Oh yeah... October's almost over.

About a month ago I pulled out the decor from last fall, and my nose curled up.  There wasn't enough.  We had only moved in about 3.5 months before and we were on a tight budget that didn't include letting loose at Garden Ridge.  Also, we had very little furniture in our house at that time... so there wasn't much to decorate.  

A year later, our house is no where near "complete" - but we are a lot closer than we were 365 days ago!  I gave myself a strict budget of $100 and came back from Garden Ridge happy.  It's still not a lot - but it's an improvement from last year.  I know the longer we stay in this house the more season decor I will accumulate, so I'm taking it one year at a time!   With only one more day of October remaining - I  wanted to share these!  

The mantel decorations are the bulk of the new items for this year.  The vase on the right has an awesome glisten.  The fall "garland" was only $8 and helps fill the space pretty well.  My favorite items are the iron 'pumpkins' with orange candles inside.  They're just my style and The Husband actually liked them too!  The little broom is one of those cinnamon scented brooms that reminds me of fall.  

And here is a little side by side from last year's fall mantel.  

2011                                                                 2012 

As you can see, we hung the photo, added a fireplace "thingy" (for the brooms, shovel), and I recently added that plant to the left.  Even 2012's version is not ideal... I think it's an improvement from last year!  

Our front door:

The wreath is left over from last year and I think it still looks great.  I also love the way it looks from the inside of the house...

Our little "nook" in the entry way.  And another comparison:

2011                                                                2012

I think the win may go to 2011 on this one... it's certainly more spooky.  But the candles found a new home on the table that has been dubbed the "drop your shit" table.  

This is the "drop your shit" table

It's just inside the entrance from the garage door (where we enter/exit 99% of the time).  It's a perfect landing place for my purse, receipts, change, etc.  It's typically a disaster and shoes are generally stored underneath it.  The photo above is a true current representation. 

For what it's worth - I think the table is perfect for the space, and I love the art above it.  It's basically just a thick paper that I framed and turned different directions, but the colors are great for fall.  I'm planning on replacing the paper for Christmas this year for a cheap holiday decor.  

The dining room is also new this year.  The pumpkins that were on the mantel in 2011 landed here with another fall 'garland'.  

In other decor news, I've picked up a few new items that I never blogged about:

Pillows for the couch! (Purchased at Garden Ridge)

 

A fun quote painted onto wood for a wall that desperately needed *something*. 

(you can also catch a peek at another jack o lantern that lives on our TV stand)

 You can see that the wall where this quote is hung is the first wall you see when coming into our (bowling ally) entry way.  That same wall has an oddly placed thermostat that makes hanging larger items in that area more challenging.  The Husband doesn't love this item - but I had a $35 gift card to Pier One, and this was $32 and the correct dimensions... so I grabbed it.  

(coming soon ((hopefully)) will be carpet runners in this area to warm it up a little bit.)

Now, I'll tap my toe and wait until November 2nd when The Husband has given me "the go" to start decorating for Christmas.  Having a baby around Thanksgiving really changes the timeline of decor!  I will have my Christmas decorating done before I go into labor!