Touches of Fall in the Dining Room

 Although I am in no way delighted, I've had to come to the realization that decorating for fall and the holiday's- is going to be a bit different in our home this year.

The reason for that is-the main floor of our home is in complete disarray chaos right now.  We still have several projects to finish in the kitchen-(the list is too long to even mention!).  We haven't even started in the powder room because of an issue with the floor that hubby still hasn't figured out the solution for. (Otherwise known as STALLING!)

Then there is the family room-which to be fair, I've been stalling on, mostly because I need to remove wallpaper.  That wouldn't be an issue, except I still have nightmares about removing it in the spare bedroom upstairs.  (For those of you who haven't been following long-that project turned into a complete disaster when all of the plaster on the walls pulled off with the wallpaper!)

And now, after several months of living with it-I've decided I hate the paint color in the foyer, and plan to re-do that one night this week!  (You can see what it currently looks like here.)

So folks, that only leaves one room on our main level to decorate.  The dining room!

Have I told you how much I love our dining room since I made it over this summer?

Well, I do!  In fact, I love everything about this room!

Starting with the baker's rack.............

Originally the baker's rack was located in the opposite corner of the room-but I moved it to this side of the room last week.  There is a reason for this (other than boredom) and I will explain it at the end of the post!

Because the dining room has such a neutral palette, I wanted to add some pops of color,  but without going overboard.  For the most part, I looked to nature to for my inspiration.

Do any of you remember the Ben Franklin store?  I LOVED that store-and I mention it, because that is where I purchased Mr. Deer, fifteen years ago.

He was a shiny gold back then(you know, when gold was in-then when out, and now is back in!).  Anyway-I didn't like the gold from the start-so I painted him white-and then sanded him down to make him look a little 'rustic.'  He's been a part of my fall-holiday decor ever since-and whether he's in or out-he will always have a place in my home!

I love hydrangeas, and this year, my bush literally exploded with so many gorgeous blooms, that I actually had to give some to family and friends so they wouldn't go to waste!!!  I think they add the perfect touch of color and warmth to the chippy old bench-along with the wooden box filled with acorns, pine cones, and pumpkins!

A grape vine wreath hung with burlap brought a little touch of fall to the mirror hubby made for me....

I've always loved the aged glass on the antique vanity tray I received from my grandmother-but didn't have a real use for it.  Now I do!

I bet you didn't know I have real potential as an artist!  Well take a look at that pumpkin I drew freehand!  That's what I call REAL skill!!! Lol!  Okay, so it's not perfect-but then again-neither am I!

The built in's  were definitely one of my favorite projects in this room-because I finally have a place to show off my dishes and other treasures I've been collecting over the years.

I didn't want to take anything away from the beauty of my collections, so I simply added some touches from nature, like a few crab apple branches that fell during a recent storm.

Some more hydrangeas-pine cones, and a few faux pumpkins.

Last, but not least, is the dining room table.   At the time I took these photo's, I was 'shopping' around the house, for items to make up a fall tablescape for a brunch we hosted this weekend for friends.

I ended up using several of the pieces shown here-and adding a few more.  I'll be sharing how it all turned out, later this week.

I'll also be sharing one other 'addition' to the dining room as well this week.

For those of you who have been following for awhile-you might remember this outdated piece when I first started the dining room makeover.

Yes, it's that laminate eye sore called an electric fireplace!!!  I bought it when I first moved into this old house, because I ABSOLUTELY had to have a mantel.  Well, it's been sitting in our back porch all summer-and this weekend, I finally took it upon myself to give it a bit of a face lift.

I can't wait to show you-but for now, I hope you enjoyed my little fall tour of the dining room!

I'll be linking up to these fun and inspiring parties today-so come on over and visit!

Between Naps on the Front Porch

Boogie Board Cottage

I should be mopping the floor

The Dedicated House

Dwelling the Heart of  your Home

Setting for Four

Lou Lou Girls
Happy House and Home

Blessings,

Christine