Foyer decor

We live in a shoebox - I'm talking 450 sq. ft. 

We love our home and adore our neighborhood.

Though tiny places can be seen as squished and difficult, I have come to love it. 

Here are some of the reasons:

It keeps my addiction to buying furniture and home accessories to a minimum because we literally don't have space for them. It helps us to simplify and stay organized because one paper out of place and the entire house looks messy. I can clean - top to bottom, every crevice, every surface, windows inside and out, mop floors - we are talking sparkling, in 2 hours.

Another perk is that it challenges me to be more creative with organizing and decorating. 

Behold, our "foyer". I use the term foyer loosely because in actuality, its just a wall next to our front door. 

I've been a bit perplexed what to do with it, since I wanted to do something fun, not just another frame arrangement. 

Here it is in all of it's plain and ordinary glory:

Then, last week, I saw Lauren Conrad's office makeover and fell in love with the idea of dots. 

Inexpensive, playful, and fancy. 

I cut out small, scrap pieces of paper, just to get an idea for how it would look. 

I'm still deciding, but leaning towards doing it. 

I've also thought of hanging a faux animal head of sorts, like this sweet paper mache one from the Land of Nod.

My husband teases me that I'll never be finished decorating. I finish one thing and no sooner see another area that could use a splash of newness. I suppose he is right. 

Some changes in life, like moving, jobs, bambinos can flip your whole world - making everything new and unrecognizable. Gold dots and a fun zebra just make the foyer say "welcome home" a little bit happier. 

images: hilaryclair, Land of Nod

Falling

I adore fall.
the spicy scents
the brisk air
layering clothes
needing to wrap in a blanket
orchards
our wedding anniversary
my birthday
pumpkins and apples
the changing leaves

I'm strict about no Christmas music or decor before Thanksgiving, but with so many things to love about fall, September 1st and summer is a thing of the past.

Everything about the weather yesterday felt like fall.

Since F was golfing, I spent the day fall-ifying (please just pretend that's a word).

With candles lit and Bossy Pants playing on Audible, I changed into an oversized sweatshirt and threw my hair into a messy bun - things were getting serious ladies and gents.

I scattered small pumpkins in unexpected nooks and tucked faux leaves behind picture frames. I plan to take a walk around the lake this week to gather a handful of acorns (I think they would look pretty in a bowl) and we'll add to the fall menagerie on our annual orchard visit. I boxed up our summer-y decor and put out a vase with fresh maroon and gold flowers (school pride!).

When I was little, my mom would put citrus and spices in a pot on the stove to make the house smell like all sorts of autumn deliciousness. I decided to play copycat. Easiest.thing.ever.

I used cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks and half an orange, lemon, and lime.

Slice the fruits and throw the spices into a pot filled with water. (I zested the nutmeg  and added ground cinnamon as well for a stronger aroma.) Simmer it on the stove for as long as you please (just make sure to keep the water level up) and restrain from sticking your face into the pot because you want to be as close to the delicious smell as possible. 

(Fear not - though it looks like there's an insect of sorts on my cutting board, it's just a pinch of whole cloves.)

When Francis came home, he said the house smelled delicious at least 8 times. Success.

For dinner, Francis made tomato soup and grilled cheese and I whipped up a couple of spiked ciders to sip on. (Recipe to come.)

It may not be officially fall until the 22nd, but for this girl, there's no going back.

images: hilaryclair