Here we are again with another installment of our not-so-monthly “Monthly Mantel” segment. This time was really especially ridiculous since we never got around to taking down the cherry blossoms until we decorated for autumn.

I don’t always love to play up the autumnal colors of orange and brown too much, but when Jenny Instagrammed this copper foil garland from Hobby Lobby I couldn’t resist. While  I was there I also picked up the glittered acorns, which have become my favorite thing of the fall. I think the metallic bling helps give a twist to the standard fall colors.

We also incorporated some vintage elements that I inherited from my grandmother (the owl luminary and antique leather-bound gardening books), a newly thrifted silver rim ice bowl, and D’s fabric pumpkins from last year.

On the other side of the room, we replaced our pink and green scrappy quilts with my whimsical Matte Stevens New Orleans print, and balanced the oranges and yellows with a lively contrasting turquoise (I know, you’re shocked).

We snagged the remaining dahlias from the yard and mixed in dried crocosmia seed pods that we harvested at the same time.

How are you decorating for the fall? Leave a link!

What a BEAUTIFUL Seattle November Saturday. We don’t always get this kind of Vitamin D this time of year, so it was really a blessing. I spent a quiet morning at home followed by an afternoon of visiting Wedding Venues with my mom. We crossed a couple more off the list and saw some promising sites, I think we’ve narrowed it down to the final few venues (woohoo cause driving all over town is a little exhausting).

Stop by the other Ten on Ten sets at A Bit of Sunshine – there are a lot of blessings captured this weekend.

Since I’m hanging out on the east coast dodging Sandy’s wind and rain, I thought there might be a few more people out there looking for a little indoor crafty activity. I thought I would re-post this easy and inexpensive halloween wreath that I made last year for the Fall Pinterest Challenge. Enjoy!

Time for a pinspiration! You know how Katie and Sherry are always telling us we should “Stop Pinning and Start Doing”?, well, I had a Halloween project hanging out in my Project Ideas board and I decided to break out some materials and make it happen!

A While back I pinned this fun and crafty halloween wreath made of embroidery hoops and lace, Original Inspiration from the Thriftress (which is an awesome blog moniker, for the record). I liked how it fits the season but also shows that crafty people live here!

I liked the overall concept of it, but I wanted to simplify and modernize it a bit to make it not look quite so kitschy. First step in that was to simplify from a bunch of small embroidery hoops to one large 20″ hoop (Best of all the cost was actually less – only $3.99 for this huge guy!). Then, I removed the hardware and spray painted the wood a glossy black, making sure all sides were covered.

I had a hard time finding a lace at the fabric store that worked well – everything seemed to be floral (the store I was at didn’t have a huge selection). What they did have, though, was a wonderful gossamer mesh in the Halloween holiday section, and I actually liked that a bit more – real spooky spiderwebby.

Once I had all the materials prepped, the assembly on this guy is easy-peasy. Just lay your fabric over the hoop and cut down to an approximate size (make sure to leave at least 1.5″ on all sides to accommodate the depth of the embroidery hoop. Then, put the fabric in just as you would if you were using this to embroider, and tighten the hardware to get the taut look you desire.

After the fabric is taut and secure, trim the back side with fabric scissors

And place your creepy crawly friends. I kept it simple with 3 small spiders, but you could add a bat, raven, etc as desired.

Then hang it on the front door for a handmade crafty, yet modern, and ultimately spooky wreath!

As Seattle weather slowly turns back to the drizzle we so know and love (actually, I really do love it!) we start to be on the lookout for fun indoor activities to keep us from just laying on the couch watching Laguna Beach marathons (for me – Anne of Green Gables for D).

How fun would it be to frolic in a room packed to the brim full of balloons? AMAZING. This Martin Creed installation at the Cleveland Museum of Art called “Half the Air in a Given Space” does just that.

Images from TrendHunter via Making it Lovely

PS – Here are some fun behind the scenes images of the install process.

Life is a whirlwind, ya know that? Despite it all I managed to capture some shots of this truly cozy NW fall day.

The last two images are from potential wedding venues that I checked out tonight with my mom. You can follow along on our hunt via twitter or IG with the hashtag #brivisitsvenues