Homey Oh My - Modern home and lifestyle

Fall Tablescape

I ADORE beautiful and well-thought-out tablescapes, so I was really looking forward to creating one myself for this fall entertaining season. The details really do make these celebrations even more special, but my “detailed” approach this time is a little different than most. Let me take a moment to explain.

This is my current reality: I don’t have any matching dinnerware sets, cloth napkins, napkin rings, matching flatware (mine are a mix of hand-me-downs), chargers, placemats, nada. You could maybe say this happened out of my defiance to enter into “adulthood”, but the less exciting answer is that I have yet to justify having all those things since I’ve never hosted a formal dinner party. My entertaining style up until this point has remained very casual, where paper plates and napkins have worked perfect enough for me (less dish-washing, hey!)

Despite all of that, I still want to join in on the tablescaping fun, and took this all as a challenge to show that it is more than possible to create something special if you are like me and lacking any or all of the same tablescape materials that I previously listed. And if you do have all those things, then MAN they’d make amazing additions to the ideas I’ve got going on for my table ;).

So all the details I went into had everything to do with the decor down the middle of the table. The beautiful table runner is from my boyfriend’s grandma, and everything on top is something I made or put together myself.

I placed mini white pumpkins and my copper striped pumpkins all along the runner, in between three floral arrangements that I arranged using flowers from my favorite florist, Trader Joe.

On each side of the floral centerpiece are my copper striped candle holders sitting on top of birchwood slices. All in between everything, I laid down branches of seeded eucalyptus on the runner.

The plates are looking a little empty, huh? For that, I came up with a reeeaaally easy, simpler than simple place card that takes seconds to make.

All I did was cut out a square from this black and white polka-dot paper and fold it in half.

Then on a small piece of white card stock, I wrote a guest’s name on it with pen and used double-sided tape to attach it to the center of one side of the polka dot paper.

Fuss-free, minimal, chic, the perfect little detail for a place setting. For as small and simple as it is, it really does so much to add a finishing touch!

Here’s another major bonus, guys.

This tablescape is a part of the Be Our Guest blog hop, meaning there are 24 other beautiful tablescapes for you to browse and find inspiration from! Click around and check them all out at the following blogs:

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DIY Wood Pedestals

Popping in for a quick DIY before we all head out for some Halloween shenanigans! This was a bit of a last minute project I did for a last minute need, which was wanting to display things at different levels… I really have no idea if anyone else can relate to that, but being that I love styling and creating displays, I found myself needing some simple pedestals to use during this season of entertaining. They’re very easy to make, and pretty versatile for all kinds of varying level needs (thank you for pretending to know what I mean).

The idea really started when I found these wood boxes at JoAnn, and my initial reaction was to stack them into pedestals. I was thinking outside the box. *insert cheesy smile*

I started off by staining all the boxes and three of the lids for a total of three pedestals. Only the sides that would be externally visible were stained. A little story- the first time I used wood stain, I applied it like paint, and it was a messy, goopy disaster. If you’re unfamiliar with wood staining, a little goes a long way, but if you find that you’ve applied too much, my trick is to use a dry paper towel to buff and spread it out in circular motions. *Bonus tip- wear gloves to save yourself from intensive hand-cleaning later.

I applied E6000 glue on the top edge of one box, then stacked another box on top. I did this once more with a total of three boxes for the largest pedestal. I’ll get to the reason in a second for why I glued the top box with the opening facing up.

I applied the glue again on the top edge of the box, then placed a lid upside down on top of it. Because the lids for my boxes had a bit of a dome shape, they needed to rest on top of the box opening in order to sit flat. Make sense?

I contemplated all kinds of color options, metallic embellishments, the usual, but opted to keep them really simple and rustic in texture. Traditional fall style trumped over all, but these would be easy to makeover if I were to change my mind later.

Another reason I decided to make pedestals was because I was potentially in the market for a cake stand, and I knew these pedestals could double as cake stands with the simple addition of plates. Neat, yea? We can pretend my copper striped pumpkins are cupcakes, or not if this happens to be more your thing.

That makes me wonder- do you keep your pumpkins around through Thanksgiving? I always do, at LEAST through Thanksgiving, because I hold on to my pumpkin babies until they rot, which last year was around mid-December. Too long? I think so too, maybe.

Alright guys, I’m heading out early for the week in preparation for a fun Halloween weekend, but I’ll see you guys back here as usual for a new post on Monday. Have a safe and happy Halloween! <3.

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10/24 Friday Links

Friday Finds

I gotta let this one out, guys- I’ve been stressed as hell lately. With this being the busy season for entertaining, collabs, and trying to get ahead with projects for the holidays, I’ve been scrambling to put up posts for this blog until all that madness is revealed. I guess it’s not much of a surprise to me that as a result, I haven’t been as present in everyday moments as I’d like to be. I frequently find myself worrying about the next thing and what’s after that, and we all know what they say about how worthless worrying is.

At the heart of it all, it’s a very exciting time. I’m just trying to remind myself to do things out of a place of fun and lightheartedness rather than a place of worry. So I’m entering this weekend with plans for sleeping in, hanging out, and refreshing myself for all the fun stuff ahead, and maybe crossing off some items on an ambitious to-do list :P. Until then, there’s always so much inspiration out there to put a little more juice in our creative thinking hats. Here’s some stuff I’ve been loving lately.

Julia from Cuckoo 4 Design revealed her closet makeover, and I LOVE the way we she used this wallpaper on the ceiling.

Fresh flower and succulent monograms from SwellMayde. How could I not mention this one?

Whimsey Darling built these beautiful triangle shelves filled with charming little knick knacks.

Such a unique and simple way to make ring holders. I was taken aback by the peculiar way that For the Makers created the black specks!

Sarah M. Dorsey. This girl can do everything. She shared her living room reveal and of course it’s nothing short of amazing patterns, textures, and designs.

Tan from Squirrelly Minds compiled a very helpful list of blogger guides ranging in a variety of topics. I went right to the one about blog taxes (ughhhh I don’t wannaaaaa).

Happy browsing, happy weekend, and see you guys back here for a new post on Monday <3.

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10/22 DIY

DIY Leather File Folders

Office supplies might be my favorite things ever, especially to DIY. That, on top of the following two reasons, explains why today’s post is so exciting- 1) this is my first time crafting with leather and I found out that I LOVE LEATHER, and 2) I’m sharing this DIY over at Design*Sponge! Major excitement goosebumps today.

These leather folders are a simple and chic upgrade to the traditional file folders. The leather is a pretty unexpected and unique material for this kind of project, but still works beautifully and makes for some really sturdy folders.

Boyfriend was even excited for this DIY because he’s been asking me for a while to make him some sort of Kindle case, which the smaller leather file folder is absolutely perfect for. Both folders would be excellent as tablet sleeves.

For all the details on how I made these folders, head over to Design*Sponge, and come say hello! See you guys there <3.

*Update*

I’ve seen a few comments around about how some feel this project is beyond a skill level they want to cross, so if you’re interested in purchasing leather file folders, you can find them at Made In Rye. Abbie has been crafting leather goods like these for a few years now and her shop is full of stunning, handmade items. I think you guys will really like her work, so check it out!

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10/20 DIY / Seasonal/Holiday

Modern Fall Decor DIY Ideas

You guys know by now that I love fall, one of many reasons being that I consider it the funnest season to decorate for. There are so many ways to go about it, and while Halloween is a big occasion that calls for a lot of those ways, I won’t be decorating specifically for that holiday this year. You might consider my reason astoundingly lame, but it’s true- I’m a wuss. I cannot have anything in my home that resembles a creepy crawler or anything spooky. I do think it’s fun seeing those things in other people’s homes, but I just can’t live with it (or be touching fake spiders, I know, I’m weak). Anyone else not into scary Halloween? Who knows, maybe that might change for me in the future!

Decorating the home and entertaining with fall vibes is more my speed, meaning bringing the outdoors in with organic textures and adding warmth with metallics. Here are some of my favorite modern fall decor DIYs from around blogland that you might enjoy trying out yourself:

1) Sequin Polka Dot Pumpkins
2) Fall Yarn Art
3) Copper and Gold Leaf Branches
4) Clay Animal Heads
5) Macrame Pumpkin
6) Copper Striped Candle Holders (in case you missed this one by yours truly!)
7) Floral Pumpkin Centerpiece
8) Gourd Place Card Holder
9) Hexagon Cake Stand
10) Scalloped Edge Napkins

How have you been decorating for fall (or Halloween?) so far?

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10/16 Inspiring Spaces

Plaid for the Home

Maybe you’re like me not too long ago and thinking that plaid is only for log cabins, or maybe you don’t think that way at all and have always known how awesome plaid can be for the home (how did you know??)

You might have already seen it on Instagram, but I’m really feeling plaid right now. It’s a staple for every fall season, but I’ve never explored how plaid can work in the home, and even more specifically how it can look SO good in modern spaces. It’s definitely a pattern to be careful with, and one that can’t be thrown into any room, but when done right it can bring so much unexpected interest and sophistication- I never knew!

Plaid pillow + plaid throw = instant coziness

This plaid POPS so good in this outdoor area. It also helps that every detail here is amazing.

Only Emily Henderson would know to put matching plaid arm chairs in a living room. Of course!

Everything in this room is such an interesting mix, including that bottle of Jame.

That throw with the black and white striped wall… what a striking combo. Hello, dachshund <3

Can you spot the plaid? So unexpected, right?!

Definitely the easiest way to dip your toes into plaid is with a pillow or throw, but what I’m loving most are those sweet plaid chairs. If you were to tell me before this post that you had a pair of plaid chairs for me to check out, I would have said no thanks. How terribly different I was back then!

So what do you think- yay or nay to plaid?

Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

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