HOW TO DECORATE YOUR PORCH FOR FALL

Happy fall y'all! Fall is officially here and we're heading into Thanksgiving this weekend in Canada. Mr. Fix-It and I recently returned from a week away oversees on vacation and if you follow me on Instagram, you know we had a blast. I was happy to sleep in my own bed and to see the gorgeous leaves turning beautiful hues of red and orange. Isn't fall the best? You might remember a couple of weeks ago that I was cruising around on the internet for fall inspiration. In the post I talked about keeping it simple. Well, I wanted to show you what I've come up with and hopefully inspire you to create a welcoming fall porch. If you're entertaining this fall, this is an easy way to welcome your guests.

Something that Wayfair has done is create "Bloggers Picks". It's a great way to look for items that have been identified by design bloggers who love beautiful things, just like you. For example, let's say you are looking for a firewood holder. You would type into the Wayfair search, a listing of items would come up and on some of them you would see "Bloggers Pick". Here, you'll see one of my faves. Wayfair works with awesome bloggers so it's an opportunity to get inspired by their fav styles and picks from Wayfair.

So here is what I started with as my inspiration for decorating the front porch.

Callum Log Rack // More Log Storage	Bernice Knitted Throw Blanket // More Knitted Throw Blankets	Shantaya Rocking Chair // More Rocking Chairs
Pumpkin Throw Pillow // More Throw Pillows	Copper Moscow Mule Mug // More Drinkware	Autumn Leaves Pinecone Wreath // More Wreaths
Lipson Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug // More Area Rugs	Globe String Lights // More String Lights	Pumpkin Scented Candle // More Candles
Pumpkin Figurine // More Halloween Decorations	Metal Deck Box // More Deck Boxes	Manhattan Serving Tray // More Decorative Trays

I used what I had, hit the grocery store for pumpkins and grabbed a few of of my inspiration finds.

I was searching for a new throw and decided on this gorg one. It comes in a variety of different colours, has great reviews and bonus, it's on sale right now! I just draped it over my Acapulco chair that was on the porch this summer and added a crisp fall pillow. Instant cozy. Instant fall. 


We were also in need for a firewood rack. Sure, you can stack the wood wherever but I wanted a rack that I could keep on the front porch outside the front door for those chilly days and nights we want to light a fire inside, and I wanted one that I could bring inside the living room if I wanted. This one caught my eye and it comes in a variety of sizes. I ordered the 24" because we don't need it to hold a ton of wood but I noticed the 40" is on sale now. 

Don't forget that all your pumpkins don't have to be real. I used a combo of real and faux. Faux is always good because you can just bring them out year after year. There are also a ton of various varieties of pumpkins at the stores right now also. I was loving the green ones. 

Its easy to add a beautiful wreath and whether you bake or not, your house will smell delish with a pumpkin or fall candle. So get out there my friends, bring in or out some cozy fall decorating and I guarantee you, it will make you feel fresh.fabulous.sophisticated.

*Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Wayfair.ca. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that Keep it Beautiful Designs loves to bring to you. 

Keep it Beautiful. 

FALL PORCH DECOR INSPIRATION

Hey! Hey! Hey! Super long time no chatty on here. Holy cow! I missed you guys. It's been a whirlwind the last little while but if you follow me on Instagram then you're more or less up to date. Nothing major and out of this world but I had been taking some time to figure out what I wanted to do with the blog and the business. The world of blogging has changed so much over the last number of years and it's important to find your fit, your place and how you want it to feed, not only your reader's souls but also yours. Obviously, I love sharing my favourite beautiful designs and ways to help you love your space, so I'm back and it feels fab.

Hope you all had a fab summer! Now, we're on to fall! Summer is my fav season but September always feels like a fresh start. Back to school means a new year. A new you.

And, obviously...lattes, cozy sweaters and oh-so pretty decor. In the decorating world, I see fall as a great way to turn your mind to careful decorating and the ramp up to (dare I say it?!), Christmas!

At the end of the summer, Mr. Fix-It and I stained the front porch. We replaced the porch last summer and just never got around to staining it. To be honest, I thought it was going to be a long laboriousness process but honestly, it was super easy. If you want to know what we used and how we did it, let me know, because it was fast and simple.

Now that fall is peaking it's head, its time to decorate the exterior of your house. We can get away with not doing much in the summer because all the beautiful flowers speak for themselves.
I know you all go on Pinterest and see these elaborate photos of decorating, but honestly, let's keep it simple shall we? Simple is gorg!

I headed over to Wayfair to shop for my fav looks and made made it simple for you by creating a list of my fav picks for fall. Check it out. All you need to do is click on the pic and it will take you right there. You're welcome.

Callum Log Rack // More Log Storage	Bernice Knitted Throw Blanket // More Knitted Throw Blankets	Shantaya Rocking Chair // More Rocking Chairs
Pumpkin Throw Pillow // More Throw Pillows	Copper Moscow Mule Mug // More Drinkware	Autumn Leaves Pinecone Wreath // More Wreaths
Lipson Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug // More Area Rugs	Globe String Lights // More String Lights	Pumpkin Scented Candle // More Candles
Pumpkin Figurine // More Halloween Decorations	Metal Deck Box // More Deck Boxes	Manhattan Serving Tray // More Decorative Trays

I've done some shopping and looked around my house to decorate the front porch, so look around, find some inspiration and I'm going to get started on bringing fall in, or out, in this case :)

Head back over here soon to see it all come together.

Keep it Beautiful.

FALL MANTLE DECOR

Hi guys,

Happy October! Holy man, where did September go? Ottawa had a gorg September and hoping for an equally fab October. 

If you've been holding on to your summer decor with the hope that the 30 degree temperatures will return, it's time to let go. Crisp cool days are here and that means sweaters, falling leaves, pumpkins and for us Canadians...October also means turkey!

So say good-bye to your seashells and hello to a fall mantle. Fall is one of the easiest seasons to decorate. The colours are fabulous and you don't need pricey decor.

I picked up this cute little wooden sign at HomeSense while waiting in line to pay for the yellow faux grass. The vases I borrowed from my breakfast room bookshelves and the mini pumpkins are available at pretty much every grocery store. 

Keeping it simple gives your mantle time to breathe and height allows for the impact. Don't spend too much time fussing with it. Your mini pumpkins will last a few weeks and you can always pick up inexpensive faux pumpkins that you can use over and over. 

Halloween is coming and if you don't want to switch up your entire mantle, just add a bunch of plastic spiders to your decor and voila! Instant Halloween mantle. 

For you Ottawa lovelies, check out page 14 of October's issue of "Neighbours of the Glebe" magazine. I'm sharing tips and tricks in there on fall mantle decor.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my friends. Enjoy decorating your tables and I hope you all indulge in your fav meals with your loved ones.

Keep it beautiful. 

CREATING A GORGEOUS FALL TABLE

Hello lovelies!

Fall is in the air...well at least in the mornings. It's still been smokin' hot (not that I"m complaining) in the afternoons but the crisp morning air feels good. It's definitely got me into the fall decor groove inside the house and out. How can you not pick up the gorgeous potted mums outside the grocery store? So beauty.

Today I'm sharing a few ideas for decorating your table for fall. I love when the food get's warm, heavier and a whole lot of yummy and why not match your table decor to go with that cozy feel. And of course, Canadian Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks and you'll want your table to look fab.

Fall is all about dressing in layers. Try it in on your table. Do you have a blanket scarf? I used mine as a table cloth. Why not? The colours are perfect. {Sorry guys, I have no idea why the text is wrapping around the photo below?}

Fall is a time to mix your metals. Silver, copper and gold look rich and always work together at this time of year. 

I'm in love with copper mugs right now. They're right on trend and this red mug with a copper handle is perfect for warm apple cider, hot toddy, mulled wine. Yum!

Look around your home to see what you have first and then shop for those finishing pieces to complete your table. I had this gold/copper pumpkin but bought the gold charger under the white plate to make the table feel more dressy.

I've rounded up a few ideas from Wayfair.ca (my go-to for online shopping) to help get you started or to give your table that finishing touch. Don't forget they ship to Canada for FREE. Ah-mazing! Scrolling the Wayfair.ca website on my tablet before I go to bed is a slight addiction for me. Please tell me you do this to.

DISHES I CHARGER I PUMPKIN I CUTLERY I NAPKIN RING I STOOL I PUMPKIN

Aren't these brass pumpkin salt & pepper shakers cute? These are the kind of buys you will bring out every year. They're cute, they're festive but not too over the top.

I would love to see your fall tablescapes. Pretty please?

Have a great Thursday. I'll be sharing more fall decor here soon.

Keep it Beautiful.

*This post has been sponsored by Wayfair Canada. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Halloween Decorating

Hey everyone!

I'm back from my trip, Thanksgiving is over and holy cow...how is it almost Halloween!? Mr. Fix-It and I had an incredible time in California. I'm hoping to do a post on some of our favourite spots we would recommend to anyone who is heading to San Francisco and Napa Valley. We had an incredible time. Just the two of us. 

From our basement reno to being away in San Fan and then celebrating Thanksgiving at the cottage with our family, I feel like my fall home décor has skipped over "fall" and this weekend we got out all the Halloween bins and everything went ghost, pumpkins and spooky. As an aside, I definitely do want to share with you tips on fall décor because once Halloween is over, it's over. You don't want to be looking at ghosts and pumpkins until December. It's a little early to get out your Christmas tree so don't put your fall wreaths away just yet (just back in the cupboard for the next couple weeks). I was on Daytime Ottawa last week talking about this very thing.

This is the first year that all the kids agreed, they wanted scary decorations. So, this weekend we hit Giant Tiger for all things spooky. Scary glowing ghosts (I think they look like the "Death Eaters" in Harry Potter), skeletons, & hanging pumpkins later our spooky Halloween mantle came to life.

Scary eh? The creepy ghost in netting on the left, flashes and yells really loudly at a push of a button and the right ghost's face, flashes all different colours. Halloween is a really fun time to go all out with your décor. Our mantle has gone through a few different Halloweens here, & here . I have to say I was a little creeped out walking up the stairs to bed with these dudes hanging on the mantle.

Of course, I can't go into GT Boutique for just one thing. We also left with stretchy gloves for the kids, gummies, a princess costume & cheese. Thank you one-stop shop.

This is what the ghosts look like when they are on and angry. It's hard to tell what the guy on the left is doing in the photo.

We bought a couple of extra ghosts for the outside to hang from the trees and the front porch.  Kids love helping decorate for holidays. We spent Sunday afternoon outside getting everything up. Yup, there are ghosts hanging crooked off the mailbox and a bunch of things hanging off one random hook but the kids love it and proud of their work. Halloween is perfect for all things scary and random.

This year we have a robot, the Incredible Hulk & a purple princess who will be out there knocking on doors looking for all things sweet.

It's good to be back my friends. Today is Election Day in Canada. I hope my Canadian friends all vote. Please, please...vote. This is your Canada.

This week I'm planning on sharing our basement bathroom with you and talking all things lighting in the bathroom.

Keep It Beautiful.