp (Target)

The mantel is one of my favorite things to decorate.  When we lived in an apartment, I longed for a fireplace... not for the fires, but for the mantel!  This year, I decided to keep it very neutral and a little more simple than last year.  I found these brown vases in the Target Dollar Spot, the fake gourds are from last year, and I used one of my favorite vases, but updated it with some new stems of cotton.

vase (Crate and Barrel)

brown vases, basket, plaid throw (Target)

gourds and stems (Michaels)

mirror (Home Goods)

^^^ and can I tell you how upset Noah got over this basket?  It usually says Noah (which it still does on the other side) and it's usually located near our sofa table.  He noticed right away that is was moved and at first didn't care.  But then when he was playing, he all of a sudden said "Why doesn't this say Noah?".  I told him to turn it around, but apparently that wasn't enough.  The tears began and not only did he want me to erase "Fall" and put "Noah" back on, but he also told me to put it back where it was before.  This kid clearly doesn't like change!

Other than that, I kept our living room practical, and just added a bunch of pumpkins on side tables and bookshelves.  In a few weeks, I will swap some of these regular pumpkins out for some jack-o-lanterns.  

wooden "bowl" and white pumpkin (Target)

pumpkin candle (Pottery Barn)

pillow (Home Goods)

white and gold pumpkins (old Target)

wicker pumpkin (old Pottery Barn)

Next up, I added a few seasonal touches to my dining room.  We don't have an eat in kitchen, so this is our main eating area.  Because of that, I wanted to keep it functional and not set a formal table.  Instead, I keep a stack of rattan placemats on the sideboard so we are ready for family meals.  I kept the table simple with a buffalo check runner and used this gold tray to corral a few simple decor elements.  It's the perfect combination for me... decorated, but still practical for the every day.  We can still enjoy family meals here, but it's also a clear space for us to play board games and put puzzles together on!

gold tray, potted boxwood, candle, squirrel (Target)

table runner (Etsy)

^^^ Noah picked out the squirrel in the Target Dollar Section.  It was between a squirrel and fox, and honestly both would have been super cute!

Other than the stack of chargers, I added some warm touches with the orange and yellow stems, a white owl, and orange pumpkins.  While I love having fresh flowers in my house, when it comes to stems of leaves, I prefer to use artificial.  There's just something about bringing stems in from the trees outside my house that makes me worry I'm gonna be inviting the bugs in!  

owl and artificial stems (Michaels)

 bronze pumpkin dish and white urn (Home Goods)

placemats (Ikea)

orange pumpkins (Target Dollar Spot)

Other than that, I love using smell to really make it feel like Fall!  A potpourri filled pumpkin in the bathroom and a Fall candle in the kitchen.  There's nothing better than the smell of Fall filling your house!

vase (Michaels)

dishtowel and candle (Target)

Flinn pumpkin (Etsy - similar)
potpourri pumpkin (TJ Maxx)
owl (Michaels)

Do you switch up your decor depending on the season?  How do you like to decorate for Fall?  As you can tell, when I think Fall, I think pumpkins!  So what better way to celebrate the Fall season, then with an "All Things Pumpkin Party"!  

Every Tuesday in October, we (Wife Mommy Me, Our Pretty Little Girls, and Hall Around Texas) will share something pumpkin themed... a craft, recipe, DIY decor project, homemade beauty product and so on. Anything goes, as long as there are pumpkins involved... it's really that simple! And since I highly doubt I'm the only one obsessed with pumpkins right now, I would love for you to join in with the pumpkin fun and link up with us!  Just grab a button and meet us back here starting Tuesday, October 4th!

And don't worry, we will still be having our Tuesday Talk linkup as well!  So make sure to linkup with both :)

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An InLinkz Link-up

Spring Home Tour

I was so excited to decorate for Spring this year!  I am beyond ready for some warmer weather.  While we wait, I like to surround myself with pastel colors, plants and flowers (real and fake), and a few touches of Easter here and there.  This year, I decided to focus on five main areas... the front door, the mantel, the dining room, creating a new DIY project, and displaying some kid friendly decor.  Here are a few photos from our recently decorated living space.  And in case you are interested, I've included a source list at the end of the post :)

In the living room, I kept the decor simple by just updating the mantel and swapping out our red pillows for some teal ones.   I already had most of the decor and just added a few affordable touches this year.  I like adding one or two pieces each year and growing my collection slowly.  

For the dining room, I once again kept it simple.  Some yellow placemats (that Noah picked out), a couple of ceramic bunnies, fresh flowers, and my DIY nest full of eggs.  

When I found this cake stand at Home Goods I immediately knew that not only would it be perfect for serving cupcakes, but it could also be used in my spring decor.  I picked up some moss and painted eggs while at Michaels and had the idea to make a nest full of eggs.  I had contemplated buying some craft eggs and to try painting myself, but when I saw these, I figured I'd take the easier route.  

To get the moss into a circle shape, I placed it in a mixing bowl with a similar diameter as my cake stand.  Then I sprayed it with some water, molded it, and left it for a few hours to dry.  Doing this made it so much easier to lay nicely on the cake stand and have a few eggs sit on top.  It was super easy and I love how it looks!

Noah's bookcase has been relocated to the dining room ever since we moved it for the Christmas tree and Noah didn't want to move it back.  So I decided to put a few Easter books on top along with his stuffed bunnies and lamb.  While the Easter Bunny brings goodies in a wicker basket, I love this soft plush basket to collect eggs and to play with now.  At the moment, it's filled with his Miles from Tomorrowland figurines and he says it's a rocket ship.  I love his imagination!

I love having a wreath on my front door.  My boxwood wreath from last year was majorly faded by the end of the summer.  Our front door gets a lot of sun!  So this year I decided to go with this one hoping even if it does fade it won't be as obvious since it already has multiple shades of pink.   And I also let Noah have some fun by placing some Easter stickers onto our storm door.  While Happy Easter reads backwards to any guests coming to the door, it's really for him, so I let him do it how he wanted ;)

Home Goods: mirror (on mantel), blue vase, blue cake stand, white urn, yellow placemats

Target: silver candlesticks, blue candles, wreath

Pottery Barn Kids:  egg garland (my favorite this year), Peter Rabbit (old), stuffed bunny and lamb, soft egg basket (similar), chair backer (similar) 

Pottery Barn: bunny candy dish

Ikea: metal pots and fake grass 

Michaels: moss, painted eggs, white branches, window stickers

Thanks for stopping by!  I also wanted to remind you that next week (Wednesday, March 9th) is our second link up for "The Kids Behind the Blog".  Once again, here are the questions for this month... we'd love for you to participate so we can read all about the cute and funny things your kids have to say!  

March Questions:

What do you enjoy doing with Mommy and Daddy?

Name one thing you are really good at?

What's one thing that Mommy and Daddy tell you often?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

What do you think Mommy and Daddy do when you go to bed at night?