8 Tips For Fantastic Fall Decor (On a Budget)
Remember back before the pandemic when Always, Bekah took over my blog for a week, and I took over hers? (If you missed it, you can read her blog post here and my blog post here.)
Well we decided to do a blog swap again!
This week, Bekah is back on Coffee With Keri sharing eight tips on how to decorate your home on a budget. Spoiler alert: You can never have too many pumpkins (can I get an amen?!)
Once you check it out, head on over to her blog and read my part of the blog swap: Top 5 Study Hacks to Crush Exam Season.
Hey friends, Bekah here!
It's been a while since I've hung out with you all on Coffee With Keri, so I'll introduce myself for those of you who are new.
My name is Rebekah Salinas, and I am the author of a lifestyle blog (much like this one!) called Always, Bekah, formerly Hope For The Hot Mess. If you'd like the deets on the rebrand, you can read about it here.
As an October baby, fall is my all-time FAVORITE time of year, so I'm kind of in the middle of living my best life.
A big part of that "living my best life" is decking out my house in various shades of orange, red and brown, and ensuring that ample pumpkins grace my home.
I like to spend my free time at home, so I like to make my home festive and cozy for different times of year, to maximize the hygge-vibes. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, or even how to pronounce hygge, you can read more about it in The Happiness of Hygge.
Early in September, I received the Pottery Barn catalog in the mail and OH MY GOODNESS it was so beautiful I almost died a little bit. Every page was what home design dreams are made of. I mean, of course it was. It's Pottery Barn.
Look, I love Pottery Barn as much as the next girl, but I'm on a Marshall's budget. So....here's what I did.
I pulled out all my decorations, and I used the catalog as a guide and used what I could find around my house, and at HomeGoods, and on Amazon, of course.
Today I'm sharing with you how I decorated my home and some tips to decorate for the holidays on a budget.
Pumpkins.
First off, it's fall. Pumpkins are probably the simplest and cheapest way to add some authentic decor, inside and out. I pick up a few large ones for my doorstep, and a handful of the baby pumpkins to put on mantles, shelves, or as a part of a centerpiece. Here are a few examples of pumpkins around my home. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, even just one or two will brighten up any room. I also found a few really cute glass ones at HomeGoods.
Throw Pillows.
These pillows were one of the first things I bought to decorate our home and I'm so glad I did. They are actually pillow inserts, and I bought the pillow covers for fall and Christmas separately. This way, I don't have tons of pillows taking up space, and I can use them for any season. These are the covers I have for fall and Christmas. I also grabbed this throw blanket from Amazon, but you can always find really pretty blankets at Marshall's or HomeGoods, as well.
Shop Around.
I get a lot of my decor at HomeGoods or Marshall's, but sometimes you can get some lovely fake flowers at a craft store or even Dollar Tree! When I first bought my house (and was broke as a joke, because we renovated the whole thing), I only bought a handful of things, and they were from the dollar store or the grocery store.
P.S. - Prime example of shopping around: Last year, I bought some Halloween lights for outside my home, and they were $30. This year I bought another set and now they're $15.99!! They're bright, super long, and they TWINKLE, so it's definitely a deal.
Vases.
For fall, I like to put either wheat or pampas grass in a vase. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. I picked up an amber vase from HomeGoods for $7, and I put pampas grass in it. I also had an empty glass bottle laying around, so I painted it cream with chalk paint, and put some wheat from Lidl in it for a cute accent. You can use any paint to paint an old bottle or vase. If you mix a little bit of cornstarch with acrylic paint, it gives the object a ceramic-like texture which is really pretty and rustic, if you're into the farmhouse style. I do recommend giving it a sealer coat, to help it last longer. I recommend a spray paint sealer simply because it’s easy and dries quickly.
Don't Be Afraid To Buy Something Early.
Look, I don't agree with it, but seasonal decor items come out WAY too early. They also sell out way too early. It's ludicrous. If you see something you love early in the season, just pick it up. You don't have to do anything with it right away; you can still decorate on your own time, but I don't want anyone to miss out, and I've been there too many times. If you decide you don't want it anymore, you can always return it.
Trays are life.
I love trays. They make it so easy to curate a cute little centerpiece that can easily be picked up and moved when you want to have dinner, or play a board game. I usually style mine with some pretty coasters, a candle, a pumpkin (of course) and a vase to add some height to the arrangement.
Don't Go Overboard.
When in doubt, less is more. It's better to leave open space with just one or two small items, than to load up every surface in your home. Also, styles change, so I try not to spend too much on individual pieces. I try to buy timeless items that can be used for years to come, even if my style changes a bit. At the end of the day, it’s decor. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have absolutely everything together when first starting out. Just a few candles and pumpkins will add so much to your home.
Find Joy In Your Home.
After all, it’s your home. It doesn’t have to look like a Pinterest or Pottery Barn ad, because you live there. It’s not going to look perfect 24/7. Sure, my pictures look pretty; they’re also 100% staged. My house does not look like this in real life. I have two Australian Shepherds who shed 24/7, and my floor is covered in dog toys at all times. Don’t stress if it’s not perfect or you don’t have everything you imagined right away. It’s your house; it’s okay to take baby steps. If even a few pumpkins brighten your home and make you happy, that’s all that matters.
Decorating is so much fun, and it’s even better when you’re done and can sit back and enjoy the beauty of a new season in your home. Enjoy this autumn and all the pumpkin things. Have fun decorating!
@alwaysbekah
www.alwaysbekah.com