I'm always reluctant for summer to come to an end. Kind of. At the end of May when the whole summer is stretched out in front of us, there is no better feeling. Lazy mornings, afternoon adventures, pool playdates, weekend trips, staying up late to catch fireflies and night time dips in the pool. It is all so good. But after a couple of months of bliss, I get the itch to be productive again. I miss my creative time spent working, quiet time at home keeping house, and time to miss Emma while she's at school.
These days of elementary school are so so sweet. The routines of their days, little playground friendships and whole heart excitement give me so many feels. I have never been a parent that wanted time to stand still. When she was a baby, I was always eager for her next step toward independence.
Now, I am ready to freeze time, please. I would like to live right here in the world of sweet school days, big after school hugs, family dinners with long stories about her day, dessert and board games in the evenings and a peaceful bedtime while everyone is reading their own books in a quiet sleepy house. These are the days, as they say. And, goodness, I don't know if I've ever felt it so true.
I have spent the last week nesting a bit, preparing for this new season. There is something about summer that seems to welcome excess and anything goes, and now that school is in session, I want everything streamlined, tidy and easy.
I have been decluttering, cleaning out closets, tidying messy drawers, and getting the kitchen back in shape. I'll share some of my tips next week.
The big project of the summer that is finally (almost) completed was redecorating our living room. This collection was really all about the finishing touches. While I will continue to decorate this room seasonally with new pillows and accents (I can't help myself), I really wanted to come up with a base scheme that felt polished and seasonless.
I love this combination so much. Do you remember that I first released this design for the Holidays? Then again in spring and now in fall. I love something that can seem perfect for every season.
I found this Windowpane Plaid last spring and knew it'd be just the thing to add some color (but still work with neutrals) to our room that would work season after season. The natural color of the plaid compliments our velvet sofa and the soft blue field brings out the sky in the ship painting above. I love when something just works. I'll share a detailed post about all of the furniture and links to everything soon.
Windowpane Plaid Pillows, $50-58
The chest in our Living Room is in constant seasonal rotation. There are a couple of 'moments' in our home that are like this - the baking counter in the kitchen, the dining table and this spot. Keeping something fresh or growing in these three spots makes our entire house feel alive. They are balanced throughout our home, in each corner and give life to each room.
Myrtle, Lemon Cypress & Olive Topiary in Rustic Pots
This season, I've grouped some new topiary potted in various sizes of my Rustic Garden Pots. I found the topiary at a local garden center in town (Family Tree for locals). They can be hard to locate - I had to call around a bit to find them. They require a mist or a watering every couple of days and sun. This spot is near a sunny window, so we'll see if it is enough or I should move them to the mudroom bench.
I find grouping anything in a pretty basket on a chest is an easy styling trick. Since this spot is in constant transition, I've played around with several different options. I like stacks of books, something tall like big branches or these topiary or a pretty bowl best.
Right on the corner of this chest is also a place that I usually have a candle burning in the evening. Since this is the front room of our home and a space we walk through constantly, it is nice to have it filled with a soft fragrance, especially when we have company.
We have two new fragrances this season, poured into glass French tumblers. They are packaged in Kraft boxes with labels, ready for gifting.
Orchard Candle : Fresh, crisp apple notes combined with soft orange oil and spice that feels like back to school and open windows.
Classic Candle : Soft fig and White Tea, calming and serene. This is my favorite for morning and evenings and anytime I just want our home to smell lovely.
The kitchen got a little freshened over the summer, too. I gave our once black Windsor barstools a lift with a coat of putty paint. I wanted it to match the stone pitcher by our stove that is holding our wooden spoons. The color was actually a "camouflage" color called khaki... which I guess makes sense since I was looking for a natural color : ) It is a matte paint (I guess you don't want your camo shiny!) so I waited a couple of days, then finished it with a clear satin spray.
Khaki Camo Paint, here >
I really love this look. I like how they fade into the background now and feel more subtle. The black, while classic, was a safe choice. When we were moving into our home four years ago, I was worried about making trendy choices and tried to make the safest, most classic choices. But, I don't think I'm really a black painted furniture person - never have been. I love tone-on-tone creaminess and this suits me so well.
I never really showed this view because the black chairs were so dominant.
Always something fresh in a pitcher on the counter. It seems (and is) so effortless.
I have been majorly bitten by the baking bug lately - all of the treats. Cookies, cakes, pies, tarts, brownies. I have so many ideas for fall baking. I need to pace myself.
When we were in England this summer (more on that next week), I saw some new uses for an old favorite of mine - Baking Baskets. I carried these for years in the store, then sort of forgot about them. I had used them mostly for baking homemade bread and had fallen out of the habit.
They had featured this new size, more of a mini casserole shape, with a batch of brownies. Drizzled in salted caramel sauce. So genius. So easy. I could just picture it as the perfect "I'll bring dessert" solution to casual parties, or treat to deliver to friends or neighbors. Laurie had the idea to artfully fill it with cheese and crackers for a hostess gift with a bottle of wine. I can see it packed with cookies for holiday gifts. So many options.
I placed an order for them right then so they'd be waiting at the school house when I got back.
This is a box of brownies (the entire thing) in one basket. I bought a jar of caramel and drizzled it on top and sprinkled on sea salt before baking. I'll provide more details in a recipe post later this weekend.
Large Cello Bags (the large fits all sizes of baskets best)
I also made some Banana Bread to give as gifts for the new school year. This is the Medium Size. One batch of this recipe made two loafs. One to give and one to enjoy/put in the freezer.
Banana Bread Recipe (the recipe is muffins, but is the same for a loaf)
I also made this Peach & Blackberry Pie. I made it in our Metal Tart Ring and it turned out beautifully - so much easier to slice into wedges than a typical pie plate. And look at those pretty fluted edges. I'll share the recipe next week.
My favorite part of back to school is being around the dinner table again.
The hearth room is feeling bright and fresh with the slate version of the Hydrangea print.
The Slate Linen trim on this pillow compliments the warm tones of the hydrangea. I just love it. The photo reads a bit purple, but in person it is a true grey with blue undertones. Why are blues so hard to photograph?!
There is nothing better than family birthdays. I love celebrating at home with heartfelt gifts, a favorite dinner, and homemade cake. And darling wrapping paper makes everything better.
The final step on our tour, our bedroom. I've been a white on white bedding person for a while. It is so clean and easy and classic. I wasn't even looking for bedding when I came across this. I guess I have a thing for Windowpane plaid lately...
Windowpane Bedding with Box Pleat Trim in Natural
The Hydrangea Rectangle Pillow with Slate Linen Trim looks so great with bedding and adds some unexpected complimenting color. I love how cozy it has made our room feel. I'm sure I'll get the white duvet out again in the spring, but for the autumn and winter months, I love this new look.
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