October /// Fall Home Round-up

Hi everyone! I haven't had a whole lot of time to decorate this year, but I did add a few fall touches that I think give it enough of a cozy look without being over the top or too time consuming!

The two big places that I added accents towards were my mantle and my dining table. The mantle is the focal point of the first room you see when you walk into my house, so I felt like that would be an easy way to make it seem cozy quickly! An entryway or foyer would be another good spot for a few little accents, but I don't really have one of those, so the mantle won!

I like to keep my decor pretty neutral, which helps keep it on a budget if I only have to add a few things from time to time to switch it up between seasons.

If you follow along on Instagram, you probably saw my post on these dollar store pumpkins that I re-vamped with a little chalk paint and gold acrylic – LOVE them! The big white pumpkin on the right is actually a battery powered jack-o-lantern from Target, I think it was from the dollar section, so I just keep him face down until Halloween!

Budget Check!

One of the challenges I have had while decorating my house and making it feel cozy is keeping it within a grad-student budget. I really enjoy looking for pieces that I like, or pieces that give my home the look that I want, and still being able to afford groceries and stuff. I put together a graphic for this post which shows the prices I paid for my a few of my mantle staples, and then at the end I'll have a section on where you could find similar pieces(and their prices) from higher end stores.

"One of the challenges I have had while decorating my house and making it feel cozy is keeping it within a grad-student budget."

A lot of these things are staples for my mantle year round.

The candlesticks I've had since I lived in my old apartment(they've just gained like, 5 coats of paint since then!)
The windows were a find from last spring at the Funky Monkey in Madison, AL.
The cotton wreath hanging on my mirror was a gift from my mama, so I'm not sure what it cost, but I love it so much!
The vase was one of the only new thing this season, from Target's Fall line, but I didn't get it until it had been marked down for clearance...I thought it had a really cool shape, and the neutral color means I'll be able to keep it on the mantle through fall and probably year round!
Michaels frequently has really great coupons that you can pull can pull up on your phone and scan at checkout (just by adding your zip code!) These two floral stems had already been marked down in preparation for Holiday decor, and with the coupon they were a REALLY great deal!

In case you don't enjoy the searching for discounts, have other things to do, or are looking to splurge on a piece of decor, – all of which are reasons I've used(in the last few months especially!) – I rounded up some similar options from higher end stores!

The candlesticks, like I mentioned, are old. BUT they have some similar size/color ones at World Market for $16 ! Here.
Chippy Windows, like the ones I found at a local vintage store, can also be found online! I found these similarly sized ones on Wanelo for $60! Here.
Cotton stem wreath - same size can be found here at Magnolia for $54. They also have cotton stems for $9, here.
If you're looking for a neutral, geometric vase to add to your home, they have this one at ZGallery for $50. Here
Pier 1 has a great deal on maple leaves! These pretty red florals(foliage?) are priced at $9.95! Here.

I think it's also really helpful to SLOWLY gather what you want to decorate your home with. All of these pieces(minus the leaves and windows) were things that I found at the same time/same trip. The candlesticks have been about 5 or 8 different colors, and I've tried them in a ton of different places around the house before I settled that they should be on the mantle! The little blue lanterns on either end of the mantle were a gift from my mama, so I didn't include those in my budget list.

Its so tempting to get a ton of things at once that you know will go together, but I think its more wallet-friendly when i find one clearance or sale item at a time! I have a list of things to watch out for on my next trip to a thrift store, so be on the lookout for my next budget decor roundup soon!

I love this article from ApartmentTherapy.com on what to look out for when you go thrift shopping!!

Thanks for reading you guys! Sorry for the long hiatus, this semester has been really busy! But since I had 11 people staying with me, I wanted to do a post on how I got my house ready for fall on my budget, hope you guys enjoyed it!